Sunset in Busan and landing on Jeju island

At Gimhae airport in Busan, I was early for my 19:00 flight so when I tried to check in, the check in clerk offered to put me on an earlier flight, which was mot welcome. I haven't taken a domestic flight since RDU-JFK in 2011 so was pleasantly surprised with the rapid check in a thorough security check I did not have time to explore the airport and boarded a huge Korean air plane which was very empty.

Outside, the ground staff was bidding farewell in unison as a sign of job well done and wishing us a good trip. It was the wave that really nailed it and made me appreciate their work and this symbol of team work.

The sunset was blindingly beautiful and I got to see a view of the end of the peninsula and the area of Busan in the sunset, with all the deltas and small islands nearby.

 After a short 1h flight, Jeju island appeared with a neat profile against the pink skies. I had my first look at my challenge: Hallasan, peaking at 1950m as the highest summit in South Korea.

It didn't look too impressive from the plane, but I was getting anxious about the logistics. For the time being, I was glad to be in less populous area (I thought so naively), and excited to explore the island. From the airport north of the island, I got the bus that got to Seogwipo, south of the island. The bus drove around from the west, dropping passengers at various resort, among which the Jungmun resort that had the Shilla hotel, the Hyatt, Lotte hotel, also the World Cup stadium, convention centre and finally Seogwipo by night fall. I looked for the hotel with the GPS as it was already dark and I was completely disoriented.

Eventually I passed by a chicken place and a convenient store and found the hotel in a quiet street. The reception was very efficient and didn't even ask me for ID but gave me my keys at the mention of my name. No welcome or sign of hospitality given. The room 205 was spacious and in serious need of A/C. There was an internet wifi router and a rather large bathroom with a separate shower. However there were only 4 hand towels. I was in no mood to speak to reception and argue, so took my shower and dried myself with the heat. Handwashed trekking pants and necessities dried out fast as well with the A/C. I needed a good rest before the next day and enjoyed a bit of local TV as well while studying a map of the island.

Charging up on sunlight on Haeundae beach

Going to Haeundae beach on Monday morning was probably not what regular locals would do. The area was still deserted when I alighted from the taxi at 11:00. I had to walk in the blazing sun on the beach to allow my solar charger to charge my phone. No parasol in sight, and hardly anyone bathing in the sea, the beach was quiet and pleasant to wander on. Along the paved path along the sand, there were a small park, a parking lot with street food vendor trucks, shower facilities, the tourism office to get maps and info on Haeundae, and sparsely located faucets to wash the sand off your feet.

The skyline was a bit unusual for me as I have never been to popular resorts with so many high rise skyscrapers so close to the sea. past the Chosun hotel, the path continued on the small peninsula on a wooden circuit along the sea, among pine tree forest, with wooden hanging bridge and great views.

The walk was refreshing and the APEC house at the end of the peninsula provided a good view of Gwangham bridge.

There was also a large garden next to the APEC house, and very tall golden skyscrapers were looming from above, giving some shades on the path.
The afternoon was advancing quickly and I had to grab some food, and so I discovered the wet market with all the sea creatures being sold.

There were also plenty of restaurants but given that I could not understand most of the writing, and wasn't feeling particularly adventurous, I didn't want to order something that would come in huge quantities. So instead I got into a place that served individual dishes and had an egg roe bimbimbap.

The other restaurants were also very tempting and good opportunities for food adventures, but I still needed some recommendation to get my money worth, and my stomach was a bit overturned from the weird creatures so I had to wait for someone who knew the specialties to further dive into the local gastronomy.

The afternoon went by quickly and it was already time to leave. A quick hibiscus iced tea at the local Starbucks while waiting for my cab gave me the chance to check out the Monday crowd. The South Koreans love coffee and there are many many coffee shops all around. My cab drive was rather quick and I got to Gimhae airport shortly before sunset.

Going down to Haedong Yonggung-sa on Monday morning

Waking up Monday morning at 7:00am with an alarm clock was clearly not welcomed while on vacation. But it was a trade off I had to live through in order to see all I had planned for the day. I managed to check ou early aroun 9:00am and booked a taxi for late afternoon for the airport. Then I headed to Haeundae station by metro. It was a long journey across town and I found seats after my train transfer. However it seems that an old man sitting next to me was offended that I was sitting on the priority seats (pregnant women, elderly or disabled seats) even if no elederly or disabled passengers were nearby. He started talking to me even though I didn't understand a word, but just made out the heavy Busan accent.
Eventually I was fed up listening to him and moved seat, and that was how I finally understood that he wanted me to get away from the priority seats from the beginning!

Anyway, I got to Haeundae before 10:00am and walked toward the sea, past bars and clubs that were barely opening after a Sunday night excess. The area seemed a bit touristy, with lots of hotel chains (Novotel, Hilton) nearby, and displayed menus in English. On the waterfront, they were finishing to setup the stage and venues for the 16th Pusan International Film Festival for the following week

 I didn't want to worry about finding a bus so caught a cab for 8000KRW and had a fun chat in English/Korean with the phrasebook with the driver until he dropped me off at Haedong Yonggung-sa. To my delight access to the temple was through an alley guarded by 12 elements of the zodiac and a downhill path and stairs bordered by 108 stone lanterns (yes, I could read the kanji). The temple appeared across the stone bridge and was surrounded by rocks by the sea.

There was even a photo-zone across from the temple, to enjoy the clear view of the sea and the temple.

Before crossing the bridge, I spent some time chatting with a Japanese couple next to a giant golden statue. The 3 f us took turns taking pictures while the area was empty.

The morning prayers had finished and a litany punctuated by the clapping of the wood echoed on microphones across the temple's courtyard. I overheard another Japanese couple talking about stamps so I headed inside as well to get my stamp and a brochure with a music sheet. Then I feasted my eyes again on the buildings' decorations, the statue of the sea dragon and the little monk figurines depicting everyday lives in the temple.

There was another hill where a statue of Goddess of Mercy stood tall overlooking the temple complex. THe view was even more peaceful with all the pine trees and the blue sea.

I also spent some time in the small gift shop, getting myself a small trinkets with my zodiac sign (snake) and trying my luck at fliping a coin into a stone turtle from the stone bridge. Alas I only managed to hit the statue.

And with that it was time to climb up the hill to return to Haeundae beach and explore its earthly pleasures. More people were starting to trickle down the path to the temple and I was glad to have come early in the morning, even if I could not catch the sunrise on the Eastern sea.

Although this was the 3rd temple in 3 days, I really enjoyed the breeze from the sea as well as the geenral layout of the temple. it was not as large as the others I visited before and had a bit of humour with all the little figurines and fountains. The natural setup was full of details you could spend hours or days gazing at, while the buildings were beautiful and not too many to get lost into.

I hailed a parked cab after passing by all the street vendors doing business with tourism, and got back to Haeundae beach by 11:00am.

My Sunday evening in Busan

I arrived in Busan mid afternoon and the air was less humid than expected. It was even less hot than Seoul, probably thanks to the seafront.

After being picked up by a Jehovah's witness, who apparently was interested in the town of "Tichirrri" in Switzerland, I walked down to the metro to go toward the hotel of the day, the Ibis Ambassador hotel outside Bujeon station (direct on line 1). Inside the metro, an old man kindly gestured to help me get the metro ticket (no T-Money used), and another one kindly tugged at me when I lost the metro ticket on my way to the platform.

When arriving in Bujeon station, I was not sure which exit I should take. I stumbled on a wet market outside the station, selling all sorts of vegetables, fishes and meat. It seems it is a huge market and I only saw the bits of it. The hotel was just across the street, next to the Starbucks. I was hoping to catch the night city bus tour, despite the rather disappointing experience I had in Seoul. Unfortunately the night city bus departing from Busan station at 19:30 was already fully booked as of 18:30, as I found out by calling to book a seat. And because it was too late to go explore the Jagalchi fish market, the largest fish market in South Korea. So instead I returned to Bujeon and explored the underground markets, checking out outdoor jackets for Mom and even getting a pair of sunglasses. It was a good shopping trip as I also admired the various Hanbok designs and colors. I could have feasted on the market foods, but I preferred to try out the local food from the hotel's buffet menu at the Taste restaurant, since I had to depart early the next day.

Unfortunately the names of the dishes were no longer in memory at the time of writing, but there was spicy chicken that burned my taste buds, rice cakes in yummy sweet and spicy white sauce, as well as sweet and chilli beef.

With a satisfying shopping and dinner to top of a rather busy day, I finally rested to prepare for the next day across Busan.