Busan - Part 2

Our other sights of note were:

Haeundae Beach - Meh. If you are not in the mood to sit around on the beach all day then a beach is just a beach. However it was nice to pop the old feet into The Western Channel/Sea of Japan/Korean Straight or whatever waters it happened to be. Either way, it was waters that these trusty old soles hadn’t touched before.

Busan aquarium - A pretty astonishing aquarium, it lures you into a sense of disappointment as you realise you are coming to the end and then throws you down a tunnel where you are surrounded by sharks, sting rays and other exotic fishes that are best kept behind glass. And yes… I did find Nemo. 

Nampo-dong markets - If you want anything without the bright lights or stalking shop assistant, this is the place to come. Just don’t be surprised to find that your Louis Vuitton bag has a suspicious background. 

Busan - Part 1

So we have just got back from our little holiday in Busan. Busan is the second largest city in Korea and often touted as the Barcelona of Korea.

Our living quarters were nice however it did appear that it was the type of place that you could rent out by the hour. Late night trips in the elevator were entertaining, a little frightful and educational. 

Our first stop was Jagalichi fish market which was both a treat for the eyes and a horror show for the nose. Lots of fish you would like to eat and lots you would run a mile from in live, dead and dried forms. 

More updates tomorrow…

Little day trip to a mountain stream.

Daegu Part 3 - The fish market.

Daegu - Part 2

Another day, another temple. (Well the others were palaces but they look the same)

This one, Donghwasa?? was actually much prettier than the palaces in Seoul and surrounded by beautiful mountains. I guess it’s a good idea to put a Buddhist temple in a peaceful place. On our arrival an old man ran up to us clasping pamphlets in English, looking very proud that he got to use them.

That is one thing which still strikes me as odd about Korea. Everyone is Korean. When seeing someone of another race I actually find myself joining in with the Koreans and stopping and staring. It really is a rare sight. 

So the temple was good, plenty more for us to visit too. 

More updates soon. 

Daegu - Part 1

Okay, its been a while since I have posted an update, and a long time since there has been any text, so this will have to be in two parts.

First of all here are five facts that I have learnt about Korea.

1. They have a large insect which cries all day and all night.

2. They love their baseball.

3. They believe in ‘fan death’ (which no one else in the world does.)

4. Everyone swims in the sea fully clothed.

5. Fried chicken is extremely popular.

Our time in Daegu has been great and really relaxing. After visiting a few sights we went to a baseball game. The ‘Daegu Samsung Lions v Seoul LG Twins’. They have their own version of the vuvuzela. On entering you are given two blow-up sticks which you bash together to make a clapping sound. I guess it stops your hands from hurting. The atmosphere was great and the sport is nowhere near as boring as I thought it would be, even though it went on for 4 hours. I was also left confused as to the quality of baseball players. Is it usual for people to hit more foul balls than actual hits??? It seems odd to have a game focused on hitting a ball when very few people can actually hit it.

More updates soon…

Day Three Photos

Same city, another Palace.

Day Two in Seoul

A Palace and the City.

First Day in Seoul. 

After a torturous journey from Norwich to Seoul we finally made it to our hostel and found some morsels to eat. When I say torturous I only refer to the boring length of time and the fact I managed to burn myself with coffee with 3 hours of flying left to go.

Our initial impressions were confused. “This feels like it could be in Europe.” were our first thoughts, even riding on the underground we were amazed how ‘normal’ everything felt. (Aside from having our photo taken and being laughed/stared at within 30 seconds of getting on there.) However, upon departing the subway station and landing in downtown Seoul the differences became apparent quite quickly. Landmarks are harder to spot when you cant read anything. There are no road names, and a cute alley of shops and restaurants can very quickly turn into the entrance for an office buildings car park. Not being able to communicate is also proving to be a bit of a problem, with my current method of paying for things being just an action of holding out a palm full of money and hoping they only take what they need.