As their campaign promises, the city of Busan is indeed dynamic, with a free WiFi program, helpful volunteers in the stations, friendly citizens, shopping, dining (fine and otherwise), beaches, mountains, temples and a casino.
Haeundae Beach and Gwangalli Beach are just a few subway stops away from one another, but have very different atmospheres. Haeundae is a great sun and social beach, more tourists, and both upscale and seedy hotels in the neighboring areas. There is a good market for street food, or nicer, sit-down restaurants if that’s the preference of the day. The esplanade follows the shore, leading out to Dongbaek Island, where the Nurimaru APEC House sits. This was the venue for the summit a few years back. There are a number of lookout points, Korean pavilions, a lighthouse and a cool mermaid statue.
Gwangalli seems a bit younger, with lots of jetskis and floats, and the background of Gwangan Bridge. The street bordering the beach is lined with cafes and bars, and really gets hopping after dark. We were there on a Friday night, and there were a couple of street performers entertaining the crowds. There are some cool art installations that look especially interesting at night. All the way at the end is the famous Millak Raw Fish Market. There are what seem to be endless tanks sloshing around with all kinds of sea creatures: fish, big and small, sea eels in writhing masses, mollusks, blobby sea cucumbers and sea slugs, octopi, squid. It was amazing and overwhelming. We ended up gorging on the small street outside where some nice ladies helped us grill up scallops, clams, shrimp and mussels said to be picked from the sea by female divers.
Summer Saturdays at Yongdusan Park (among other spots) traditional Korean dance and music performances are held on the plaza in front of Busan Tower. We enjoyed both the performance and the people watching equally. There were some traditional games set up, and everyone was participating to the amusement of onlookers. In one game, you are supposed to throw four cushions shape like half a log (one side curved with x’s on it, one flat) into the air. When they come to rest, you want them curved side down, no x’s. After opponents take their turn, the winner gets to paddle the losers with what looked like a giant oar, as they lay face-down on a wooden beam! The other games were more mundane, throwing arrows or rings, spinning tops, etc.
Nearby is the 40 Steps Cultural Street with sculptures reflecting the lives of Korean refugees during the war. This is also a great shopping and snacking area, and not far from another huge fish market at Jalgachi. Back at Busan Station, the fountain is a welcoming city symbol, and there’s a very cool laser and light show with music in the evenings.
Wow! This city scene exhausts me. What a diversity of terrain and sites! The street food scenes are really great. It looks like you had everything except dessert. Cooking your own food looks like fun. 🙂