The Busan Aquarium

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

Sometimes, I really, really love my school.

Like, when they cancel a field trip to a boring old arboretum to take the kiddies to the Busan Aquarium instead! This was good news for me because not only did I get to spend my day derping around with my seriously adorable homeroom class, but I also got to check another box off on the old Korean Bucket List. And for free! I’m trying to live relatively frugally these days, and frankly the ₩21,000 entrance fee to the Aquarium could be used to fill my gullet full of curry at Namaste. So, yay for an all-expense paid Brown & LCI field trip day!

I think if I had gone by myself to the Busan Aquarium, I literally would have been in and out in about 25 minutes, tops. But going with my kindergarten students was such a special treat. Their eyes were filled with a mixture of wonder and confusion, as the gaped at over 35,000 species of fish (or so the brochure told us). They may as well have been tugging at my heartstrings while tugging on my jacket, crying out “teacher!” as a penguin would dive into the tank and swim on by. Forget the fish, the looks of amazement on my kiddies faces were the real sight.

The Aquarium itself has three underground levels. We ended up visiting both exhibition floors, where we watched fish of the freaky and non-freaky variety, somersaulting finless porpoises, and penguins gliding majestically through the water. We walked through the glass-walled, seabed tunnel which felt just like walking on the ocean floor, as sea-life swam all around us. We also caught feeding time for the otters, and the kiddies had an opportunity to hold a starfish and other echinoderms. Tactile learning, y’all!

Afterwards, we were all ushered into the auditorium for the “Music Talking Show with Diver”. The entire thing was in Korean, so I’m not exactly sure what was happening. There was basically an enthusiastic lady onstage, furiously jabbering away at a diver equipped with a microphone in the tank. This was followed by some singing, a volunteer from the audience experiencing the gift of magic, and my own dripping sweat from sitting in a balmy room with three Korean children on my lap.

I was a little disappointed that my school didn’t splurge on the Glass Bottom Boat Experience, where one can float around a tank filled with sharks and other fishies, but I guess you can’t have it all.

Our school ended up eating lunch in the Aquarium’s cafeteria, where my kids stuffed raspberries and cookies into my mouth. Lunch time is one of the best parts of a field trip, because the parents always pack more food for their kids to share with us teachers. I get to bond with the kids and I get to eat their food. It’s a win-win, truly.

When lunch was over, we escorted the kids down to Haeundae Beach for about 30 minutes to derp around in the sand, before heading back to school.

As I mentioned above, I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed the Busan Aquarium without the “oohs” and “ahhs” of my 30 Korean kindergarten students, but it’s a pretty chill to spend an hour exploring. If you’re down at Haeundae Beach and are looking for something to do, the Aquarium might be the sound of settling, but at least it’s a pretty splashing sound.

Directions
To get to the Busan Aquarium, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Haeundae Station (stop 203). Go straight out exit 3 or 5, and proceed straight for about 5 minutes until you reach the road running parallel to the beach. Turn right, and the Aquarium will be right in front of you. Entrance to the Busan Aquarium is ₩21,000 for persons 13 and over, and ₩15,000 for persons under the age of 13.

Songdo Beach and Amnam Park

Photo from For 91 Days in Busan

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

Photos by Stephanie Pellett. Check out her blog Life in Limbo here.

It is a widely held belief that a horseshoe is said to attract good fortune and luck. While I don’t necessarily hold this notion as canon, it was a true stroke of luck to have recently added Busan’s horseshoe-shaped Songdo Beach and the nearby Amnam Park to my Korean Bucket List.

Compared to the other beaches in Busan that I’m familiar with, (namely Haeundae and Gwangalli) my mid-March visit to Songdo was unusually placid. The promenade was not overcrowded with couples taking selfies or struggling artists pedalling their heartfelt renditions of “My Heart Will Go On”. Instead, there were families taking quiet afternoon walks, and groups of ajummas sitting on the benches, quietly conversing.

Dogs of Songdo

The actual beach had an almost kitschy feel to it, with statues of dolphins and whales rising up from the water. The surrounding neighbourhood was filled with coastal hotels laying claims to the best coastal views in Nampo and the usual Korean coffee chains.

On the left side of the beach, we came across an archway that led out to a series of low-rising sea-stacks to walk upon. Inside the archway was an information sign that offered some history on Songdo’s tumultuous history. I learned that not only is it Busan’s oldest beach, (having officially opened in 1913) but is also its most berated. Songdo’s coastline took a pretty severe beating from multiple hurricanes, most notably Typhoon Thelma in 1991, which caused a great deal of sand loss. Following a reconstruction in 2000, the beach now plays host to a variety of celebrations, including the Busan Sea Festival.

Songdo selfies

After a few pictures on the sea-stacks, we moved to a scenic park elevated just above the beach. My favourite part about this area was a tiny glass house filled with books at the edge of the park. Unfortunately, we couldn’t access this outdoor library, as its door was locked. We brushed this off by practicing a few arm balances and headstands, as good yogis do.

Steph rockin’ her salamba sirsasana

Thereafter, we headed to the Songdo Coastal Walkway in order to get to Amnam Park. This walk was undoubtedly the best part of the day. Our journey along the red staircase that hugged the coast was timed perfectly with the setting sun. The walkway was almost completely empty, save for a few smiling ajummas, and just below us were numerous fishermen looking for their last catch of the day. The Coastal Walkway has been one of my favourite moments in Busan so far, and I’m looking forward to returning later this summer.

Songdo Coastal Walkway

The walkway took us approximately 25 minutes to cross. Upon reaching Amnam Park, we began to feel the effects of a full afternoon of walking on empty stomachs. We ended up hiking for about 15 minutes through the park, which was enough time to get some views, see some statues, and smell some pine trees. Amnam Park, while beautiful, couldn’t hold a candle to the astonishing views offered on the Songdo Coastal Walkway. Nor could it overshadow our rumbling stomachs. Sometimes, nature can only do so much when you’re fixing for some Thai food.

Library Park

Directions
To get to Songdo Beach and Amnam Park, take the Orange Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Jagalchi Station (stop 110). Go out exit 2, and take your first left. Just ahead is a bus stop; buses 7, 26, 71, or 96 will all get you to Songdo Beach, while buses 7, 9, and 91 will take you to Amnam Park. Alternatively, a cab from Jagalchi Market costs approximately ₩8,000.

Dongbaekseom Island

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

Like all good things, Dongbaekseom Island has rebranded itself over time. The “sands of time” gradually joined the formerly solitary island to the mainland, if only to allows Koreans and foreigners to promenade along it and admire the dongbaek, pine, and camellia trees that surround it.

Always loving a good rebrand myself, I ventured to Dongbaekseom Island in mid-January with the girls to enjoy a sunlit stroll along the Busan coast, as well as to check out the APEC Nurimaru House.

The Nurimaru APEC House is filled with a lot of information regarding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit held in Busan; very little of which I actually retained. I know that leaders from two dozen countries came to Busan in 2005 to discuss economic cooperation and that they were required to wear traditional Korean garb. The visual of George Bush in a hanbok sticks out, but not much else. Four years as a history major, memorizing textbook upon textbook of minute details, and this is what I have to show for it. Sorry, but I’m really not that sorry.

After briefly exploring the APEC House, we ventured outside into Dongbaekseom Park which offered gorgeous views of the coast and Haeundae Beach. We chuckled to ourselves about the fact that, while our friends and family were suffering through “Canada’s Polar Vortex Winter 2013/14”, we were leisurely walking in a beautiful outdoor park in cardigans. We caught sight of a towering lighthouse perched upon the jagged coastline, and a monument to the Confucian philosopher Choi Chi-won during our exploration.

We continued along the coastal trail, until we happened across a fun little rope bridge. Just beyond the bridge, below the rock wall, sits a statue of Princess Topaz, of the Naranda Kingdom. The melancholic princess stares dejectedly down into the water, in an almost Mulan, “when will my reflection show” type of way. According to lore, she was married off to King of Mungungnara, and now sits for all eternity in the coast, weeping for her homeland. [Note: I was going through my “2014 Korea Breakdown” around this time, and could totally sympathize with the poor girl and her longing for the “old country”.] 

Dongbaekseom Island was off my radar with regard to “things to do and see in Busan”, but is a perfect spot for a quiet walk (or talk, with Princess Topaz) if you’re in the Haeundae area.

Directions
To get to Dongbaekseom Island, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Dongbaek Station (stop 204). Take exit 1, and walk straight for approximately 10 minutes until you reach Dongbaekseom Island.

Taejongdae Resort Park

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

Photos by Jess Sternberg. Follow her on Instagram here.

As a Canadian boy who has experienced some twenty-two winters in Southeastern Ontario, the relatively temperate climate of Busan has been a dream during the typically harsh winter months. Besides one day in mid-February when it “snowed” (read: there was light snowfall that evaporated before it even touched the ground), on the whole, the South Korean winter has treated me well. It has also given me the ability to remain active and explore the great outdoors of Busan during months where, in Canada, I would be hermitting indoors.

Taejongdae Resort Park, located on the southern coast of Busan in Yeongdo-gu, provided a perfect setting for exploring the great outdoors, in the form of a crisp January afternoon stroll. The weather on this particular Saturday felt like a late October day in Canada, so my fellow Toronto girls, Jess, Maddie, Mary, and I took advantage and ventured to the famous Busan monument to take some yoga photos and watch the sunset.

Taejongdae derives its name from King TaeJong Mu-Yeol of the Silla Dynasty (BC57 until AD 935) who used to fire arrows along this beautiful coastal area back in his heyday. The park is absolutely magnificent – serene forests, breathtaking views of the coast, and beautiful man-made monuments. The park itself is quite sprawling, so in order to reach the main attraction, the Taejongdae Lighthouse, in an expedient manner, the park’s Danubi train is almost necessary to save yourself a long journey on foot. Unfortunately, the girls and I mistook the line that was simply waiting to board the Danubi train as the line waiting to purchase tickets for the train, became impatient, and started walking along the road towards the sites of Taejongdae. [Note: We never made it to the lighthouse. All of the sads.]

While we never made it to the lighthouse or Sinseon Rock, (which according to myth was a relaxation spot for gods and goddesses), we did get to see Taejongdae’s beautiful Pebble Beach from one of the many observatories along the coastline. Mary and I surged ahead to visit the Taejongdae observatory, which provided some stunning views of the rocky Korea Strait and the famous “Suicide Rock”. A sombre statue of a mother with two children stands just outside the observatory to remind anyone who has ventured to Taejongdae to commit suicide that somewhere, their mother holds an unconditional love for them. The observatory was unfortunately our last stop before turning back, but provided us with some unforgettable panoramic views and interesting information about the “Taejong Rain” which happens around the 10th of May (on the Lunar calendar). As a result, Taejongdae serves as a famous site for rain prayers during droughts.

Eventually, the girls and I headed back towards the Pebble Beach, finding a quiet part of the forest where we could watch the sunset, undisturbed. Just to our left, we discovered a giant boulder on the coast, absolutely perfect for some sunset yoga photos. One at a time, we each slowly and surely crawled our way onto the rock, making sure we didn’t look down at the deep plunge beneath us should our loafers or Toms fail us. A couple of “rock”-solid warrior, mermaid, and lotus poses later, the girls and I left the park, while the sun finally set on the magnificent coastal park.

Directions
To reach Taejongdae Resort Park, take the Busan Subway Red Line (Line 1) to Busan Station (stop 113). From here, take Bus 88 or 101 until the Taejongdae Park stop (approximately 35 minutes). Alternatively, you can take Line 1 to Nampo (stop 111) and take a 20 minute cab ride to Taejongdae. Entrance is free. For those who want to explore Taejongdae without walking, the Danubi Train provides transportation for W1,500, as well as service in English, Korean, and Chinese.

Gamcheon Culture Village

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

Busan: The city of dreams, with its towering skyscrapers, sandy beaches, and hiking apparel stores as far as the eye can see. However, one can’t help but feel a little uninspired every once in a while in this bustling, concrete, ultra-modern metropolitan. The sea of identical-looking apartments, usually some “off” shade of brown, white, or gray, can be visually exhausting and the homogenous nature of most neighbourhoods is often slightly depressing (read: any given city block is as follows – Baskins Robbins, an Olleh phone store, Starbucks, a KT phone store, Caffe Bene, a second Olleh phone store, Dunkin Donuts, a third OIleh phone store, and so on…).

Thankfully, the hills of Saha-gu offer a perfectly vibrant outlet for those pining for an escape from the urban solitude of Busan: the Gamcheon Culture Village. Gamcheon, affectionally dubbed “Lego Village”, takes the mantra of Pocahontas (“paint with all the colours of the wind”) to new heights, as the majority of its 10,000 residents live in pink and blue and yellow and green pastel-hued homes.

Allow me to rattle off, at an auctioneers pace, the history, and establishment of Gamcheon: during the 1950s, refugees flocked to Busan in the wake of the Korean War, and established a shanty town of sorts, that over the next two decades was transformed into the village of block-style houses that remain today. The rest of Busan industrialized and modernized at a rapid fire pace while Gamcheon remained “old school” and relatively poor in comparison. Just over five years ago, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism hired artists to work with Gamcheon’s residents to create and install murals reflective of the “Taeguk” (yin and yang symbol) throughout the village, and thus, the Gamcheon Culture Village known today was born. [Note: For deeper insights about the history of Gamcheon, follow the jump to this fantastic article on Busan Haps, written by Jessica Steele.]

After seeing pictures of the village from early December when Maddie, Jess, and our friend Marta visited, I knew a visit to Gamcheon was imminent. Six weeks later, on a gloomy Saturday afternoon, I, along with fellow wanderluster and close friend, Mary, journeyed by subway and taxi to the culture village in the hopes that the bright village would serve as a distraction from the gray January skies.

Immediately upon arrival, Mary and I began derping around the village, leaving written messages wholly indicative of our respective personal brands on the walls of the village photo gallery, performing headstands and wheels on the observation deck’s soaking wet AstroTurf, and purposefully avoiding the numerous paved footpaths in favour of bounding down the treacherous and hilly grasslands of Gamcheon. Our egos swelled at the applause we received for our yoga poses from other tourists and our sides ached from giggling as we gracelessly descended Gamcheon’s hills.

Like most of South Korea, Gamcheon is brimming with bizarre idiosyncrasies. In one instance, I happened to peer into the open door of a bungalow whilst walking down a deserted alley, and I kid you not, there was a young Korean woman immobile on the floor, encased in Saran Wrap. Like, the kind that your mom would wrap your elementary school baloney sandwiches in. Given that Mary and I are both tall individuals with long legs, I thought that maybe my eyes had played a simple trick on me as a result of my brisk stride. Mary turned back to verify my claim and the look of shock and slight horror on her face confirmed that there was indeed a poor young woman likely waiting to be devoured like a bulgogi* sandwich. In another instance, we climbed a flight of stairs that had been painted to resemble an ascending library, each step representing a literary classic. One step was particularly larf-worthy, emblazoned with the classic Konglish phrase “YOU NEED DIET”. Korea, you’re strange but I really do (mostly) love it.

The beauty of Gamcheon is that you’re basically a lab rat, running through a never-ending maze THAT YOU CAN’T LOSE AT. Detoured off the main road to venture down a twisty alley that caught your eye? That’s cool, if you go down those three staircases there, take 6 lefts, and walk backwards with your eyes closed, you will literally end up back where you started. Mary and I wandered aimlessly for about 20 minutes, somehow stumbled upon the village’s main entrance, and then pretended like the nonsensical path we chose had been our planned route all along. Foolproof.

My advice to prospective visitors varies based on personality. For the flexible, “go with the flow” types, let the colours of Gamcheon speak to inner spirit, as you float through the narrow alleys. The element of surprise upon accidentally stumbling across the various art installations is a treat in itself. For the more structured, “type A” tourist, I would recommend some pre-departure research and an investment in a village map detailing the locations of each respective village landmarks. [Note: These maps are sold at the tourist information centre and retail for 2,000 won.]

Quietly quirky, the Gamcheon Culture Village is a nice reminder that it’s always best to march to the beat of your own janggu**.

Directions
To get to the Gamcheon Culture Village, take the Red Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Toseong Station (stop 109). Take exit 8, walking straight until you reach the bus stop at the PNU Cancer Center. Take mini-bus 2 or 2-2 for approximately 10 minutes until you reach the stop at Gamcheon Elementary School. [Note: A cab from Nampo Station (Red Line, stop 111) costs about 4,000 won.]

* I’ve got to keep my examples Korea specific, okay?

** A janggu is a traditional Korean drum. Korea specific, right?

Gamcheon warrior

Happy, bucket listing derps

A staircase for all the bookworms out there

Letting these colourful fishies act as our spirit guides

Blessed Gamcheon at dusk

A sample of the featured art in Gamcheon

A(nother) beautiful Busan temple