Daegu

A night in Seoul to rest was enough for us to head out to Daegu the next day. We took the KTX (similar to the bullet train) utilising our three day pass (approx. $50; this was day 2, day 1 was Busan). You can use this pass as much as you like on the KTX within the 3 day span, and would have worked out to be economically cheaper than separate tickets. The only downfall was that you'd have to use it in three consecutive days. There were also one day and 7 day passes (and more) alongside group and student discounts which were really worth it. What I suggest is, if you know you're going to be traveling everywhere especially to see the mountains, temples, beaches and what not all around Korea, the KR pass is the way to go. You can find out more on the KR site here. I didn't really get the chance to explore the bigger picture of Korea, but I would love to go back to go hiking and to experience food specialties of each and every town in Korea.



We didn't really know where we were going in Daegu because there was hardly any massive crowds on the streets like we would see in Busan or Seoul. I don't know if it was the chills, or the day, but once we reached the market, all we saw were locals scattered here and there, not little, but not a lot. There markets mainly sold dried food like nuts, anchovies, etc, and also home ware products. An ajumma haven.



Upon filing along the several aisles, we found ourselves in an abundance of outdoor street food stalls and tents.



It was pretty cold so we hit up two snack tents, the one above being the second. It was so oozy and warm inside these heated plastic covers, my bottom just started melting on the seats. Ahh, the defrosting. Upon entering, we were intimated or just lost as to how to order for food. Do we order first then sit? Or do we sit then order? We couldn't understand them, they couldn't understand us. God, the language barriers! This is obviously what makes traveling all the more exciting, trying to decipher another language and spilling out gibberish as a result. Though one friend who knew a bit of Korean was such a life saver, she knew how to order food in Korean and read Korean. Phew. I only knew some Korean by ear, especially the names of food and common phrases, which I'd learnt from Korean dramas and variety shows.



Left: Dukbokki. The famous dish of Korea. These rice cakes simmered in slightly sweetened chilli paste mixed with anchovy stock and flat fish cakes,hold a gooey yet spongy texture, totally soft, and fill your stomach just like that!
Right: Knife-cut noodles. I can't remember what ingredients these hand-made noodles were served with, except bok choy as you can see, but the warmth in every mouthful reached from the buds of my tongue to the ends of my tummy. Thank god for soup noodles on days like these.



Left: Fish cake. This is the other common street food after dukbokki. It is (I think) processed fish made into a paste, then flattened into sheets. They are then deep-fried, frozen/refrigerated until they are ready to be skewered, then boiled in anchovy broth. They are usually sitting in the broth in front of you for self service. Beware though, some stalls have you paying for it first so control that sneaky hand before you get scolded by ajummas. You can even drink from the large pot of broth using a scoopy-bowl. I liked these ones in Daegu, but they were a little weak on the flavour. I would've preferred a stronger broth.
Right: Thin sliced pancakes dressed in some soy-sauce based sauce and seasoned with chilli and spring onions. These were okay. I didn't particularly enjoy so much the pasty texture of these pancakes, and plus, it lacked flavour.



All in all, I could put a smile on my face as I was full and warm, on $3! Though the warmth only lasted a split second after revealing my face to the world again. There was really no reason for us to be in Daegu anymore, we couldn't find anything special, and it was freaking cold, so we opted to head back home. The photo above is just a part of the lovely snowy landscape we passed by on the KTX.

Into Korea: Busan in one day

I was very excited to move onto my third leg of my trip to Korea. I've always wanted to visit Korea to eat good food, to hike, to shop, and to meet Yoo Jae Suk (a Korean comedian I've gained much love for through his variety shows). This trip was all the more made possible since my friend was also going to visit. I have had so many interesting experiences, good and bad but mostly good, and I can't wait to share it.



Considering how close Japan and Korea was, I made my first stop at Busan by taking the JR Beetle from Fukuoka port in Japan. Ferry ride was considerably rocky but I managed to keep from sea sickness as I tuned into music and sleep during the entire 3 hour trip. I came across some annoying obstacles when I was getting off the boat because of all the luggage I had accumulated in Japan and Taiwan (oh right, from Taiwan I flew back to Japan for a few days). I ended up taking the lift, which was only reserved for disabled people, to the terminal and from there I took a taxi to Busan station. Makes me nervous to be traveling by myself sometimes but the taxi driver and I conversed in Japanese along the way which was very welcoming. The 5-10 minute drive was only 3000 won ($3)!

So here was the second obstacle. I had arrived and headed to place my massive luggage in the locker. Even though they had English instructions, I could not get the damn thing to open. After trying for over 10 minutes or so, a very nice Korean man helped me out and I was so relieved. You could not believe the frustration building up inside me.

And the third obstacle. The plan was to meet my friend Jack and her two sisters at Busan station. We confirmed on Facebook the day before to meet at the ticket booths, but I, obviously, for the whole time, had thought it was at the ticket gates. I was shuffling around the whole place like a lost lamb and decided to turn to the powers of social networking. After facebooking her about where she was and so on to no avail, I re-read the day-old message again and snapped like a biscuit. Of course this was all happening in my head, I didn't physically snap like a biscuit. A good 40 minutes later, my eyes enlightened at the sight of her sister. I felt like that stupid ping pong ball hitting back and forth in my chest popped out (at which end can be left up to your imagination).

So here we are, finally cruising the fishy streets of Busan.



Fish market street. Everything looked the same store after store. I wondered how they do business with so much competition around them. We were meant to eat at the famous Jagalchi fish market (the furthest and tallest building in the photo), but ended up mistakenly eating at the wrong place (because the whole place was a damn fish market!).



I love how messy yet fresh everything looked; the fish still in there tanks swimming, or being roasted like in the photo above.



We entered this small building mazed with yellow table and seats, assuming it was the Jagalchi fish market. Though however, we were confused because it was not as busy as I had expected (only making sense later it was the wrong place). Upon entering, we were greeted with frolicking hands trying to suck you in to eating at their hub, so we tried to ignore them and walked quickly along. We were, however lost as to where to eat. Every store looked the same!



We settled at a table two thirds of the way when an old man started to converse with us in Korean, Japanese and English, though mostly Japanese, which luckily I could reasonably understand. He gave us four a deal, a fish roasted, sashimi plate, stir-fried squid, and corn and kelp as sides all for 40000 won ($40). It worked out to be a delicious meal at $10 each.

So what we had above was sashimi which I didn't end up catching the name of the fish considering the language barriers. In Korea sashimi is eaten wrapped with chilli soybean sauce and sesame leaves. The fragrant sesame leaves swore to give that aromatic kick in your mouth which downplayed the chilliness allowing the cool sensation of the fish to smooth itself in. I've eaten many DIY wraps in Korea and I must say sesame leaves really do make it that much more appetising and special.



Grilled fish and stir-fried squid. Both were piping hot and flavoursome with smokiness when they arrived at our table, but I must salute the grilled fish. Believe me, despite its rather off-putting aesthetic appeal, it was the best grilled fish I've ever had in my life. Juicy, with a good umph of a charcoal flavour, and just soft enough to flake large chunks off.



Left: Angel-in-us Coffee. I seriously LOL-ed (and cringed at the same time) seeing the name of this cafe. It's a very popular chain cafe in Korea where we would hang. I gather from Jackee and her sisters that there is nothing special from this cafe that entices them other than the beautiful decor.

Right: An ajumma (korean for middle-aged women or older) selling street food like dried squid, pancakes, sweet potato chips and much more. The Busan streets were lined with these little vendors eagerly waiting for locals and tourists (more of the latter I assume) to stop by and try some of their specialties.



Left: Piping hot, made-on-the-spot fried mochi slit open to be filled with a mix of brown sugar, peanuts and sesame. 1000 won.These little beauties were so good I went back for a second one and I really want one now. Later I found out on TV that these were one of the more famous street food in Busan.

Right: Waffle filled with whipped cream. Crisp, fresh, yummy.



A man feeding birds at the port. Ocean view was nice but nothing really outstanding.



Fishing boat docked at the port. I love the old rustic feel of this boat.

We took the KTX back to Seoul at night as we were only in Busan for one day. The KTX was painstakingly crowded as it was the Chuseok holidays so everyone was probably heading back home to their families.

The overall verdict for Busan? It's a nice coastal city with fresh seafood and street food but I think I'd love to visit when it's a bit warmer for the beaches.