Busan adventures!

*Busan Blog (Reporting live from Moon and Divya!)*

Day 6

Train ride to Busan

We woke up bright and early for our two hour KTX train ride to Busan, the second largest city at the southernmost point of Korea. Apart from the bustling nature of the city, it's well known for its role during the Korean war—as it was a safe place for many people seeking refuge from North Korea. 

Lunch (Traditional Korean food)

After we got off the train, we met a tour bus that took us to a Korean restaurant; where we had the opportunity to try many different traditional Korean dishes including soy-preserved crab and marinated shrimp! We also stopped at a tanghulu shop where Savannah and Moon tried grape and tangerine tanghulu. After a long train ride, it was a well-deserved meal. 

Gamcheon Culture Village 

Following a delicious lunch, we stepped outside to see a light drizzle, but we still made our way to Gamcheon Culture Village! What used to be a scanty town in the hills was turned into a cultural center filled with cafes and stores. We walked around for a bit, and then tried marshmallow-covered ice cream, which was definitely a crowd favorite!

UN Cemetery 

Continuing our busy day, we had the opportunity to visit the UN Cemetery located in Busan. After watching a video commemorating the fallen soldiers, we attended the flag-lowering ceremony. It was very moving to see all of the efforts that the world put into supporting the Korean War and remembering the endeavor of the fallen heroes.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

As we wrapped up our visit to the UN Cemetery, we continued on to a beautiful seaside temple called Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. No doubt, there were a LOT of stairs-- but the amazing views, elaborate buildings, and the giant golden Buddha made the adventure well worth it. 

Korean BBQ

Climbing all of those stairs undoubtedly made us act a bit like starving lions, so we quickly dropped our bags off at the hotel and walked over to a Korean BBQ spot. Upon sitting at the table, we ordered an assortment of raw meats that we were able to cook on the hot stone in the middle of each table. It was SUPER yum, but we wish there was more of it. Even after stuffing ourselves with Korean BBQ, the girls decided they still had room for dessert, and made a pit stop at Baskin Robbins, while the boys grabbed some McDonalds. 

Day 7

Kimbap Cooking Class 

We started our day at the crack of dawn with some homemade kimbap from a local Korean cuisine cooking class. Each student was taught and given the opportunity to create their own roll of kimbap from scratch.

 Moon’s kimbap turned out great! Divya on the other hand… should stick to just eating it.

Gukje Market 

Arriving at the Gukje market, the group split off to explore the market. Some of the boys went to Olive Young to explore the skincare collection; 

while the girls went to a local coffee shop to enjoy some much needed caffeine-- along with some pan-fried dumplings from the street market!

Lunch (Tonkatsu and/or Grilled Fish) 

Once students were finished exploring the market we headed off in separate groups to enjoy different foods. One group went off to walk through the Jagalchi market (local seafood market) where they enjoyed some grilled fish from a local restaurant while the other group enjoyed some Tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) from another local restaurant. 

Train ride back

After enjoying some lunch we headed back on the train towards Seoul station and back to our hotel. We received the rest of the day as free time, and the ladies spent their time indoors watching a movie, enjoying an assortment of snacks from the convenience store. The boys… did whatever their goals were for the night. 

See you in the next blog!

XOXOXOXOXO 

Moon and Divya :)