So, when I was going over my Bucket List last week, I noticed that I was missing a couple of posts that I had totally intended to write and never got around to. One that I was particularly sad about was my trip to Busan. I started writing a ridiculously long blogpost about it, but gave up on it when I realised that it was too long for anyone to want to read it. So, I have decided to reminisce and tell you about the different things that you can do when you are in Busan. I will tell you about what I did during my three visits to my favourite city in Korea, where I stayed, how I travelled (and the problems with each method) and what I was disappointed to not be able to do. If that last sentence makes no sense at all, you have to excuse me. I have clearly been in Korea for too long.

I have been to Busan three times during my year in Korea and have stayed in two motels. I will tell you about my experiences at each hotel and why I chose to stay at one of them twice.

Botel - I stayed in the Boatel in Haeundae on my first visit to Busan over Buddha's Birthday. The room was lovely and spacious with a king-sized bed, a jacuzzi tub, a large TV and a computer. Our first impression of the room was fantastic and we weren't too concerned about forking over 60,000 won per room - it was a price to pay for luxury, or so we thought. I quickly learned that the sink leaked and got lost during my stay trying to find the motel in the maze of sidestreets the surrounded it. It was convenient that the motel was located in Haeundae which was exactly where we wanted to be for our three day stay, but it also meant that finding our way around the rest of the city was a little difficult as the subway line that Haeundae is on is separate from the others.

Dejavu - On my second visit to Busan, I left my accomodation to chance, deciding to see what I could find when I got there, and I ended up staying at the Dejavu motel. I found the motel purely by chance and, as I didn't want to pay too much, was fine with a 45,000 won room. On arrival in the room itself, I was thoroughly impressed - a king sized bed, a giant TV, a computer, a two-person bathtub and a sauna-shower lay in wait, dying to be used. The motel was also very conveniently placed for exploring the city - it is close to Yeonsan-dong subway station which connects to two of the three lines that you might want to travel on. Being in site of the subway station, I had no problem with getting lost this time, and I had no other problems at the motel, so I chose to stay here on my third visit to the city. The second time around, the computer in our room had no internet access but, on telling the staff, we were quickly moved to another room that did. All-in-all, I would highly recommend this motel to anyone wanting to visit Busan.

There are three ways to travel around Busan (aside from walking, of course): Subway, Taxi and Bus. I will tell you my experiences using each of these methods of transport.

Subway - Like Seoul, Busan has it's own subway system, and I found Busan's version a lot easier to navigate than the Seoul equivalent. That Busan is smaller obviously affects the subway and how many stations need to be placed throughout the city and how many lines need to connect them, but I still found the subway journey to be far more comfortable in Busan. There weren't as many people, there weren't as many changes, and it was easy to find the station that you needed to get off at without being confuzzled by a jumble of letters strewn across a delicate map of coloured lines.

Taxi - I struggled with taxis more in Busan than I have struggled anywhere else. Apparently the accent in Busan is different from the other Korean accents, and they found my attempts at Korean more difficult to understand than usual. This was most noticable on my first visit to Busan when I tried to get a taxi back to my motel at 3am. I knew how to get there from the Haeundae subway station, and directed the taxi to take me there. Before I knew it, I had arrived at Haeundae bus station. This wasn't right!
"Haeundae subway?"

"??"

"Haeundae metro?"
"Opsseyo."

According to my taxi driver, there was no Haeundae subway station. I ended up rattling off every Western restaurant that I had seen along the beach-front near my hotel and finally wound up saying "aquarium", which he thankfully understood. He took me to the aquarium and was kind enough to give me a discount on the taxi charge because of the miscommunication, which I thought was very nice of him, but needless to say, this was not a particularly good taxi experience for me. This also happened to be the night that I got lost by the way - trying to find my way back to the Botel proved more difficult than I had imagined, and even when I could see the motel rising in the distance, I still got lost along the sidestreets trying to find my way to it. Epic fail.

Bus - I have yet to ride a bus in Busan. I was supposed to ride a bus during my third visit there in order to get to Taejongdae, but this ended up being an absolute fail. This was purely because I couldn't find the bus stop! I knew the bus that I was supposed to climb on, I knew the road that it was supposed to drive on, but finding a bus stop was an absolute fail, and as I was tired from walking around all day and sweating profusely from the heat, my quest was not long-lived. So I cannot really tell you what riding the bus in Busan is like, but I can tell you it's difficult to get on one.

Busan is a pretty big city, and even after going there three times, I still haven't been able to do everything that I wanted to. But here is a list of things that you can see and do in Busan.

Busan Tower - The most obvious stop during any trip to Busan, the tower has spectacular views of every area of the city. 120m high, the building is air-conditioned (a huge relief during the summer months) and there is a marketplace on the ground floor selling touristy bits and bobs for reasonable prices - a great place to look for gifts for your return trip home. Outside the tower are a few traditional Korean games that you can play and two convenience stores. The tower is situated in the middle of a park which looked rather lovely, and if you have the time I would recommend walking through it. I, however, did not, and therefore cannot give too much advise on this matter.

Fee: Around 4,000 won
Subway station: Nampo-dong (do not confuse with Napo-dong)

Forty Steps - The 40 steps or "sa-ship gyedan" is an area in Busan that was restored to it's post-Korean war state. What this basically means is that the streets are cobbled, the streetlights are wooden and there are statues spread throughout the few blocks that are included in this area. I didn't find the area to be too interesting, but there was a museum and there were a couple of statues that allowed for some good photo opportunities, so I would recommed making a short stop here, especially as it is a short walk from Busan Tower. If you are walking to the 40 steps, it can be rather confusing and difficult to find. If you get off at the right subway exit, it is right in front of you

Fee: Free

Jagalchi Fish Market - Though I will admit to not being fond of the idea of a market entirely revolving around the selling of fish, I will admit to finding this market place absolutely fascinating. There are fish that you will never have seen before in your life, fish of all shapes and forms and in all stages of being cooked and eaten, and once again it is a perfect photo opportunity. I liked the area so much and had so much fun that I ended up going there twice! Also, contrary to my expectations, the area did not smell particularly fishy, and that was a rather pleasant surprise. If you are hungry, there is a restaurant that serves all the fish that you see in the market and you can pick one out for yourself. Be careful to ask for a price though, as you do not want to be surprised later.

Fee: Free (unless you eat lunch)

Ferry from Napo-dong to Haeundae - If you are tired after a day of running around and just want to relax for awhile but still take in the sites and sounds of Busan, I would recommend taking a ferry. Ferries run between Napo-dong (in walking distance of Jagalchi Fish Market, 40 Steps and Busan Tower) and Haeundae beach on a regular basis. The ferry terminals can be difficult to find, but a taxi should be able to take you there if need be. I would not recommend walking, as it is very easy to get lost.

Fee: 80,000 for an hour and a half trip to the opposite ferry station or 120,000 for a round trip ending at the same ferry station.

Haeundae - Haeundae Beach is a very popular area in Busan and one of the main reasons for visiting the city. In summer, it is difficult to find a place on the packed beach and restaurants along the beach front are crowded. It is possible to rent a jet ski or go on a banana boat ride from the ferry terminal, and there is a busy nightlife if that is your scene.

Haeundae Aquarium - Located on the Haeundae beach front, the aquarium is quite unique in that it is located almost entirely underground. Though it does not really compare to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, it is still a fun activity to do while in Busan and a fun way to spend a couple of hours. They also offer shark dives if that is your kind of thing.

Rock n Roll Bar - also located on the beach front, this bar which serves mediocre Mexican food and cheap cocktails also has a spectacular view of the city. I would recommend paying a visit to the bar at night when the city lights are shining away.

Yong-gunsa Temple - A uniquely located temple that overlooks the sea. Most temples in Korea are situated in the mountains and require a hike to get to them. Yong-gunsa is not one of these temples, and is the only temple in Korea to be located along a coastline. This provides beautiful, scenic views and a wonderful sense of calm. The temple itself can get fairly busy, so I would recommend visiting it early in the morning before the crowds start arriving. There is no subway nearby, so your best bet would be getting a subway to Jangsan station and finding a taxi there to take you to the temple itself.

Gwangan "Diamond" Bridge - Easily seen from Gwangalli beach, this bridge is nicknamed the "Diamond" bridge because of the way that it lights up at night. This is definitely an area that you want to visit at nighttime, as it is not nearly as beautiful during the day. Gwangalli beach is smaller and less popular than Haeundae, but the view of the bridge at night is a must-see in my opinion. There are also a number of good bars and restaurants along the beachfront, many of which are Western oriented and tourist-friendly. I have it on good authority that this is the place to go if you want to go out in Busan.

Museum of Modern Art - If art and sophistication are your kind of thing, then you may want to pay a visit to Busan's Museum of Modern Art. They often have special exhibits that you can pay a little extra to visit, however I did not opt to do this on my visit. Instead, I walked around the museum taking in the artwork and it was a calming way to spend an hour or two of the afternoon.

China Town - Also known as Choryang Foreigner Shopping Area, this area is filled with authentic Chinese restaurants and restored houses that hold hidden treasures of books and ornaments. This China-town is also a bit of a Russia-town, and the other foreigners that you find here will usually be Russian or speak Russian-tainted English. There are statues and lanterns spread around the area and it is rather picturesque, so once again, I would recommend making a stop here.

As I said earlier, even three visits is not enough to see everything that there is in Busan and there were a few things that I would have liked to see and experience that I didn't get the chance to. Here are some of them:

Shinsegae - Busan houses the largest department store in the world, and I would have liked to visit that even if it was just to have my photo taken outside of it. Unfortunately, time was of the essence and I did not have a chance to visit the store or even have my picture taken. Boo.

Pusan International Film Festival - An annual event, this film festival attracts foreigners from around Korea to participate in the festival which is often marked by a spectacular fireforks display.

Napo-dong market - Me and my shopping, right? Well this market is located between Busan Tower and Jagalchi Fish Market, so if it isn't too hot and you can muster up the energy, I would recommend walking through it rather than taking the subway between the two places. Unfortunately, the day that I visited Busan Tower was just too hot, and we opted for the air-conditioning over the shopping.

Taejongdae - This area is supposed to house easy hiking trails and spectacular views. It is said that on a clear day you can see one of the Japanese islands from the Observatory. There is also a great view from Suicide Rocks which is protected by a giant statue of a woman who is supposed to represent a mother to prevent people from jumping to their choppy deaths into the sea below.

And so, that is Busan. If you are thinking of visiting the city and would like some more information about it, read this personal account of one of my weekends there, or feel free to ask questions in the comments.