Asia Trip 2012 - 24 hours in Busan

Hae Dong Yong Gung Temple

We left the house early enough to join the sea of commuters headed to work and school.  Business-suited and uniform-clad Fukuokans sped past us on bicycles as we walked to the bus stop with our luggage on our backs -- big packs that would make us struggle like turtles if we were ever to fall over backwards.

We parted with Brian and Nathan at Hakata Port and caught a 3-hour ferry ride on The Beetle to Busan, South Korea.  After settling into our hotel room that overlooked the beautiful Haeundae Beach, we headed out for some sightseeing.  Our first stop: Hae Dong Yong Gung Temple along the eastern coast, where Buddha and Goddess of Mercy statues in serene poses gazed down at violently crashing waves below.  Our nice taxi driver, whom we had asked to wait with the meter running, surprised us by appearing with an umbrella for us when it started drizzling during our visit!  He must have looked high and low in the maze of temple staircases before finding us.

Matching "couples shirts" and cherry blossoms

Next, we were dropped off at Dalmaji, a pleasant beachside community of coffee shops and cherry blossoms in peak bloom, which seemed to be a popular spot for smitten couples -- including a pair we spotted wearing identical “couples shirts” that, we later learned from local friends, is all the rage these days.  (I cruelly joked to Abe that it’d be nice to do the same.)

Our evening in Busan ended with a fabulous feast, thanks to our hotel bell captain (and Abe’s new found friend) Harley.  After intently considering our restaurant criteria of "simple, casual, and within walking distance" and scanning a list of hotel-approved restaurant recommendations, he exclaimed "Ah!", pulled out his personal iPhone, and retrieved the address of a sam gyup sal (grilled pork belly) place owned by a high school friend.  (He couldn’t help but proudly show off a photo of his infant son in the process.)  We were so pleased with his recommendation.  A brisk 10-minute walk brought us to an unassuming-looking place that served up an amazing meal, which we agreed with the waiter’s suggestion that it would be "better with soju."

Jagalchi Fish Market

The next morning, we visited the Nurimaru APEC House, where leaders from 21 countries (including then President George W. Bush and Condoleeza Rice from the U.S. and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from Singapore) met for an economic summit in 2005.  We then headed to Busan Gyuk (train station), where we stuffed our big packs in a locker and enjoyed a tasty fast food Korean lunch at Kim Bahp Chang Guk (or Kim Bahp Heaven).  We checked out the traditional fish market in Jagalchi, a fascinating and bustling place with endless stalls selling fish and other marine life of all shapes and sizes, like wriggling eels in tanks and bright orange sea squirts in aerated tubs.  We had planned to grab a seafood snack while at the market, due to the freshness of the catch, but the intense sights and smells were… enough to satisfy our appetites.  We headed back to the station in time to catch our late afternoon KTX train to Daejeon.

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Photo credit: Abe