Busan, South Korea

Notes from the journal:

5/30
• Busan Museum of Art was closed for renovations so we went to the only open exhibit which was a modern art collection by Lee Ufan. It was interesting…basically some rocks on the floor and blank canvases
• Took the bus to Songjeong Beach and laid in the sand. I took a nap under my jacket and we chatted for a couple hours before finding a seaweed soup restaurant. Apparently that dish is traditionally eaten on birthdays and after giving birth, but it was amazing on neither of those occasions.
• Walked an hour to Headong Younggunsa Temple, which is a true hidden gem at night. We were the only people aside from two locals worshipping and we got to see the beautiful temple complex all lit up at night with hundreds of little golden lights. The temple is next to the sea so it was incredibly peaceful and was one of our favorite parts of our time in Busan.
5/31
• I slept horribly at the hostel and was very cranky when I woke up but we got moving and went to Taejongdae Resort Park to do lots of walking. We were promised views of the sea but there was only one.
• Headed to Huinnyeoul Culture Village which was also overrated but we did stop and enjoy some ice cream and AC.

• Went to the Jagalchi Market and bought some bad street food before seeing Korea’s largest seafood market which the FDA would have had a field day with. Raw fish/meat just laying on the ground is commonplace in markets throughout Asia, depending on the location, but the smell of fish was so strong 

• Took an absolutely insane bus (a little town car with a driver whipping turns up a windy hill) to the famous Gamcheon Culture Village which had beautiful colors and views but was definitely a touristy photo spot.
• The bus ride down was equally insane. An old lady got on at one point and the driver didn’t even wait 0.1 seconds before taking off down the mountain so her and all of her stuff flew clear across the bus and everyone was trying to pick her up while also being whipped around like crazy. People warned us about buses in Southeast Asia but those had nothing on the bus drivers in Busan.
• Went to Bupyeong Kkangtong Market, Gukje Market, and Bosu Book Street but didn’t buy anything
• Took the bus to Gwangalli Beach area and struggled to find something affordable to eat but eventually found a peaceful little bibimbap place (which we hadn’t been able to find yet in Korea)!
• Enjoyed golden hour views of the famous bridge while sitting in the sand at Gwangalli Beach, watched a nice light show on the bridge and fireworks set off from random boats.
6/1
• Took buses to Songdo Beach and found benches under an awning. I read and Tyler napped and then we jumped in the ocean for a quick swim.
• Ate an underwhelming dinner and started our journey to the airport which quickly went awry due to missed transfers, bus times being incorrect on the apps and schedules, running low on funds on our T money cards, and getting stuck in an area with no convenience store to refill them/minimal buses coming. We thankfully caught a bus and my card had barely enough on it to get us to the airport on time and flew to Taiwan.

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• I don’t really recommend Busan overall. It lacked a lot of the charm and culture that we felt in Seoul and the concentration of tourists was a lot higher. It didn’t smell the best and most of the destinations we went to were very underwhelming. The transit system was also not the best, as it was difficult to get places without long walks or multiple, horrible buses.
• If you do go, I would highly recommend Headong Younggunsa Temple and Gwangalli Beach at night.
• Gamcheon Culture village is still worth a visit but just lower your expectations.
 












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