Blogs from Busan, South Korea, Asia - page 4

And after the quick look at Daegu, it was a short train ride southeastwards to the my final destination in Korea, the port city of Busan, also the second largest city after Seoul. Geographically almost exactly at diagonally opposite ends of the country vis-a-vis the capital Seoul, Busan nevertheless has much importance of its own to boast of. It was pretty much the only large city standing after the initial wave of attacks from the North during the Korean War, and it was using Busan as the military base that the Southern and allied UN forces were able to eventually beat back the Northern troops, retake Seoul, and in fact even temporarily capture Pyeongyang, before a Chinese-backed counter-offensive eventually pushed forces back to the infamous 38th parallel, leading to an uneasy armistice stalemate that still remains ... read more

It is very easy to travel in Busan and all that you need is a Busan Metro Line Map and a transportation card, either T- money or Cashbee card. To get to the beach , take Line 2 and alight at Gwangan station, exit 5. Go in the evening and take a nice evening walk along the beach. The beach is clean with good sea view. There are many pubs, cafes,restaurants and shops around. At around 7pm, the surrounding buildings and the Gwangan bridge in the middle of the sea will be lighted up. The view of the lighted up bridge is spectacular. There are also many youngsters gathered at the talent corner, enjoying the performances of budding future stars singing away, an open air K-pop concert.... read more

Today was my last day in Busan. Taejongdae Cliffs was the first place I went to see today. To get there I had to take a subway and a bus and after arriving there I took a Taejongdae Danubi tourist train. I could have also walked there but I wanted to try the train. It was really convenient because you can hop on and get off the train at certain stops. Taejongdae is one of the representative scenic sites of Busan. The scenery was amazing and all the rocky cliffs were really impressive. After Taejongdae I went to BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) Square. I didn't spent there that much time but what I saw was that the streets were full of people and there were lot of shops and cafés. There were also hand prints ... read more

Today I first went to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. On my way there I met three Koreans Sun Ho, Eun Sol and So Hyun, and they asked if I'd like to see the temple with them. The temple was built in 1376 on the rocks and stones near sea and it's a Buddhist temple. We were there about 2 hours taking pictures and walking around. After seeing the temple we went together to have lunch near Haeundae Beach. We went to a restaurant called Donenu and Sun Ho told me that it's a franchise restaurant and that they have restaurants also in Seoul. We took samgyeopsal and it was really good. After we finished eating, we said goodbye and I continued my day to the Haeundae Beach and Busan SEA LIFE Aquarium. The beach was really beautiful ... read more

The weather is finally nice so, of course, my first reaction is to spend as much time outside as possible. Luckily, I am an easy bus / subway ride into some of the best beach areas in Busan - Gwangalli and Haeundae - and have been spending the last several weekends there. This has led to many fun adventures, meeting new friends, and good times all around. In Gwangalli, my new favorite Korean bar - Sharky's - has beach bags where you can order either 4 or 6 shots worth of a mixed drink and take it to go with you on the beach. Margaritas on the beach?? Yes please! Nothing better than walking around in the sun and enjoying the sights with a huge margarita in hand :D I also visited the fish market in ... read more