Part 1: Anniversary Trip to Busan

The Wife Wrote:

If you've been reading our blog for awhile now, you'll know that this is our 2nd trip to South Korea. Why South Korea again? Cheaper flight ticket i guess..haha 

Travel Date: 20th March 2016 - 22th March 2016
City : Busan
Season: Early Spring
Hotel : Mirabell, Busan

Let's talk about Busan. Busan is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in South Korea. We could have easily spent a week exploring and relaxing in Busan, and we will no doubt return, but two days was a perfect getaway for the weekend.

We've arrived Incheon International airport at 3.05pm (local time). To get to Busan, we decided to ride the KTX express that made the five-hour trip via bus or regular train down to a little more than 2.5 hours. Honestly, it costs quite a lot, but I promise that it’s worth every Korean Won.
We've booked the KTX express ticket a week before the travel period via KORAIL website. Upon arriving at Seoul Station (Subway Line 1 or 4, Exit 1), we heading to the Information Center to exchange the voucher(e-ticket) for a real pass. Btw, the weather in Seoul was freaking cold! 

Enter to the train boarding area

 

Inside the KTX Express. Free WiFi!!

We arrived at Busan Station at 10.33pm. Find the hotel and rest! (penat, cuaca sejuk..Zzz).

What to do and see in Busan in 48 hours 

1. Gamcheon Cultural Village

Just outside of downtown Busan lies a curious village. Lego-like houses, painted in a rainbow of pastels hug the hillside and spill down in colorful chaos. The colorful scenery of houses reminds you of Santorini in Greece! We went there and spend the most time as we went around literally the whole village as there are a lot of photo zones (such as the little prince) which you can visit. Just a watchout though that you'll be extremely tired from all the walking especially going up and down the hill and you'll get lost going back as you need to take a different bus going back to the city (look for bus station). But definitely a must visit for you if you visit Busan.

Legoland.. comey je rumah2 di Gamcheon Village. Padat & BERSIH!

We bought a map at the village entrance for 2,000 won. In addition to guiding us around the town, it also served as a place to collect stamps from 9 featured locations around the village. We made our way through the labyrinth of narrow alleyways, past murals and obscure statues, exploring this charming and quirky little town. 

Gigih Makcik ni terang Map kat aku..Ckp Korea lak tu..Angguk2 Geleng2 je la..haha

Entrance

How to get there?

Ride subway and alight at Toseong Line 1 Exit 6. Upon alighting, go to the intersection and turn right at the corner. Walk straight for about 5 mins until you reach the hospital on your right. There will be a bus stop located and take bus 2 or 2-2 until you reach the village. The bus ride will take 15-20 mins and it will be very uphill ride as you'll go up until the top of the mountain.

2. Jagalchi Market

If there’s a photogenic grit or raw edge to Busan, the wharf area of Jalgachi Fish Market hits a memorable note. Key word- rubber rain boots! (You’ll see a lot of them here)  Ajummas and ajosshis are the working population here and you’ll see fish in a way you’ve never seen them before.  Whether dried and hanging, toothpick splayed, skinned or live, I’m convinced there’s an art and pride to the fishes on display.

Variety of Kimchi.. Musim sejuk belum abes lg.. Kimchi wajib ada. (maap, tekak kami laki bini mmg takleh terima) T_T

Mcm2 jenis ikan... yang tak penah tgk pun ada..

Other than marveling at the vast array of seafood sold here, visitors can choose their fresh seafood and have it cooked and served at the many restaurants on the first floor of the market. The market opens from morning till night, but come early to get your hands on the freshest catch.

3. BIFF (Busan International Film festival) Square

BIFF Square is the place where all the film festival in Korea is held. It's an area with all the Korea movie stars' hand printing, and during movie festivals, all Korean stars will fly to Busan to attend the event at BIFF. When there is no festival, the place is basically a street surrounded with hundreds of stores and cart food. We love how clean the street is and how the air is so fresh with no pollution!

Food Must Try: Hotteok (Pronounce.. Hot-tok (Hotak ang!...haha saja tambah)

If you would ask me what to eat in Busan, it would be the Busan famous hotteok. I know that Busan is famous for its seafood but this hotteok was the best one we’ve had. So what is a Hotteok? It’s a filled fried korean pancake, a popular street food usually eaten in the winter. This version in Busan had a variation of sunflower seed, nuts, honey and a bit of cinnamon as filling. We actually just paid for one at first but I was like maybe we should get more since we’re already here. So we decided to get another one each. It was so good though. It is perfect for the cold weather. "Sedap baq ang.. En. Husband mula2 tamau, skali pekena, mau lagi..hihi'

 

Kena beratur...panjang lak tu..

 

Nila Hotteok.. Bapak sedap..serius, aku mmg teringat2 sampai kt Malaysia.