Another 91 days has reached its conclusion and, as always, we're shocked by how fast the time has flown by. Busan was an exciting, fascinating, foreign home to us, and though we're excited to get back to the states and visit family before starting on our next adventure, we find ourselves sad to say goodbye.
Throw a pile of shaved ice on top of milk, cover it in red beans, and sprinkle a bit of green tea powder on the top. Doesn't that sound like a delicious treat? No?! Well, somehow... it is. Patbingsu (팥빙수) is one of South Korea's favorite desserts, and way more delectable than it sounds.
We've done a lot of hiking and hill-walking during our time in Busan, but until our trip out to Hoedong Lake, we hadn't actually experienced a truly Korean day of hiking. This was the last big excursion we'd be undertaking in Busan, and we couldn't have hoped for a more authentic day out.
We published over 2000 photos during our three months in Busan. That's a record for our site, and a testament to what an amazing city this is. As you'll see in our final batch of photos, Busan is strangely compelling and offers a little bit of everything, from the beautiful to the amusing, to the downright bizarre. Taking pictures here was always a blast... we're going to miss it.
Busan is a city with its sights focused firmly on the future -- which makes sense, because its past has been so fraught with hardship. But among the glitzy department stores and new constructions, there are a few memorials to bygone days. One of the most poignant is the 40 Steps, found near Yongdusan Hill.
Perhaps the fact that that some Busan's best sightseeing can be done inside of shopping centers says something profound about Korean culture. Nampo's giant seaside Lotte Department Store offers enough to entertain a tourist for hours, including a wonderful rooftop garden with views over the neighborhood, and the world's largest indoor cascading fountain.
During our walks in the hills of Busan, we frequently see groups of hikers taking a break in a pavilion, drinking soju and playing Go-Stop, a betting game which uses small plastic flower cards. Once, we hovered around and watched for a bit -- the players were too engrossed in the action to even notice our presence. The game looked fun, and later that day we bought our own deck.
The Gwangan Bridge opened in 2003, connecting the neighborhoods of Haeundae and Suyeong, and instantly became one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Also referred to as the Diamond Bridge, it's a beautiful structure, especially after dusk when brought to life by colorful lights.
As we were saying goodbye, the instructor continued to praise our skills. "You did so very good! Very talented at pouring tea, the traditional Korean way!" We sheepishly accepted her acclaim, but I knew what she was really thinking. "Get these clumsy oafs out of my sight, so that I can finally start laughing my ass off!"
We've heard people claim that Seokbulsa is not just the best Buddhist temple in Busan, but the most lovely in all South Korea. Although we're in no position to judge, Jürgen and I are in agreement that Seokbulsa is the most amazing temple we've seen during our three months here.
