PUS 101 - INTRODUCTION TO BUSAN

WHERE? I was on a very short trip to Busan, South Korea, from the 22nd to the 24th of March and flew out back on the 25th. This was my second trip to South Korea, after visiting Seoul [READ HERE] and Jeju Island [READ HERE] back in 2015. Busan is located at the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and is not as popular as Seoul. The weather was pleasant when I was there, but it was a bit too cold for me in the evening because the temperature could be as low as 5°C, especially when the wind was blowing. You could always fly to Busan as Airasia provides direct flighta from Kuala Lumpur 4 times a week, if I am not mistaken.

WHAT ARE THE ATTRACTIONS? Surprisingly Busan had a lot
to offer and my 3-day trip proved I needed to go back there one more time to explore more. Unlike Seoul which is a metropolitan city, Busan is more relaxed and things moved at a slower pace. During my stay, I walked among the houses and people at its cultural village, the fish market and the night market and also enjoyed the beautiful scene of the early stage of blooming sakura. I should have stayed much longer.

HOW TO MOVE AROUND? I must say after three days there, I must have walked for hundreds of kilometres day and night. I also took the subway train a lot, even the airport was connected with this method of transportation so you should not worry. I also used the bus service twice and the Koreans have very effective transportation system which could be a reason I chose to travel solo there. One more thing, it would be best for you to get the T-card, something like our local touch-and-go. 

DO PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH IN BUSAN? Very few people I met on the street could communicate well in English. I am the traditional type who still refer to paper map and ask locals for directions. People were very friendly and even though we spoke different languages, surprisingly I could still understand them well and managed to find my way around. I had met many kind people who helped me with directions in Korean. That should be the beauty of traveling - when you interact with people and be less dependent on technology.

WERE THERE HALAL RESTAURANTS? There should be but I was not on a gastronomic adventure. You definitely have to do some research before going if you want to eat out but the number of eating places for Muslims is very limited. Other than depending on my bread, instant noodles and rice brought from home, I bought the popular banana milk, the triangular rice filled with tuna and mayonnaise from 7-Eleven, bought a Turkish Lawash from the night market and had a shrimp burger at Lotteria.

WILL I GO BACK TO BUSAN AGAIN? Without any hesitation, I will say "YES" and I think you should go too. There are still a lot of things which I have not seen and places I have not visited. At least I have better ideas of what to do when I make a return trip. Any followers? For the time being, do come back later for my stories and experiences of my short trip to Busan in spring.

MY BUSAN TRIP RELATED LINKS

Gamcheon Culture Village [PART 1] [PART 2] [PART 3] [PART 4]
Walking to Jagalchi Market
Inside Jagalchi Market [Part 1][PART 2] [PART 3] [PART 4]
Walking Away From Jagalchi Market [PART 1] [PART 2]
Gukje Market
Busan Modern History Museum [PART 1] [PART 2]
Busan Tower [PART 1] [PART 2] [PART 3]
Busan Museum of Movies
Trick Eye Museum Inside Busan Museum of Movies
Hop On Hop Off Bus at Night
Walking the Streets of Jinhae [Part 1] [Part 2]
Changwon Naesumyon Park [Part 1] [Part 2]
Sakura at Gyeonghwa Train Station [Part 1] [Part 2]
Jinhae City Square
Jinhae Tower and Jinhae Museum of Changwon City
Shrimp Burger at Lotteria
Busan Train Station
Business Hotel Busan Station
Busan International Airport