Dadaepo Beach & Sunset Fountain of Dreams

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

What kind of person do you become when you’re left alone?

Personally, I become the “neurotic planner”. Such was the case during the June long weekend. I sat, latently anxious for no reason, waiting for Steph and Katie to return from their dinner. During this time, I clipped my toenails way too short, bookmarked all of the “best of Jeju” blog posts, and ate too many yogourt cups. I also decided, on a whim, that I would travel to Busan’s most remote beach – Dadaepo – the following day. I had gotten it into my head that if I didn’t travel to Dadaepo Beach the next day, that I wouldn’t have enough weekends to complete the remaining items on my Korean Bucket List. Steph and Katie eventually came to retrieve me from the #darkness (read: my apartment), shortly before my neuroses led me down the rabbit hole of planning my trip to Thailand – a whole 8 weeks away at that point.

While the majority of our group were either exhausted from our weekend of travelling to Bijindo, or had alternate plans, Steph graciously offered to join me on the hour and a half long excursion to Busan’s southwest coast. This trip was no joke: 40 minutes on the Busan Subway’s Green Line, another 40 minutes on the Red Line, and finally a 30 minute bus ride that dropped us off approximately 10 minutes from Dadaepo Beach and the Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dreams. There were no other passengers on the subway by the time we reached the last stop on the Red Line (Sinpyeong), and while the bus we boarded was nearly full, the surrounding neighbourhood told a far more subdued story than Haeundae and Jangsan.

I fell in love* with Dadaepo before I even set foot on its sandy beach. This is mostly because on our way to down to the water, Steph and I discovered a ramshackle arcade housing a batting cage, a small, carnival-style punching bag, and most importantly, a rickety, old trampoline that lay, unused, feet from Dadaepo’s traffic-laden thoroughfare. As I looked around in blissful confusion, wondering whom to inquire to or to pay for the use of the dilapidated old thing, Steph was already removing her shoes. “Don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness!” she chortled. I shrugged and joined her, bounding up and down on the shaky structure for what felt like hours. Below, foreigners and locals alike passed by, observing our mirth with a mixture of puzzlement and delight. Oddly, no one ever stopped to join us or inquire about using the trampoline. Even on our way back home, the arcade was a ghost town despite the busy crowds from the Sunset Fountain of Dreams. I wanted to shout into the great abyss, “hello, people! It’s a trampoline? Have you never had fun before?” Alas, it just meant more bouncing for me.

Despite Dadaepo’s isolation and distance from Busan’s bustling downtown sector, the beach itself was spectacular, stretching along the coast for as far as the eye could see. Steph jokingly quipped about the beach’s set-up: “On your left, cottage country. On your right, eternity!” The left side of the beach had a tiny inlet of waist-deep water, perfect for small children to wade out into and build sand castles along. The quiet Nakdong River cuts across a quiet park separating the parking lot and the beach, and trickles down into the sea. Steph and I removed our flip-flops to cross a series of stepping stones to reach the eastern side of the beach which was filled with dozens of tiny offices and sheds filled with water sports equipment. Here, fit, young males carried their paddle boards high overhead down to the beach while wiser men stood precariously on jagged rocks, casting out lines in the hopes of an afternoon fish or two.

Steph and I followed the wooden boardwalk around Dadaepo’s winding coast. We gingerly tiptoed across the rock sand beach. We freaked out about the wildlife (particularly the insects) indigenous to Dadaepo, as they scurried out from under the rocks onto the main trail. We admired the jutting rock formations emerging from the sea. We spent a lot of time people-watching: scenes of older brothers challenging their younger brothers to rock-skipping contests, foursomes enjoying a sunset picnic of gimbap and soju by the water, and ajummas stretching their legs after traversing the coastal walk. We talked and talked and talked about the future, almost as if we needed to say it all before the sun disappeared from the sky. The mood was super relaxing, and we both acknowledged how happy we were to have made it to Dadaepo.

We started back to the beach to catch the sun before it disappeared into the foggy horizon. However, the sand was so ridiculously soft that we all but ignored the setting sun in favour of a little handstand practice. After a little derping around, peppered with some more chats about our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future, we headed towards the Nakdong River, our sights set upon the Sunset Fountain of Dreams.

I would not have surmised how what a popular destination that the Sunset Fountain of Dreams was earlier in the afternoon, based on what a ghost town Dadaepo seemed to be, but soon enough, hordes of locals and tourists alike streamed into the rather unsuspecting fountain square. There were more than a dozen workers setting up rows of chairs for the show, and soon, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Based on blogs that I had read about the neighbourhood, Dadaepo used to be even more remote than it currently is. However, with the establishment of the fountain, the neighbourhood was quickly launched into gentrification to accommodate its newfound “tourist destination” title.

The show itself, which has been branded as the “world’s best and biggest fountain”, was admittedly, pretty magical. It lasted for 20 minutes, and featured shooting streams of water coloured by flashing lights, perfectly choreographed to a variety of popular Korean songs. Given that Steph and I had been discussing (often feeling uncertain about) our future careers, Steph sarcastically quipped that “this is actually someone’s job. They just coordinate water and lights to music as their livelihood!” We also joked that they hadn’t quite done the job justice, since “Let It Go” from the Frozen OSD, which would have been a perfect choice for the Sunset Fountain of Dreams’ light show, was not utilized.

The light show ended rather quickly (or so it felt at the time), and Steph and I began the long journey home; not before, of course, jumping on the trampoline one last time. Despite how zonked out I felt on the subway back to Jangsan, Steph and I had enjoyed a perfect, spur of the moment day in an area I knew I wouldn’t be returning to, ever. The “neurotic planner” inside me flashed a toothy grin.

* I use the term “love” lightly – it was indeed a charming area, but not one that you could pay me enough to live in for the duration of a full-year teaching contract.

Directions
To get to Dadaepo Beach and the Dadaepo Sunset Fountain of Dreams, take the Red Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Sinpyeong Station (stop 101). Go out exit 5, and wait at the bus stop on your right. Buses 2, 11, 338, and 1000 will all take you to Dadaepo. The bus ride takes approximately 20 minutes. Get off the bus at the DaeU apartment complex on the right side of the street. The beach and fountain are a five minute walk straight down the road, across the street. Note: The fountain is closed every Monday. For more information regarding show times and seasons, please click here.

Haeundae Sand Festival

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

“Just another manic Monday – wish it was Sunday.”

Nope, nope, nope – not today. I woke up this morning in an absolutely chipper mood. Why, you ask? Oh, just a casual Monday morning field trip to the beach for the Haeundae Sand Festival, that’s all!

The Haeundae Sand Festival happens every year on Busan’s largest beach, Haeundae. Despite Busan’s reputation as a coastal town and playing host to five major beaches, this is the South Korea’s only festival based on appreciation for sand (huh?!) Given that it only lasts for three days, my head teacher had to amend the regularly designated field trip day (Friday) in favour of Monday morning. However, this was the best possible outcome since the field trip took me from “totally zonked out” to “z0mg look at all of this energy, I’m the best teacher in the world!”

We arrived at Haeundae Beach mid-morning. I rode with my homeroom students – Aiden, Grace, and Sa-Yeon of Happiness Class. After informing the students of the “beach rules”, (“no eating sand”, “no throwing sand”, no drowning, etc.), we were off to look at the various sculptures scattered across the sand.

The theme of the 2014 Haeundae Sand Festival felt slightly garbled. Featuring Tarzen and Jane as the main players, the festival was (aptly?) named “Through the Sand Jungle”. While there were important elements of environmental awareness and protection throughout (Tarzan and Jane end up saving the beach through sand restoration – yay!), the entire backstory felt like it had been written by one of my fourth-graders and didn’t really add much to the beautiful scenery. I’m all for motifs, but in this case, the backstory was completely unnecessary; methinks a simple “here’s a sand sculpture of a gorilla” would have sufficed.

It’s always so refreshing to see the looks of wonder and excitement on the faces of five year olds. They absolutely marvelled at the giant sculptures featuring lions, rhinoceroses, and other jungle imagery. One of the cooler elements of the Sand Festival was the large sand hill at the end of the beach, towards Marine City. At any given moment, hordes of children could be seen clambering to its peak, only to be unsuspectingly yanked down the hill on a sand board by  their parents. Other (admittedly unexplored) elements of the festival included a “sand theatre” where visitors could view short films and documentaries, a sand exploration hall containing seven differently themed rooms, and a sand maze. I silently wept upon learning that the sand maze was not on our itinerary for the day. I do love a good labyrinth!

Towards the end of our time at the beach, the kids were allowed to flex their creative muscles, (something seriously lacking from Korea’s hagwon system, in my opinion), by building sand sculptures and castles, themselves. After dozens of references to Elsa’s ice palace in Frozen, too many pockets filled with seashells, and wails of “teacher, there is sand in my eye!”, it was almost time to leave. My head teacher did allow the children to strip off their socks, sandals, and in my case, leather loafers, to run in and splash about ankle-deep in the ocean. Very wet, much fun, so smiles!

While I’ve heard rumours that this year’s festival was significantly less ostentatious than in year’s past, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Haeundae Sand Festival is one-stop shopping for the millennial soul – one can marvel at the beautiful sand sculptures at one end of the beach before moving to the opposite end to enjoy a day in the sun. Sand, sightseeing, and sunbathing – Busan’s tried and true recipe for an amazing summer!

Directions
To get to Haeundae Beach, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Haeundae Station (stop 203). Go out either exit 3 or 5 and walk straight until you hit the beach (this takes approximately 10 minutes). The Haeundae Sand Festival happens every June for approximately 3 days during the first or second week of June. The 2014 Festival took place from June 6th to the 9th.

Lotte Giants Baseball Game

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I can’t even begin to fathom how excited my father is going to be when he reads that me – little old bookish, bloggish me! – went to a baseball game. (LOL joking, my mom is the only one who reads this anyway). But, it really did happen and I really did love it.

Steph, Mary, Nina, Brandi and I headed to Sajik Stadium this past Saturday to watch Busan’s Lotte Giants take on Seoul’s Nexen Heroes. Baseball in Korea seems to be some sort of aphrodisiac, because Koreans and foreigners alike love it and go on and on about the joys of a Saturday afternoon game. Before they left Korea, Jess and Maddie insisted I go. My young elementary school boys constantly ask if “I know the famous player Kim Han-eol”, to which I always respond with a blank stare. Even my Korean co-teachers who, to me, would seem completely disinterested in baseball, rave about games. It is serious business here.

We arrived too late to purchase a ticket to the sold out event, but luckily, Steph and Brandi managed to find a(n adorable ajumma) scalper selling them for ₩20,000. We entered the stadium, and were greeted by (somewhat) deafening cheers from a stadium packed with baseball enthusiasts.

Admittedly, none of us knew anything about baseball, and for the longest time, we thought it was the Giants who were slaughtering the Heroes. Thankfully we had Brandi, our very own little baseball savant, to help explain the series of confusing numbers, letters, dots, and jargon associated with the scoreboard and baseball, generally (and to also inform us that the Giants were the ones being slaughtered). I can honestly own up to zoning out for much of Brandi’s explanation, by no fault of hers. My brain is simply not wired to care about baseball beyond the very superficial “wow, I’m in a sports stadium!” level.

That said, I really enjoyed the Korean baseball experience. The Nexen Heroes did unfortunately destroy the Giants (the final score was 14-2), but there was too many typically/adorably Korean things happening to be fazed by the loss. The derpy little bat girl with her pumping knees and giggle as she ran to grab bats off the field. The chants of  “ajooooooraaaah!” (roughly translated, this means “give it to a kid!”) when a ball would fly into the crowds. Orange plastic bags intended for garbage tied into a bow and placed upon spectators’ heads. 7/11 convenient stores all over the stadium, selling tall boys of my favourite Korean beer, Cass, for $2.70CAD. Groups of Korean teenagers sitting and nomming on entire boxes of pizza, fried chicken, and Korean BBQ, cheering between chewing. The entire thing was such a spirited occasion and really showed me that South Korea is on their baseball grind.

Overall, my evening at Sajik Stadium was all brews and balls with my biddies, which is just how I like it. This was another Bucket List favourite for me, and I would highly recommend it to tourists and expats alike. A night of Korean baseball will feel almost like home, but with a Korean twist. That’s why you’re here anyway, right?

Directions
To get to Sajik Stadium, take the Brown Line on the Busan Subway (Line 3) to Sajik Station (stop 308). Take exit 1 and walk straight out for two blocks, before turning right. Continue straight down this road and the stadium will be on your left (you honestly can’t miss it). Entrance to Sajik Stadium for a Lotte Giants game approximately is ₩7,000. More pricing details can be found here.

Samgwangsa Temple

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Let’s jump right into things, folks: Samgwangsa Temple on Buddha’s Birthday was easily one of the most stunning place I’ve been to this past year in Korea. It will undoubtedly top my pending “Korean Bucket List Roundup” in three months time, and frankly, I find it odd that it’s not more widely publicized as a “must see in Busan” (besides on CNN’s “50 beautiful places to visit in Korea” list).

When you Google Samgwangsa (or Samkwang) Temple, there’s comparatively less information about it than say, the Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple. This is pretty surprising, but I suppose it makes sense – one of the temple’s main draws is that it holds Busan’s largest Lotus Lantern Festival once a year in the weeks leading up to and following Buddha’s Birthday. That said, the temple grounds themselves are quite ostentatious and commanding, rivalled by perhaps only the water temple, mentioned above.

Given that Buddha’s Birthday is a nationally recognized public holiday in Korea (like Children’s Day before it), I took opportunity of my day off to visit Samgwangsa Temple with Steph, Mary, and Nina, as well as some new friends, including my lovely new co-teacher Brandi.

We arrived at Seomyeon Station shortly after 5:30PM to ensure we would catch the setting sun, only to chase our tails for 20 minutes in search of the bus that would actually carry us to the temple. Eventually, we opted for a cab.

The neighbourhood housing Samgwangsa is not what I expected. The temple grounds are located pretty centrally in Seomyeon, while most other temples I’ve visited (Beomeosa and Seokbulsa, namely) have been quite remote. There were convenience stores and coffee shops lining the street running adjacent to the temple, allowing anxieties of  “oh no, our cab driver doesn’t know where he is going” to take root. Once we began to see a string of vividly coloured lanterns, I knew we were in the right place.

A slight incline coupled with some dancing ajummas in the street later and we had reached the mainstay of the temple, which is frankly too absurd to even try to explain (allow me to try anyway). There were lanterns of every colour, shape, and size everywhere, hung with care by the Buddhist monks of Samgwangsa. There were wafting aromas from the stalls manned by ajummas selling delicious street foods. There were two glowing dragons at the temple’s apex, rearing their heads upwards to the sky in unison. Once the sun set, they began emitting billowing smoke and blowing fire from their mouths. All around us, families, individuals, the young, the old, all marvelled at the unreal sights that Samgwangsa was offering in bulk. This place was seriously like the Costco of temples.

After walking through the temple grounds, we returned its centre to watch the lanterns light up. I didn’t think the surroundings could be any more beautiful, but was discredited once the sun disappeared, as I have been so often before in this beautiful country. Ultimately, any attempt at describing Samgwangsa will do an incredible injustice, so just continue scrolling for the photos.

Samgwangsa Temple, as its etymology designates, provides “three rays of light” – a verdant setting in an albeit urban yet serene setting, towering shrines and pagodas, and a quiet reputation of splendour amongst foreigners. If you’re lucky enough to visit this hidden gem during Buddha’s Birthday, take it in and feel fortunate you did.

To get to Samgwangsa Temple, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Seomyeon Station (stop 219). Go out exit 13, and take bus number 81 or 122 towards Samgwangsa Temple. Get out at the Songyeong Apt. stop. The temple will be approximately five minutes from the bus stop. Additionally, a cab from Seomyeon Station cost ₩5,000. Entrance to the temple is free.

The Busan Museum

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Did I really visit the Busan Museum? Frankly, the entire thing was a bit of a boring blur. After departing the UN Memorial Cemetery with Mary and Steph, we came across the museum by accident. In a very “YOLO, let’s go learn some things!” moment, the three of us entered the museum. We left about fifteen minutes later, probably less knowledgeable about Busan than we had been upon entrance.

The Busan Museum itself seems fairly curated. It has two main exhibition halls – one devoted to habitation in Busan, spanning across the Palaeolithic, Samhan, Silla, Samguk, and Joseon Periods, and the other devoted to modern and contemporary Busan. The latter also features an exhibit on Korean-Japanese relations.

The museum maybe tries to pack too great a punch, and suffers from “information overload”. I found the lighting made the entire place feel a little desolate, but overall, I think I was just more interested in talking to Mary about our applications to school for the fall.

No offense meant to the Busan Museum, but you were the tiniest and most boring blip on my Korean Bucket List radar so far. Keep hustling, though. If it’s any consolation, I would have enjoyed you much more as a field trip with my kindergarten students.

Directions
To get to the Busan Museum, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Daeyeon Station (stop 213). Go straight out exit 3, take your first right, and proceed straight for about 10 minutes. The Busan Museum will be on your left. Entrance to the museum is free (thank goodness).

Energy Core Noraebang

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I get a lot of questions from people back home about life in Korea. The most common questions are usually “How are your kiddies?”, “Do you travel around the country much?”, and “Are you having trouble with the language?”. Another one, strangely, makes the cut, too: “Do you go to karaoke bars, like, all the time?”

The answer to that question as of a month ago, friends of the interwebz, is no. No, I do not, and it is shameful. A whole eight months had elapsed in Busan without belting out my favourite pop songs in a smelly, dank room with my friends. Luckily, I did know about the best karaoke room (or “noraebang”, as they are Koreans know them) in the city from Jess and Maddie. Why is it the best, you ask? Likely because its interior looks exactly like a spaceship. Yup, this is why I love Korea.

While we had hatched a plan to visit this noraebang before the girls left, it sadly never came to fruition due to time constraints. Thankfully, I have some amazing 3G (giving, good, and game) friends still kicking around Korea who love to sing and find my tone-deaf singing voice endearing.

Mary, Steph, Nina, Katie, and I visited the spaceship noraebang, called Energy Core, in early April. Energy Core was our first stop in KSU that evening, and the excitement was palpable. As we descended the stairs into the noraebang, we saw that Jess and Maddie were proven right. Energy Core had all the blinking lights, metallic gray walls, and leafy plants we could have ever wanted from a spaceship-themed karaoke place. We were very impressed with our service and our spacious room, with its sprawling red couch and polka-dotted pillows. There is truly nothing better than having expectations of dank smelliness and instead being treated like a space prince!

The song selection at Energy Core was absurd. I’ve heard tell that many noraebangs in Busan (and Korea generally) usually lack adequate songs for Westerners to sing, but this was not the case here. Energy Core’s songbook catered to American Top 40, K-Pop, J-Pop, and classic songs dating back to the 1970s (and perhaps beyond – I didn’t really study it that closely).

The five of us sang a variety of #relevant tunes including “Escape” by Enrique Iglesias, “Best Song Ever” by One Direction, “Red” and “22” by Taylor Swift, and “Timber” by Pitbull ft. Ke$ha. In addition, since we’re all living in Korea, we felt we would be totally remiss if a rendition of “Let It Go“, from the Frozen OSD, didn’t happen. The video recordings of these sing-a-longs will never see the light of day, I promise you that.

We closed out our hour at Energy Core with the rather nostalgic “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind (a total throwback to summer 2012). As the music stopped and the lights went up in our room, I couldn’t help but think how absolutely charmed life in Korea is these days.

Overall, Energy Core’s decor, songbook, and price are out of this world, so blast off into an hour or two of pure ecstasy with Energy Core today! (LOL space puns).

Directions
To get to the Energy Core Noraebang, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Kyungsung University/Pukyong National University Station (stop 212). Go out exit 5 and proceed straight. Once you reach the Outback Steakhouse, turn left and continue straight for two blocks. Turn right and the noraebang will be on your left. Take the stairs down to B2, and you’re at Energy Core! Entrance is ₩16,000 for one hour.

Igidae Park

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

I was enlightened about the wonders of the Igidae Park coastal walk after a conversation with one of my former Korean co-teachers.

“Jenny Teacher, remember when we were crossing the Gwangalli Bridge for the field trip? What was that giant green building on the left side of the bridge called The View? It look so interesting.”

“Ah, yes – that is the Igidae Park area. It is very popular amongst Busan locals for its hiking and views of the city. My husband and I go all the time, it’s very beautiful.”

My interest about Igidae Park was officially piqued after this conversation, especially as I had already had an amazing time on a coastal walk near Songdo Beach with Mary and Steph.

After exploring and lunching in the nearby Daeyeon area, we grabbed a (series of) cab(s) to the park. I say “series of” because each and every cab driver we said “Igidae Park-uh” to offered a perplexed look in response. Eventually, we came across a driver who knew the way, but heed my advice: it will be in your interest to know how to instruct your cab driver to Igidae in Korean or to have a photo readily available. It will save yourself some time in the relatively cab-less Namcheon area.

The etymology of the park’s name comes from an absolutely insane story of revenge, involving Japanese lords during Japan’s occupation of Busan, Korean comfort women (known as “Gisaengs”), and the surrounding cliffs of Igidae. Disgusted at the thought of being concubines to the Japanese imperialists, two of the Gisaengs grabbed one of the inebriated officers and threw themselves below. Perhaps you can discern from the photos below, but just in case you can’t, THE AREA IS ABSURDLY ROCKY AND THEY DIED (assuming the legend is true). This legend is simultaneously empowering and points out exactly how damaging nationalism can be to one’s psyche.

Igidae Park boasts a 5.2 kilometer hiking trail around the perimeter of Jangsanbong Mountain, adjacent to Gwangalli Beach. The entire hike around the seawall can take anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and offers beautiful views of Busan’s cityscape. While we didn’t make it around the entire coast, (read: we were lazy and kept getting distracted by taking the “perfect yoga photo” – derp), we easily could have since the terrain itself was fairly undemanding.

The girls and I ended our day at Igidae Park with a heart-to-heart on the coast. The atmosphere of the park was so serene and I felt a renewed sense of vitality watching the sun go down with my people.

Much like the Songdo Coastal Walk, Igidae Park is off of most foreigner’s radars, and yet takes advantage of Busan’s most appealing features – its coastline, mountain ranges, and towering skyscrapers. Spread news of Igidae Park widely, because as you know, secrets don’t make friends.

Directions
To get to Igidae Park, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Namcheon Station (stop 211). Go straight out exit 3 and proceed down Suyeong-ro for about 3 minutes. Take the first left and continue walking, past the Metro grocery store and under the overpass. Eventually, you will  see an ostentatious building called “The View”. Take the stairs up on the left side to reach the park. The walk to Igidae takes about 20 minutes. Additionally, a cab from Namcheon Station costs approximately ₩4,500, depending on traffic. Entrance to the park is free.