Urban Busan

After a morning in Beomeosa, I took off to Kyungsung-Pukyong Station for lunch and some shopping. It's a station which serves two universities (Kyungsung University and Pukyong National University) so needless to say, the place is filled with students and businesses catering to students. There were lots of restaurants, bars, and shops for clothes and makeup.

I had a kimchi fried rice (KRW4,500) for lunch. One of my problems in South Korea is that the servings are really huge! I never seem to be able to finish my food there. :( Good thing I was able to finish this one lol.

Afterwards, I walked around and saw this store selling macaron ice cream. Autumn was starting but that day, it was quite hot and humid so ice cream was more than welcome inside my tummy.

I had green tea macaron with yogurt ice cream for KRW3,500

I actually went around some of the shops but didn't find much that I liked. I did, however, went to a SkinFood shop and got a BB cream, which, unfortunately, I lost the next day. Darnit!! I must have left it at the hostel dresser when I used it the following day.

Anyway, when I got sick of the crowds in Kyungsung-Pukyong, I walked back to the subway station and then went to Gwangan Beach and took a walk.

When I got tired, I looked for a coffee shop where I could sit down for a view but I noticed that most coffee shops were full so, instead, I found a cafe that sells patbingsu!

Patbingsu is a famous dessert in Korea. It's like a Korean version of the Philippines' halo-halo or Japan's kakigori. This one I got contained sweetened red beans (anko), shaved almonds, mochi, and soybean powder (kinako). I was also given a shotglass of condensed milk.

Bought a patbingsu for KRW6,000

Unfortunately, the serving was seriously big. Actually, I think this is good enough for two persons (You see, I was given two spoons.) so, again, I couldn't finish my food. Sigh.

At dusk, I went for another walk.

When I got tired again, I just sat at a spot where Gwangan Bridge was almost perpendicular to my sight and snapped photos while observing people (mostly taking selfies and mostly with selfie sticks lol).

The morning was quite hot and humid but at dusk, it was very windy so I felt chilly.

After photographing this, I got up and walked back to the subway station to go back to my hostel.

Beomeosa Temple in Busan, South Korea

I realized that I haven't finished documenting my trip to South Korea last October! That's why starting today, I will be posting more about that trip.

I woke up a bit early while most people at the hostel were still asleep. Back in October, I was still used to waking up at 4am lol. After eating breakfast at the hostel, I walked to Haeundae Station and took the subway to Beomeosa Station. I walked a bit and then arrived at the bus stop where I took Bus #90. 

The bus was quite crowded (although not as crowded at MRT or LRT lol) and even though the signs inside the bus were in Korean, it wasn't difficult to know where I was supposed to go down because everyone inside the bus seemed to be going to the same place.

I went down at Beomeosa, took a map and then went for a leisurely walk around. There were many people-- elderly locals, tourists, and local teens who seemed like they're having a school trip. However, the temple complex is very big so it didn't feel crowded at all.

There were lots of slopes and stairs but I'm happy to say that I managed. Because it's not as crowded as other temples, the environment was rather relaxing.

Because it's situated in the mountains, Beomeosa temple offered a lot of beautiful views.

Beomeosa also offers temple stay programs. It would have been a great experience but, unfortunately, my time in South Korea was pretty limited.

To be honest, Beomeosa was just another temple in South Korea. The good thing about it, however, is the peaceful environment. I had been staying in Haeundae and it was quite noisy for me, to be honest. Given a choice between a temple or a polluted street in the city, I'd still probably choose the temple.

At noon, when I started to get hungry, I went back to the bus stop, took the same bus back to the subway station and then went to Kyungsung-Pukyong Station for lunch.

Yonggungsa on the Cliffs by the Sea

On my first day in Busan, I went to Yonggungsa, a Buddhist temple situated on the cliffs by the sea.  Most Buddhist temples are actually situated in the mountains that's why this temple is quite unique. 

From the bus stop at the Haeundae subway station Exit 7, I took Bus 181, went down the Yonggungsa bus stop and walked more or less one kilometer to the temple itself. Many people alight at the Yonggungsa bus stop and there are signs along the road so it's difficult to get lost. The road was full of slopes which made my calves hurt even more. (I was still sore from the hiking I did in Gyeongju the day before.) However, this view made all the pain worth it.

Statues of the twelve zodiacs were by the entrance.

This dragon totally reminds me of Dragon Ball lol.

It was a warm afternoon but it was super windy by the sea so I couldn't take off my coat.

Buddha of Mercy

Just a word of caution, the toilets inside Yonggungsa are stinky because they don't have proper water closets. I swear it's the stinkiest toilets I've been to (and I live in Manila) so if you need to pee, do it somewhere else. There are many establishments just outside the temple.

Toilets aside, I think among all the Buddhist temples I've been to, Yonggungsa is my favorite because the environment on which it was built is just amazing. It's one thing to see it in photos and another to actually feel the sea breeze on your face while admiring at the views. To be honest, I didn't enjoy Busan very much because its character doesn't fit my personality. However, even if only for this temple, I would definitely recommend people to go to Busan! For people who like temples and culture, it's a must-see!

Back to the Big City: First Day in Busan

On my fourth day in Korea, I left Gyeongju and went to Busan. I took the Mugunghwa (regular train) from Gyeongju Station to Haeundae Station. It was a cheap (KRW5300) yet comfortable and scenic ride that took over an hour. There are also buses that go from Gyeongju Bus Terminal to Busan Bus Terminal that takes about 50mins but the train was more convenient for me because my guesthouse in Gyeongju is a few hundred meters from the train station and the guesthouse I booked in Busan is in Haeundae (far from the Busan bus terminal).

When I arrived at Haeundae Station, I was not aware that it's not the same as the Haeundae subway station (which is near my guesthouse). I got confused because I could not find the right landmarks and there wasn't any tourist information booth at the station so I was forced to ask at the ticket booth. Thankfully, the lady at the ticket booth was very nice and she even wrote down the address of my guesthouse for me to give to the taxi driver. Basically, I had no choice but to take the taxi lol. I actually didn't want to take the taxi because I was on a budget but I figured that my guesthouse shouldn't be so far. I ended up with a KRW5100 taxi fare, which wasn't so bad even though it's almost equal to my train fare. The driver was very nice too and he can speak a little English. 

I arrived at my guesthouse at around 12nn, left my luggage, rested a bit, went out for lunch, went to Yonggungsa (I will share my experience in the next post) and then went back to hang out at Haeundae beach at dusk.

Haeundae was quite nice, the beach was long and wide and pretty clean. However, coming from a country with so many paradise-like beaches, I was naturally not very impressed. However, what's very interesting for me is how Busan maintains its beaches despite the urban environment. In the Philippines, I don't know of any beach that's surrounded with so many high-rise buildings. I'm guessing Busan really puts a lot of effort into keeping their beaches clean and that, for me, is impressive. It makes me wonder if Manila Bay can still be cleaned and restored.

Busan International Film Festival was ongoing when I was there. I was given a chance to watch one of the movies during my stay (another guest at the hostel was giving away a ticket) but I had to pass because I was really sore and tired that night.

South Koreans definitely love their monopods/selfie sticks.

I had this kimchi stew for dinner which doesn't seem like a lot but it was actually too much and I couldn't finish it!

Haeundae is also known for nightlife. I actually tried to bring myself to it but being a morning person and a non-partying type, I just couldn't. I guess partying/clubbing just isn't for me. I ended up getting a cocktail from this bar/restaurant and then going back to my guesthouse.

Autumn

I just came back from a 10-day trip in South Korea. I visited Gyeongju, Busan and Seoul and went to day trips to Suwon and Gapyeong as well. I went alone and it was cool. I visited many places and met amazing people too.

Bulguksa in Gyeongju

Yonggungsa in Busan, situated on the cliffs by the beach, is now my favorite temple

The Cheobjong (Palace Guard Inspection Ceremony) held in front of Gyeokbukgung in Seoul

Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon City

Nami Island in Gapyeong

I'm in a serious backlog (I haven't even finished writing about my Japan trip last year haha) so I really need to catch up! On a lighter note though, that means I won't be running out of things to write about anytime soon.