Blogs from Geumjeongsan , Busan, South Korea, Asia

During the Korean War, some 4000 followers of the Taegeukdo religion, refugees from other parts of the wartorn land, settled in this region of Busan, erecting as their homes some 800 wooden shacks. These cubicle houses are packed closely so that they seem to be comforting each other and living a happy life in harmony. It is very comforting to see rows upon rows of delightful mismatched houses in hues of light blue, pink, green, yellow. Among these houses, you can spot some taller, more modern looking buildings which are the hospitals, churches and schools. The government has transformed some 300 empty houses into galleries, book cafes and other cultural facilities while local colleges and village residents have worked together to produce art works placed at various alley way corners. It is an interesting place to ... read more

Having made it safely out of Gyeongju - despite it blowing a gale and sheeting rain - and through the eye of the storm to the port city of Busan, I was sightly relieved/strangely disappointed to find that the storm had already passed Busan and, although it was still a little windy, it was dry. I had, partly because of the typhoon, booked myself a room in a proper hotel as a little treat and, frankly, spent most of my two days in Busan relaxing. I did, however, manage to make it to Busan's Chinatown so I had my Chinese food fix - well, Chinese food Korean-style, at least. And I also made it to Jalgachi fish market, which is a fairly famous bustling chaos of place that sells anything (and I mean anything) that comes ... read more