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.

Teacher’s Day!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

It seems like May has been a never-ending barrage of public holidays in Korea. Two weeks ago, Children’s Day and Buddha’s Birthday were celebrated, while last week was all about showing love for mom and dad on Parent’s Day. Today, however, was the mecca of public holidays, for me anyway, because it was all about the eraser clappin’, red pen circlin’, stink eye givin’ teachers of Korea!

My friends Jess and Maddie had spoken lore of this glorious day. Their stories about Teacher’s Day in May 2013 had me seriously excited when I woke up this morning.

Teacher’s Day in South Korea is celebrated every May 15th. The premise is pretty simple – students celebrate their teachers. This “celebration” can take the form of simple gratitude or sometimes gifts. And who doesn’t love that, amirite?

While I joked with my co-workers about the prospects of $100 Starbucks gift cards and skin products, this day was just a reminder of how fortunate I’ve been this year to meet such bright, young minds. I, admittedly had a bit of a rough day today, (highs and low are inevitable on Thursdays when I teach nine classes in row), but I have so many things to be grateful for and to be inspired by. Here are just a few:

– My homeroom class. The children of Happiness Class are simply in a word, “happy”. I’ve only taught this quintet for two and a half months, but they are consistently the highlight of my day. One of my students, Kevin, came into the teacher’s room early this morning and gave me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. He was trailed by little Aiden (“Aidy”) who gave me a rice cake that I devoured before he even had time to leave the room. These nuggets make it all worth it.

– My first grade boys. Formerly my daily kindy students, I now teach these four first-grade boys only three times a week. All four boys are so kind, intelligent, and well-behaved, which makes teaching them a dream. Earlier this month, one apologized for not being able to invite me to his birthday party because “he didn’t think I would have fun”. Even though we didn’t have class today, one boy named Jessy ran up to me in the hall with a toothy grin as he handed me a gift-wrapped box. This turned out to be a spill-resistant, vacuum coffee mug. Obviously the little guy knows me well, and I was astounded by his generosity on a day when I don’t even teach him!

– The sleepers. There are certain kindy students who I don’t teach as often throughout the week. As a result, I often feel that we don’t have a very close relationship; I’m just a blip on their radar. One example is little Sally from Pride Class, who completely threw me off today after presenting me with a $30 gift card to Starbucks. It’s always the quiet ones that surprise you!

– My former middle school students. Even though they are all gone now, my middle school students have been adamant about keeping in touch with me via e-mail. The best part of my day was receiving an e-mail from one student, Julia. Check below for a screenshot – this e-mail really did make me go “d’awuuuh” on my lunch break.

– My fellow co-teachers. Tireless human beings. Even when the fluorescent lights are too bright, and the air conditioning refuses to work, I can always count on them to listen to fifteen minute snarfles. Here’s to you guys.

As Teacher’s Day 2014 comes to an end, I want to wish my fellow teachers in Korea, from public schools to hagwons, as well as teachers from all over the globe, a happy and healthy evening. I’m placing a virtual apple on each and every one of your desks. Namaste!

Vesta Spa & Jjimjilbang

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

Who doesn’t love taking a relaxing spell in a hot tub in the dead of winter? The question is rhetorical, but just in case: everyone. Everyone loves a hot tub in the winter. The South Korean variation of this of course, as referenced in previous blogs here and here is the jjimjilbang. Strip off your clothes, dip your naked body into the old sodium chloride bath, and relax, (if the stares of the naked Korean men aren’t too distracting).

Mary and I ventured to Vesta Spa & Jjimjilbang in the dead of winter (which, in Busan is not all that bad) to warm our little bumnaegol souls. We had reached a very “I can’t with anything” point in our weekend, and decided it might be time to switch up our Spaland routine.

Vesta’s location on Dalmaji Hill was the first draw for me. If I were to ever live in Busan long-term, I would invest in property on Dalmaji Hill. It offers stunning coastal views along Haeundae Beach, is lined with cherry blossom trees during the spring, offers dozens of hiking trails, and is a quiet escape from the bustling urban sprawl of Busan.

Vesta Spa is a large, unsuspecting white brick building built into the sloping hill. Upon seeing it for the first time, I was reminded of somewhere in Greece, perhaps Mykonos. The service was friendly, and our fellow patrons were mostly families and couples. Mary and I paid our entrance, impressed with what we were seeing so far, and headed to our respective bath rooms.

I can’t say I totally loved everything about Vesta’s bath facilities. They were slightly most rustic than the other three jjimjilbangs I’ve been to in the past. Many of the baths had tawny, often oxidized pipes in plain sight. The bath water (as I had read in other blog posts before going to Vesta) was not quite as fresh as I was expecting. That said, I did enjoy the atmosphere of Vesta. The room was quite dimly lit and so steamy, offering a little more privacy for those patrons who desired it.

While Vesta’s facilities, comparatively, leave a little something to be desired, patrons are able to exit to an outdoor balcony and enjoy views of Haeundae from a hot tub. This is almost certainly Vesta’s most popular feature. Many foreigners know it as “the jjimjilbang where you can look out to the beach in the nude”.

Overall, I still think Spaland is superior, but I did like the “mom and pop” feel of Vesta. It’s really a Busan institution,integral to the fabric of the city, almost.. Plus, you can’t beat the location on Dalmaji Hill. So, what are you waiting for? Go get some naked views of Haeundae Beach already!

Directions
To get to Vesta Spa & Jjimjilbang, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Jungdong Station (stop 202). Take exit 5 and walk straight past the large shopping centre (called Rodeo). Continue straight up the hill and follow it while it curves to the left. Vesta will be on your left.  Alternatively, a taxi costs approximately ₩5,000. Entrance to Vesta is ₩10,000.

Photo by City Awesome

Photo by veganaroundtheworld.wordpress.com

Photo by saunasinkorea.blogspot.com

Beomeosa Temple

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

Photos by Stephanie Pellett. Check out her personal blog here, her Flickr account here, and her Instagram here for more beautiful photography.

“There is a well on the top of Mt. Geumjeongsan and the water of that well is gold. The golden fish in the well rode the colourful clouds and came down from the sky. This is why the mountain is named Geumsaem (gold well) and the temple is name ‘fish from heaven’.”

This summary of the origins of Beomeosa Temple’s etymology is from the Donggukyeojiseungram, a Korean geography book. Nestled up in the mountains, Beomeosa, like all good temples is remote, offering a peaceful, cultural day trip for tourists (like me!)

Admittedly, I had been informed that Beomeosa Temple was “pretty, but nothing special” from a few people. Regardless, I was eager to visit and form my own opinions about “the temple where the Nirvana fish play”.

I visited Beomeosa on a day when spring was positively springing with Steph, my co-worker Robert, and his fiancé Anna. As soon as we stepped upon the temple grounds, I could feel how hallowed and sacred they were. We followed a row of wisteria trees up to the main compound, which houses a three-story pagoda, multiples shrines, and approximately a dozen hermitages, presumably for the fighting monks who called Beomeosa home. I’m always amazed at the intricacies and attention to detail when studying the colourful shrines and gates at Korean temples. I found it inspiring. Like, if someone could spend all that time designing something so beautiful, then I can at least floss every day or blog three times a week, right?

Beomeosa, itself, was lost twice; first, in the 16th century at the hands of the pyro-happy Japanese invaders, and second, a mere decade later in an accidental fire. It was rebuilt in the 17th century. These days, however, it is still undergoing a “temple facelift”. There was, in fact, ongoing construction on a couple of the hermitages and halls while we were visiting. Whoever said cosmetic surgery in Korea is just for people was dead wrong.

Oddly enough, my favourite part of my time at Beomeosa was spent in a rather unique rock field, with a quiet stream running through it. Steph, Robert, Anna, and I sat for a while in a circle on the rocks, and even took a few moments to dip our hands and feet into the chilly water. I’m hoping to visit Beomeosa again so I can follow this path of rocks up to the North Gate of the Geumjeongsanseong Fortress, because I’m all about that hiking sweat life on summer days.

In addition, the four of us visited the Seongdo Museum, located on the temple grounds. There were a variety of Buddhist antiquities, including a Lego construction of the “Nirvana Fish”, where Beomeosa derives its name from. Bizarrely, this Lego “masterpiece” seemed to be a bigger deal than the relics that were hundreds of centuries old. Just nod and smile, y’all.

Beomeosa is one of the most important temples in all of Korea, and receives extra credit for its “Temple Stay” program. While I found the Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple more visually pleasing, the tranquility of Beomeosa Temple was a welcomed sort of beauty. My recommendation? Visit Beomeosa on a sunny day, walk the grounds, have a picnic on the rocks, and continue up Mount Geumjeongsan. Then you’ll really be about that sweat life.

Directions
To get to Beomeosa Temple, take the Orange Line on the Busan Subway (Line 1) to Beomeosa Station (stop 133). Take exit 5 or 7 and turn up the road between the exits. After 5 minutes, you will reach the Samsin bus stop. Bus Take bus #90, and get out at the Beomeosa Temple stop (approximately 15 minutes).  Alternatively, a taxi costs approximately ₩6,000.

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival

This is a Korean Bucket List post. Check out the rest of my list here.

A word to the wise: if you are a Type-A person intent on finishing everything on a fixed Bucket List, and have travel plans to a neighbouring city for a cherry blossom festival at the break of dawn, do not dance until 3:30AM at a club called Ghetto to “Drunk in Love”. Call it a night at 11AM after a single drink at the local watering hole, and get a good night’s sleep. Otherwise, you are going to hate your entire life. This personal anecdote brought to you by the Bad Decisions Council of Busan.

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, otherwise known as the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, is one of South Korea’s largest, held in unison with the commemoration of  famed admiral Yi Sun Shin. The festival took place this year from April 1st to 10th, when the cherry blossoms are looking the most beautiful of all (I apologize, but all Mulan references are justified).

Steph, Mary, and I woke up at an obscene hour to catch the bus to Jinhae to witness the spectacle. Given that the three of us slept in my twin bed for a grand total of three hours, we were in a bad place. Steph, ever the responsible one, ushered us out of bed to brush our teeth. I was so tired in fact, that after I got the toothpaste on my brush, I returned to my bed to brush them there. Soon, we were on the metro to Sasang, at the bus terminal to buy a ticket, and on the road to Jinhae.

I wish I could tell you that the rolling countryside en route to Jinhae was a dazzling grassland with sweeping mountains as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, I was busy catching flies, mouth wide open and reclined backwards in my chair.

Once we arrived at the festival, we immediately began to look for the Yaejwacheon Romance Bridge, as advertised in all of the South Korean travel blogs as the “must see place in Jinhae”. Eventually, after following swarms of tourists from the train tracks onwards, we reached Jinhae’s cherry blossom mecca.

The stream really was the perfect spot. Lined with cherry blossom tree after cherry blossom tree, petals lightly rained down upon us as we ventured further along. We stopped for our requisite yoga photos (catch my crow below), and mostly gazed dumbfounded, partially from exhaustion, partially at the beauty of Korean nature. I like to think given my inarticulateness, my face seemed to say, “damn, nature – you pretty!”

Some of the festival’s other main attractions apart from the Yaejwacheon Romance Bridge included the Jinhae Inland Water Eco Park, the famed Gyeonghwa Train Station, the Mt. Jehwang Park Monorail, and Anmin Hill. According to the festival brochure, all of these places offered “beautiful views of the spring cherry blossoms” and were “sure to wow visitors”. We did end up passing the train station and the monorail, both of which I would have marvelled more at had I enjoyed an eight hour sleep. Alas, the appreciation was still there.

Apparently, there was also a military band parade and a multimedia fireworks show during the festival. I feel like, even if I had been in the general vicinity of these things, I wouldn’t have even noticed them happening because I was so fatigued.

The girls and I ended our time at the Jungwon Rotary, which acted as the festival’s main venue, replete with stages, markets, and booths. This was not before a pair of eldery ajummas ran up to Mary and literally gave her a smack bottom. I guess they enjoyed her Teeki leggings? We half-watched (what I’m assuming was) a memorial for the late Admiral, and half-rested our eyes as the sun beat down upon us.

In the aftermath of the festival, I felt a little guilty for not enjoying it more in the moment due to lack of sleep. That said, I was coherent enough to know what a beautiful place I was in, and I’m sure you would too, should you visit Jinhae. Just… get some sleep before, I guess.

Directions
To get to Jinhae, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Sasang Station (stop 227). Go out exit 3, turn left, and walk straight towards the Seoubu Bus Station. Buy a ticket to Jinhae for ₩4,500. The bus takes about 50 minutes (I think, I was asleep/incapacitated for the majority of it). From the Jinhae Bus Station walk straight for about 15 minutes to reach the festival grounds. Entrance to the festival is free.

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.

Children’s Day!

Happy Children’s Day, everyone! May 5th is a recognized public holiday in Korea, which means I get this sunny Monday in Busan off! Yes, the irony of being an English teacher in South Korea and not having to teach on Children’s Day is not wasted on me.

Children’s Day has officially been celebrated since 1970 in Korea, and encourages children to grow and prosper without discrimination, and to hold only wisdom and bravery in their hearts. Toy stores, public parks, and department stores are apparently swarmed with kids, so you better believe I’ll be avoiding those places today!

In celebration of the up-and-coming generation of Koreans, my school hosted a full day event in dedication of the little nuggets this past Friday. This was great news for me because any day when I can derp around with my kindy kids and not teach from the world’s most boring textbooks is a fantastic one!

Each of my fellow foreigner co-teachers and I were responsible for a different station at the event. Shannon and Brandi ran the “Brown Store”. This is a basically a market where students can use the “Brown Bucks” they’ve received over the course of the month for good behaviour, and buy cute little knick-knacks. Brittany and Thomas were responsible for teaching the little noodles about food creation (read: making tiny little burgers). Robert was responsible for creating a balloon hat for each student, and I was tasked with painting all of their faces because “Dylan Teacher, you are such a good artist!” I’m not exactly sure where my head teacher got such an idea, but the misinformed sentiment was a cute one.

That said, I actually did end up having a blast painting my kiddies’ faces. I’m by no means quitting my job to become a professional face-painter, but I don’t think I was totally awful at it. Every single time I would finish, I would take a “poto” of each child’s face to get a sense of their satisfaction level and every single time their face would remain expressionless. I kept on reminding myself that this is a part of Korean culture (not letting your true feelings known through facial expression) and was eventually vindicated when the kids later thanked me for their awesomely painted face.

One of the best (albeit messiest and saddest) moments of the event came when I was painting one of my more rambunctious students’ face. A friend from his class came up to watch me as I attempted to paint a penguin holding an umbrella. I eventually required the yellow paint for the beak. When I reached over to dip my paintbrush in, I noticed that the yellow had disappeared. As I began to say “now, where did I put the yell-” I looked up to find the friend, the whiteboard, the wall, and the floor covered in yellow paint. The poor little noodle was so distraught, but I couldn’t help but giggle as I scolded him for getting too close to my work station. I guess we shouldn’t add “Compassionate Teacher” to my list of school nicknames…

After lunch, we assisted our homeroom classes with creating candy necklaces. Normally, whenever we “assist” our classes with any sort of project like this, it turns into me frantically assembling 12 candy necklaces myself. Thankfully, my class of six year olds are surprisingly resourceful and did it all by themselves. I like to think I’ve contributed to their resourcefulness but ego gets you nowhere.

Once the candy necklaces were done, I was responsible for hosting an “active” game in our auditorium known lovingly as the “Sky Room”. I basically created a version of “Corn Hole” with beanbags and hula hoops, and divided the classes into four colour-coded teams. The Pink Team (that no one initially wanted to be apart of because apparently “pink sucks”) ended up destroying all the other teams. After the game, we sang some classic songs including “Spring is Here”, “We All Go Travelling By”, and my personal favourite, “I Am A Pizza”.

Basically, Children’s Day was a total breeze of a Friday where my kiddies got to have fun without any of the pressures of English learnin’. While I will miss them tomorrow and Tuesday, (which I also have off for Buddha’s birthday, huzzah!), I’m sure their parents will treat them to all of the ddakji and patbingsu their meagre little frames can handle!

Happy Children’s Day to you and yours!

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.

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.