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!

Korea Diary | Han River At Night (Day 22, Part 2)

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - entrance

The day didn't end at just pedaling bikes and boats. We finished the rest of Day 22 at a much slower pace, by eating and then watching the water show at Banpo Bridge.

Shinsegae Gangnam was a huge high-end department store that was directly en route to the bridge. We had originally stopped by to walk around and kill time until the night time water show. But seeing the Food Court sign had us roam a new area of the store.

Korean department stores are very unique in the sense that they have a very wide variety of food vendors. Typically the entire lower level of the department stores consist of food related goods. A portion will have proper restaurant stalls as would any food court. Another portion is for the grab and go foods and snacks (bakery, doughnuts, cakes, ice creams, etc.). Some department stores might even have another portion that is a supermarket.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - Food court ramen

We thoroughly walked through the entire food floor during our time at Shinsegae. Our dinner was bought from the restaurants section. It seems we chose to dine Japanese that night.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - Food court Azabu Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - Food court Azabu fish bread
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - Food court Azabu sweet potato fish bread inside

Whenever I talked about poop bread in the previous posts, I also mentioned something called taiyaki. That is of course the Japanese name for it, in Korean it is boongeobbang 붕어빵 or fish bread. Both are typically a pancake-type bread filled with sweetened red bean. It was my first time seeing fish bread filled with sweet potato so I had to buy one to try from the Azabu stall.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Shinsegae Gangnam - Food court cute animal cakes

None of us bought a cake but I really wish we could have. How cute are these animal shaped cakes?

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Banpo Han River Park 반포 한강공원 - sidewalk direction sign Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Banpo Han River Park 반포 한강공원 - direction sign

The route from Shinsegae to Banpo Bridge was not a short one. We got a little too excited with all the goodies at the food court and ended up having to stay later than expected at the bridge. Luckily we only had to wait a little bit before the last water show of the night started.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Banpo Han River Park 반포 한강공원 - Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain 반포대교 달빛무지개분수

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Banpo Han River Park 반포 한강공원 - Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain 반포대교 달빛무지개분수

Most of the photos I took in Korea taken with my iPhone. Even though I had brought along my DSLR, I didn't end up using it as much as I thought. On the rare occasion that I chose to bring it out with me, it wasn't an easy photo-op. I learned that it was very difficult to take photos in the dark. I think the moving water jets made it that much harder for my camera to pick a focal point too. Of all the photos I snapped, only a few were meagerly savable on post-editing. Let's just say my pictures don't do the rainbow bridge justice. But if you Google something along the lines of Banpo rainbow bridge, you could see better versions of how pretty the rainbow fountain was like.

Korea Diary | Pedal Along Han River (Day 22, Part 1)

Athleticism is one trait that I am very much not. Ever since my dad taught me how to do ride on two wheels on the sidewalks by my grandma's house, leisure biking was something I enjoyed as a kid. Once I outgrew my kiddie pink & purple Barbie bike sans the training wheels and dad got too busy to take us to the park, my biking days ended as well.

It wasn't until after Senior Prom in High School when my friends and I decided to go bike in Central Park that it sparked the interest again. I thought I had forgotten how to ride a bicycle given the length of time I had spent off one. However, the saying it's like riding a bike is fairly true once you get over the fear of falling. After I got my feet on the pedals and started the motion of going forward, there was no stop.

Okay maybe there was a stop...many stops. Uphills are still a killer. My legs just can't handle the power needed to trudge up inclines.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - guy biking cosmos flowers

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - family biking

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - biking path along Han River

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - bike rental station

When someone mentioned that we could rent bicycles near the Han River or Hangang 한강, I was sold. It may have been a hot and humid summer in Seoul but gliding along near water always leads for a very breezy ride. With all the food we consumed and lack of working out (when discounting walking), an extra dose of exercise was very much welcomed.

We took the train from Sinchon Station to Yeouinaru Station 여의나루역 via multiple subway transfers and left at Exit 1 Yeouido Park. A short walk led us to the bike rental station nearby. There were small children bikes, typical cruiser bikes, single bikes, and even tandem bikes.

I don't have a record for the exact price we paid but I remember it being considerably cheaper than bike rentals in NYC. A site I found on Google seems to confirm my memory as it appears the current prices stand at ₩3,000/hour for a single seat cruiser and ₩6,000/hour for a tandem bicycle. (In NYC prices can be double to triple those prices per hour!) All bikes came with baskets for bags and knick-knacks.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - tandem biking

Bestie C, our new UK friend, and I were all too excited for the next couple of hours. Maybe our new friend wasn't 100% happy to be biking since she actually didn't know how to. Hence why we had gotten a tandem bicycle in conjunction with a single seat cruiser.

Apparently there are general rules to consider when tandeming. One major one was the person in the front should probably be tall enough or heavy enough to balance whoever is in the back. Bestie C had wanted to try leading the 2-seater but the staff at the bike rental promptly told her NO!

It was my first time riding a tandem bike and boy was I nervous. I was not only responsible for myself not falling and crashing but also for the safety of a friend that I had just met a couple weeks prior, who might I add was very nervous about being on a bike.

Other than it being more difficult to start off on the tandem bike, after the wheels start moving it felt very much like riding a single. Of course being on mostly flat and nicely paved land helped out a lot. I am not sure I can say the same if there are more uphills along the Han River. There were a lot of professional looking (i.e. in full sweat resistent gear and thin wheeled bicycles) bikers along the Han River, but don't let that scare anyone. For the most part they were nice and, of course, had the ability to go around leisure bikers like us.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - camping Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - picnicking

One thing that that stood out to me during our biking session in Yeuido Park were the tents. Usually when I think of going to the park, at least in the U.S., people are usually found just laying directly on the grass or on easily packable cloths to soak up some sun. The idea of having to bring a tent and pitch it up seemed like such a hassle. But since Asians are really protective of their skin from the sunlight, I guess the tents shouldn't have been that surprising.

There were many families, couples, and friend groups of all ages in every corner of the park. Many probably brought their own food and drinks. But the interesting thing about Korea was for those that make impromptu outings to parks and inevitably get hungry but don't want to leave the park itself, food can be ordered and delivered to you. We didn't get the chance to try that out but it is something to consider for anyone who has the Korean skills to put to use.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - Lotteria Ice Flakes Patbingsoo Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - Lotteria Ice Flakes Patbingsoo mixed

The lunch/snack choice was of course: patbingsoo! I must not have been very hungry or I was super thirsty. While this shaved ice was mediocre and very traditional in the sense that it is most similar to the homemade rustic style, it hit the spot that I needed it to.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - swan pedal boat area
Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - swan pedal boats Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - swan pedal boat selfie

Biking along the river was something I was very excited to do. Pedaling a duck/swan boat in the Han River was what I hesitant of. The reason being: I can't swim. It was reassuring to be required to wear a life vest but I was still very nervous.

A 40min session in a pedaling boat was ₩15,000. I don't recall the late penalties but just be sure to slowly fiddle your way back to the starting point after 30min has passed just to be on the safe side. While the motion of pedaling is very easy, trying to steer the boat was a whole 'nother story. There were many times where we bumped into other boats during our short trip out in the river.

Seoul, Korea - Summer Study Abroad 2014 - Yeouido Park - Han River - tired out from swan pedal boat

The duck/swan boat rental place offered both the pedaling and motorized options. Being the adventurous souls we were, the three of us decided to go with the oh so romantic former choice. Judging by the looks of it an afternoon full of pedaling two different types of moving contraptions left my friends pooped.
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