Busan, Korea

Busan is a port city on the southern tip of Korea about the same size and climate as Seattle. It's where my first job was in Korea and where I met my wife. I still like the beaches and the slightly more laid-back (well, laid-back for Koreans) vibe.

Tour Busan

 


Beomosa Temple, 2003<br> The home of many solemn monks who have dedicated their lives to study and celibacy like their fathers before them. View from My First Apartment, 2003<br> Drunk people seemed attracted to the temple-ish platform at night. They were certainly not there to worship quietly. Gupche Market, 2010<br> As much as I like Costco, I hope the markets stay. They're fun to wander around in. Beach maiden, Haeundae Beach, 2003<br> preparing for her shot-put entry. Jagalchi Fish Market, 2010<br> It's surprisingly clean. Any bacteria that can bear all that spice deserves to live. Texas Street at Night, 2003<br> Despite the tourist websites' glib description, it's a red-light district for Russian sailors. Time-lapse makes everything look <i>cleaner</i>. One of the main gates at Beomosa temple, 2003<br> Korean temples may be a little monotonous in style, but they're built to last. Haeundae Beach, August 2003<br> It was pretty crowded; the newspaper reported one million people. I'm not sure I actually saw the beach. Korean Lunch, 2003<br> Everything is a side dish, eaten with chopsticks or a spoon. No Freedom Fries? Kettle Island, Taejongdae, 2006<br> Where I send students who skip class. Cliffs of Taejongdae, 2003<br> Apparently, it's a popular cliff for suicide. A few more minutes of the cheesy boat music and I'd be tempted. Nampo-Dong Friday Night, 2003<br>There's lots to see and do at night in Nampo-Dong. Koreans like to go out and drink. In some ways they would make good Newfies! Night-time View of Yeong-Do Island, 2003<br> The calm before the storm; that weekend was hurricane Maemi, in the fall of 2003. Centum City, a business center in the east end, 2010<br>It was a surprisingly cool day what with the sun reflecting off <i>everything</i>. Fruit Market in Haeundae, 2003<br> They catch some strange things in the ocean; I stay with some nice, safe oranges. Yongdusan Park, 2003<br> In Asia dragons are considered good luck. If I see one for real, I'm still not going to run up and hug it. 2003. A sailing ship off the coast of Taejongdae filled with tourists<br> bound for the sacred Hello Kitty temple (okay, maybe not). Rainy day at Dadepo Beach, 2003<br> It stopped raining long enough for this picture. I'm getting old if the point of going to the beach was to <i>not</i> see girls! Haeundae Sand Sculpture, 2003<br> Korea is now about 50% Christian. Isn't there a parable about building on sand? Dancing Girls at a Store Promotion, 2003<br> They never actually dance much, but that's not the idea! Rope Spools on the Hannara, 2003<br> I would be a good sailor, someday when they invent a waveless ocean. Nampo-Dong winter, 2010<br>You can drink at the street markets. Something I will miss someday. Fish at Jagalchi, 2010<br> You can pay scale for them. Man, by now my jokes are running on fumes. Dadaepo Beach on the West Side of Busan, 2003<br> My favorite Busan beach, and worth the bus ride and the risk calculation ("Will it stop raining for an hour?"). Yongungsa, near Haeundae, 2003<br> I'm not Buddhist, but I didn't like seeing anyone's temple treated like a theme park. "Where's the ice creammm?" Buildings next to Songdo Beach, on a September Saturday, 2005<br> "Someone's waving at us&#; up, in that window there!" Gwangan Beach Bridge, 2009<br> It's really a beautiful bridge, and best seen late at night when you can drive more than 20 km/h. Haeundae Beach, 2003<br> I spend a lot of time at the beach in Busan, but I seldom go into the water. I didn't know that the swimming season in Korea would be one month long. View of Ocean from Yeong-Do after Storm, 2003<br> From a distance everything has a Lego-like look. The buildings are likely about the same strength. Riot police, Yeong-Do, 2003<br> Someone always seemed to be on strike in Korea that year. Where did these brave men come from? Here's where the brave men come from.<br> Imagine cartoon characters on a police station in America: "hey, officer, where are the rubber noses?" Sand Sculpture, Haeundae Beach, 2004<br> Some of the summer sculptures are beautiful. It's daring art in a city this rainy. Christmas Lights at Goshin University, Yeong-do, Busan, 2010<br> Stop that man! He's trying to duck out without paying the power bill. The prize goes to the worst pizza and iced tea in the world, near the entrance to Taejongdae.<br> Food this diabolically bad deserves to be recognized. After the Rain on Dadaepo Beach, 2005<br> The water is colder than Bali... but then, there aren't ten thousand hawkers trying to sell you junk. Life is a trade-off! Cartloads of <i>gim</i> (Seaweed) for Sale, Gupche Market, 2003<br> It still tastes to me exactly what you'd expect seaweed to taste like. The sunrise from my window in Busan, 2003<br> There was one good side to getting up at 5:30 in the bleeding morning. Christmas Salesgirls, Lotte Department Store, 2003<br> I don't know why I like this picture; maybe it's the Austin Powers robot look. Fishermen at Taejongdae, 2003<br> Cue another rock joke. Wrecked Ship after Typhoon Maemi, September 2003<br> We had a nice walk down an alley that night dodging passing roofs. Not pleasant. An <i>ajumma</i> (older woman) preparing <i>bundaegi</i> (boiled silkworms)<br> for snacks near Haeundae Beach. Aren't you glad I translated that? Fishsellers in Gupche Market, 2005<br> You're fortunate you can't smell web pages. Ship through Rocks at Yeong-do Beach, 2010<br> No pirate treasure, but a few tin cans. Moving Platform, Yeong-Do, 2003<br> This is how you move in unless you want to wait for an elevator all day. Nampo-Dong Christmas Display, 2011<br>Nothing celebrates the season like a... large metallic net. Nampo-Dong Christmas Crowd, 2011<br>You know how sometimes people say "it was so crowded I couldn't move"? Well... at one point it was so crowded that <i>I could not move</i>. Geomjeong Fortress Gate, 2003<br> "Sorry, pizza deliveries go to the <i>south</i> gate." One of my last nights in Busan, with Gordon, Julie, Tony & friend, Suzanna, Dave, Ariel & me, 2003<br>To commemorate my first year in Korea, we had Indian food. Chinese Medicine and Spices, Nampo-Dong, 2003<br> Medicine? Don't laugh; it works. Except for the broom—don't eat that. Stairway to Taejongdae Beach, 2010<br>Not a place you want to slip, but the view from the stairs is beautiful. View of Yeong-do From Busan Tower, 2011<br>I was up about 100 stories. The balcony is glassed in, which is probably a good thing for Koreans holding cameras <i>and</i> cellphones. Six & Seven Islands (Oryukdo), 2011<br>I've never been there, but it doesn't look like there's much to see. I imagine there's still a Family Mart. Night View from Lotte Department Store, 2010<br> Something I appreciate about Koreans— they don't seem to like the dark! Misty Day, Haeundae Beach, 2011<br>It was a beautiful day with a slight mist, perfect for photographing biki— uh, the shoreline.

 

 

 

 

This'll be the player
Gwangan-Li Beach (May 2003) 0:18 Goshin Christmas Lights (December 2009) 0:25
Water Fountain Show, Lotte (September 2010) 0:22 Haeundae Crowd (July 2011) 0:16
Nampo-Dong Dancers (May 2005) 0:16 Taejongdae Shore (April 2011) 0:15
Nampo-Dong Market Street (December 2006) 0:26 Yeoung-Do Cherry Blossoms (April 2011) 0:08