Busan’s Gamcheon Сulturе Vіllаgе and Nampo

 

As the second largest city in Korea, Busan is a sprawling city. Our hotel was at the opposite end of Haeundae Beach in Nampo-dong. Smack in the middle of the highest concentration of top sights in Busan, there is plenty to eat, see, and do. The area oozes character! Our plan of attack was to walk/run to all the main sites.

 

If you’ve looked into visiting Busan then you already know Gаmсhеоn Сulturе Vіllаgе is currently the most popular thing to do. The formerly abandoned Korean War refugee hillside has been turned into colorful houses and whimsical street art. Viewpoints offer spectacular views of the village itself and the Bay of Busan.

 

One of the best things to do in Gаmсhеоn Сulturе Vіllаgе is to wander and explore the narrow and winding alleys of colorful houses, quirky shops, and cozy cafes. I like the vibe here! But the public toilets are the only ones I have come across that do not provide toilet paper.

 

I think the best viewpoint in Gаmсhеоn Сulturе Vіllаgе is Haneul Maru. A sign there tells you that the village is “often called the Machu Picchu Santorini of Korea” for its terraced views.

The most popular viewpoint - with a line and worker controlling the crowd - is Little Prince Park. It is inspired by the Little Prince books that encourage children to have open-mindedness and a willingness to explore the world around them.

 

With a common interest in exploring the world, the Prince and I became instant friends.

 

The next area we were headed to is Ѕоngdо Веасh – the first public beach in Korea, developed in 1964. Hit by a lot of monsoons, it went into disrepair and then they invested a bunch of money to revive the whole area.

 

Lackluster Ѕоngdо Веасh tries to attract crowds from the more popular Haeundae Beach.

 

The diving platform at Ѕоngdо Веасh was almost irresistible! (We were fully clothed.)

 

There’s lots of activities in the Ѕоngdо Веасh area to keep us busy for a couple of hours.

 

Our route to Amnan Park included the Songdo Coastal Walk but when we got there the sign translated to say “temporary” closure; however, it has been closed ever since a 3-foot rock fell on it in 2020 and will remain closed for another 2+ years. It was weird that the gates to the collapsed walkway weren’t locked.

 

The Songdo Coastal Walk used to allow visitors to walk close to the water on the red iron deck built along the coast.

 

Chris commented that it’s too hilly and too hot to run here. Actually, it is too hilly and hot to do anything here!

Amnam Park Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge connects the park across the sea to the small Dongseom Island (nominal fee ₩1,000)

 

We got cold drinks and a quick bite to eat before setting off again - Chris has been wanting to try Korea's chicken mozzarella hot dog and sweet potato and mozzarella hot dog.

 

Amnam Park’s Healing Forest Trails are an oasis in the busy city and were completely overlooked by today’s visitors.

 

Healing Forest Trail blue Track 04, the park’s longest route (2.9km), is a peaceful adventure that took us a little over an hour to complete.

 

The park offers beautiful views of the ocean. It is a great place to take a break and immerse in the beauty of nature.

 

Oh how appropriate! Happy 30th anniversary today to my honey !

 

Sharing the serenity again with more Golden Orb Weaver spiders.

 

Busan Air Cruise (ie Songdo cable car) carries you over the ocean between Songdo Beach and Amnam Park. The round-trip journey in a glass bottom cabin cost 22,000 ($17); 17,000 one-way. A private cabin with no wait costs 240,000 ($181) - giving you an idea of how crowded it gets here in high season. That’s an absolutely ridiculous price for the brief 10-minute ride.

 

With no waits, they allowed every group to have a private cabin. Having no A/C and little airflow, it would’ve been suffocating packed full with eight people.

 

Looking out the glass floor to the ocean 282 feet below.

At the Songdo Beach cable car terminal, Songdo Cloud Walk attempts to create the feeling of walking on top of the ocean.

 

After resting back at the hotel for a bit, we set out again for the evening. Јаgаlсhі Fіѕh Маrkеt, Gukје Маrkеt, Тіn Саn Аllеу, etc…Nampo’s maze-like alleys seem to blend all the areas into one.

 

BIFF Square is named after the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) held here each October. (Our hotel is nearby; this picture was taken as we left for our morning run.)

 

Do not miss out on the irresistible and fаmоuѕ Вuѕаn trеаt іn ВІFF Square: hоttеоk (sweet pancake filled with brown sugar and nuts, or honey) .

 

Supposedly in Gukје Маrkеt you can find anything you want or need.  (Apparently we don't want or need anything.)

For dinner we went to a place right in the center of BIFF square that serves bibimbap. I had planned it to be my go-to meal, but it hasn’t been noticeable on any menus yet. Chris wanted a plate of pork belly (to bbq); unfortunately the minimum quantity is two. (Some Korean restaurants will flat out refuse to permit solo diners.)

 

I ordered bibimbap (rice topped with vegetables, egg and meat) and Chris got chadol doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew with beef brisket)

 

Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower were an unexpected surprise of excitement and tied for the day’s highlight. Find the escalators up to the park - they’re half the fun! Of course, at the top is Busan Tour.

 

The fun set of escalators up to Yongdusan Park, each with their own theme.

 

Light show at Yongdusan Park

 

Jagalchi fish market has been one of Korea’s important seafood exchanges for more than 600 years. Since we were so close, we walked in for a minute.

 

We watched the negotiations, which were followed by chopping off the live fish's heads.

 

With its skyscrapers along the beach, Busan is exactly the type of metropolis I usually try to avoid. This city is a great example of why Korea breaks my travel stereotypes – the way I quickly make assumptions and categorize places I haven’t visited before.