SK Trip Diary: Dynamic Busan sans the weather

It was freezing cold when I arrived in Busan at past 10:00AM, and with a delayed flight of Cebu Pacific i missed the limousine bus that will took me directly to the hotel. Everybody was pissed for obvious reason but for me, I took it as a relaxing time and praying time narin :D.

And since my original plan was to take the bus from airport to hotel didn't materialize and taxi is NOT an option (i have issues with taxis) I decided to forego to my next option: the Metro Rail system. 

Yes, sometimes I scrimp on things like transportation.

The metro rail is just outside the airport and the vending machine for tickets are located on the ground floor as well. Ignoramus as I am I have no idea how the vending machine works, and God must have listened to my payer because in a matter of minutes an airport employee who spoke very good english arrive and he helped me to buy the tickets and teach me how the rail system works.

He was my first blessing in Busan.

After two train rides and transfers I arrive in Toyoko-Inn hotel (which is conveniently located outside the train station). While signing some papers at the hotel, the receptionist offers me a membership card for Toyoko-Inn which gives me 3000 won discount on my check in. I said yes and they did gave me discount.

They are my second blessing in Busan.

Come next morning it was raining cats and dogs! Yikes! Was optimistic that the rain will stop after a few hours so I decided to join the Busan City tour bus (hop in/ho off) kind of tourist bus). I didn't get on the first trip (9:30 AM) because it was already full and I decided to join the second trip (@ 10:00AM) 

The loop tour is named Haundae tour and it brought me to the following areas:

Busan Station (take off point)

Busan Musuem

Gwangali beach

Nurimaru

Haundae beach

Haundae station

Shisegae Department store

Busan Musuem of Art (BEXCO)

Gwangan bridge

UN memorial cementery

Busan station (drop off point)

It was raining steadily hard when we start the tour. And since I forgot it was a hop-off/hop-in kind of bus and im not paying attention on the announcement in the monitor I forgot to got off at Busan Museum and Gwangali beach! Sayang!

I just promised myself to take the afternoon bus just to visit this place.

Oh, another challenge to this tour is I don't have an umbrella!! All i have is a thick paddington jacket which i was a bit hesitant to bring because I was expecting a spring type weather here in Korea. Thank God for it, it keep me warm and dry the whole tour!

APEC painting in Nurimaru

Anyhow, I  decided to go off at Nurimaru station and visit the place, and it was worth it! The place was the convention center during the 2005 APEC leader summit and the place turned into a tourist spot after the summit. Lot's of good views can be found on this cliff situated park. This is where I saw for the vey first time a Cherry blossoms.

Wet Cherry blossoms that is.

Oh, what I like about Nurimaru is the free entrance! Yehey!

Can you count how many swans and deer are there in the painting?

 Wide and circular ceiling of the APEC Summit conference room

Bawal lumapit sa upuan! Ang strict!

 Madam Gloria sat here

 Ang host lang ang may computer! sushal!

 Serene even under the storm

 Rocky Waters

 Light house of Nurimaru

After I went to every nook and cranny of Nurimaru I decided to head off to the next station, Haundae beach.

Solo Traveller just like me

It was still raining when I arrived at the beach. And since I don't have an umbrella, i just look view the beach from afar, from the Busan Aquarium building that is.

I didn't enter the aquarium (and I don't want to pay 10,000++ won) since I'm not a big fan of fishes and everything that lives under the sea, river, lakes, and what not. And since i already went to HK and Manila ocean park i think that enough aquarium in a lifetime.

I heard and read that during summer this area is very very famous for swimming and water sports activities. In fairness the beach is indeed clean and suitable for swimming. Very Nice! Parang Miami, Florida lang ang peg.

Next destination is the Shisegae department store, Busan's version of Greenbelt. I think it is the most sophisticated shopping mall in Busan, where you can find Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and most top end designer items under one roof. And thank God I forgot to bring my credit card with me because it was season sale at the mall! This is the only place where I saw the biggest "The North Face" store ever! Turns out TNF is BIG here in Busan because almost everyone wore TNF (at different ages!) Soshal!

I sadly left the store (because I didn't bought anything!) and proceed to the next station, which is the Busan Museum of Art (BMA). The museum is a three story building which house contemporary art, form painting to sculpture to non-conventional art like old televisions and mannequin! Cool!

Same as Nurimaru, BMA is free entrance!

BMA is like the MoMa of Korea. Modern and Non contemporary artworks are installed here. Also they have a whole floor dedicated for Kids art. Ang cool!!

 Korean traditional woman riding a carriage and a horse made of TV set

 Lego Parrot at Kid's Museum/ Art workshop

The works of Henry Miller is also on display at BMA. I must admit i didn't know he paints pala!

Medyo malaswa nga lang mga painting ni Ka Henry! LoL!

Some old paintings can be found on this museum, just like this one...

..... and the modern art as well

After almost an hour in the museum I decide to go home. It was still raining hard and while waiting for the bus (which was delayed by a few minutes) the two lady whom im with at the bus offered me their umbrella. See, the 2 girls have their own umbrella and they took pity on me, all wet and lonely (LoL), so they gave me their one umbrella and they share in one umbrella nailing.

They are my third blessing in Busan.

You might think why I decided to get wet and not buy an umbrella. Well the answer is I didn't find any (cheap)!!! Only when I arrived in my hotel where there is a Convenience store (Family Mart) where I found an umbrella (12,000 won!!!). 

Moving on, after we hop in at the bus in BMA, I decided to skip UN memorial since the place is an open area i.e. I'll get wet even more!

Returning to the hotel at 3:00PM, all wet and tired, I was decided to skip the tour the  next day if the weather will be the same. Thank God for the hot noodles and BIbimbap that i ate at Abby's in Busan's Chinatown (they have a FIlipina waitress who teaches me what to eat and tell me the OFW stories in Busan) all the stress and tiredness of the day was gone.

Oh by the way, before I went to Abby's I already bought the umbrella, but while  I was eating the Russian group who was with me inside the restaurant got off and took my brand new umbrella! 

WTH!!!

Just to compensate the loss, the Filipina waitress gave me their umbrella. Same type but a little bit old. Kainez Veneracion!

Good food + hot Shower + Facebook updates after, It's time to sleep. I prayed to God for a good weather the next day so that I can enjoy my stay in Busan.

And guess what, He didn't disappointment me.

Abangan!

Loving Leyte (Tacloban, Jaro and Palo)

It was an impromptu trip, me and floro we're discussing where are we spending his first day of vacation from the seminary. Many province was considered in our choices, even HK and Singapore was considered but eventually we decided to have our vacation in my home province.

And my mother was like, "Anong gagawin ninyo dun??" (what will you do there??)

And I was like, "Uhmmm I'll check the koprahan and will drink buko juice".

Lame excuse I know but I still insist on going to Leyte.

To make the long story short, I bought the tickets, Mom asked our relatives to assist me in our Leyte tour, and bought fins and lifevest for Kalamangan Island trip (which will be posted soon).

We got the earliest morning flight and my cousin and her husband are already in the airport, and after an hour of travel from Tacloban to Jaro (our hometown) i said to myself "Wow, this is the REAL province vacation experience!"

Floro was much excited as I am.

After arriving at my cousin's house and ate breakfast, we we're off to our barrio Ilawod where the koprahan is.

It was a long walk from the main road and the path is muddy, grassy and full of ferns. 

Yes ferns, parang Cristy Ferns-nin.

(insert corny joke here).

"Road to Ilawod"

The barrio is situated in the depth of the forest in Jaro, where Coconut trees are abundant and the soil is fertile. Swerte namin!

Floro resting before the photo-op

Hello Coconuts!

Father told me that there are 100+ coconut trees in the koprahan, but not all of them bear fruit altogether, and with summer season + insect infestation there are low turn out for the coconuts last first quarter =(. 

Di bale bawi nalang kami sa susunod na harvest =P.

At shempre, hindi mawawala ang kulitan portion sa picture..Here's our version of coconut pose :P

Sige na ikaw na ang best in pose bro!

After all the walking and posing of course we we're thirsty and hungry and what else should we eat......shempre coconut!

I did mentioned earlier that the place is muddy because it just rained the day before our arrival, which resulted to countless times I slipped while walking (and floro as well). This is the exact place where we both slipped while walking! Waaaa!

After our ocular inspection at the koprahan, we we're off to Palo to meet the General. 

Tacloban-Carigara mini bus (Php 45) 

From Jaro it's a 1 hour drive to Palo either by Bus, mini-bus, van or jeep. All of these transportation are available in our town but in limited time only. You'll know you're in Palo when you noticed many government buildings in one area. Almost all of these agencies are located here in Palo =)

From the main highway you have to take a ride via tricycle or pedicab (20 Php each) to get on the park, or puede rin maglakad. But we opted to ride with the pedicab, ang saya kaya sumakay! 

Happy riders! LoL!

ayaw nang bumaba ng pasahero

Cousin and pamangkin

After 10 minutes of gruelling pedicab ride (hirap yung driver kasi ang lalaki ng katawan ng pasahero nia) we finally arrived at the park! 

Yehey! Hello General!

I remember my grandmother before and she loves sharing her story during the war. She told me that during the late stage of WW2 they live practically everyday in the rice fields just to avoid the japs and they are also afraid with the "makapili". She had this hymn about them that goes like this "makapili turo, makapili tago!". She always sayit even until her death actually, maybe because she was traumatized deeply by the war.

The park has a well manicured lawn and clean bleachers. Perfect place to have sa 'date" with your special someone kasi maganda yung back portion of the park.

There's a small portion in the park which is dedicated for the 50th anniversary of the general's landing. 

Floro checking out the monument.

 From Palo we headed right straight to Tacloban City (20 minute jeepney ride). Sabi ni Mother there's nothing much to see in the city but the place had grown rapidly since the last time we we're there (2005 pa ata yun!). We first visited the Sto Nino church which is located near the city hall. I read in some article that this church was used as a hospital during the liberation of Leyte by the Americans. Well actually most of the church here in the Philippines was either a refugee camp or hospital during the war. The house of the lord serves as double purpose to his people. Very nice!

Walking past by the church, you'll see another park along the bay but this time it has an amphitheater. Coolness!

 

Park along the bay. Sila na!

City hall is right across the amphitheater. at nasa tuktok sha ng maliit na hill.

And the park didn't end there, another park can be found at the back of the city hall, it's a japanese themed park to commemorate the friendship between Japan and Philippines.

 

Commemoration to mark the two countries friendship

Awwwwww!

Our Lady of Madonna

And to end the trip we finally arrived at the Provincial Capitol building, which used to be the capitol building of the Commonwealth when the General arrived together with President Osmena. Very very nice!

Lady Justice after dark

See, im not joking! LoL!

Serene park

After the mini city tour me and Floro was very very tired! I have a feeling na we've burned 1000+ calories in walking around the capitol and park! Good job for us! 


On my next post, I'll tell you what the hell im wearing a life vest on a store. 


Next post: Adventure sa Kalangaman Islad (the hidden jewel of Leyte). Abangan!