Day 10. Old Busan. Gamcheon village…April 13 2024.

First stop after great Lotte Breaky. And today I’m TRYING to reduce size of blog.

A great Lotte Breaky to start the day, with some English translation issues. BTW the butcher mousely (Bircher muesli) was very nice.

Our first stop today is Old Busan’s Gamcheon Village. This is basically a slum area built from the refugee base that grew from the Korean War.

Built on steep hillside meant many steps. There was one section named 148 steps to the stars – as the effort of ascending had people seeing stars by the end – they weren’t wrong!

There is a bit of an attempt to improve the area, with local government buying abandoned houses and installing art in and around the neighbourhood.

Alex shouted us an ice cream in a little shop run by an older lady in one of her properties. She then gave us a cup of her homemade Sikaye (sweet rice drink).

The area got very busy with tourists and warming up too.

Then a quick stop at Provisional Capital memorial.

A museum of history of this area and particularly Korean War. When the Korean War broke out on June 25th, 1950, many people fled to Busan, which remained safe from battle. Syngman Rhee. President of South Korea at that time, arrived in Busan, and designated it the provisional capital on August 18th, 1950. Since political, economic, diplomatic, administrational as well as educational activities started to concentrate in Busan, politicians and public officials as well as intellectuals and artists gathered here in great numbers. Many other people from all over the country also took refuge here in Busan. As a consequence, Busan’s population, which had been about 300,000 after the liberation from the Japanese occupation, had grown to 840,000 by 1951.

Until the Armistice Agreement was signed in July 1953, President Syngman Rhee stayed at the Presidential Residence in the Provisional Capital Busan and handled national issues of a political, diplomatic, and military nature from there. The large number of refugees who flocked to Busan determinedly continued their daily life as best as they could. As a result, Busan developed into a city housing the joys and sorrows of the diverse refugees, among them politicians, civil servants and artists.

Off to Busan tower for 360 views over Busan. And some fun shots around the tower. Took a few tries to get us all looking in the right direction for submarine shots.

1:00 time to park van again and find some lunch. Lunch today we braved the pig trotters. We didn’t want to risk it without Alex to help us order.

It was delicious, although we didn’t like the fat which Alex thought was strange. Lots of sides to accompany the meat. And and soup and Makgeolli to finish off. We all enjoyed it. Probably the meal we’ve left the least. KRW49500. About $55 for four of us.

Market Gukje – quite a few different foods. Alex shouted us a walnut and sunflower seed with cinnamon and sugar hotteok. Very nice.

Then followed a walnut pastry filled with red bean and walnuts which was also nice.

We saw peanut ones being made. Ginseng root, dried tentacles, NOT French fries and numerous other things lining the “International Market”

then onto most famous seafood in Korea. market Jagalchi.

There was literally tons of live fish, fresh dead fish, all stages of semi and dried fish. Then more tons of squid, octopus, abalone, sea squirts, sting ray, then many shellfish and muscles of all descriptions and some of them indescribable.

I took the Yee on Wee Embrocation (thanks Jorita) for smells, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected though still a bit fishy, as one would expect in a fish market.

You can actually buy the fish live and have it cooked.

Also a lot of the stalls had seating at the rear where you could eat your selection. Lots of elderly stall holders, as Alex said none of the young people want to do this work.

So many stalls, so much catch from the sea in a city of $3.5 million. What’s the waste? What chance our natural resources?

From there we visited Eulsukdo Eco Park in the hope of seeing some birds. Wetlands in the middle of the city – similar to those under the Westgate in Melbourne. We saw a number of ducks, sparrows, magpies, crows, an Eurasian spoonbill, Brown- eared Bulbul, some gulls, terns and a Blue Heron or two on the way out. A nice walk, away from city streets.

Back in the van and about an hour back to hotel.

Alex offered to take us on a walk in the younger people’s area. Sus/zie x 2 piked. It was more of the same food restaurants, maybe a little less traditional, a few promotions for Soju (rice wine).

I was trying hard to map where we went in my mind and to remember some of the food places he recommended. But it all blended together.

Back home to pick up the others for a drink and snack at our now local bar – this is our second night.

Then onto something to fill a hole. We looked around and found a place that did dumplings. Pork dumplings one type with veg and one without.

Now I’ve got to sort photos from phone and camera and those shared by the two Susie’s. Phew.