TigerSalad

Ideas-Photographs-Sounds: Home and Away

Posts in Category: Travel

Chicago 48hrs

On August 24, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Photography, Travel

Chicago

Chicago seems like a city that is doing a lot of things right. The more time I spend here, the more I like it. There are endless low rise/high density neighbourhoods with sprawling canopies of old trees giving shade from the summer sun. A healthy independent retail scene fills countless blocks with small stores catering to every niche in fashion, decor, music, etc. Restaurants seem to be thriving as well. In 48hrs, we had great meals at places from classic sandwich shop Mr Beef up to Michelin star restaurant Sepia. Special mention to Jersey Mike’s for one of the best fast-food submarine sandwiches I have ever eaten. The CTA L-trains, stations and entrances are clean and efficient with colourful tiles and architecture that fits in perfectly with their surroundings. The lake is bordered by easily accessible parks, public spaces and beaches, theatres, sculpture and botanical gardens. There is so much more. It is the first place that comes to mind when I think of great American cities.

About the photographs

This was a short and busy road trip so I didn’t take as many photos as I would have on a slower adventure. But the tradeoff was that I got to see and do many fun things in short time with great company. As a die-hard solo traveler, I am starting to warm up to the idea of traveling with others (depends on the people though!). This time around, following the lead of my friend’s two sons as they scoped out cool spots in the city was an absolute pleasure. Hope we can do it again someday.

Just before this trip, I installed a mild diffusion filter on my camera lens (Tiffen Glimmerglass 1). It has tiny specks of reflective material sandwiched between two glass plates that serve to scatter and diffuse light. Mounted on the front of my Fujifilm X100 lens, in daytime photos it tends to smooth out transitions between between bright and dark areas. Points of light (especially at night) show some halation (they glow softly like halos). It is a mild effect but I think I like it…

Travelling companions: Matias, Milosz and Luke. I like the weird greenish LED light halos under the bridge.

A couple of Chicago landmarks

Chicago Theatre, a landmark in the city since 1921. You can see the halation from the lens filter around the lamp post lights.

Wrigley Field, another famous landmark and home to the Chicago Cubs. Opened in 1914 and named after the Wrigley Company, makers of the famous chewing gum some years after they acquired the stadium in 1921. I just noticed that this says “Hornitos: A shot worth taking”. Haha…that is a good line.

Millenium Park

The “Bean” (actual name is Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park. It is a 66 foot long and 33 foot high polished stainless steel sculpture. Artist Anish Kapoor took inspiration from liquid mercury. It is always crawling with tourists but absolutely worth visiting to see the surrounding architecture get bent out of shape (also to take fun-house selfies). I tried to catch some interesting reflections and angles.

Probably one of the best places in the world for mirror selfies. I am in here too..

I like seeing the actual buildings next to their distorted reflections.

Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing nestled behind the dreamy wildflower meadow in Lurie Garden.

Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue in Millennium Park. There are a few hundred people sitting in the grass watching the film Sense and Sensibility.

Free public tennis courts in Millennium park. You can really see the halation in the lights here.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

This time around, we only used the L-train although I have used buses in the past. The CTA seems like a clean and functional system. The L-train stations have beautiful tile-work but I didn’t have enough time for pictures. Next time I come back, I will focus a little more on the L-train and stations including sound recordings.

The compact L-trains mostly travel on elevated (L) tracks around the downtown area. Underneath the narrow rail corridors are cafes, restaurants and shops. These trains are bright and clean, weaving seamlessly throughout the fabric of the urban centre. I like being able to travel with sunlight in the windows and views of the Chicago architecture. It is well worth the price of admission.

Chicago Architecture

I think I could spend a week just looking at buildings in this city. Below are a few of the better known ones. But, at least for me, all the beautifully built and maintained low rise apartment buildings are just as impressive. The number and variety of perfectly preserved low-rises in residential neighbourhoods is astonishing. This city is a real knock-out.

The Marina Towers (aka the corncob buildings) taken from under the Wabash Avenue bridge. I never get tired of seeing these beauties. The corncobs were designed by Bertrand Goldberg, a student of Mies van der Rohe. And, I could be wrong, but I think the black building leaning into the photo on the right is the IBM building designed by Mies van der Rohe himself.

Another shot of the same spot. I like the glow of the street lamps and the lit-up couple underneath.

Sometimes large scale textures show better in black-and-white images. I was tempted to shoot this whole Chicago trip in black-and-white. I think this city would look especially handsome. Just think of how New York City looked in Woody Allen’s “Manhattan”.

This is one of my favourite shots from this trip. It is a serviceman climbing a steel ladder above the loading area behind Sepia Restaurant. This is a great example of how the glitter glass filter softens the transition between the hard daylight from above and the dark alleyway below.

The way home

I was amazed at how beautiful US gas stations and rest stops are. Not enough time this trip to really document them but I did get in a couple of shots on a midnight break on the way home, just back over the Canadian border. Next trip I will focus on these colourful oases in the pitch black countryside.

Gas stations and trucks stops are so photogenic at night, especially in the deep dark of rural areas.

Luke shooting film…green because I messed up my white balance setting…I like it though.

This was a short but fun mini-vacation. Hope we can do it again soon with more pictures and sounds. As always, if you have any comments or questions or if you don’t like the plural of oasis, please leave your thoughts below.

chicago, photography

Tiara Girls in Shibuya Scramble

On July 7, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Japan 2025, Photography

Smartphones and Social Media: Today’s Popular Photography

These days, everyone everywhere has a camera in their pocket. Smartphone cameras have filters, AI and editing tools that give everyone the ability to take a decent photograph. Publishing photos has also become effortless. Anyone can post their images publicly on social media platforms like Instagram, and image posts get feedback through “likes” and “comments”. This is satisfying and motivating. It is a fun way to share your images with a huge audience.

Social media gives people the motivation to take photographs and smartphone technology makes it easy. The result is that millions of personal documentary style photos are being published everyday. Photo based apps have become a worldwide tool for communication and self expression. But while casual social media snaps are by far the most common type of photography, there are still other types of photographs to consider: images that are able to draw and hold your attention, freezing unique and surprising moments in time. There is a kind of magic in them. They are rare and difficult to capture.

Because these types of photos are so elusive, netting them requires some planning and skill but mostly persistence and luck. Of the thousands of pictures I took on a recent trip to Japan and Korea, I managed to capture only one such image.

The 1/250th of a second miracle

Tiara Girls in Shibuya Scramble Crossing — Tiara Girls in Shibuya Scramble copyright @ TigerSalad

1/250th of a second…that’s how much time is captured here. We are in a huge crowd of people swarming through Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo. I am quickly walking forward taking pictures from waist level without looking through my camera. The girls are walking quickly towards me headed in the opposite direction. For this fraction of a second, we are facing each other. We are less than 2 metres apart and my finger happens to push the camera shutter. We pass each other and the moment is gone. Forever. One fraction of a second before or after and it would not exist. It is pure luck.

The intimate angle, the fact that the image is in focus and exposed so well and the emotion on display coming together in this tiny moment is almost a miracle. To put it into context, I tried the same technique in the same crosswalk for over two hours and took over 400 pictures. Out of 400 shots, maybe 6 or 7 were usable. Of those few, this was the only one that stood out as something truly special. It made the whole process worthwhile and went beyond all my expectations. It is one of my favourite pictures that I have ever taken.

What sets this image apart?

Emotion.

Photographs that express strong emotion are the ones that draw me in . And, the most captivating images are candid photos, where the emotion is pure and unaffected, where the subject has no sense that they are being photographed.

Tiara Girls in Shibuya Scramble glows with the energy of youth: freedom, rebellion, optimism are all on display. School uniform collars are unbuttoned and ties are pulled loose. Determined eyes are gazing directly and fearlessly into the future.

The princess tiaras, the body language and the smiles on their faces hint at the kind of friendship that can only bloom when you are young and free and open hearted. It makes me think of this short story passage:

“The most important people turned up surprisingly early in life. After a certain point, she found it difficult to turn even the first page of relationships that her younger self would’ve entered with relative ease. People locked their hearts at some point in their lives, as if everyone had agreed to do so. Then they made acquaintances outside those locks, with people who would never hurt them or be hurt by them”. Choi Eunyoung “Sister, My Little Soonae”

Some of our closest and most impactful friendships are forged when we are very young: before we have had our hearts bruised enough times to start hiding them away from others. This photograph captures that time.

I like this picture so much that I printed an 8×10 and pinned it up beside my desk. This notice board reminds me of all the appointments I don’t want to go to and also of all the language learning I am struggling with. When I feel overwhelmed or underpowered, I look at this picture, and try to take in some of its optimism and energy.

Candid photography and telephoto lenses (spy photography)

Are there easier ways to get this kind of picture? Why not just sit up on a staircase above the crossing with a long lens and fire away..like taking bird pictures? The answer is that if you are not down in the crowd using a lens that is close to human vision perspective, you will not capture the kind of emotion that you see here. It just won’t work. The photos will look like spy camera photos, flat and lifeless. Kind of like when they show snaps of cop surveillance photos on tv shows. You need to be inside the image. When you are photographing from a distance, the photo will feel distant.

Check out my original post about Shibuya Scramble Crossing if want to see a few more pictures from this day.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Knowing you have been here gives me the motivation to keep it up. Thanks always for stopping by : )

japan, photography

서울 안녕 / Seoul Annyeong

On March 17, 2025 by admin With 2 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Why do i keep coming back?

I have been to Korea many times and each time I come here, I like it even more. By now, there is nothing really difficult about travel here and it is starting to feel a bit like a second home. I am always happy to arrive and a little sad to leave. Over the years I have gathered up more and more friends with every visit and I always look forward to seeing them. This month long trip was evenly divided between Tokyo and Seoul. My two weeks here felt much too short. There were a few people that I wanted to see that i wasn’t able to connect with this time around. All the more reason to come back soon : )

These are a few images that I like which didn’t really fit anywhere else:

Colourful Buddhist temple in Seoul Korea near Namdaemun — One of my favourite pictures that i took of Seoul. It is a tiny Buddhist Temple (용궁절) on a bridge on Sowol Ro near Sungnyemun (Namdaemun) Gate. The back-turned golden Buddha, the deflated red lantern, the spikey trees and the smiley face on the wall next door, the sunshine on the building and the blue sky above. To me this is perfect.

View of different rooflines stretching across Seoul Korea — The angles and random level changes of a city haphazardly built. Old crushed together with new. Ultra modern and futuristic alongside little islands of ancient wooden gates, stone walls and palaces. 5 star steel and glass hotels with crumbling 100 year old restaurants in the alleys behind them. Seoul is a city that seems to be hiding a secret, a new discovery, around every corner. It is what I like the most about it.

A cute snowman slow down sign walking down from Namsan Tower — 천천히: If it rains, or if it snows…slow down, at least to enjoy it for a moment. Good advice.

A flower market in Jongno Seoul Korea — I have walked by here a hundred times and never noticed the Jongno Flower Market. A happy discovery on a sunny weekend morning.

Seoul Station, a major travel hub in Seoul Korea — The massive Seoul Station at night looks like a space colony.

A demonstration on a Saturday night in the streets of Jongno Seoul Korea — This is a photo of a Saturday night demonstration against the impeached President Yoon. I like it because Brad Pitt is chilling with his DeLonghi coffee in the middle of it. He looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world while the shouting protestors march by.

A colourful truck stacked high with boxes at night in Hwanghak-dong Seoul Korea — Sleeping Hwanghak-dong Market late at night

A fruit cart rolling through Hwanghak-dong carrying apples melons and tomatoes — Hwanghak-dong fruit cart passing through the market on a busy Saturday afternoon

An orange cat perched on a temple roof at Beomeosa Temple in Busan Korea — The cutest temple kitten at Beomeosa in Busan

A couple taking photos in Hanbok at Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul Korea. — Couple in hanbok doing a photo shoot at Changdeokgung Palace

Red pine tree next to roof detail in Chandeokgung secret garden Seoul Korea — Red pine tree, one of my favourite trees here. They are very common but, to me, the colour of the wood and the shape of the canopy is beautiful. In Gangneung, these trees line the beaches making it one of my favourite landscapes in Korea: red pine, sand and sea.

Overhead coloured light at dusk in a lower area of Itaewon — Itaewon in the evening. I had never been to Itaewon so I went to have a look and take a few pictures. We passed by the Hamilton Hotel where 160 people were crushed to death in the Halloween crowd surge in 2022. It just looked like any little street on a hill, like nothing remarkable had ever happened there. No more memorials remained but I felt sad seeing it.

Man in Hongdae Seoul Korea selling egg bread from his street stall — 계란빵: steamed egg breads, great snack to warm you up when it is chilly outside. I think this is Hongdae.

Pair of carp resting near the sandy bottom of Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul Korea — Carp in Cheonggyecheon stream

We were on the 19th floor in our building so I was forced to watch this advertisement screen to the point where I actually developed a favourite..this was it. I really don’t like elevators but this stupid ad made me laugh every time.

Woman petting kitten near Naksan Park Seoul Korea — Naksan kitten

Travelling Partner:

Father and daughter travel together and share a meal with friends in Busan Korea — I normally take these long trips alone. There are very few people that I can think of that i would want to spend a month with in planes trains and tiny hotel rooms. But, traveling together with my adult daughter has made this trip so much easier and so much more fun. I am good at traveling solo but this time having someone along to share all the adventures made the time away even more precious. We probably won’t get this opportunity again in the future so I am so grateful that we had this time to share together. I have learned a lot from her and I hope I have passed along some knowledge about how to get along on the other side of the world. Sumi took this picture of us in Busan.

Our trip here was long and exhausting with many many flight delays and bad weather. So far we are starting our trip back with only a 2 hour delay. Hopefully it won’t get any worse! Wish us good luck.

한국 안녕! 다음에 또 만나요

If you plan to travel to Korea, check here for ideas.

Namsan and Seolleongtang

On March 16, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

A day spent travelling up to Namsan Tower by cable car and then having dinner at Seoul’s oldest restaurant, Imun Seolleongtang.

First stop: coffee along the old city wall near our home base. There is a strip of cute tiny coffee shops perched on the hill. You can get a good view of Seoul from here. It seems like a very popular spot for couples at sunset.

Cute takeaway coffees from Horse House coffee near Naksan Park

A woman sips her coffee at Cafe Horse House with Seoul old city wall in the background — Along the old city wall, Naksan park became one of our favourite places for a quiet walk. We spent the morning here cat spotting and drinking coffee at Cafe Horse House.

A wide view of Seoul from Namsan — Later, a trip up Namsan by cablecar let us have a bird’s eye view of Seoul. I tried a panorama picture with my camera. You can see how the city sprawls into the horizon around the mountains.

View of Seoul to the north east from Namsan — This is to the North-east. Over those mountains is North Korea.

east-north-east view of Seoul from Namsan — A little further east looking straight at the part of the city we were living in.

South-west view of Seoul from Namsan — Towards the South-west. You can see the Han river reflecting the afternoon sun.

Namsan Tower with traditional Korean roof detail and blue sky

Namsan Tower at the top of Namsan Park. We didn’t go up inside. The view from the top of the mountain was good enough. If you want to visit click here

seollongtang at Imun Seollongtang in Jongno

I have been to Korea many times and I always have the same last meal: Seolleongtang at Imun Seolleongtang. It is a favourite to strengthen body and spirit for the long road home. Read all about it

In his excellent book “Eating Korea”, Graham Holliday made a joke about Seolleongtang being the perfect meal to say “so long” 👋 to Seoul. I couldn’t agree more. I have read this book at least three times and would recommend it to anyone visiting Korea. Buy local ok?

Hwanghak-dong / 황학동

On March 15, 2025 by admin With 3 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Sounds of the Market

These sounds of Hwanghak-dong market give the pictures a little more life: look and listen

A wide view of Hwannghak-dong Market with colourful umbrellas

Hwanghak-dong is home to a permanent full time flea market. It is busy everyday with sidewalk and shop vendors selling absolutely everything. I won’t even try to list what is available. Anything you can think of…you can buy it here. It is crowded with people young and old from morning to sundown.

Crowds of people exploring Hwanghak-dong Flea Market

Perfume seller at Hwanghak-dong Market — perfume and aftershave

Miscellaneous pile of stuff spilling out of a store onto the roadway in Hwanghak-dong — clocks, blenders, clothes, rice cookers, shoes…..

Old Korean men looking through record crates on the street in Hwanghak-dong — fellow ajeossi crate diggers

Power tool seller and repairman at Hwanghak-dong — power tool specialist

Steam rising from a street stall where kwabaegi and steam buns are selling — loads of food: this is steamed buns and kwabaegi, a kind of korean doughnut twist. We almost always get toast here 토스트. It’s a white bread sandwich fried in butter, stuffed with egg and veggie scramble, ham and cheese, cane sugar and ketchup. I like ordering it because I get to say 치즈 (cheese) in Korean.

Gold jewelry on display at Hwanghak-dong Flea Market — gold jewellery

Shoe seller at Hwanghak-dong Flea Market — shoes..this looks like a bargaining standoff

brass animals and mounted rocks (scholar’s rocks?)

The Mystery of Old Photos

Personal photos that have become separated from their families are a mystery. There is always a story in the image but it is almost impossible to know what it is.

I found this loose snapshot in a basket in a store at the flea market. Because it is black and white and from the look of the cars in the background, it must be the 60’s. There is a building and statue in the background that look European. I love the kids faces (kids making funny faces in family photos is a phenomenon that knows no cultural boundaries). They look so unhappy in the moment. Maybe they have had to pose for too many photos that day or maybe it’s too hot outside to stand in the sun. The woman is most likely their mom. It is such a good photograph.

Old family photo with writing on the back in Korean

The best part is that there is writing on the back. I have trouble reading handwriting so a friend helped me to read and translate it: It says:

“This is the entrance to the Eiffel Tower where you can get off the bus from our place. The building behind is a military school. The statue behind us is far from where we are standing and the building is across a wide road.”

Korean writing on the back of a photo explaining where they are on the front

I looked up “Eiffel Tower” and “Military School” and found out that the building they are standing in front of is the Ecole Militaire in Paris. It faces the Eiffel Tower. Here is a modern picture of it including the statue she mentioned. I wonder if they were living in Paris and why? Or maybe they were just visiting. How many Koreans travelled to Europe in the 60s? I am sure it was unusual. How hard was it for a foreigner to use French buses back then?

I hope you had as much fun in Paris as I had finding your picture at the flea market. How did you get separated from your photos? Where are you now? Have I seen you on the subway sitting in the blue seats?

Lazy day in Seoul

On March 14, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Coffee and Cats

A walk up the old city wall near Dongdaemun to feed cats was not a great success. It was a hot afternoon and they were probably asleep in the shade somewhere. Instead, we stopped at the little 3 story “Cafe Reading Cat” overlooking the west end of Seoul and sipped coffee in the sunshine. Cats are everywhere outdoors in Seoul. People who live here seem to take care of the homeless ones, bringing them food or setting up little shelters for them. If you want to see a post where we found lots of cats up here, check this one.

Cute coffee mug with cat and book at Cafe Reading Cat in Seoul

View of Namsan from Cafe Reading Cat with cats on the building

Plaster cats adorn Cafe Reading Cat coffee shop in Seoul — Cat sculptures along the outside walls

Picture perfect weathered yellow entranceway in Seoul — Picturesque entryway

Gas and electrical meters with rusty pipe along white wall in Seoul — Electrical conduit, gas pipes, water pipes, sewers, valves and gauges: these are the nervous, circulatory and digestive systems of a city. I like seeing how different places have these arranged. I am a utility-tourist

Dinner with Minu

Alleyway flower stand at night in Jongno — On the way to meet Minu for dinner I noticed this old man had set up a flower shop in an alleyway in Jongno. There are many businesses like this that appear after dark and disappear by the next morning.

Bar and restaurant alley in Jongno where we met for BBQ — Lively alleyways behind the main street, full of restaurants and young people just off work. When I first travelled to Asia, I remember being dazzled by all the bright signs and lights everywhere. I am so used to them now that I don’t notice them as much but I really do miss them when I get back home. It’s like when your parents take the Christmas lights down and your house returns to colourless normal.

Modern pork BBQ restaurant in Jongno — 무쇠옥, a modern pork BBQ joint. It was very good. Look here for details.

Pork BBQ cooking on hot grill in Jongno BBQ restaurant — This BBQ was not only different thick cuts of pork but also kimchi, bracken fern, minari and bean sprouts, all caramelized on the hotplate and wrapped in lettuce and perilla leafs. There was also ramp jjangachi and rich doenjang jjigae.

Naengmyeon and Emu Artspace

On March 14, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Pyongyang Naengmyeon

I love naengmyeon. The icy broth and chewy noodles are unlike anything else. Woo Rae Oak has been serving Naengmyeon in Seoul since the 1940s. Noodles, broth, beef, fermented white kimchi and sliced korean pear are arranged in a big bowl. You can sharpen the flavour with mustard and vinegar from the pots on the table. The kimchi here is probably the best I have had on this trip.

There is normally a lineup from the moment the doors open but we were lucky with our timing today and sat down right away. Woo Rae Oak as well as Pildong Myeonok are my two favourites for this dish in Seoul. you can read about Woo Rae Oak in the Michelin Guide.

Emu Artspace

I have visited Emu Artspace many times and I always leave wishing we had a place like this back home in Toronto. There is a small theatre on both the second and the third floor where they show mostly independent and arthouse films. The main floor is a cafe/bookstore where you can relax with a drink before your film. One floor below is Panta Garage, a live performance space that hosts music shows across all genres. In addition to this, a small wooden stage in the grass behind the building provides an outdoor space for performances in good weather.

It is truly an art “centre”, a place where artists of all kinds can come together under one roof and there is always something going on for lovers of books, music and film.

Emu Artspace at night from outside — Like so many places in Seoul, Emu is off the main road, up a hill, through the dark, around a couple of corners, behind another building, in a place where you would least expect to find it… Finding the place you are looking for in Korea is often a “light at the end of the tunnel” experience!

Emu Artspace coffee counter and lounge area with books — There are house copies of books that you can read while hanging out as well as volumes that you can buy. The books are mostly in Korean. This time I noticed a good selection of Han Kang’s novels.

Emu Artspace coffee lounge area with library — Around the corner towards the back, there are a couple of larger tables where you can read or work.

Woman having tea at Emu Artspace before film — Best ginger tea I have ever had, spicy and sweet made with real cut ginger.

Mickey 17 posters given at Emu Artspace as a gift when seeing the film here. — Many movies come with some free promotional items. These are high quality posters printed on heavy card stock. We saw Mickey 17 tonight, the new film from Bong Joon-Ho.

A Czech man poses outside the Czech Center in Seoul — Right next door is the Czech Center Seoul, a big three story building. I wonder what the Czechs are doing in there?

Beomeosa Temple 범어사

On March 12, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Built on Geumjongsan mountain and established in 678, Beomeosa Temple sits in a picturesque landscape of old forests and mountain streams. Most buildings are covered in exquisite painted images of the Buddha. Massive statues and stone relics have survived through the centuries. Climbing up from the nearest subway station takes about an hour on a steady uphill slope. Today, we exercised body, mind and spirit. This was another afternoon of high bright sun so the colours in the photos are a little washed out. It reminds me of old slide film.

Looking over the lower deck of Beomeosa Temple

3 tier pagoda, ancient treasure of Beomeosa Temple — 3 story stone pagoda from the Shilla era between 826 and 836

The details at this temple are intricate and beautiful with many original paintings on the walls under the rooflines

The forests around the temple are as beautiful as the temple itself, especially in the fall

Woman standing under coloured roofline at Beomeosa

Beomeosa Temple cat relaxing on a roof tile in the sun — A colony of mostly orange cats have made a home here. I think these are two littermates, the brave one warming himself on sunbaked ceramic tile and the shy one peeking over the wall in the shade. Look in the shadows of the top picture…

Beomeosa Temple also participates in a Temple stay program where visitors can enjoy an extended visit to experience everyday life as the monks do, participate is work prayer and temple meals. My friend also let me know that if you visit the temple between certain hours of the day (I think between 12 and 2pm) you can enjoy a meal of temple food for free. Here is the official website with more information Temple Stay and Other Info.

Busan Subway

On March 12, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Just like in the Seoul subway system, Busan subway stations are mostly enclosed so you can’t see the trains. You enter through glass elevator style doors once the train has stopped in the station. Busan trains have their own unique seaside themes in the way that they are decorated and in the sounds that they make. We took a few lines that travel above ground for some time with an especially long stretch between Gwangan and Beomeosa. On a sunny day it is really pleasant to watch the city race by as you make your way to your destination.

Gwangan Station on the Busan subway — Home base at Gwangan Station. The stations are not quite as numerous here as they are in Seoul so you have to walk a little more to get to a train unless you are right on a line. I don’t mind.

Sparkling interior of Busan subway car — Like every subway I have seen on this trip, they are sparkling clean and colourful. This is a particularly sunny stretch on the way to Beomeosa Temple.

Fish mosaic tiles in a Busan subway station — Fish tiles in the station

Seagull patterned seats on a Busan subway car — Seagull seats

Sounds of the Busan Subway

Busan stations and trains have cute and interesting sounds from the “bling bling bling” of the door closing signal to the flock of seagulls or boat horns announcing the arrival of a train. The terminal station song is especially cheerful and cute but I can’t quite make out what they are singing (at 3:55). I only had a day or two, but I got quite a few sounds. The last one is clomping up the stairs..you climb a lot of stairs here! The repeated phrase is “발빠짐 주의”. It means “watch your step” in Korean.

Subway sound collage:

Here is a link to an official Busan metro website for info Busan Metro Site. Just like everywhere else in Korea, you can use Navermaps or Kakaomaps apps to get good directions.

If you enjoy subway sounds and want to hear more, have a look at this post from Seoul or this one from Tokyo.

Welcome to Busan

On March 12, 2025 by admin With 0 Comments - Korea 2025, Travel

Gwangalli Beach 광안리

Busan, compared to Seoul, has a much more relaxed and slow vibe. It smells like the sea and has the feel of a resort town near the water. Of the famous beaches in Busan, Gwangalli is the one I like the best. It has a youthful and relaxed atmosphere and there are good restaurants, cafes and cheap hotels nearby. Our strange hotel was right on the beach this time.

Busan Station from the front with "Busan is Good" sign — “Busan is Good”: the city motto. It sounds kind of flat in English but in Korean 부산이라 좋다! has a much livelier feel. It’s more like “Busan is good! Yeah!!👍”

Gwangan Bridge lit up at night viewed from Gwangalli Beach — The crescent shaped stretch of Gwangalli Beach takes about 40 minutes to walk slowly from one end to the other. Along the way, little art installations and places to sit dot the blonde sand. The Gwangan Bridge is lit up at night in colours and patterns and there is often live music. I saw fireworks a few times and I hear that there is an impressive drone show on Saturday nights.

Seashells lined up in the sand at Gwangalli Beach

LISTEN TO THE BEACH 🏖

Older citizens of Busan walking Gwangalli Beach in the evening — Older folks out for an evening walk on the beach.

Gwangalli Beach at dusk with hotels lit up in the distance — Dusk on the beach with hotels lights coming on in the background

Picturesque group pf Red Pine trees lining an entrance to Gwangalli Beach — A group of Red Pines at the edge of the beach.

Busan Food and Friends:

We met Sumi for Dwaeji Gukbab 됀지국밥 (pork and rice soup), one of my favourite Busan dishes. This restaurant also made the best sundae (blood sausage) I have ever eaten. I forgot to take pictures: too delicious, too much talking. Later, Sungmin joined us for some Kelly Beers (new Korean brew) and some snacks at a Gwangan local bar. A tiny place with maybe 4 tables run by a couple in a small alley, it is the kind of place that I would never find by myself. I am lucky to have some friends here to show me neighbourhood spots like this. The food and drinks were delicious, crispiest kimchi jeon I have ever had.