A Whirlwind Trip to Busan: From Beaches to Temples and Everything in Between
I've always dreamed of living by the sea.
And I still do.
Not in big cities like Incheon or Busan, but somewhere like Pohang or Jeju, with a real 'badang' (sea).
But after visiting Busan...
I was so captivated by its beauty and delicious food that I even wanted to live there!
Anticipating our 'Bussan' adventure with friends, let's start Day 2 and 3 of our Busan trip!
Our itinerary included: Ijaemo Pizza - Busan International Market - Yongdusan Park - Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan - Gwangalli Beach - Jagalchi Fish Market - Dadaepo Beach - Suyeong Pork Rice Soup.
After an hour-long wait, we finally got our hands on Ijaemo Pizza!
I kinda want to eat it again~
Then, we started exploring the International Market, which we missed seeing yesterday due to our late arrival.
Since we're in Busan, we had to try 'eomultteok' (fish cake skewers) and 'bibidang' (spicy glass noodles)!
I think it was around 8,000 won for everything? The prices weren't too bad.
The fish cake was definitely thick and delicious.
Slurp!
I'm from Bupyeong too!
Turns out, Busan is an international city! There were so many foreign tourists.
I really appreciated that they didn't overcharge and kept prices reasonable.
My mom had been singing praises about the 'chungmu kimbap' (small seaweed rice rolls).
It's so simple, but why is it so delicious? We even took some to go!
My parents enjoyed it. Eating it while sitting on bathhouse stools is a special treat.
The owner was so generous and kept giving us an extra two or three pieces each time.
Next, we visited an ice flake dessert shop that had been featured on a TV show (internal sense of familiarity).
In a world where milk-based shaved ice is all the rage, it was amazing to see them shaving ice in the old-fashioned way.
My dad especially loved it.
The red bean paste didn't taste artificially sweet, perhaps because they made it themselves. It was much tastier than I expected.
Commemorative shot of finishing our bowls! Ah, so full.
Our next destination was Yongdusan Park. It was a really hot day, but we mustered the courage to climb up.
It had been 10 years since I last visited Yongdusan – I was 20 then.
I saw a cute kitty at Yongdusan Park.
It was taking a nap. Now, with a heavy heart, we're off to Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan.
Tongdosa Temple, one of Korea's five major temples, was peaceful and quiet since we visited in the late afternoon.
A pristine stream flowed in front.
The entrance was beautifully adorned with crape myrtles.
We finished touring the temple and were heading back down.
We stopped on the bridge to admire the stream again.
Originally, we were supposed to return to Incheon… but...
We were disappointed that we hadn't seen or eaten everything we wanted in Busan, so we decided to go back!
LOLOLOLOL
Seriously... I'm starting to feel like a P (a 'planning' type personality).
Back to Busan! Our first stop was Gwangalli Beach.
But… there wasn't a single parking spot!
Even considering it was a Friday evening, this was just too much…
My mom and I got out to take a quick look, but my dad only had a brief glimpse while desperately searching for parking.
With a tinge of disappointment, we zoomed off to Jagalchi!
Busan's nightlife is vibrant.
We couldn't leave without having 'gomjangeo' (hagfish)!
So, we wandered around and settled on a restaurant.
I can't remember where we went last time, but I'll definitely memorize this place!
Side dishes!
The three of us looking tired LOLOLOL
Thanks to the owner's kindness, we were also able to order grilled fish!
So good! It was even better than most dedicated grilled fish restaurants.
My beloved 'gomjangeo'…
It tasted like something my grandma from the countryside would make – a healthy, wholesome flavor that made it even more delicious.
It even tasted like my mom's cooking LOLOL
I wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking for a spicy and intense flavor.
Finished off with fried rice~
The next day...
Today is really the day we're going back.
Today we absolutely have to go home.
We spent our last morning in Busan at Dadaepo Beach.
Enjoying this leisurely time~
Our last lunch in Busan was…
Pork Rice Soup, which we failed at on the first day, attempt #2!
Would it be any good?
It was tasty, but not to the point where I'd want to come back. The kimchi wasn't my style either. But the servers were very friendly.
The boiled pork slices were a little tasty. I think it's because I wasn't that hungry.
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