Sunday 28 October 2012

Exploring new parts of Busan

With a metropolitan area population of around 4.4 million, Busan is definitely not a small city.  While you may think that a city this large would feel crowded, that is hardly the case in Busan.  The city is spread out around the mountains and beaches, and you never feel like you are in a mob of people.  Sometimes the subways may get busy, but nothing like bigger cities like Seoul.

Having lived in Busan for one year, we got around to most of the big attractions of the city.  On this trip, we decided to explore some new corners of the city.

Dongnae Eupseong Fortress

We spent a morning at Dongnae Eupseong Fortress, which was originally built hundreds of years ago and then destroyed during the Japanese invasions.  It has since been rebuilt and restored.  Spending some time walking along the fortress wall in perfect fall weather was very relaxing.  In Ho Chi Minh City, all we get is hot weather (hot and sunny, or hot and rainy).  We can't experience the 4 seasons here, so spending fall in Korea was really nice for us.  It was great to see the leaves changing colour on the trees.




Gamcheon Culture Village

Upon recommendation from my friend Jiseung, we also visited the neighbourhood of Gamcheon. While Gamcheon was not too far from our old neighbourhood (compared to the places we visited the most), we had never been there, and did not know that a "culture village" existed there.

Gamcheon is reached by taking line 1 of the subway to Toseong (exit 6).  We took a cab from there to the top of the hill overlooking the neighbourhood.  The view was amazing - hundreds of colourful rooftops on a hill overlooking the sea.  They don't call it "the Santorini of South Korea" for nothing!




This place was a photographer's dream come true.  I'm not a pro by any means, but anyone who is into photography should visit here!


The history behind this neighbourhood is very interesting.  During the Korean war, this place was untouched. Around 4000 followers of the Taegeukdo religion and many refugees moved here, and eventually the headquarters of this religion was moved here.  Today, many of the residents are not followers of the religion, but the temple still remains.  Many people in this neighbourhood have low incomes, and live a simple life.  The neighbourhood is very quiet, and to truly appreciate it you need to wander around the alleys.  There are arrows pointing the way around, leading you up staircases, narrow pathways, and twisting streets.  Along the way, there are some unique displays of art.  It's a place that is not very well-known as an attraction (compared to places like Haeundae Beach and Jagalchi), but it is definitely somewhere that anyone could enjoy.  I would now list it as one of my top places in Busan!

1 comment:

  1. These pics are so colourful as well as beautiful!! Saw them on your fb page, but it's nice to read the details :)

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