Korea Diary | Wandering BIFF (Day 27, Part 2)

Our bellies weren't very filled from the seafood lunch we ate, so we were off to find some street eats. The Jalgachi market was opposite a main shopping area in Busan called BIFF or PIFF Square. BIFF  or Busan International Film Festival is an annual event that is held in Busan. I don't think the festival itself takes place at the square since it is very akin to Myeongdong in Seoul: shopping and street eats.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan waffle and bread street vendor
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan apple jam waffle

The waffles with ice cream I had in Sinchon were great, but the apple jam waffle we got in Busan was unbeatable. Melting ice cream will easily compromise the crunchy exterior of waffles. Apple jam with a light spreading of whipped cream will not. For those who want something sweet, filling, and heartwarming, this would be the type of waffle for you! I would imagine this to be excellent on a cold wintery day. The best part was this snack was only ₩1,500.

We also bought some of the peanut shaped breads and egg shaped breads. But my recommendation is 100% for the waffle.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan BIFF Sunflower Seed Hoddeok

Another beauty of Busan street snacks: sunflower seed hoddeok or ssiat hoddeok 씨앗 호떡. Hoddeok is a very common filled & fried pancake street snack found in Korea. In Seoul, we mostly saw ones filled with the traditional sugar, cinnamon, and nuts combo. Certain specialty shops and vendors may have a japchae filled version. The sunflower seed type was more typical in Busan.

I really liked the traditional version because of the gooey melted sugar filling. However, if not careful it was super easy to burn the tongue from the sugar syrup interiors. The sunflower seed hoddeok would save you that pain. The filling mixture was sweet but there wasn't nearly as much molten sugar. Crunchy sweet seeds and fluffy fried dough were an expectingly good combination. Another must try if spotted! If you have a lot of spare change might as well get a few, it was ₩1,000 a piece.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Stationary shop visitors art

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan art

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan pet shop sleepy puppy

With the rain continuing to pour, we spent most of the afternoon dodging it in various clothing and stationary shops. So many cute things were spotted along the way!

Korea Diary | Weekend Getaway in Busan (Day 27, Part 1)

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Korail Ticket to Busan Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Seoul Station Korail Seoul to Busan

It would have been a wasted opportunity if we spent 50 days in Korea but never explored outside of Seoul on our own. On an impromptu weekend, Bestie C, our UK friend, and I took a trip to the South of Korea to visit the city of Busan.

We had only decided to go that particular weekend during the week of. There was a last minute scurry to purchase Korail KTX tickets online and secure a place to stay. The round trip price from Seoul Station to Busan Station was ₩57,700. I would recommend pre-ordering the tickets to save the stress of trying to figure it out at the train station. The KTX online site was available in English and was a smooth process overall. The train ride wasn't bad either, it only took a little over 2 hours to get from Seoul to Busan.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan studio via AirBnB
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan studio kitchen via AirBnB Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan studio kitchen cabinets via AirBnB
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan studio refrigerator via AirBnB Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan studio bathroom cabinets via AirBnB

Since we were going into an unfamiliar territory, my criteria while searching for accommodations were:

  • proximity to public transport station
  • affordability
  • location in comparison to major destinations of interest.

Even though we were traveling as a trio, we weren't too particular on the size. Luckily I was able to come across a rather nice and new looking studio on AirBnB. It was pretty affordable since it was newly listed. I wouldn't typically pick a place that didn't have any reviews but decided to take the chance anyways. The sweet points of our new home for the weekend:

  • only a few minutes walk from the Busan KTX train station
  • subway station was right around the corner from the apartment building

Both those reason allowed us to save on taxi and transport money to get there. We also avoided any potential dialect/language barriers upon immediate arrival in Busan.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market

Once we settled in, our #1 stop was to the Jagalchi Market 자갈치시장. If one were to Google top places to visit in Busan, this market is usually a top suggestion. The area has many shops selling seafood and other groceries to locals and tourists. If you visit the multi-story building labeled Jagalchi Market, you could browse & purchase from the many vendors on the first floor, then have your seafood prepared for you on the second floor.

This market was a really neat place to explore. There were so many different types of fish and sea critters that I don't normally get to see, even with all the Chinatowns in NYC. But unless you really want the experience OR have a fluent Korean friend along with you, I would recommend to save your ₩₩₩ to eat other foods at Busan.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market purchase
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan Jagalchi Fish Market prepared seafood

Our small loot of 1 fish, 3 scallops, 3 abalones, 3 clams, and 3 frozen shrimp came up to ₩50,000. The cooking and preparation fee was an additional ₩25,000. It was refreshing to eat (mostly) fresh seafood, don't get me wrong. I also got to try raw fish which I don't typically eat. However, we could have had many many more meals for that ₩75,000. To my memory, prices of the seafood weren't really written anywhere and you either have to trust the sellers or try your best to haggle no matter the price.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Busan

Shortly after reaching the indoor fish market, heavy rainfall swept through Busan. It was pretty unrelentless for most of the day. But we continued to venture outdoors anyways to make the most of our short stay.

Korea Diary | Halfway Mark (Days 23-26)

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Yonsei University West Gate

It's been an interesting few weeks trying to remember one of the most exciting memories I have. We are finally at the halfway mark and it will only get more exciting! But first bear with this post of mostly food pics from the week of Days 23-26.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 banchan
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 Fried dumplings gunmandoo 군만두 Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 - Boiled dumplings Mool mandoo 물만두
Fried dumplings - Gun mandoo 군만두
Boiled dumplings - Mool mandoo 물만두
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 Steamed dumplings jjinmandoo 찐만두 Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 - Wang mandoo 왕만두
Steamed dumplings - Jjin mandoo 찐만두
Bao - Wang mandoo 왕만두
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Five Spice Mandoo 五香만두 - Tangsooyook 탕수육
Sweet & sour pork - Tangsooyook 탕수육

The SK Global dorms were located near the East Gate of Yonsei University. The West Gate area was completely foreign to most of my friends and I. For some reason we just never really thought to explore the other side of campus. It was only after the fact that I learned the neighborhood was called Yeonhui-dong 연희동 and that it was almost like a mini-Chinatown in Seoul.

Thankfully there was one friend who interned in a laboratory on that side of Yonsei and knew of a very good Chinese restaurant, 五香만두. I am not sure what the Korean characters for the Hanja (Chinese characters) are but an English translation of the restaurant name would be Five Spices Dumplings.

Up until that day we had a lot of Chinese delivery food but nothing that was hot and fresh. Having fried dumplings and tangsooyook minutes after frying was such a treat. Everything tasted so much better. It turned out that the people running the restaurant were Chinese! I think some of my friends even spoke to them in Mandarin for a bit.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeonhuidong 연희동- Miga Boonsik 미가 분식 - Don+Bul 돈+불
Don+Bul 돈+불

Once we discovered the area by West Gate, there was no stopping us. Bestie C and I stopped by for lunch at a restaurant called Miga Boonsik 味(미)加(가) 분식. It seemed like a very no frills, quick but still yummy eatery that catered to the college students and university staff nearby. I ordered one of the combo meals which included donkatsu 돈가스 and bulgogi 불고기.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yonsei University - Student Union Building - Bulgogi 불고기
Bulgogi 불고기 from the Student Union Building @ Yonsei University
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - SK Global House - Obong Doshirak Donkatsu Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - SK Global House - Obong Doshirak combo set
Obong @ SK Global House
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - SK Global House - Burger N Shake fries
Burger N Shake @ SK Global House
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Baskin Robbins

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Starbucks

The internet has a ton of articles on how Starbucks in Asia always has special exclusive flavors: red bean, sakura, etc. I am usually all up for ice cold drinks but Frnappuccinos are almost always too sugary for me. I opted to try a cake at Starbucks instead because the sweets selection in Korea was completely different from what was available in the U.S. It was more cakes and sweets heavy than savory, which was right up my alley.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yonsei Milk

Not to be weird or anything but I spotted a familiar logo in the trash while waiting for my Starbucks order. I knew Yonsei had a milk company only through the direction signs I've seen on campus but this was my first time seeing it IRL. How cool is that!
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