Wake up call was set at 7am. Wanting to set aside at least 1 hour of travel time to get to Seoul Station during morning peak hour, we planned to leave our place at 8am, to catch our 9am train to Busan. However, we left our place later than planned and reached to train platform just in the nick of time, 5 minutes before departure!!! Even then, Mister and Kyaw Kyaw still rushed to convenience store on the platform to buy breakfast. Apparently, simple breakfast we had today wasn’t fulfilling enough for them haha :D Well, if you plan to have breakfast during train ride, buy before reaching the platform as the items at convenience stores there are quite over-priced. Supply and Demand I guess.
Our Simple Breakfast
Anyway, we really did enjoy our KTX ride. The seats were comfortable and the leg space was quite roomy. Charging points were available at every row and there was free WIFI on-board as well (although we could only connect during the first 30 minutes of the trip). There was a space dedicated for large luggages in every cabin while there is also overhead racks to store your smaller bags. The cabins were really clean and the journey overall was a smooth one. The trains were very punctual since they depart and arrive exactly at the times printed on our tickets. So yes, please don’t be late as trains will not wait for you.
On board KTX
In less than 3 hours, we were in Busan and were out of the station by 12 noon
Faced with a gloomy weather upon our arrival, we were quite sad. However, the sight of beautiful cherry blossoms right outside the Busan Station cheered us up.
After getting over the excitement of seeing cherry blossoms for the first time in our lives, lunch became the priority for us. There was quite a lot of eateries across the road from Busan Station and we settled upon this cozy place, serving jajangmyeon (Korean black bean sauce noodle) - a pretty common dish seen in Korean shows, especially when the characters call for delivery. My oh my, it was soooo delicious - the black bean sauce was just flavourful enough but not too much to overwhelm the taste of noodles. Noodles were boiled to the right moment, to give it a chewy texture. It is actually a chain restaurant so you can enjoy it in Seoul too!
Once our tummies were satisfied, we set out to locate our hotel for the night. There were two Toyoko Inn branches near Busan Station - one right outside the station and another one about 10 minutes walk away. As we wanted to save on accommodation and there was a subway station close by, we chose the slightly further one (84 SGD per double room per night). While facing Busan Station, turn right and just walk along the main road for 10 minutes and you will end up at Toyoko Inn. We then dropped of our backpacks around 1pm and took subway to Haeundae Station.
You can still use T-Money cards from Seoul but you cannot top-up those cards in Busan as this city uses another transit card. So, to save you from having to buy another transit card, make sure your T-Money card has enough credit before leaving Seoul.
From Exit 7, we got on a cab towards Headong Yonggungsa Temple, or more commonly known as the Cliff Temple of Busan. Alternatively, you could take bus 181 but there were 3 of us on each cab so it wasn’t that expensive to take taxi (cab fare was about 8,000 Won from Haeundae Station to temple). Plus, we saved so much on waiting time for the bus. For big groups, I think taking cab is a much better option.
It was extremely windy by the time we reached the entrance of Yonggungsa Temple around 2:30 pm. To warm our tummies, we each had one Hotteok - Korean pancake filled with sweet sauce made from brown sugar, honey, peanuts and cinnamon. 3 pieces were sold for 2,000 Won - just nice for 6 of us. I know its quite high in calories but its soooo yummy! Please try at least once when you are in Korea!
Enjoying Hotteok
As we walked further inside the temple compound, we were greeted with beautiful cherry trees and stone statues representing 12 zodiac signs of Chinese years. Built in 1376 along the north-eastern portion of Busan coast, this place offers breathtaking views of the beautiful temple nestled among the rocky landscape. Calming sounds of the waves also provides the music necessary to fully appreciate this soothing atmosphere. I will just let the photos do the talking about this stunning place. It is definitely a must-visit when you are in Busan.
Our initial plan was to visit Gamcheon Cultural Village / Taegeukdo Village (near Toseong Station, Line 1) after leaving Yonggungsa Temple around 430pm. With colourfully painted roofs and buildings, this hillside village exudes an artsy feel. Befitting of it's other names such as "Korea's Santorini" "Korea's Machu Picchu" , this cozy village with its vibrant hues provides a delightful time for the visitors. Sadly, both time and weather weren't on our side to visit this picturesque community. It was too windy and cloudy, which wouldn't allow us to fully enjoy the atmosphere. Thus, we decided to seek shelter from the wind at a shopping centre :D I scored 3 pairs of shoes while others purchased bags and shoes as well!
By 6:30 pm, we were quite hungry and so, took subway to Gwangan Station on Line 2 to have dinner before visiting Diamond Bridge. During our 10 minutes walk from the station to the bridge, we passed by Korean fried chicken restaurant and went inside. Apparently, it was too chilly for people to take a stroll so there were many delivery orders and we were the only customers in the store ^_~
Korean dinner of fried chicken with beer!
Night view of Busan
Beautiful Diamond Bridge
Both Gwangalli Beach and Diamond Bridge were stunning, however we felt quite cold and decided to enjoy the view from somewhere warm. So here we are, at Twosome Place Cafe!
Our sweet treats, to warm us up in Busan's chilly weather
OHHHH you must order their cheesecake (original or American or New York or whatever you wanna call it), its the BEST I have had in my life! All our friends agreed too, so yes, it is a must-try.
After about an hour, we left the cafe just before 9:30 pm. The thought of having to walk back 10-15 minutes to subway station in the windy situation just didn't appeal to us, especially after having tolerated it for the whole day, since reaching Busan. As we were looking for alternative ways to go back, Google Map advised us to take Bus 41 for 19 stops to Busan Station. As the traffic was pretty light, we reached Busan Station in 20 minutes! Our saviour Google Map! We stopped by at convenience store to purchase heat packs, just in case it is windy in Jinhae the next day. Having been looking forward to Jinhae cherry blossoms for a long time, we didn't want to take any risk which might spoil our trip. By the time we reached back to our hotel, it was not even 10:30 pm and yet, we were ready to call it a day.
Spacious (For Korea Standard) & clean room at Toyoko Inn
Goodnight, World!
Adios!
xoxo
Miss N
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