South Korea - Day 4 - Gyeongju & Busan
Another catch-up post...
This morning we stopped by 7-Eleven to pick up triangular gimbap for breakfast, then caught a bus to Bulguksa Temple, on the outskirts of Gyeongju.
Bulguksa Temple is a Buddhist temple built during the Silla era in 774. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walked through the peaceful temple grounds, with gnarled pines and white magnolias in bloom (too early for the cherry blossoms). The temple consists of many courtyards and buildings on a forested hillside, with private living quarters for the monks.
From Bulguksa we caught a bus back into town and stopped for an early lunch of fried chicken at Hansot, a fast food chain.
After checking out of our hotel we walked to the bus station, picking up McDonald's ice cream cones en route, to catch a bus back to Busan.
Once in Busan we caught a local bus to Beomeosa Temple, another large Buddhist temple complex on a mountain slope, constructed by a monk in 678.
From Beomeosa we caught a bus and subway to the Jagalchi Fish Market, a huge seafood market on the port. We wandered the outdoor stalls, whose offering included live octopi, giant lobsters, sea cucumbers, and all sorts of other sea creatures.
Inside the market we checked out the first floor (live seafood in tanks) and second floor (dried seafood), before settling in at a tatami table on the third floor for an early dinner of seafood soup.
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| first floor |
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| second floor |
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| third floor |
It came to the table sizzling on a hot plate and contained mussels, shrimp, octopus, crab, and enoki mushrooms. We had a great time making our way through it, with rice and raw vegetables on the side.
We walked to K Guesthouse to check in for the night, then headed out again at nightfall to Gukje Market, Busan's largest traditional market. It was bustling on this Saturday evening, the pedestrian streets filled wall-to-wall with stalls and people.
We joined a long line to try Busan's best-known street food, hotteok, a sweet deep-fried pancake stuffed with seeds.
Warm, chewy, and greasy, it made for a satisfying last impression of Busan.
Bulguksa Temple is a Buddhist temple built during the Silla era in 774. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walked through the peaceful temple grounds, with gnarled pines and white magnolias in bloom (too early for the cherry blossoms). The temple consists of many courtyards and buildings on a forested hillside, with private living quarters for the monks.
From Bulguksa we caught a bus back into town and stopped for an early lunch of fried chicken at Hansot, a fast food chain.
After checking out of our hotel we walked to the bus station, picking up McDonald's ice cream cones en route, to catch a bus back to Busan.
Once in Busan we caught a local bus to Beomeosa Temple, another large Buddhist temple complex on a mountain slope, constructed by a monk in 678.
From Beomeosa we caught a bus and subway to the Jagalchi Fish Market, a huge seafood market on the port. We wandered the outdoor stalls, whose offering included live octopi, giant lobsters, sea cucumbers, and all sorts of other sea creatures.
Inside the market we checked out the first floor (live seafood in tanks) and second floor (dried seafood), before settling in at a tatami table on the third floor for an early dinner of seafood soup.
We walked to K Guesthouse to check in for the night, then headed out again at nightfall to Gukje Market, Busan's largest traditional market. It was bustling on this Saturday evening, the pedestrian streets filled wall-to-wall with stalls and people.
We joined a long line to try Busan's best-known street food, hotteok, a sweet deep-fried pancake stuffed with seeds.
Warm, chewy, and greasy, it made for a satisfying last impression of Busan.
look at all the fresh seafood! and fresh octopi!
ReplyDeletehehehe, now I'm craving some gimbap (+ the street food!)--it looks so good! I really hope I get to go to Korea someday! *-* That pancake looks amazing! *-*
ReplyDelete