Busan - Part 1

After another short bus ride, we end up in Busan, the second biggest city in Korea. It is a lot more laid back than Seoul, and the people are super friendly.

We check into our condo in the Haeundae Beach area. This is supposed to be our fun in the sun for a few days, but as luck would have it, it's rainy and a little cold. I have been to Busan twice now, and both times have had zero luck with weather. Rather than mope around, we decide to go to the market nearby.

I dodged traffic to take this picture. You better like it.

The street is quite narrow but very lively. There are a ton of things to buy and of course there is a lot of food to eat. With most market food, it's cheap and amazingly good. The seafood is fresh as it comes in straight from the ocean. Sohee buys up some taekboki.

Spicy, yet delicious.

I love Korea because you can buy a tall beer for $1.50 and just walk down the street drinking it. Why are we so uptight in Canada? We used to be cool.

Crazy out-of-line foreigner.

The next day, we wake up early for another long busy day. We hail down a cab driver and he ended up being totally awesome. Folded up our stroller and was super kind, and super hilarious. Our first stop was Hae Dong Yong Gung Temple. This temple is famous because it faces the ocean and the monks fought off the Japanese twice. But before you get there, you guessed it. Another short hike in flip flops carrying a baby/stroller. This is becoming a theme.

Me, looking very stoked to carry the stroller down the stairs.

Near the entrance are a few monuments... including the calendar year animals and carvings of Buddha. We are there super early so nobody is around except some staff that are sweeping and cleaning getting ready for the day.

The Swastika is a Buddhist symbol here, so calm down guy.

After a short 5 min hike (yay!), we are treated to some really cool views.

Inside the temples, nobody is there to stop us from taking pictures... so here come some pictures of Buddha:

Beautiful colours.

Outside in the courtyard are many statues of Buddha. This one is very happy:

On my way out, I buy a bracelet with the talisman symbol of my calendar year. It is also a reminder to stay calm in crazy situations that we will likely encounter.

Yes, I know my wrists are twigs.

When we get back to the empty parking lot, our taxi driver is waiting for us which is rare in Korea. He was a truly rad guy. He then took us on a mini tour of the area, but we didn't stop because it started raining a bit harder. He then gave us suggestions on where to eat, and thus took us to one of the most incredible meals we ate. The big bowl of soup comes hotter than the surface of the sun, and there is raw pork on top which you stir in (it is thin, so it cooks immediately). You then use your veggies in your own bowl to customize your taste preference. It was phenomenal.

We then went for a short walk on the beach a long our way to APEC house. Normally, the beach is crazy busy, but since it's rainy and chilly, it is pretty much deserted.

Peace.

After another short hike up a mountain, we arrive at APEC house. Which is a circular building that was built for an international political summit, but has since been used as a memorial hall and holds other international conferences.

Inside is kind of cool. It's a big round table and has the country's name plate.

Canada nameplate is in here, but it didn't make the cut for an interesting picture.

Busan is a huge city, and the Haeundae beach district is pretty far away from the downtown area. So, we then board a subway (not the sandwich) and move to a different part of the city for a couple of days. Hannah's first subway ride!

Most comfortable seat on the subway.

Our hotel is near Nampo dong market, which has amazing food, and crazy cool sites.

Arches are neat. St. Louis agrees.

In this part of the city, the night life is more active. There are plenty things to see and do in this area. This is something you just can't see back at home. The streets are alive.

We were then feeling sleepy, so we check into our 70's hotel and fall asleep to prepare for another busy day.

Like Busan? I'll blog more about it in: Busan - Part 2.