Today was a bright sunny day so was going to make the most of my last full day in Busan. First took the train to near the end of the line for Beomeosa Temple. It said it was a 3km walk from the station but the bus actually seemed like 5km curving up steep mountain roads I was glad I didnt walk. The temple itself was typical for korean, but not as grand as the ones I had seen at Haeinsa or Bulguksa. A scenic part was watching the snow melt from the curved rooftops. It was like a water shower as the droplets were perfectly aligned equal distances on the tiles.

After that took the subway down a few stops to where you can get a cable car up the mountain. There is a fortress stretching several kms from Beomeosa to the other end of the moutain range and some hot spa springs near the base. I could see the cable car from the metro way in the distance but when I got off the train I had no idea where to go. Instead I went back up to the mosque for friday prayers (see seperate entry Turkish Busan)

youtube video : Busan Metro - Mountain Skyline
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XIlrfOp 2Vk

Then took the train all the way back down to Jagalchi Market to have some fried fish for lunch. I got talked into the first place which probably draws in all the tourists even though there were many more vendors as you go down the market. She charged me $10 which I think was overchargnig tourists, but it was a good meal anyway including baby crabs.

I tried to tell her that in daegu I had never seen fried fish pointing to my eyes and saying no. At first she thought I was complaining about the price and kept saying 10,000 won, so I gave her the money to show thats not what i'm saying. Then I tried again but she was jesturing that they chop the fish in blocks and throw the head out!

Downtown three subway stations are connected by a long underground shopping mall. We have one in daegu which is more modern, but there were mosly local merchants in there. Then headed to the other side of Jagalchi market which continues on the other side of the harbour (reminiscent of France or somewhere Mediterranean). This side of the market was the local market selling vegetables and other items. In the distance I could see the bridge linking this side of Busan to Taejongdae island.

Once the market ended there is a bike path all the way along the harbour wall but it was very windy. Once you pass under the bridge you are at Songdo Beach. This is another one of the beaches but less popular and not as commercially developed. There were some water sculptures of dolphins and a whale water fountain. Then was invited to a basketball game with my friend later so had time to kill.

youtube video : Songdo Beach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzpbjnD6 WSg

I wandered back to the Lotte Dept store downtown. Reminds me of the giant shopping malls in subways in Hong Kong. Again this was a large oval area with several stories looking down. In the middle they were doing a fountain and light show. The difference was they also had jets in the ceiling dropping water in rings and circles. In the food court below was Ghengis Khan Mongolian Barbeque and Pasha Turkish restaurant with glazed tiles and kiln oven (see later entry Turkish Busan)

youtube video : Lotte Dept Store - Fountain Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq_Nvck4 zIA

youtube video : Lotte Dept Store - Restaurant Level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byJeN-Zq j5E

Taking the subway back to the game I didnt realize there were two sports stations on the same line, Sports Complex and Sports Park. I got off the first one and panicked as to whether I should get back on the train and goto the later station. My friend told me it was the right stop so I followed the crowds and met up with everyone.

Ticket was $8 and we ended up winning free pop for waving our banners the loudest. This was a fun lively game. They had some american players 1.5x the size of the korean guys. I remember going to a Toronto Raptors game which was very commercialized promoting the sponsors, but this one was more tame. At the end of the game they had a red carpet from the stadium to the players bus where they would come out individually and you can cheer, hi five them, shake hands, get autographs/pictures. This would never happen back home with so much security.

youtube video : Sonic Boom Basketball Game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUljS7JB nuE

For dinner went to the Samarkand Uzbekistan Restaurant (see later entry Turkish Busan) where they had a local russian tv station from Vladivostok. Busan was definately fun and I enjoyed my time here. The comparison I would make is Hong Kong and mainland China, in that HK has its own identity and is not representative of China. Busan is the same and felt like I had gone on holiday to another country rather than just taken a 45 min train ride from daegu. Also a word that came to mind towards the end was Disneyland. For Busan people that have not ventured out, they have not seen the real korea.

Busan is fun, lively, exciting, energetic, but not representative of other town and cities in korea, and doesnt even feel like asia. I'll be back again when the weather is nicer and I dont have to goto the beach in my winter coat, wearing my baseball cap and scarf wrapped around my neck.

Daegu is known for temples and hiking. The most famous temples are Gatbawi and Donghwasa and the Palgong and Apsen mountains are popular for hikers. This appeals to Koreans and limited foreign tourists not looking for a lively entertainment scene. Daegu hasnt yet found its spot on the tourist map, and is hosting the 2011 World Athletics Championships is August to try and change that. But I think sticking to its traditional assets would be a good complement and contrast to Busans bright neon lights.

Tomorrow heading out on the bus to Geojedo Island to see the POW Camp