KOREA 2014: DAY 2 ~ BUSAN: Yonggungsa Temple, Haeundae Beach, Busan Aquarium, Gwangalli Beach

18 OCT 2014

We arrived in dear Busan city at about 4am in the morning and it was freezing!!! That was one bad point, the second was the lack of open tourist information counters so early in the morning, third the lack of human beings around to follow/ask as well.

We managed to locate a mini-mart to which we asked for the general direction/location of the bus stop and we braved up before stepping out into the cold where we got "attacked" by a whole gang of taxi drivers. We ignored their poaching and used the power of sight to locate the bus stop because KH's phone decided to be a bitch and google maps wasn't working. We found the bus stop on the same side of the road but could not find the bus number we were searching for on the signs hence I turned on my GPS and navigated us to the bus stop on the other side of the road. We waited for a grand total of close to an hour before realizing (thanks to a taxi driver and a man) that we were on the wrong side of the road. Crossing the road back to the other side, the bus numbers started appearing on the electronic real-time board and we finally found the bus we were due to take.

These real-time signboards show you the location of the bus about 5 stops prior and the estimated time it will take to arrive (extremely useful).

When the bus finally came, we attempted asking if we could use our T-money card but there was a communication break down and our message couldn't get through so we ended up paying cash (answer: your T-money card can be used ANYWHERE in Korea)

The bus was rather crowded and we had so many luggage with us so it was quite painful. I managed to get a seat  because these two old men were fussing over it so I gave in, leaving my luggage in the hands of KH and HM who were having a horrible time. Bottomline; BAD EXPERIENCE, might have been worth the money taking the cab.

Getting off the bus and thanking the old people subtlely (note; you do NOT need to tap out) we started navigating our way towards Hotel Riveira. (the bus stop stops in front of Novotel so look out for it) Crossing the road, it is a straight walk in until the Tony Moly store and this became our all important landmark for the next two days:



Passing the shop, the hotel is right ahead with the name of the hotel being rather obvious. However, what was not obvious was the freaking entrance!! We went through the pain of going up a hill back to the carpark area because we only saw the entrance of the mall and the tiny entrance of the hotel was obstructed by the tents set up in the atrium area. So note; hotel entrance is on the front pass the mall entrance. Going in, take the lift on the left which will take you up to the hotel lobby.

It is a tiny lobby with a mere counter and a single sofa. The staff speaks English so that is definitely a plus. Also, do pick up any map you may require on the shelf. Being early, we deposited our luggage, did a much-needed quick wash-up session in the clean toilet (it was however a single cubicle so we had to take turns) before we were good to go explore Busan!

The bus stop was a short walk away and the bus stop was once again the user-friendly one which indicated the expected time of arrival of the bus. The bus we took was the only one which stops at the Yonggungsa temple so I guess the driver is used to it because he could understand where we were going and told us the value of the trip (once again we paid cash because assumed card couldn't be used; truth is: YOU CAN!) The buses have stop names in English so it becomes easy. Also, the bus driver was cute enough to tell us which stop was ours. =)

When you get off the bus, you will feel like you have been dropped in the middle of nowhere in a deserted place but calm down and across the road you will see this big stone sign and also, the road signs to places of interest are in brown so the temple name can be seen as well indication which road to turn in.



The next thing you need to do to get to your destination is hike up the hill. It will be a rather long walk (about 20-30mins) and people are seen jogging along the path (but very little). There are cars driving up so if you want to try you can try and hitchhike but no we accepted the exercise.

There will be a point where the road splits into two; take the left path downwards and you will have arrived at your destination.

The first thing that greets you is a flea market looking area: (yes that's HM)



We were too early and hence no stalls were open. Going past, you will arrive at an entrance with a row of statues, the background story behind the temple and a mini pagoda.




The photo above also shows you the path to take; through that archway on the left.

And then...you will be faced with flights and flights and more flights of stairs.


(yes that's me creeping)


But don't worry, you will be rewarded with a gorgeous view





Making our way to the main temple itself, a few Korean men stopped us to take a photo for us being chatting us and asking us where we were from.



Reaching the main temple, we did not bother going in but did take a peek inside at the design.




The speakers were constantly blaring the chants and for a moment there I thought a prayer session was going on inside but no.

At the side, there is a flight of stairs and a sign which leads to the huge statue of the goddess of mercy but none of us decided to take the painful journey and hence left the place after KH managed to get some bracelet from the temple souvenir shop.



On the way back down the hill, we decided to grab a bite at the flea market area. Note: DO NOT take pictures of anybody there, they are rather sensitive about it.

HM and I had a fishcake thing while KH tried the huge hotdog (Also to note: the same goodies can be found at Myeongdong/Dongdaemun at about 1.5x the price so...)



After we reached the bottom of the hill, we headed to the opposite side of the road and yes there is only one bus so it's a no brainer; see a bus, board it.

Returning back to Haeundae beach we decided to take a stroll. Since I was wearing my heeled covered shoes I didn't fancy getting sand in them and hence walked only on the pavement. KH was with me while HM did step on the sand. And no it was Autumn so I did not get to ogle at hot half-naked men. Beautiful scenery with nice artistic sculptures as well.






It was only about 10am when we were done chilling at the beach and considering there was still time, we decided to pay the Busan Aquarium a visit.



Entrance fee is 24,000KRW and the 3D ride which we decided to give a miss came at an additional cost.

Entering the place, I was rather obsessed with collecting all the stamps in the book (and yes I did amidst the kids). First up was the otter feeding (by a cute guy)



And then it was off to multiple mad phototaking (especially on KH's side)







Touching the shark's egg:



Before we decided to catch the show. Take my advice: DON'T WATCH IT. It was held in front of the large fish tank and there is basically just this one diver there who speaks a bit. The girl in front cracks random jokes (all in Korean btw) and does like one magic trick. It was seriously a waste of time.

The final activity we caught was the shark feeding time and I will admit it is a tad bit more interesting though I think we were more fascinated over the two huge ugly garoupa; Disdainful and Bored




And then...it was lunch time!

We walked down the Busan market and it was basically filled with seafood restaurants with the eels being the main attraction so it seems with the people slaughtering them in public view along the street. Most of the stalls had their seafood in tanks; ie you pick the seafood fresh and cook them. But we were worried about such styles because the pricing becomes uncertain and not fixed. On top of that, we didn't speak Korean so it was going to be difficult. Walking up and down the street like thrice, we finally found a restaurant which had a menu and settled for it, ordering a pot of seafood soup:




IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING. I think I can safely say it was the most delicious meal we had in Korea so far.The soup had a peppery taste to it and contained a strong seafood and sweet (I assume the beansprouts attributed to it) taste as well. We were extremely addicted to the soup and couldn't stop drinking it. Another tourist couple from the other table actually asked us if it was good and we unanimously said yes so...

The array of seafood included scallops, muscles, chopped octopus and crab. We are small eaters so this medium sized pot was the perfect size for us. Total damage: 30,000KRW for 3pax

After the fulfilling lunch, we headed back to the hotel for the check-in, a much needed shower and nap, waking up only at about 5pm for some dinner and beach.

Destination: Gwangalli beach.

To get there: take the subway and drop at Gwangan Station and it will be a 10minute downhill walk to the beach.

Some of the streets had a stench so it was a bit of a turn-off.

Upon arrival, we took the opportunity to snap pictures before the sun set.





In my opinion, it was just like any hot tourist beach spots ie Phuket. The entire road along the beach was lined with bars and restaurants; western style.

We were there mainly for the daily light shows which goes on at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm. Being early, we hunted for a dinner place and was rather disappointed with the lack of choices of Korean restaurants until we walked further down and came to a small stretch of about 5-6 Korean restaurants. Most of used pictures of celebrity visitors as a mode of attracting customers; pasting their photos on the front of the shop. Hence, we decided which place to drop in by picking the restaurant which had the best looking celebrity visitor and Takuya Kimura won hands down (sorry Korean men you don't hold a candle to my gorgeousness)

Anyway, the people there don't speak Chinese/English but they do have a translated menu which means you can order via the method of pointing.

I got beef bibimbap =) (Yes I removed the vegetables and dumped them into HM's bowl before stirring)



Done with our yummy dinner, it was a short stroll and slack at the beach as we were still feeling rather drained. We spent our time staring at people playing with the very dangerous looking fireworks which some kids seem to enjoy igniting near human beings.



We were also entertained by some old singers before the show started; they were singing trot songs and were even giving out CDs.



Finally 8pm arrived and the light show was turned on and I must say...it was a total disappointment. I had expected some music, laser and perhaps fireworks or two but all there was were these flower designs being displayed on the bridge. Pretty but ...pathetic, I had expected a lot more.





Saddened by the small show, we decided to head for dessert and I made a special request for us to visit the dessert shop near our hotel with that tantalizing poster of ice cream macarons.



I also realised upon reaching the place My Lovely Girl was shot here or something? Because the poster was outside haha...me and Myungie too fated =P

Anyway...the desserts are a tad bit pricey and a lot of the items were not available (not sure if it's because it's late or the place is new) but the ice cream macarons were available to me and HM bought two different flavours to share =)



You basically pour the shavings on the macaron to make them look like this:



It was yummy not to say the least...duh...and the place also has a toilet and water is at the self-service counter.

We left at about 10pm that night and made our way back to our room for a short planning session for tomorrow's activities before retreating for the night; the first night spent on a proper bed after 2 nights of sleep on transport.