After a tortuous 4:30 start I wearily boarded the Shinkansen from Osaka to Hakata port where I hopped on the JR Beetle to Busan, South Korea. In comparison to its Japanese equivalents Busan is a dump. No thought what-so-ever has been put into designing the city centre, or the rest of the city for that matter. Tall concrete buildings line the street with neon lights and Baskin Robins on every corner; this is not necessarily a bad thing when the design has been carefully thought out, like for example in Tokyo. Uneven pavements, the persistent smell of sewage and the Korean affection for spitting in public only add to the gritty unwashed feel of the second biggest city in South Korea. The first day was spent recovering from the early start and settling into my hostel dorm where a group of rowdy Germans proceeded to barge in at 2 in the morning and wake everybody up. Although, one plus side of the accommodation was the hilarious Korean rendition of Dust In The Wind by Kansas.
On the second day in Busan I went to the Beomeosa Temple which was by far the busiest one I have visited on my travels thus far. Walking along the leafy path leading up to the temple some bizarre traditional Korean music boomed out from the trees and echoed through the forest. Upon entering the temple I was greeted with the bizarre sight of what must have been at least 1,000 women all dressed in pink shuffling up and down the almost vertical stone stairways. Queues of women intertwined leading to various monks who seemed to be signing books of some sort that all the hordes of women were carrying. At the very height of the temple what appeared to be the highest ranking monk was greeting visitors with gifts and blessings while various television cameras whirred away close by. Unfortunately this made it very difficult to make my way around the temple and even more difficult to take photographs. The temple itself was neat and tidy, but not comparable to those I’d seen in Japan. By the end of the visit the music had changed to rhythmic chanting which, coupled with the surrounding beauty of the forests and streams, created a very striking aural and visual experience.
The end of the day was spent at the impressive Haundae beach, easily the jewel in the crown, or more accurately moth chewed beret, of Busan. I had heard stories about more than 50,000 Koreans adorning the beach during the peak season, however, I was lucky enough to see the beach on a beautifully sunny day just after the on-season. Much more thought has been put into the beachside development; tall elegant buildings and corporate offices line the street running parallel with the beach and there is a pleasant park on one side which is home to a wooden walkway along the cliffs. This provides stunning views of the beach and the tidy little light house at the top of the park provides a panoramic view of the bridge to the South East, a satisfying way to end my time in Busan.
On the second day in Busan I went to the Beomeosa Temple which was by far the busiest one I have visited on my travels thus far. Walking along the leafy path leading up to the temple some bizarre traditional Korean music boomed out from the trees and echoed through the forest. Upon entering the temple I was greeted with the bizarre sight of what must have been at least 1,000 women all dressed in pink shuffling up and down the almost vertical stone stairways. Queues of women intertwined leading to various monks who seemed to be signing books of some sort that all the hordes of women were carrying. At the very height of the temple what appeared to be the highest ranking monk was greeting visitors with gifts and blessings while various television cameras whirred away close by. Unfortunately this made it very difficult to make my way around the temple and even more difficult to take photographs. The temple itself was neat and tidy, but not comparable to those I’d seen in Japan. By the end of the visit the music had changed to rhythmic chanting which, coupled with the surrounding beauty of the forests and streams, created a very striking aural and visual experience.
The end of the day was spent at the impressive Haundae beach, easily the jewel in the crown, or more accurately moth chewed beret, of Busan. I had heard stories about more than 50,000 Koreans adorning the beach during the peak season, however, I was lucky enough to see the beach on a beautifully sunny day just after the on-season. Much more thought has been put into the beachside development; tall elegant buildings and corporate offices line the street running parallel with the beach and there is a pleasant park on one side which is home to a wooden walkway along the cliffs. This provides stunning views of the beach and the tidy little light house at the top of the park provides a panoramic view of the bridge to the South East, a satisfying way to end my time in Busan.
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