Busan, forever ago.

Tom and I both got Bonus Weeks Off in February (one of the perks of working in a rural area = extra holidays above the 20 allowed in our contract) so we went to Busan and the aquarium. I'm a bit obsessed with aquariums since visiting the excellent one in Beijing and the Busan one was pretty darn good. 

It's located right on Busan's famous Haeundae Beach and costs 18,000 won, a bit more if you want to watch a 3-D movie or sit in a glass bottom boat. It's also located underground, it felt pretty weird taking the escalator at the beach. 

 Although I'm fond of visiting aquariums I'm rubbish at taking pictures. Here's a few of the 'good' ones.

Best Penguin EVER. (Sorry Pororo)

Upside-down jellyfish. They are super lazy and I approve of their lifestyle choice.

The aquarium has an awesome collection (is collection the right word?) of coral and anemones.
Wish I didn't suck at taking pictures. 

Chillin with some puffer fish (not pictured.)

After walking around inside for a few hours, we took a break in the (free!) hot spring located next door. It's basically a big tub of warm mineral water with a view of the beach. Good call, Busan. I really appreciated soaking my feet.

Also cool: Free wi-fi! YEAH BUSAN!

Photo post!

Haeundae Beach awash with foreigners.

A patient taking a cigarette break in Haeundae. Patients in full medical kit
(sometimes with drips attached) are a common sight outside hospitals in Korea.

Two men enjoying a beer outside in Haeundae, Busan. It was 9am.

Red Velvet cupcake from Red Velvet in Busan.
To get to one yourself, you go down the alleyway in the picture below.

The Red Velvet cupcake shop in Nampo-dong, Busan.
We've visited twice and although the cupcakes are delicious, the opening hours are a pain in the ass.
It's open from 1pm - 9pm, but usually doesn't actually open til 1:30.
Just bear that in mind before you turn up there, hungover, impatient and craving cream cheese icing.  

Benefits of being ginger in Asia? Hairdressers everywhere!
I had 8 kids attached to my head at this point.

Sunset over the flooded rice paddies between Buan and Gimje.

Korean Things I Have Eaten - Busan/Best Snack Ever Edition

June 6th is Memorial Day here in South Korea, so we got Monday off and decided to go to Busan for the long weekend. As Busan is on the other side of the country (and down a bit) from Buan it's a lifetime on public transport to get there, and the return trip eats up a good part of the weekend. 

We gathered a group together and hopped on an Express Bus on Friday night ready to visit the Haeundae Sand Festival and Yongkungsa and of course, eat some stuff! Tom or I will blog about the touristy stuff in a bit, but now it's snacks only, people. 

This is possibly the best snack ever. I could be a little off-kilter on my judgement as finding, purchasing and chowing down on this thing happened with an epic hangover but I got at least one other person to agree with me and we were both very upset that we may not be able to find this snack in our part of the country. When we finished eating it, we immediately went to buy another one but could not find it anywhere. People of Korea - eat this thing, please. It's amazing and apparently rare.

Kiwi Ah-chak (Kiwi Chomp!)

It looks like a nondescript fruity Korean Popsicle (there are loads of different flavours to choose from here) but it's so much more. The outside is a soft kiwifruit sorbet which is delicious and sweet and tart. When I ate it, I had a huge rush of homesickness as it tastes just like a frozen kiwifruit. New Zealand kiwifruit is sold here in Korea, but is too expensive for me to buy - the cheapest I've seen was about $10 for 6 of them. 

I digress. Beneath the kiwifruit is a pineapple sorbet, but to get to the sorbet you have to chomp through a thin layer of crunchy ice. 

Tried to take a picture but it just looks like a booger.

I'm not sure what flavour the crunchy ice is, but it's got a texture like the shell of an M&M. It cracks under your teeth and then you get a burst of sweet pineapple. When hungover on a hot day in Busan, it tastes like heaven. Sweet, crunchy heaven.

맛있어요!