Day 3 @ 24hours in Dynamic Busan (Part 1)

         24 hours is definitely not enough for this charming place.  Busan is well known as the best vacation destination in summer! Especially so in August when the heat reaches its peak, tonnes of festivals are lined up in Busan such as Busan Sea Festivals, Busan International Magic Festival and Busan International Rocks Festival. We were lucky to catch up with the festivals. Great fun! Busan have the best beaches in Korea, delicious fresh seafood, breathtaking natural scenery and also warmhearted people. Busan just captivated my soul! I love Busan! :)

We chose to travel to Busan by Korea High Speed Train (KTX) as it saves us a lot of time. KTX travels at the speed of 300km per hour. The travel time from Seoul to Busan is merely 2 hour and 40 minutes.  Amazing :) 

We bought our simple breakfast in the convenience store in Seoul station. The sandwiches were delicious! I think the secret of the sandwiches was the sauces! It tasted a little sweet and sour! Yummy! Do have a try, I am sure you will love it like I did.

While en-route, don't forget to enjoy the breathtaking natural view. I love the azure sky in the hot summer!

Busan station is a large, clean and modern train station with curved glass at its front facade  First thing we did upon arrival was to search for tourist information center :D You can easily find it in Busan station. As usual, the professional TIC stuff will assist you with tailored information and consultation service in three different languages. (English, Japanese and Mandarin)

We met Yeony and Suny again right in front of Busan station. 

Busan is a traveler-friendly destination , just likes Seoul. There are lockers for rent in the metro stations. If your bags can't be fit in the lockers, you can hand them over to the workers in the room.  

The steps are simple. It shouldn't be a problem for a foreigner as the instructions are in four different languages. 

As the Korean largest seaport, Busan is famous for astounding variety of fresh seafood sold at reasonable prices. Entering the seafood market is pretty much like visiting a free aquarium. We were getting excited to this port city when we saw the fresh seafood displayed at all spaces, from aisle to aisle in Sindanga fish market.

First meet with such a huge octopus! Oh my!

They were moving!!!Moving!!

By strolling through the Sindanga fish market, we finally reached the Korean largest fish market - Jagalchi market. It's just about 10 minutes walking distance away. Jagalchi market is definitely a unique fish market where you can buy the freshest seafood at have them packed immediately on the spot! Give it a try on RAW seafood! Yee Pei highly recommended the live octopus! Yucks! I couldn't overcome my fear to swallow that. Mission failed :P

It's a fantastic visit to Jagalchi market. The market is colorful  and vibrant. As you walk down the market, you will be amazed at all different kind of seafood available. It just too cruel as they were waiting for their turn to be savored :(

What is this? Urchin? Beware! It will squeeze some water out! :D

After your buy your fresh seafood on the ground floor, bring them to the restaurant on the second floor to enjoy the fresh meal ^.^ 

Jagalchi market is famous with its dried seafood product as well. It is an ideal gift for travelers to bring home.

Jagalchi market is situated right next to Busan Harbour, the busiest sea port in Korea. The view was great with the combination of blue sky, turquoise sea, buildings, ships and mountains. Too bad we couldn't stay long due to the scorching sun.     

In Busan, it is a must to try the fresh seafood! There are numerous stalls and restaurants that serve raw and cooked seafood along the street. We simply picked a restaurant and tried our luck. It ended up to be a big thumb-up and full tummy! 

We ordered grilled fish. The fresh was so soft. Delicious!

I like Korean food so much as we always get a lot of side dishes for FREE! love! love! love!

In downtown Busan, many tourist spot can be reached on foot. Most of them are within walking distance of each other. We spent the whole afternoon wandering around the Busan city centre.

Nampo underground shopping centre was a great choice we made to escape from the mid-day heat. We grabbed this chance to shop! :P  Napo underground shopping centre has many shops offer latest fashion clothes, accessories, CD and other trendy items. It's definitely cheaper than Nampodong main street that offers imported items.  

I was deeply in love with this boutique. So cute!

The bear is so adorable, isn't it？

BIFF square is the place where International Film Festival is held every year. There are quite a number of movie theater here.  You could feel the Hollywood atmosphere with the  hand prints of movie stars and directors along the side way. Besides, there were all sorts of street vendors selling all sort of things. It's so happening! 

By strolling down the square without any plan in mind, we reached Gukje market, the largest traditional market in Busan. Gukje market is an old fashion market which shares some similarities with Namdaemun market in Seoul. We don't have much interest in it, so we just simply passed by :P

Near to the Gukje Market, we found a very special food alley called Mokja Golmok (Let's eat alley). This alley is packed with countless street vendors serving all kinds of inexpensive snack and "sit down" food :P Too bad Yee Pei didn't have the appetite for that, or I would tried many many of them. I just love street food so much!

It's time for a break! Again, we go for an exquisite cafe, PM, 2.45. I used the time to jot down some important notes on my diary (hardworking blogger :P)

Take a break................. more fantastic story about Busan coming soon!

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Travel info: 
 Busan 

Transportation: 

KTX - Korea Train Express (Seoul - Busan)

Ticket price: KRW54400 one way

*KTX ticket reservation can be made conveniently at Seoul Station / Busan Station / Airport KTX counter/ online booking with international credit card and collect ticket at train station

website: http://www.korail.com/

Downtown Busan Map

Travel tips: 

1. Remember to enjoy the beautiful natural view from KTX window along the way.
2. Bring an umbrella if you travel in Summer. It's hot and humid and most areas are unsheltered. 

3. Wear a pair of comfortable shoes as you need to walk a lot especially Busan Downtown.

4. Do remember to take a free guide book and ask for travel info in Busan Station Tourist 
    Information Counter.
5. You can keep your luggage in locker in some of the subway stations. Busan station have one. 
6. Seafood is a MUST! Whether try it raw or cooked. Challenge yourself with live octopus if you 
    dare to!

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