Beomeosa Temple 범어사

On March 12, 2025 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.

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Busan Subway

On March 12, 2025 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.

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Welcome to Busan

On March 12, 2025 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.