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.
Every once in awhile, we'll choose a city excursion that's a little off-the-wall, like an unknown neighborhood that doesn't ever see tourists, picked almost at random. Often, these end up being among our favorite spots: Barracas in Buenos Aires comes to mind, as does Pampahasi in Bolivia. Other times... well other times, we end up in a place like Munhyeon-dong.
Opened in 1978 at the western end of the U.N. Park in Daeyeon, the Busan Museum takes visitors on a journey through the history of the city and its region, from paleolithic times to the modern day. We visited recently and found it to be the perfect rainy-day activity.
South Korea's film industry has been absolutely killing it for the last decade or so, winning admirers across the globe for their character- and plot-driven movies which tackle every genre imaginable, from western to comedy to thrillers. Since arriving, we've been watching a lot of Korean flicks, and are almost always surprised and entertained -- traditional Hollywood fare, this isn't.
At the far northeastern end of Busan, Songjeong Beach is a more beautiful and far less popular stretch of sand than the city beaches of Haeundae or Gwangalli. Although you can get there with bus or taxi, the best way to arrive is over a gorgeous three-kilometer hike through the woods.
The largest fish market in South Korea is found in downtown Busan, next to the busy shopping area of Nampo-dong and adjacent to the Lotte Aqua Mall. That it occupies such a valuable, central location speaks to how important the fish trade has always been to the city.
Busan is definitely a city with a lot of character. Wait... no, I mean "characters". A lot of strange characters! We're impressed by the towering skyscrapers and challenged by the bizarre foods, but it's the funny animals, people and mascots of the city that we find the most entertaining. Painted dogs, monster-size lobsters, seductive wooden cows, and smiling dumplings are just some of the characters we've captured in this latest dump of photos from Busan.
On our first visit to the top of Mt. Geumjeongsan, we had ascended in a cable car and hiked from the South to East Gate. It was an all-day excursion, but we were only able to see a fraction of the gigantic mountain fortress which extends across the summit, and so vowed to return. Our second trip would start at the Northern Gate, bring us to Godangbong Peak and end with a well-deserved feast in the village of Sanseong.
We first spotted the Oryukdo Islands toward the end of our hike down the coast of Igidae Park. A string of rocky and uninhabited landmasses, these islands are the most notable feature along Busan's coastline. In order to get a better look, we took an evening ferry trip which looped around them.
Set at the foot of the Baegyangsan Mountain in central Busan, Samgwangsa is a massive temple with enough room for 10,000 worshipers. And there were approximately that many present when we visited on a balmy May evening shortly before Buddha's birthday.
