This is one of those on-the-beaten track places that hides some of those off-the-beaten track sites. Unfortunately, I didn't hit any of those. This was a purely tourist-trap trip.
KyungHee managed to find a tour package for 80,000원, which is actually cheaper than train tickets. The tour covers a temple, Haeundae Beach, an island, and THE FISH MARKET. Not being too thrilled about exploring Busan (I wish I had read its background before, but it's too late now), I accepted the idea of being herded like cattle without sacrificing too much of my dignity.
So I woke up at 5:50am (actually, I jumped out of bed because the sun was shining brightly and I thought I had slept through my alarm) and speed-dressed. KyungHee was going to pick up the bus at her stop then call me when the bus reached my stop. Around 6:20 she texted that she's getting on the bus, and it would be around 5 minutes. So I ran out of the house (forgetting jacket and sunglasses) and around 6:25 I got on the bus. Apparently, it was the wrong one, and we didn't end up meeting up til we arrived at Seoul Station.
How long had it been since I had eaten a fast-food restaurant breakfast? A long time, and it gave me a stomachache. Eating my Burger King croissanwich and tater tots, I suddenly had visions of McGriddles floating through my mind, even though I think I've only eaten it once. A glimpse of Napoleon Dynamite, too, but the McGriddles stole the spotlight.
We arrived in Busan after an uneventful train ride. The first place we headed to was 용궁사, or Dragon Palace Temple. I like to mix some culture and history into my trips, so this to me was the redeeming part of the Busan trip. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let-down; the name is way cooler than the temple itself.. Rebuilt during the Japanese occupation, it was rather new and flavourless. Nonetheless, I guess it was good to experience a modern-style temple, although I infinitely prefer the older ones. Also, it's the only temple that's right on the ocean.
in front of Dragon Palace TempleIt was rather cold, and I didn't have any beach materials, so it wasn't that exciting for me. We walked up the beach a bit, then went inland to see if we could find a decent pair of sunglasses (my eyes have been really sensitive to light lately). No dice, so we walked around a bit more before getting on the bus for the island.
KyungHee on Haeundae BeachAbout 15 minutes away, and perhaps 1 kilometre, was 동백섬 (Camellia Island). Actually, it's more appropriately called 동백공원, as land reclamation has turned it into a peninsula. It was a nice walk, and we got to see Nurimaru House, the sight of the 2005 APEC Summit. Even better, though was the Tarzan bridge: a reinforced jungle bridge constructed of fresh wood with steel bars. A girl was trying to be an "urban" Korean girl (aka SISSY!) by pretending to be scared of the bridge and KyungHee started making fun of her rather loudly. It was funny.
Nurimaru House, with 광안 Bridge on the leftLast stop: 자갈치 시장. Which, of course, brings us to:
10: Eat live octopus
We bought it, and I splashed on the sesame oil and ate it. It was good while eating it, but I think it's one of those things that you experience once in your life, enjoy, and never do again. The suctions would latch onto my mouth, and a few times it kind of hurt. And one has to chew a lot to make sure the tentacles don't attach to one's throat, and I feel a little sick when I have to chew raw octopus too much.
they were sticking to the chopsticks
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