#haeundae beach

[definitely-a-photo-blog]

Busan, South Korea

[tilda-i-japan-korea]

[kyndaris]

Behind the Scenes with The Little Prince

On our second day in Busan, bleachpanda and I headed to Gamcheon Culture Village. It is a place known for its twisting alleys and colourful houses and painted murals. Built on a steep mountain-side slope, it's often been called Korea's 'Santorini' or the 'Machu Picchu' of Busan. But the creation of Gamcheon Culture Village was due to a project to contribuet to the social, cultural and economic regeneration of an underprivileged village through culture and arts while also preserving the village's original features and historic value.

Consequently, it was a must-see location for bleachpanda and I on our trip while we were in Busan.

Of course, getting to it was a trek and a half as bleachpanda and I took a local bus towards a stop nearby and climbing up a fairly steep hill. While there was another bus we could have changed to, the internet had told me the walk wasn't too long.

What it didn't tell me about were the changes in elevation!

At the very least, we didn't explore the labyrinthine alleys running in and out of Gamcheon and kept to the main road whilst we were there. I don't think our knees would have liked us for climbing up and down a series of stairs.

Still, given the brisk morning we endured on the first day of March, the climb up to Gamcheon served to warm us up before we entered the village proper. Bleachpanda, as always, immediately zeroed in on the first souvenir shop that caught our eye, buying up almost all of their stock of earrings and other goods supposedly for her family and friends. I tried valiantly to stop bleachpanda from spending more than her means but she would not be denied.

Wait. She's telling me that's not quite the full story and to stop spreading lies lest she murder me in my sleep.

Fine! Bleachpanda did buy a copious amounts of pins and a few other souvenirs for her friends (none for me though despite the fact I'm her best friend in the world), but it was not so much that it would break open her suitcase. I, on the other hand, picked up three pairs of socks and even nabbed a crocheted dragon keyring. It was a bit expensive but it was also very cute and adorable.

What stood out to me as bleachpanda and I explored Gamcheon, I couldn't help but notice a strange obsession with Le Petit Prince everywhere I looked. As most people know, Le Petit Prince is a story written and illustrated by a French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. According to Wikipedia (because, as we all know, it is a fount of knowledge that is, in no way, inaccurate and should always be everyone's go-to place when it comes to information), it is the second most translated work ever published.

The story itself revolves around an aircraft pilot's chance encounter with the little prince and his journey across the stars after feeling the need to expand his horizons after falling in love with the rose. After seeing so many different thing, taming a fox, and befriending the aircraft pilot, the little prince desires to return home and see the rose again. He does so by allowing a snake to bite him. When the pilot awakes the next morning, the prince's body cannot be found.

While I haven't read the book, I have attended a live stage show of it when it was hosted in the Sydney Opera House and watched a movie.

In any case, Gamcheon had plenty of murals of the Little Prince. There was even a sculpture of him staring out over Gamcheon with his fox companion that many tourists lined up to take photos with. Heck, there was even Little Prince bread filled with either custard cream or red bean paste!

Besides The Little Prince, there was also much love for the Korean boyband, BTS (short for Bangtan Sonyeondan). Though I don't have an undying love for the group, I did remember hearing that BTS went on hiatus from recording and performing to focus on solo projects, and to also complete their military service.

Having missed our chance to rent out a hanbok while in Seoul, bleachpanda and I stumbled upon a rental store in the heart of Gamcheon. While I have never revealed my face here on my blog, I think it appropriate that I do a 'back-of-the-head' reveal. More importantly, I just wanted to show off the hanbok we rented because we could only wear it for an hour and it cost bleachpanda and I 15,000 Won each.

Still, although it was only for an hour, we had plenty of time to prance around Gamcheon village and take several photos in and around the nearby streets.

Once we had explored Gamcheon to our satisfaction, we decided to head to the beach. Yes, it was a blistering cold day and we were never going to head down into the water, but I had heard good things about Haeundae Beach, and my work friend had also recommended it. So, after taking a bus down from where Gamcheon Culture Village was located, we took the 1003 bus all the way to the other side of Busan.

At Haeundae Beach, we strolled down the promenade and took in the sights of the locals and tourists gathered there. Haeundae, according to hte internet, is South Korea's most famous beach and is often filled to the brim with umbrellas during the peak August travel season.

Of course, since bleachpanda and I were there in March, there was hardly an umbrella in sight. Nor was there anyone in the water.

It was, after all, only 4 degrees Celsius.

Now, while Haeundae Beach is a popular destination for many, my work friend had also told me there were sky capsules that would allow tourists to get in an excellent view of the coastline.

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived to book a sky capsule, a vast majority of the bookings had been taken. As bleachpanda and I had an early start tomorrow, we chose to forego the capsules and head back to Busan Station to grab an early dinner (as we had skipped lunch). This turned out to be Chinese dumplings at Maga Mandu. And what big dumplings they were - especially when bleachpanda ordered the steamed prawn dumblings!

Thus ended our second day in Busan!

And what a day it was! From a morning trek up to Gamcheon, putting on a hanbok and gallivanting around with The Little Prince, to taking in the sights and sounds of Haeundae Beach. All the while on a public holiday! The 1st of March is a national day to celebrate Korea's independence from Japan.

But we also had an early start to the morning and so were quick to retire. After six days in Korea, we were returning back to the Land of the Rising Sun.

[lil-miss-lola]

Haeundae Beach, Busan

[ososperezosos]

October 14, 2023.

[geewhizze]

Rendezvous Cafe at Haeundae Beach, Busan

Tiramisu Latte, Black Sesame Cream Latte, London Fog, Hazelnut Chocolate Cake, Yuzu Earl Grey Cake

23.04.2023

[loenadiary]

📍 Songdo Beach 송도해수욕장

[lizziexmeow]

[ Beomgyu posted 🌟 IG ]

240111 - 19:44 KST - @/bamgyuuuu

> Busan

[noneonfilm]

Haeundae Beach & Gwangalli Beach - 2022

On the top Haeundae Beach, one of my personal favorite photos i took.

On the bottom Gwangalli Beach, one of my most praised photos.

Both shot on Fuji Superia X-TRA 400

[photoglobo]

South Korea: Busan's APEC House

“Busan is Good” is stated at the main station. To check this statement i decided to join a day tour group with a guide to reach the bit further places too. After the participants got collect from their hotels, a drive over the Gwangandaegyo, also known as Diamont Bridge, brought us to Haeundae District. First highlight was the APEC house, where meetings of the…

[soonizm]

'There is something about the sea and the sun when they meet'

[definitely-a-photo-blog]

[tilda-i-japan-korea]

[vampedia-beverly]

[dulichokela]

Khám phá bãi biển Haeundae

Bạn đã sẵn sàng để khám phá bãi biển Haeundae vào mùa hè chưa? Hãy xem bài viết này của Okela để biết thêm nhiều thông tin hữu ích cho chuyến du lịch của bạn nhé!

[ososperezosos]

October 14, 2023.