Insane weekend II, part 3: Busan

My friend and I woke up the next day to a somewhat overcast day, which was a huge improvement over the previous day, when it was pouring rain. Considering that this was our last day in Busan and some of the stuff we wanted to do was outdoors, it was quite a lucky break.

The first place we decided to go to was Haeundae Beach, which is often considered the best beach in Korea. It is also the most famous, and is often crowded with people. The sun was peaking out at times, but it wasn't too busy when we were there.

The gorgeous Haeundae Beach.

Considering that Seoul isn't close to the water and the nearest coastline in Incheon is pretty gritty, and that the Han River that runs through Seoul is so polluted that my friend and I saw a dead fish floating there once, seeing a beach like this was refreshing.

After the beach, we went for a sushi lunch at Centum City, and then decided to wander around. We eventually hit a beach called Gwangalli, where we had a great view of the Busan skyline.

The Busan skyline from Gwangalli.

After Gwangalli, we went on the visit the United Nations cemetery. The UN has a special place in this city because Busan was one of the only two major cities (along with Daegu) not to fall under North Korean control during the Korean War.

Flags of Korean War participants at the UN Cemetery.


The monument for Canadian, British, Australian and South African soldiers.


Canadian graves at the UN Cemetery.


The monument for Canadian soldiers.



General view of graves at the UN Cemetery.


The wall of foreign Korean War military casualties.


The Canadian section of the wall.

We were rather late by the time we finished, and the guard actually locked the gates by the time we got there. But the guard was nowhere to be found. Somehow, we managed to find someone who could track him down, and we finally left for Busan Station. We got there a little later than I would've liked but we made it.

The KTX trip back to Seoul was timely and hassle-free, but it was raining by the time we got back -- a big shift from the sunshine we had in Busan. Apparently it was raining even harder in Seoul the day before than Busan, so I guess we shouldn't complain.