Busan & Seoul (Part 1)
September was a great month, mostly spent traveling to South Korea and China. South Korea was done with my sister and her friend. Never met her friend before, and there is a generation gap of 10 years. She also made several decisions against mine. All these made me feel that the trip was going to turn out disastrous. However, all was good eventually, and with the approximately 2 days of separation out of the 8, we could do whatever we liked and satisfy our differing interests: theirs in shopping, cooking class, and sauna, and mine on food and sights.
Two JC friends of mine, Marshall and Kai Ling, currently reside in Busan and Seoul respectively. I felt extremely thankful that they were willing to meet me. It was fortunate being able to reconnect after a long period of not communicating. We touched down in ICN after 6.5 hours of flight, then took 40 minutes of AREX (Airport Express) to Seoul station, where we transferred to the next available KTX and traveled another 2.5 hours to Busan. Despite the long journey, I still felt energized. Grabbed our transport cards (T money) from the nearest convenience store and made our way to Seomyeon station, where our AirBnB was located, and also where Marshall met us. He broke out saying I took good care of him during the days in Harmonica Band (our CCA). I felt that I didn't deserve it although we did have quite a lot of laughter as a section. Nevertheless, it was heartwarming to hear him say that, and to know that he has fond memories of those times. After settling down, Marshall and I parted ways with the ladies. We grabbed a bite at Goraesa Fish Cakes, Haeundae branch. There are several outlets in Busan (not all have seating) but you should go to the Haeundae branch for outdoor seating, 2 levels of indoor seating, and a huge variety. Although Goraesa is expanding like crazy, their food was superb. Never had I eaten such tasty fish cakes with so many variations. After that hearty meal, we headed to the beach just about 100m away, waiting for the sunset. The people busking added a lively atmosphere to the place.
After it turned dark, we took a bus to the BIFF Square to grab some street food, including gyeran-ppang and hotteok. Only major bus stops were announced in English, otherwise it was Korean all the way, including the bus route map on board. If you do not know Korean and are traveling solo, you probably got to keep your eyes peeled on Naver map and the surroundings. The bus stops were inconspicuous (no shelter) but the signs reflected their English names.
Marshall was actually going to keep us company for a full day in Busan the next day. However, he was called back for work at the eleventh hour. The 3 of us had abalone porridge and sea urchin soup for breakfast (Busan is a port city, of course seafood is a must right?) and then headed to Taejongdae Park. Time is money when traveling, so we didn't spend the full day ambling through the entire park. We bought tickets for the Danubi train which stopped at major attractions, and you could hop on and off as you like. The sky was overcast but crepuscular rays cut through the clouds and the views were still mesmerizing. We had spicy stir-fried eel for lunch. If the eel you've had all this while are only unagi in Japanese restaurants, then the eel there is going to to give you a whole new perspective. It was chewy. It caught me by surprise but I liked it. It was addictive especially with the hot sauce. Thereafter, we went to Yongdusan Park. We didn't intend to go to Yongdusan but we had time to spare and the entrance to the park was right within sight upon exiting from the restaurant, beckoning us to enter. Didn't head up Busan Tower though because it didn't feel worthwhile.
Took a bus to Gamcheon Culture Village to see the colourful and vibrant houses. The local authorities call them the Santorini or Machu Picchu of the East, but I seriously think that is a little absurd. It's more like the favela in Brazil, like how some people have put it. If you look up "favela", it actually means slum, but I mean no offense. I believe the houses in Gamcheon are cleaner and better-equipped. After touring round the village, we headed back to Nampo-dong, and wandered the streets. Then, we chanced upon Gukje Market which was meant to be in the following's day agenda. Since we were already there, we decided to cover it. Marshall dropped me a text saying he was now available, and came to meet us. While waiting, I ate at Sinchang Toast, which was meant to be breakfast for the next day. Yes, I make plans but I also welcome changes, flexible like that. The owner of the humble store was a bespectacled grey-haired man probably in his sixties. He had an endearing smile and could speak conversational Mandarin. The toast was simple but somehow evoked feelings of nostalgia. I tried their soya drink, which was slightly different from Singapore's. Slightly sweeter and grainier, but still good. At nightfall, Marshall and I split from the ladies again. We ate spicy stir-fried octopus and took the metro to Gwangan Beach which I felt was somewhat underwhelming. Still makes for a good place for an after-meal stroll I guess. The Gwangandaegyo (Gwangan Bridge) was supposedly the main attraction but it didn't look majestic looking at it from the beach.
Third and last day in Busan was spent without Marshall because it was a weekday and he had to work. Anyway, it was a short day. My sister's friend was feeling slightly under the weather so she stayed in. My sister and I ate at a random Paris Baguette and went to Jagalchi Market. You can have freshly prepared seafood on the second level. Slightly expensive so it would be good to go as a group. Otherwise, if you do not know Korean or aren't a seafood expert, I think Jagalchi Market is a place you can skip. Didn't know what other stuff to do in Busan (other attractions were far), so we decided to head up to Seoul. Our AirBnB was in Myeongdong. We stopped by Myeongdong Cathedral, cut through the shopping district, and boarded the metro at Euljiro 1-ga station, Hongdae bound, for fried chicken.
Two JC friends of mine, Marshall and Kai Ling, currently reside in Busan and Seoul respectively. I felt extremely thankful that they were willing to meet me. It was fortunate being able to reconnect after a long period of not communicating. We touched down in ICN after 6.5 hours of flight, then took 40 minutes of AREX (Airport Express) to Seoul station, where we transferred to the next available KTX and traveled another 2.5 hours to Busan. Despite the long journey, I still felt energized. Grabbed our transport cards (T money) from the nearest convenience store and made our way to Seomyeon station, where our AirBnB was located, and also where Marshall met us. He broke out saying I took good care of him during the days in Harmonica Band (our CCA). I felt that I didn't deserve it although we did have quite a lot of laughter as a section. Nevertheless, it was heartwarming to hear him say that, and to know that he has fond memories of those times. After settling down, Marshall and I parted ways with the ladies. We grabbed a bite at Goraesa Fish Cakes, Haeundae branch. There are several outlets in Busan (not all have seating) but you should go to the Haeundae branch for outdoor seating, 2 levels of indoor seating, and a huge variety. Although Goraesa is expanding like crazy, their food was superb. Never had I eaten such tasty fish cakes with so many variations. After that hearty meal, we headed to the beach just about 100m away, waiting for the sunset. The people busking added a lively atmosphere to the place.
After it turned dark, we took a bus to the BIFF Square to grab some street food, including gyeran-ppang and hotteok. Only major bus stops were announced in English, otherwise it was Korean all the way, including the bus route map on board. If you do not know Korean and are traveling solo, you probably got to keep your eyes peeled on Naver map and the surroundings. The bus stops were inconspicuous (no shelter) but the signs reflected their English names.
Marshall was actually going to keep us company for a full day in Busan the next day. However, he was called back for work at the eleventh hour. The 3 of us had abalone porridge and sea urchin soup for breakfast (Busan is a port city, of course seafood is a must right?) and then headed to Taejongdae Park. Time is money when traveling, so we didn't spend the full day ambling through the entire park. We bought tickets for the Danubi train which stopped at major attractions, and you could hop on and off as you like. The sky was overcast but crepuscular rays cut through the clouds and the views were still mesmerizing. We had spicy stir-fried eel for lunch. If the eel you've had all this while are only unagi in Japanese restaurants, then the eel there is going to to give you a whole new perspective. It was chewy. It caught me by surprise but I liked it. It was addictive especially with the hot sauce. Thereafter, we went to Yongdusan Park. We didn't intend to go to Yongdusan but we had time to spare and the entrance to the park was right within sight upon exiting from the restaurant, beckoning us to enter. Didn't head up Busan Tower though because it didn't feel worthwhile.
Took a bus to Gamcheon Culture Village to see the colourful and vibrant houses. The local authorities call them the Santorini or Machu Picchu of the East, but I seriously think that is a little absurd. It's more like the favela in Brazil, like how some people have put it. If you look up "favela", it actually means slum, but I mean no offense. I believe the houses in Gamcheon are cleaner and better-equipped. After touring round the village, we headed back to Nampo-dong, and wandered the streets. Then, we chanced upon Gukje Market which was meant to be in the following's day agenda. Since we were already there, we decided to cover it. Marshall dropped me a text saying he was now available, and came to meet us. While waiting, I ate at Sinchang Toast, which was meant to be breakfast for the next day. Yes, I make plans but I also welcome changes, flexible like that. The owner of the humble store was a bespectacled grey-haired man probably in his sixties. He had an endearing smile and could speak conversational Mandarin. The toast was simple but somehow evoked feelings of nostalgia. I tried their soya drink, which was slightly different from Singapore's. Slightly sweeter and grainier, but still good. At nightfall, Marshall and I split from the ladies again. We ate spicy stir-fried octopus and took the metro to Gwangan Beach which I felt was somewhat underwhelming. Still makes for a good place for an after-meal stroll I guess. The Gwangandaegyo (Gwangan Bridge) was supposedly the main attraction but it didn't look majestic looking at it from the beach.
Third and last day in Busan was spent without Marshall because it was a weekday and he had to work. Anyway, it was a short day. My sister's friend was feeling slightly under the weather so she stayed in. My sister and I ate at a random Paris Baguette and went to Jagalchi Market. You can have freshly prepared seafood on the second level. Slightly expensive so it would be good to go as a group. Otherwise, if you do not know Korean or aren't a seafood expert, I think Jagalchi Market is a place you can skip. Didn't know what other stuff to do in Busan (other attractions were far), so we decided to head up to Seoul. Our AirBnB was in Myeongdong. We stopped by Myeongdong Cathedral, cut through the shopping district, and boarded the metro at Euljiro 1-ga station, Hongdae bound, for fried chicken.
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