May 23, 2016

Busan: Haeundae Beach & Dongbaek Island

Day 4 of my Korea trip and my last day in Busan, I decided to explore the areas close to my hostel – Haeundae Beach and Dongbaek Island. I really wanted to squeeze a trip to Gamcheon Culture Village however that didn’t fall through because I forgot it’s friday and the KTX trains at 5pm were all sold out.

I had a simple breakfast in the hostel and walked leisurely to Haeundae beach.

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I’m not a fan of beaches but the shoreline along with the cold air feels very refreshing. A class of kindergarten kids were there when I was around. At the approval of the teachers, the whole class of them todded excitedly over to the water . How adorable! They are the tiny ones wearing yellow jackets.

 

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I had expected Haeundae Beach to be a really big stretch of beach but it turns out to be a lot smaller than I expected! The beach is shrouded by cityscape.

 

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I turned right and walked towards Dongbaek Island. Turn right after the hotel on the extreme right of the beach. 

 

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A granny was praying with some offerings to the sea. I’ve never seen that before and wonder what happened. Could this be a cultural traditional thing?

 

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The walk to Dongbaek Island is super easy and entirely paved in wood. Most of the walk is shaded by the foliage.

 

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The sea was pretty choppy that day , unfortunately, the skies was also pretty foggy.

 

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A few high school boys leapt over the railings and went into the pebble shore and started throwing pebbles into the sea haaha. I felt like I was watching a scene from a shounen anime or movie. Such youth! Seishun!

 

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Along the walk I saw 2 ahjussi fishing on a big rock. I wonder if they caught any fishes that day.

 

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It was a very leisure stroll without much to say so please enjoy the photos instead.

 

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Saw my first Korean prayer knots while walking towards the Nurimaru APEC house. The walk was full of pines and foliage.

 

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It was the height of the day by the time I reached the lighthouse and the sun started to peak out. Vibrant sunlight just brightens every photograph!

 

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The sky cleared out and from the Dongbaek Island I could see the Gwangan Bridge.

 

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The coastline was surprisingly beautiful and the sunlight just makes everything better.

 

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I went into the Nurimaru APEC House that was built for the 2005 APEC Summit.

 

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Apologies for the photo spam but the weather was so good and the view was so beautiful, I couldn’t stop snapping. I had expected Haeundae and Dongbaek Island to disappoint me but it ended up being a really wonderful day.

I went to the train station after picking up my luggage from the hostel to buy a KTX ticket to Seoul. The hostel staff helped me to check the tickets in the morning and the 5pm tickets were all sold out. Even the 3pm slots were sold out or only had standing seats available. But praise God as I arrived at the counter 2:40pm - just in time to get a 3:00pm ticket! I was expecting a standing ticket but I got a seat! The ticket cost me 59,800 Won.

 

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I was really afraid I wouldn’t be able to communicate or get around the train station but the Korean’s have everything sorted out! Signages and directions were everywhere and easy to understand.

I was basically starving by then and decided to grab a sandwich in the Busan Train station. WIth only 20 minutes to get from the counter to the train in an unfamiliar environment felt like I was running a marathon against time. Thank God I didn’t miss the train!

Everythign tasted great and the Matcha Latte was fabulous! Make sure you try it if you ever go to Korea!

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The KTX Train is as rumoured, absolutely clean and modern.

 

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The seats are spacious with an adjustable seat and a table. There is even free WIFI within the train! HALLELUYA!!

 

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Other than the usual food trolleys, there is also a beverage vending machine near the toilet. Yes, there’s a toilet inside. 2 hours and 39 minutes later, I found myself in Seoul!

I shall continue my seoul journey in another entry. Peace out! 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi,

This is very informative. Thank you!