Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple

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

It seems unlikely that I am the first foreigner teaching in Busan to weep over the end of beach season, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier to let it go. “How will I possibly spend weekends? Where will I get my stunning views of the water now?”

Eventually, these questions began to seem pretty trivial given the beautiful landscape of Busan, and even more trivial when I Googled “the best attractions Busan has to offer” and came across the beautiful Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple, located on the East Sea.

After a strenuous hike up Jangsan Mountain and (another) night out in KSU the day and night before, Matt and I met up with Mary bright and early Sunday morning at Haeundae Station and caught the bus toward the temple. This was actually my first time taking a bus in Busan, and quite possibly, my last. The stops are reliable enough, but the driver’s ability to man the wheel were slightly reminiscent of Leslie Mann in The 40 Year Old Virgin, and reified that I am a subway/taxi person.

After approximately a 25 minute bus ride, we were let off in an oddly suburban area; however, a large granite stone with “Haedong Yonggungsa Temple” let us know that we were in the right place. After a short 5 minute walk, we approached a tiny market. Tempting aromas and the sound of shrill Korean floated around the tight space, as tourists stuffed their faces and bartered for tiny trinkets.

Shortly past the busy market were the expected and the unexpected: a line of life-size statues of the 12 zodiac signs with kneeling practitioners of Buddhism offering prayers represented the former; a towering ivory pagoda established for the purpose of “traffic safety prayers” represented the latter.

Like the inquisitive tourists/goats we are, Matt, Mary, and I followed a long line of people down a seemingly never-ending flight of stairs towards the rocky coast of the East Sea. Note: Upon researching further for the purposes of this blog, I learned that there were in fact exactly 108 steps, a sacred and recurring number in Buddhism. As we worked our way down the steps at a glacial pace, we caught a quick glimpse of the striking coastline, which illustrated exactly why this temple is a top tourist destination in Busan. The water is an absurd, almost unimaginable shade of cerulean, made even more pristine in juxtaposition to the craggy rocks.

One way to take your mind off the long line is a coin launching bridge called the Lucky coin divination. Simply take a coin from your pocket and try to launch it into the basins below. Be careful not to launch your smartphone into the gorge below like the foolish gentleman just out of frame in the picture above.

The intricately designed temple and various shrines at Haedong Yonggungsa are stunning, especially to those unfamiliar with Buddhist temple architecture. Other highlights include a pair of life-size golden pigs, and two giant golden statues of Buddha, including a Movember themed one that I will be modeling my lip sweater after this year.

Additionally, there is a nice, albeit somewhat informal path that leads to the Busan Fisheries Science Museum and allows you to walk around the coast of Busan. According to the maps, this hike around the seawall can take approximately 10h. Note: The girls and I attempted this hike northward last weekend and it is somewhat haphazard. Try a mountain trail instead.

Overall, the Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple is one of the most awe-inspiring sites I’ve visited so far in Busan. I have every intention to visit again. During Buddha’s birthday. With a professional camera. At sunset. How’s that for wanderlust?

Directions
To get to the Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple, take Line 2 (green line) on the Busan Subway to Haeundae (stop 203). Go out exit 1 and take Bus 181 until you get to Yonggungsa Temple (located on the right side). The temple is 5 minute walk from the bus stop. Admission is free, but bring money for the market!

Entrance to the temple

Lucky Coin Divination

Pretty temple

Buddha and his mo

Traffic Safety Prayer Pagoda

My derps and I

Dudley the Dragon (named by me)

Jangsan Mountain

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

Dylan Teacher: “Good afternoon, readers!”

Readership: “Good afternoon, Dylan Teacher!”

Dylan Teacher: “Before we get started today, I have a very quick and relevant trivia question and the first student to answer will get a special star sticker!”

Readership: *deafening cheers*

Dylan Teacher: “Okay. What percentage of Korea is considered mountainous?”

Readership: *deafening silence*

Sorry, y’all. Sometimes I seriously can’t help but revert to instructional, cooing baby voiced Dylan Teacher during my time away from school. The answer to the above question is “Approximately 70% of South Korea is considered mountainous.” Why is this relevant though? It’s relevant because up until 3 and a half weeks ago, I hadn’t taken advantage of this fun little fact. This is even sadder when I reveal that I live literally 20 minutes away from a large mountain chain called Jangsan Mountain. Luckily, this issue was rectified after I suggested a brisk midday hike to my visiting friend, Matt.

Our morning started off slightly rough after a whirlwind night in KSU, but we nonetheless dragged ourselves out of bed, suited up, and headed out to be amazed with an elevated view of the city.

As we approached the mountain, we began to notice an increase in outdoor and mountain equipment stores; a brilliant strategy, in my opinion, to draw hikers in for some impulse buys. I know I was certainly tempted to enter a shop and buy some proper hiking pants after catching a glimpse of my reflection in the window (read: I was wearing a gray v-neck and red swimming trunks).

Eventually, we reached the base of the mountain, which was fairly crowded on this particular Saturday morning. Many hikers had opted to picnic on various sprawling rock piles and quietly socialize beside the serene waterfall near the beginning of the trail.

The hike itself is moderately difficult. There was fairly steep stretch toward the beginning of our ascent, but we were able to take a quick rest once the trail reached a plateau, housing a Korean exercise park. Korea is still pretty temperate for this Canadian boy, but many ajummas outfitted in full-on hiking garb approached Matt and I, making a shivering motion to indicate their disbelief at our minimalist outfits. I smiled and mimed that I was a “crajiee waygook” and went on my merry way.

Despite our t-shirts and shorts, all of the $3 glasses of Cass we had consumed the night before began seeping mercilessly from our pores. This is all to say it was a rather moist hike, made all the more conspicuous by the fact that KOREANS LITERALLY NEVER SWEAT. Matt and I would be huffing and puffing and dripping and dropping up a slight incline, only to be passed effortlessly by a middle-aged couple somehow NOT completely drenched in sweat. However, once I remembered my yoga practice (“find your breath”) the hike became much more bearable.

We reached a lookout after almost an hour of hiking. The view of Busan from Jangsan Mountain is spectacular, all white, concrete, airy, ethereal. I wish I had more photos to show but my iPhone died after Matt and I listened to “When I’m Gone” by Anna Kendrick on repeat for about 20 minutes. #SorryNotSorry

After leaving the lookout, we continued up the mountain. Oftentimes, there were no signs (even in Korean) to point us to any particular path, so Matt and I usually chose a trail at random and hoped for the best (luckily, Matt was raised as a feral child in British Columbia, so his sense of direction was quite honed). Every once in a while, we would stumble across a farmer’s tiny bungalow and we even discovered a simple, yet surprisingly bustling restaurant on our way down.

By far the most insane thing we stumbled upon were dozens of (pretty graphic) land mine warning signs. I was slightly unnerved to say the least, but I bellowed “YOLO” and continued on our journey. In addition to the charming signs, there are green tarps everywhere covering woodpiles, and barbed wire to add to the “beautiful scenery that may literally BLOW you away” ambiance.

Unsurprisingly, our descent down Jangsan Mountain was quite speedy. I made sure to keep my weight over my knees since I am the king of twisting my ankle. We stopped at a random little kiosk and enjoyed some nice green apple popsicles on the way down, although they had nothing on my beloved Melon Pops. Once we reached the base, we air pressurized our shoes because it’s South Korea so WHY THE HELL NOT.

Overall, the views of Busan from atop Jangsan Mountain are worth feeling like a fat, panting Dachshund. Just maybe without the Cass beer the night before…

Directions
To get to Jangsan Mountain, take Line 2 (green line) on the Busan Subway to Jangsan Station (stop 201) and go out exit 10. Walk straight for about 20 minutes until you approach the foot of the mountain. The hike is however long you make it, but budget for about 2.5 hours.

The beautiful scenery may literally BLOW you away

Always with the peace sign, like the good Asian biddy I am

Matt and his feminine shadow

Beautiful Busan

Busan International Fireworks Festival

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

When I first arrived in Busan, a departing teacher from my hagwon mentioned her most unforgettable moments from her 16 months in Busan. “Oh, and do not miss the fireworks festival at the end of October,” she said, “it’s one of the best events of the year.” I eagerly stored this little nugget of information away in my travel notebook, added it to my Bucket List, blinked my eyes, and somehow ended up three months into the future, on a chilly October evening BECAUSE TIME IS MOVING AT WARP SPEED.

This past Saturday marked the 9th Annual Busan International Fireworks Festival, one of the most popular tourist attractions and busiest nights of the year. The fireworks show takes place at Gwangalli Beach, incorporates the second largest bridge in all of Korea (Gwangan), and leaves the general population of Busan in jaw-dropping, fly-catching awe. Having spoken to multiple people about what a sardine can the beach turns into every year, Jess, Maddie and I began to reevaluate just where we would go to view the show. The idea of being pushed and shoved and stepped on by hoards of ajummas was not super appealing to any of us.

Luckily, we stumbled upon a solution to literally elevate ourselves out of the masses: ascending 40 minutes up Mount Geumnyeonsan, a mountain chain offering a stunning panoramic view of Gwangan Bridge and the surrounding area (check out some visuals on Busan for 91 Days).

Unsure about exactly how busy the mountain would be, Maddie, Jess, and Mary got a head start and secured a prime area at the observatory atop the mountain. The latecomers, including Kendall, Terri, Claire, and myself followed about 30 minutes later. This turned out to be a blessing and a curse: not knowing any better, our foursome opted for more rugged terrain and took the path through the forest as opposed to continuing up the paved road. Given that I was in skinny jeans and brogues, I prayed to Meryl that the inevitable thigh chafing and baby toe blisters would be vindicated once our ascent was complete. However, the blessing: the trail was truly serene and offered fantastic views of Busan throughout the hike. Certainly a hike I would recommend with a professional camera.

Eventually, after nearly 40 minutes of our faux-barbershop quartet that panted, grunted, moaned, and snarled instead of harmonizing, we reached the observatory. Our little group of seven munched on snacks, rehashed evenings in Busan, gossiped, and hid our frozen bodies beneath blankets – it was essentially a sleepover atop Mount Geumnyeonsan.

After nearly 2 hours of waiting and several false alarms (read: test fireworks), the show began. Peering out from the lookout down onto the city, lit up and pulsing, was so awe-inspiring. It also put me in a very silly mood, although, this could be attributed to the mass amount of candy I consumed directly before. To give you an idea: I was that obnoxious foreigner “oooohing” and “ahhhhing” when shrimpy, unimpressive fireworks would go up and also the dude loudly singing the Bellas’ final performance from Pitch Perfect. At the end of the night, I had fun and that’s what matters, right? *silence*

Having watched The Busan International Fireworks Festival from what felt like the top of the world, my former coworkers’ attestation that this was one of the most unforgettable nights of the year was so incredibly authentic. The city is abuzz, whether on the beach, on the mountain, or from an apartment complex. If you happen to be in Busan in late October 2014, add it to your Bucket List, too!

Directions
To get to Mount Geumnyeonsan, take the Busan Subway Green Line (Line 2) to Geumnyeonsan Station (stop 210) Mountain Station. Walk straight out of exit #3, and turn right once you hit the McDonald’s, away from the beach. It is about a 15 minute walk from Geumnyeonsan Station to the base of the mountain. The ascent is about 40 minutes.

My pretty angels up on their cloud

My little Chico chicka and I all bundled up

Fireworks over Gwangan Bridge

Sitting with the best seats in the city