LittleSandyBeach

On our first day in Busan we started by checking out South Korea’s largest fish market called Jagalchi Market. On the ground floor is where you can buy all kinds of live fish, lots of different clams and crabs. Then you can have it cooked in one of the many restaurants straight away on the second floor.

Outside there is also hundreds of stalls selling vegetables and lots of dried fish. We could even see all the fishing boats coming in with their catches for the day.

On our way to see another market we came across BIFF Square (Busan International Film Festival). It has the handprints of many famous actors and actresses from South Korea and also international movie stars such as William Dafoe. Everyday hundreds of food stalls are set up selling all kinds of meals and snacks around the square.

The next market we went to is called Bupyeong Khangtong Market. It was established in the 1890’s and officially became Korea’s first public market in 1910. It gained its name after the Korean War by selling imported canned goods called ‘Kkangtong’ from US military bases.

Nearby we went to check out Bosu Book Street. It originated during the Korean War when a refugee couple began selling salvaged books on the street. At its peak there was over 70 bookstores and still today there’s around 40 still operating.

Then the climb began up around 500 steps to Democracy Park. Most people get a bus up to the park due to the steepness so it was a very peaceful walk for us with some great views over the city!

The park was opened in 1999 and is dedicated to the city’s role in various democratic movements over the country. As it’s on top of a hill in the centre of the city it has spectacular views across the port.

Located in the heart of the park is the Democratic Movement Memorial Center which has a small museum where we had a lovely guide talk us through the different events that happened between the 1960’s to the 1990’s. We also got to see the ‘Flame of Democracy’ which is a huge metal sculpture that symbolises the enduring spirit of democracy.

In the afternoon we went to a famous residential street where you can see some of the best cherry blossom trees in the city. We hadn’t planned to be in South Korea at the exact right time to see this so we were very lucky!

In the evening we tried Chicken and Beer (Chimaek) from a popular chain called Daily Beer. We luckily only ordered one portion of chicken because when it came we were blown away by the portion size!

The next day for breakfast Tasha tried a Korean King Dumpling from a local store. They’re known for their soft, fluffy wrapper and they’re substantial size!

Fuelled for the day we caught a bus to Gamcheon Culture Village. It was originally a settlement for refugees during the Korean War and is now a major tourist attraction.

It’s often called the ‘Santorini of Korea’ and is famous for its brightly coloured houses, steep terraced streets and vibrant street art.

There’s lots of shops, cafes and workshops to go inside and look around as you snake your way down the streets. We really liked seeing one of the traditional temples.

In the afternoon we had a quick go in one of the many arcade stores as Tasha really wanted a small dumpling plushie. Unfortunately we were beaten by the claw!

The area where we have stayed in Busan really comes alive at night with lots of locals enjoying Korean BBQs on every street and there are also lots of seafood restaurants where you can pick your dinner out of a tank.

Yesterday we took the metro over to the other side of the city to go to the Busan Museum. Its covers the whole of Busan’s history from the Neolithic era to modern times.

We were especially interested in the large section that is dedicated to the Korean War. We got to walk through the whole war and it explained many interesting events and battles especially concentrating around the Busan area.

There was also a small special exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of Busan Port which was interesting to read about especially seeing the pictures on how it’s developed into the world’s 6th busiest port.

The main reason we came across to this side of the city was for the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea which is the world’s only United Nations Cemetery. It is the final resting place for 2,300 soldiers from 11 countries who fought under the UN flag during the Korean War.

The graves are grouped by the nationalities of the soldiers. The UK has the most soldiers buried here at 892. Each grave is spotless and has a plaque showing the soldiers names, age and what part of the army they were from. It was very sad to see.

We then saw the Wall of Remembrance which has all the names of the fallen during the Korean War under the banner of the United Nation Forces, it was completed in 2006. In total 40,896 names of the fallen (including missing in action) from 17 countries.

We also got to see the UN Forces Monument which has bronze wall plaques engraved with the UN member nations and the number of service members who perished. On the front, doves are engraved for a wish for global peace.

We spent a few hours walking around and taking it all in. It was lovely to see how well looked after the whole grounds were but obviously very sad to think about the many lives lost.

In the afternoon, we went for a traditional Korean BBQ as we felt we had to try one before leaving Korea. After placing our order for the type of beef we wanted the coals turned up and we were off cooking…

We got to help ourselves to a fresh vegetable and salad bar. We loved the experience and the meat was very good, just don’t drop your garlic into the coals like we did!

This morning we took the metro for 22 stops to get to the most famous beach in South Korea, called Haeundae Beach. It’s by far the most visited with over 10 million visitors a year.

We walked along the Haeundae Blueline Park nearby the beach which is 4.8km long created by redeveloping an old section of the Donghae Nambu Line railway. The walk is along a wooden boardwalk that hugs the coastline and is very picturesque.

Running parallel is the Haeundae Beach Train which is the world’s first battery charged sightseeing train. The seats inside face toward the ocean ensuring a panoramic view of the sea.

Above the train track is another elevated track for the Haeundae Sky Capsule. It’s a bit too slow for us as it only travels at 4km/h and takes 30 minutes to travel just under half the parks length.

In the middle of the walk we came across the Haewol Observatory which is a U shaped skywalk extending 137m over the ocean. It even had a see through glass floor 22m above the sea. It was very windy!

Tomorrow we have an evening flight to go to one of our long awaited destinations… JAPAN! We are very excited and can’t wait to eat lots of sushi and ramen!