Haha, I think that every time I wake up, it's a different month. For those who've been wondering, I am alive! I haven't been showing my face much these days, but the weather is no longer a weapon of destruction so I'm crawling back out :)
But, man, does time fly. I went to Busan and Daegu during my summer vacation, but now it's already getting close to Chuseok! Still, I was able to see new things this Busan trip AND it was my first time visiting Daegu. So even though it's been a little longer than I'd like, I'm going to write up a post about the trip.
Firstly, there are a few ways you can get to Busan. By bus, by normal train, and by fast train (KTX). The bus and the normal train cost about the same from here in Bucheon, and the supposed time it takes is about the same, too. This time we went with the train. Firstly because my boyfriend, who I traveled with, lives in Seoul and getting to the Bucheon terminal takes him longer than it takes me to get to the Seoul terminal. Secondly because trains don't have traffic. (The KTX may be nice, but it costs twice as much so we passed on that option, too.)
During my last trip, my friend and I traveled along the coast, essentially. We hit Gwangali and Haeundae beaches, saw the Busan Tower and the markets.
But this trip we kept inland a bit more. We visited Beomeosa Temple, which is gorgeous and located next to Geumjeong Fortress, which we weren't able to see, regrettably. There are so many well-preserved (and newer) temples to see. If you happen to go here, you will likely see those doing a temple-stay, children with some group being instructed by the monks, and people giving their prayers. It's such a serene place, covered with Korean pine trees and bamboo. There is also an area of large rocks you can climb up to the northern fortress gate, or if you're like the people we passed, you can stop when you've found a nice rock and have yourself a little picnic. We stopped climbing when we realized it was getting darker and that we would like to get back down. The view is stunning, too. You can look out and see beautiful glimpses of mountains and the surrounding area.
We did venture back out to the coast afterward for the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, another gorgeous temple but quite a bit smaller. There were also tonsssss of people at this temple. The best things about this temple, in my opinion, are the round pigs, the giant golden Buddha, and the view looking at the temple from a little farther away. There is a path along the shore starting from the foot of the temple area that leads you away toward a fisheries museum. In getting here, we took the subway as far as we could and then hopped on a bus that brought us close to the temple. From there, you walk for about 10-15 minutes, and then you're golden! I wanted to mention the directions, because we happened to walk along the coastal path, up to the fisheries museum. Then we kept walking up and turned left out of the area, somehow leading us right back to the bus stop. Somehow we managed to make a circle, but I was so amazed and so thankful. I made the mistake of wearing peep-toe flats on this trip, so the walking and large rock journeys were quite hard on the tootsies.
We did go to Haeundae beach that evening, and it was clothed in its usual company of buskers, magicians, couples, friends, and families. I always love the beach until I'm covered in wet sand. Well, I always like the idea of going to the beach more than actually being at the beach. It's a beautiful area, though, and that makes up for the awful magic tricks and sand in your shoes. Complaining about sand in my shoes always reminds me of Rocket Power...
Anywho, after the beautiful Busan adventure it was time to hit Daegu! Again, you can take a bus or a train from Busan to Daegu. Againagain, we took the train! It wasn't a bad trip at all from Busan to Daegu... Although it was really hot, I liked Daegu. Daegu is my boyfriend's hometown, so we were able to navigate it easily and meet up with some of his friends. Around city hall, there is a shopping area with a wide pedestrian-only street running down the middle. I was particularly fond of this because they had organized the street into districts based on what shops sold. All the jewelry stores were grouped together, all the shoe stores, all the make-up stores... You didn't have to run to opposite ends to check prices and availability at a different store. Sooo nice!
We spent most of our time in a different area, though, where there is an abundance of art supply stores and music stores. Heaven. Not to mention the coffee shops! We also visited a really lovely university campus, as well as the Catholic church in the area. They are both beautiful areas that are great for a stroll, especially when school isn't in session.
Another famous area we went to was the Kim Kwang Seok (a wonderful musician) street behind the markets. Unfortunately the markets were closed, but the murals were really cool! We sat down on the prettiest bench and listened to one of Kim Kwang Seok's songs. Some of the murals were funny, inserting him into a classical painting, while others were portraits or lyrics.
I had a really nice trip! I think it's always good to see different parts of the country I live in. Although the Busan accent really hurt my brain if I tried to listen while people were talking. But hearing my boyfriend speak to his friends in a Daegu/Gyeongsan-do accent was one of the cutest things ever.
So that was my trip! If you have any questions, feel free to ask :)
xoxox
