Busan, South Korea

July 1, 2011

This trip is probably one of the most special and memorable travels I have this year. It is the first out of the country trip with my highschool barkada, perhaps in a way celebrating our 15 years of friendship. Also, this is the first time we will be meeting baby Leila, Aisa's adorable little girl.

For the first leg of our trip, we explored Busan in a borrowed luxury Sedan (thank you Law's boss).  Busan, located in the southeast tip of Korean peninsula,  is South Korea's second largest city after Seoul, and the country's  port capital.

Our first destination is Haedong Yongungsa Temple. This Buddhist temple was built in 1376. Unlike most temples in South Korea (or perhaps the world), Haedong Yongungsa Temple is located not in the mountains, but on a cliff along the coast.   A temple standing on a rock along sea, with waves crashing against the rock provides an awesome view and background for our photoshoot.

We travelled to Haeundae, an upscale touristy city with lots of hotels and high-end condominiums. This is home to majority of expats currently residing in Busan.

We had our lunch in a small family restaurant in Haeundae. Since this is our first authentic Korean meal (last night we had Bonchon-like chicken and Korean instant noodles), we ordered almost everything in the menu--maki roll, Bibimbop, Beef Stew with glass noodles, Spicy Beef Stew with Rice, Spicy Beef Stew with Octopus and rice.

After lunch, we strolled along  Haendae Beach, one of the most popular beaches in South Korea. This beach is popular among  locals and is the venue of the various cultural events and festivities. During summer, the beach is literally filled with hundreds of thousands of guests.  Luckily during our visit, the beach was not that crowded.

We walked towards Dongbaek Island, south of Haeundae beach. Dongbaek, popular site for line fishing, was a separate island long before, but years and years of accumulation of sand and earth, a land bridge was formed connecting Dongbaek to the main land. 

Fishing by the cliff

The Mermaid

Dongbaek garden is lush with camellia and pine trees. It's relatively cooler here amidst the humid sea breeze. We strolled along Dongbaek Garden taking photos along the way.

Hanging Bridge in Dongbaek Garden

The Lighthouse

At the peak of Dongbaek lies Nurimaru APEC House, the venue of 2005 APEC Summit. In Korean, Nuri means "world" and Maru means "summit".

APEC House

Inside the APEC House

We headed back home, rested for a while, and went out for dinner in what they call "The Tent". Here we had Korean Pork Barbecue and Soju--a Korean alcoholic drink made from rice which tastes like a sweeter/lighter version of vodka or gin. During dinner, Aisa crashed coursed us with the basics of Korean meal manners--how to wrap a Korean barbecue, how to pour Soju etc etc.

After dinner, we headed back home, prepared ourselves and our stuff for our midnight trip to Seoul.
It's going to be an exciting long day ahead. :)