He got in Friday night, just after we finished teaching. We helped him settle in and then decided, with his insistence, that we should go out for some Soju and Korean BBQ.
We got to introduce him to our favorite weekly restaurant we have named 'Red House.' We can read the Korean now, but we couldn't when we moved here. It has a red roof and is about the same distance from my house as the Red House was in East Austin....the name stuck.
The food was great as always and the Soju (a Korean traditional rice/sweet potato liquer) lifted spirits and assurances. We met some friends for beers at Haeundae Beach and eventually ended up doing a little rouletting.....Night #1...success.
I cooked a hearty breakfast Saturday morning. We cleaned up and headed to Jagalchi Fish Market (one of the largest fish markets in Korea). Exotic fish and colors lined endless blocks of calling merchants. You can find virtually any kind of edible life the ocean has to offer at Jagalchi. Dozens of types of squid, tiny to enormous fish, octopus, shrimp, sharks, crabs, seaweed, monster shrimp, sting rays, clams, mussels, and much more that I am unaware of are all available to the best bargainer.
On the subway to the fish market, we met this older woman who was adamant about practicing her English. She them followed us to the market, but eventually made her way to her destination after a solid 30-minute English lesson. She was about 4'3"
Across the main street from Jagalchi is the Nampo open-air market. 100 square blocks of quality imitation name brands are for sale for fractions of the price. They have anything you want....except for legitimacy. In its defense, there are many actual outlets of mainstream designers. Here's one of their salesmen...
This really boggles my mind. A Korea vertical parking garage. I assume it's powered by some massive hydraulic system.
Later, we taxied down to Gwangalii Beach for dinner and drinks that night. We took Steve to our favorite Vietnamese Pho restaurant. Korean food is amazing, but a good bowl of Pho is hard to stay away from. Their dumplings are pretty bomb as well. After dinner, Steve and I went down the beach to a favorite foreigner bar for some darts.
A couple beers and a cheap Long Island later, we hopped over to Kyungsung De, my favorite party district in Busan. We checked out some great spots and ended up at Kino-eye in the center of KSU. I've DJed at Kino about every other week. They really love my musical taste there, so they let me play almost whenever I want to. I ended up playing for a couple hours with Steve rippin' up the dance floor.
It took a while to get going on Sunday. We eventually made it out to Haedong Yonggunsa, a Buddhist Temple scenically placed on the eastern cliffs of Busan over-looking the ocean. Amy and I have visited four temples so far, and this is definitely my favorite.
We had a good ole American dinner of burgers, fries, and chicken tenders, at the Wolfhound Pub in Haeundae. We tried our luck one more time at the Paradise Casino down the boardwalk, but struck out once again. I won't be seeing you for a while, Paradise.
Unfortunately, Amy and I had to work Monday and Tuesday. Our hours aren't too bad, 1-830, so Steve kept himself company and explored the Korean History Museum and the U.N. cemetery. I haven't visited either yet, but after Steve's description, I will definitely have to.
Monday night, Amy, Steve and I met two of our Canadian friends for some Korean BBQ in our neighborhood of Mangmi. Jen and Kim met us with tan skin after their two week vacation to Thailand.....wow, I'm jealous. Round 2 after dinner led us to BooknBeer. They serve these amazing towers of beer at BnB. Steve was a big fan.
Tuesday afternoon, I took Steve to a very normal Korean lunch of BeepBimBop and Man-Doo.
BeepBimBop is a bowl of white rice topped with four different types of sprouts, carrots, seaweed, radish, a fried egg and hot sauce. Man-Doo is dumplings. I eat this once a week for lunch. It is delicious, very nutritious, and mani-cheap!
Tuesday night, we headed to one of our favorite neighborhood spots, the Pajeon and DongDongJu house. You sit on blankets on the floor around a small table. You are served fermented seaweed and radish to start you off. DongDongJu is a rice wine made in the house...my favorite Korean alcohol. It is served in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. You use the wooden spoon to fill smaller, personal bowls. The main courses were Pajeon and a spicy pork dish (I can never remember the name). Pajeon is like a big yet thin pancake, topped with squid, octopus, and green onions. I know that sounds disgusting, but it turns out to be amazing.
We went home early to pack for our 9am KTX train ride for Seoul!!!
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