Arriving in Busan

Saturday 23 November 2024

The Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Located on the Eastern coast of Busan, this temple is prized for its scenic location. The temple itself was being restored so was covered in scaffolding, but that didn’t seem to both the locals who were much more impressed with the ocean views.

The mass of humanity

We then travelled a few kilometers down the coat to Busan. It is hard to capture just how developed this green city is. No photo can capture the extent of high-rise apartments. There were clusters of 50-100 towers, each 40 or more stories tall. The shorter apartment in the foreground are the old ones, so only 15 floors.

And then you turn you head slightly to see another cluster, and another, and another. There are endless ‘villages’. Busan is the “Green City’ and they have kept the skylines clear and high-rise keeps driving to a minimum.

Jagalchi Fish Market

In the late afternoon we visited the largest fish market in Korea. We stopped for a clam lunch, which we think tasted nice, but as we were running late for the bus, we can’t be sure. The scoop worms were an interesting creature. Apparently, they are a favourite of ladies who lunch to eat raw with large quantities of soju.

Gamcheon Culture Village,

This hill side shanty town was the original settler’s suburb. they built their houses on the slopes and followed the accepted rule not to block the next family’s view. They didn’t own the land but in the 1960s the government gave them the opportunity to make their ownership official and buy their lots.

The colours and higgledy-piggledy narrow laneways gave it the nickname of the Machu Picchu of Busan.