falling in love with busan in 17 hours

Due to the short term notice nature of my trip to Japan I had to keep flight prices in mind (since it was also Easter Weekend and on top of that prime Cherry Blossom season) so I ended up booking a trip over Korean Air with a 17 hour layover in Busan on the first leg of my trip.

 

 

Busan is South Korea’s second most populous city after Seoul and is nestled between mountains and the sea on the southern-most tip of Korea.

 

I had been to Korea before in 2012 to Seoul but never Busan and welcomed this short stopover as a good opportunity to get a glimpse of this city. After some issues with public transportation (due to late arrival at Gimhae Airport and lack of Korean language skills) I arrived at my couchsurfing host for the night. Luckily, Koreans are some of the most friendly and helpful people I have ever met, so I managed to get to my host just after midnight. He lives in a cute little apartment right next to the beach with stunning views of the beach and the towering high rises along the coast (see picture above). 

 

The next morning I set out to explore the area by the beach and head down to a street supposedly lined with cherry blossom trees. The weather wasn’t too great but I enjoyed the walk on the beach, people playing with their puppies and jogging along the shore. After a delicious pastry from a cute bakery on the way I took a stroll through the streets lined with cherry blossom trees. Magnificent!

 

 

Since my flight was at 4pm in the afternoon I decided to collect my things and make my way to another area of Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village. It was again a bit of a challenge to get there, but once again the people of Busan were so helpful and friendly (someone even paid for my bus fare as I didn’t have any change and only large bills!) so I managed to get there in the end. You have to take a tiny little bus that takes you up the winding little streets up to the “village”, which is famous for it’s colorful houses nestled close to each other on the mountain. They even call it the “Favelas” of Korea!

 

 

I was lucky that the sun came out for a bit while I was there but unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time to explore the little alleys due to my tight schedule… so I hailed a cab and headed back to the airport, where I tried some seafood noodles that proved that I have no tolerance towards spiciness…

 

 

I am really glad I had the opportunity to combine two places in one trip – and one thing is for sure: This wasn’t my last time in Busan… :)

xxx
Ines

TOKYO!

I am so excited right now! I am going to TOKYO in less than 2 weeks! I’ve been dreaming about going to Tokyo for such a long time… now I have a little holiday coming up (Tomb sweeping holiday) and I decided to jump for it. The tickets are not cheap (as you would think from China to Japan) but I saved up quite a bit so I will treat myself. After all, travel is the one thing that you spend money on that makes you richer! Right?!

xxx

Ines

Sunday Update #4

Haven’t done these in a while!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner (specifically on the 18th of this month) and I can’t wait to take off in three days to go to Shanghai! We are going in a small group of friends for five days so I am sure it will be a blast. Although I have been to Shanghai before (see this post here), it’s been a while and I only had 3 nights there because I was on a business trip and working during the day time. I am looking forward to exploring the city more, especially since people are usually either pro Beijing or pro Shanghai and rarely both! 

In case you have been living under a Rock - I'll save you the work and give you Wikipedia:

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Last year I spent CNY in Beijing and it was pretty boring to be honest, the whole city is dead because everyone has gone back to their hometown and all the foreigners use the week of holidays to go travelling. I am hoping Shanghai will be at least a bit warmer than here, Beijing is still freezing and it can’t be spring soon enough in my opinion!

Saw – THIS lovely video that only people in China or Chinese will understand.

Listened -   Nothing new actually, I should update my playlist some time!

Learned -   The more people travelling in one group, the harder to organize! Also: If you want something done right, do it yourself!

Ate – Been stuffing myself with Avocado on toast, topped with poached egg! Not just a breakfast favorite!

Read -  www.Thewanderingtrader.com – I have no clue about stocks and trading… but seeing this guy travel the world and still earning money? I want to do that too!!! :D

Drank -  Smoothies! I am smoothie addicted! Banana and peanut butter is my favorite at the moment!

Thought – About ways to become a millionaire as soon as possible… so that I can travel the world!

Wished -  I was a millionaire already.

Bought -  New filters for my pollution mask. The pollution is out of control at the moment! >.< 

Wishing you all a lovely start in the week!

x