5/11 - 5/16:
This past week, my friends and I explored Busan, a port city and South Korea's second-largest city.
We stayed in Seomyeon Shopping District, which really reminded me a lot of Hongdae or Gangnam back in Seoul, with its bustling streets full of street food vendors, restaurants, shopping, bars/clubs, and lots of night life. While in Busan we visited cafes, beaches, markets, Shinsegae Centum City, other famous sites/landmarks, and ate lots of good food!
The first cafe we visited was Cafe Magnate, which is owned by BTS' Jimin's Dad. It was super cool, and the interior design of the place was definitely very impressive! I wouldn't say that our drinks were extraordinary, but it's still a cafe that I wouldn't mind re-visiting if I were staying or living in Busan. The second cafe we visited was a brunch cafe called Cafe Ean, which was known for its french toast and homemade yoghurt! Another cafe we visited toward the end of our trip was called Caffeine Busan, which was actually probably one of my favorite cafes that I have ever been to in Korea so far! The interior design and aesthetic of the place was amazing, and it's definitely a really great place to take photos at; there was an indoor swing merry-go-round, projectors, sculptures, and trick-art on the outside balconies and rooftop of the place. On our last day in Busan, we visited a really cool cafe called Cafe Gemstone, which was an abandoned in-door pool, renovated into a cafe. So, we sat in a pool, ordered coffee and also picked out baked goods to eat there while we did our online Zoom classes since it was a Monday.
As for beaches, we mainly just visited three of the more famous beaches in Busan-- Songdo, Gwangalli, and Haeundae-- since they were nearby to other food spots or tourists attractions/activities that we wanted to visit as well. At Songdo Beach, we took a stroll along the Songdo Cloud Trail (a walkway jutting over the beach which glass floors). We also rode the Songdo Sea Cable Cars (Busan Air Cruise), which featured a scenic coastal view, and on the station on the other side there's a sculpture park, food vendors, a suspension bridge, a hiking trail, and other cool things that visitors can do while there. Unfortunately, the weather was kind of rainy and windy the day that we went, so the suspension bridge was closed. At Gwangalli Beach, we watched a drone light show (which only happens on Saturdays and Sundays, at 8PM and 10PM), and there is also the Gwangan Bridge Light Show (which runs from sunset to 1AM). At Haeundae Beach, we rode the Haeundae Sky Capsule (from Mipo Station) during sunset and the Beach Train on the way back (from Cheongsapo) at Haeundae Blueline Park. While walking along Haeundae Beach, we also saw some kind of sand sculpture competition in the works, which was really impressive! There were a lot of really great places to eat in the area around Haeundae Beach.
We actually only ended up visiting one market, Jagalchi Market, which is a world famous market (Korea's largest seafood market). Customers can walk along the stalls and choose fresh seafood to purchase and eat at the up-stairs restaurant vendors. We ended up eating an assortment of clams, san-nakji (raw/live octopus), and seafood pajeon (scallion pancakes). The food was actually only so-so (mainly because some of the clams were crunchy), not really the best, but it was still a cool experience.
We spent a few hours at Shinsegae Centum City Department Store, which is apparently the largest shopping complex in the world according to the Guinness World Records. It houses an ice rink, movie theater, golf range, spa, and of course, many brands and stores for shoppers to get lost in. I'm sure we didn't get to fully explore the complex, but I felt like I have been to shopping centers or malls of comparable sizes. It was indeed a very large shopping complex with several floors, but it wasn't as expansive as I thought it would be, considering it is the world's largest shopping complex. If I get the chance to go back to Busan, I would definitely try to explore more of what the department store has to offer!
A memorable attraction we visited was Gamcheon Culture Village, which is a picturesque collection of vibrantly colored houses in the valley of a coastal mountain. Various murals and sculptures also decorate the alleyways, cafes, and shops in the area. This village is also featured in many Korean TV shows, movies, and dramas.
An attraction we visited several times, was BIFF Square, which is an area featuring lots of street food, movie theaters, shopping, etc. It's also walking distance to lots of other tourist attractions, such as Jagalchi Market, Busan Tower, a Trickeye Museum, Gukje Market, and Fashion Street. We ate at various restaurants while there, shopped around, and also got hotteok (some of the best hotteok we had in Korea) and other yummy street food from the neighboring stalls.
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