March 2014
Growing up in Korea, I had visited Busan(population: 3.5 million) numerous times. It was usually a trip involving the beach at Haewoondae during summer or the hot springs at Dongnae other times of the year. It was mostly a 6+ hour railway trip till they built the Freeway #1, and, then, it was a 4+ hour car trip.
Our latest trip to the #2 city in Korea was on the bullet train(KTX), and it took barely 2.5 hours. A friend who had temporarily moved there for her job invited and showed us around. This version of Busan was just so interesting and intriguing.
We first were driven to the hillside area called Gamcheon-dong where old shacks and ugly brick houses had been turned into a colorful mosaic of updated houses with inviting cafes and little stores sprinkled in here and there. The old eyesores now look like the colorful town of Guanajuato in central Mexico! The refugees from the Korean War occupied this hillside after the war, and it stayed as a lower income area until quite recently. Some local artists and art students got involved in the revitalization movement in the area in 2000’s, and now it is one of the most interesting areas to visit in Korea attracting over 2 million visitors each year.
Next, we went to an area with old bookstores called Bosoo-dong where alleys were filled with used books spilling out of the little stores that had been there since the 1950’s.
Bosoo-dong is close to the main market in Busan, Gukje-Sijang(a literal translation: International Market). I can never pass food stalls at outdoor markets without trying something, and we sat down at plastic stools in the area pictured above to try several different things.
We walked over to the market specializing in seafood, Jagalchi Sijang, after our lunch in Gukje Market area. The site of extra fresh seafood and the smell of fish did make me think I should try something there, but I just could not eat anymore.
We drove over to Haewoondae Beach area and went to a hot springs spa that had windows out to the sea. All the aches and stiffness melted away from our bodies like magic after soaking in the hot mineral water.
This area(Dalmaji-Gil) just northwest of the beach on top of the hill had some fancy restaurants. We had something very un-Korean for dinner: pasta and Italian wine.
I recommend using cabs to get around if you have one day in the city. It will not cost more than $10 for each ride.
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Small Wide World 