Busan is a very interesting city with many attractions. I did not visit all the places that trip because I have plans to visit again in near future when my wife goes mountain hiking with her gang of hikers. I am not welcomed to join the hikers because I was slow like a tortoise. The last time we hiked up Mount Kinabalu, she finished in 4.5 hours before lunch. I took over 9 hours to reach the top when the skies turned pitched dark with the moon laughing at me. So damn malu!! You wanna hear the reasons?
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Address: 86 Yonggung-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, South Korea.
This popular idyllic temple sits by the rocky seaside that offers very spectacular view of the whole ocean and natural landscaping of beautiful rocks. There are plenty of steps to navigate yourself to visit this place, so your knees should be strong.
They are rated as "The Most Beautiful Temple in Korea" as all the temples are located high on mountains but this one sits by the hilly rocks and overlooks the sea.
This ancient temple was first built by the Great Buddhist Teacher named Naong in the year 1376, during the Goryeo Dynasty.
You can spend hours alone to admire the peaceful scenery with the huge rolling waves splashing on the rocks. It really calmed my feelings. The waves took away my blues and whatever sadness into the ocean very faraway. Busan has many beautiful rocky areas by the sea for us to check it out.
The main Mahavira hall of the temple.
The monk was reciting some prayers inside the hall.
My Korean friend sat and waited for me patiently wherever I went.
That's what best friends are for.
I think that statue is the Bodhisatva Di Zang Wang Pusa by judging on the long pole that he carries. He was a Royal Prince from Korea who went to do his cultivation in the Mount Jiuhua in Anhui China. This Bodhisatva's statues can be seen widely all over Japan, China, Taiwan including Malaysia. I visited the pagoda where his body was kept in China. You can see it
HERE.
There is a tall pagoda outside the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
Can you spot the 2 Love Birds??
The 2 Love Birds.
Gamcheon Culture Village
Address: Gamnae 2-ro, Saha-gu, Busan.
That's my friend who drove me up the hilly slopes of Busan to see the amazing "Santorini" village.
The whole village was once the poorest slum area since the Korean War. Today it has magically turned into a top tourist area with so many colourful streets, corners and cafes for good photography. They have endless of Artistic Walls, Sculptures and Murals. I am just showing you the monkey side of me.
So many Korean lady-wannabes wearing their pretty traditional "Hanbok".
Please remember that this whole Gamcheon Village consists of all clustered houses stacked up on the hilly slopes with tiny winding steps. My friend being a heavy smoker was gasping for his breaths and dear life, climbing the winding stairs. It was amazing to see how the Korean families lived there.
We found a roof top of a cafe to peek the view of Gamcheon Village but it was not the right angle.
I went up to the stage to sing Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock".
So we had to walk down all over again and walked up other narrow steps to find the right place. We failed again and had to drive the car to another side of the big hill.
Now this angle looked more interesting.
I found the perfect spot!
My postcard photo. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
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