Well my last week in Busan has been relatively quiet. I started the week with a visit to Gamcheon Cultural Village. This is a "traditional" village built in terrace style on the side of the mountain. It has now become something of an arts and crafts centre, as well as a very popular tourist attraction. It has what can only be described as a quirky feel about it but it was quite interesting to stroll the streets and alley ways that dart off in all directions. ...

Well in my last blog I mentioned the construction of a huge swimming pool on the beach. Thanks to Megan I have discovered that the Busan Sea Festival starts on Wednesday, and the pool has been just the start of the beach transformation. At the other end of the beach an absolutely monster outdoor stage has been constructed on the sand and at about the half way point another smaller stage has also popped up. The Sea Festival is essentially a music festival that...

Well for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere I'll just make this quick statement and then move on. For the last 2 weeks I have not seen the mercury drop below 25. And there is no doubt that I am living in a beach town. Now onto other things. The district of Gimhae is about an hour and a quarter by subway to the west from where I am living. There seemed to be a few historical sites in the area that were worth checking out so that's where I headed. After ...

I had read that Koreans, and particularly older Koreans, love to walk. They do it not only as a form of entertainment and socialising, but they also believe strongly in the health benefits that come with it. And they do it in style. Fully decked out in the latest outdoor fashions you see them everywhere. City streets, parks, mountain trails. Groups, couples, singles, they are out there and striding along with purpose. What I don't understand is that they d...

Welcome to Busan, South Korea. Mexico City - Dallas - Tokyo - Busan. It was a lot of flying but made somewhat more comfortable thanks to my upgrade to Premium Economy from American Airlines. My friend Megan met me at the airport and the 45 minute trip to her apartment gave me my first taste of Busan's subway system. And it's good. Fast, comfortable, clean and cheap - about $2 for the trip. As I soon learn, any standard trip is 1300Won ($1.70) and longer trips ...