Double Decker Bus..an

Second day in amazing in Busan and we are almost fully rested. We decided that the most efficient way to see all the sights was to take the hop-on, hop-off double decker bus.

Hop-on hop-off double decker sightseeing bus in Busan, South Korea
City views from the top deck of the Busan tour bus

Our fist stop, was the UN Memorial Cemetery where all the soldiers from countries like Canada, Australia, U.S.A, India, etc.. that died during the Korean War are buried. The grounds are beautiful and we even got to see the raise the flag ceremony by UN guards. But the cold weather we may have overly prepped for in Korea hit full force at this memorial but then luckily warmed up a bit throughout the day.

UN Memorial Cemetery for Korean War soldiers in Busan
Flags of the UN member nations at the Busan war cemetery
Graves at the UN Memorial Cemetery, Busan, South Korea

This cool guard let me take a picture with him, love the helmets!

Honor guard at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan

Our second stop was the Dongbaekseom Island, where there is a really nice trail to relax and enjoy the views. The circular building on the second picture is where the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meetings are held. A highlight on this walk was doing the where is noodle dance and a group of Korean teenagers joining us in the dance and giggling a lot.

Coastal trail on Dongbaekseom Island in Busan, South Korea
The circular APEC House on Dongbaekseom Island, Busan

We walk around Haeundae Beach which is the most famous and crowded beach in Busan, we found an amazing dumpling place and order kimchi dumplings.

Haeundae Beach, the most famous beach in Busan, South Korea
Kimchi dumplings at a restaurant near Haeundae Beach, Busan

We noticed that every restaurant uses the same pictures for their food, but what they give you looks and is totally different, its kind of exciting to not know what you are really ordering.

Next stop of the day was the beautiful temple Haedong Yonggungsa by the sea.

Haedong Yonggungsa temple on the coast near Busan, South Korea
Seaside temple buildings at Haedong Yonggungsa, Busan

It was suuuuper crowded so not really enjoyable…. welcome to Asia! And that weird fish jelly thing on a stick seems to follow us wherever we go and make Eitan won’t to gag because yes they even had it at a stand at the temple!

Fish cake on a stick sold at a stall by the temple in Busan

They had this tree where people write wishes and then tie them into a branch, we are assuming this tree then gets set on fire and their wishes become true (or not). There was a Buddha that will grant you a son instead of a daughter if you deposit some donation… nice way to piss off some feminists.

Wishes tied to a tree at Haedong Yonggungsa temple, Busan
Buddha statue at the seaside temple in Busan, South Korea

Our last stop of the day was the biggest fish market in Korea, Jagalchi Market. Here you can find every weird living thing from the ocean, from manta rays to turtles, shrimp to alien looking things. There is a building next door where you can choose your fish and they will cook it there for you sashimi style. We still wanted to live another day so we skipped the food here.

Jagalchi Market, the largest fish market in Korea, in Busan
Live seafood tanks at Jagalchi Market in Busan
Unusual sea creatures for sale at Jagalchi Market, Busan
Vendor stalls inside Jagalchi fish market, Busan, South Korea

For dinner we wanted to try Busan’s local dish, Gukbap, or rice pork soup…. It sounds better than it tasted. After adding a pound of salt and pepper, it started to get flavorful. The soup comes with the traditional korean side dishes like kimchi, peppers, garlic, etc.. This is one of the most famous Gukbap restaurants in Busan with long lines and cheap prices, but unfortunately we did find it amazing.

Dwaeji gukbap pork rice soup with side dishes in Busan

Bonus Pic: Mcdonalds has late night delivery service and sounding increasingly appetizing after the flavorless pork soup. Is this paradise or what?

McDonald's late night delivery scooter in Busan, South Korea

4 Comments Add yours

  1. danlwolf's avatar danlwolf says:

    1. I know that Love Hotels in Japan are places where Japanese married men go to spend the night with women not their wives, paying for the privilege (hmmm, isn’t there a name for this?) But I’m sure that in Korea, this is for young honeymooners on round-the-world trips. Of course.
    2. Isn’t it amazing that in a place where no one speaks English, it says “LOVE HOTEL” in English and the Deadpool theater is listed in English?!? This always confuses me.
    3. How cold is it? The double decker top is open and the weather looks beautiful.
    4. It’s a good thing I wake up before Mom because at 6:30 she, who usually turns over and goes back to sleep, says, “There are posts from the kids!” and starts getting all excited.

    Loving the photos and captions! Also, fun to try and figure out which of you is writing which!

  2. Aaron Wolf's avatar Aaron Wolf says:

    Make sure to take pictures of the baseball stadiums….
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_baseball_stadiums_in_South_Korea

    There’s one in Busan called Sajik Baseball Stadium where the Lotte Giants play.

  3. Fe Holbrook's avatar Fe Holbrook says:

    Yes, Mcdonalds deliver, same thing in the Philippines.

  4. Bethany's avatar Bethany says:

    Looks beautiful and certainly cultural!!

Leave a Reply