“The Journey of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step.”
We are very lucky to have the view of Haeundae Beach everyday as our accommodation, Best Louis Hamilton sits at the corner of the most famous beaches in South Korea directly. It is one of Busan's most popular tourist attractions that is open around the year., attracting 10 million visitors in all seasons.
It not only welcomes the visits of various tourists, it also hosts a variety of events, including the Haeundae Sand Festival and Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The stretch of the beach is 1.5km and houses many interesting activities to cater different interests of visitors.
The beach was originally a fishing recreation for the locals in the area, the leisure activities began to boom in the late 19th century.
During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese taught their children to swim at the beach. U.S. soldiers also used this place for the military station for landing ships during the Korean War.
Dalmaji-gil Road is located in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea. It's a picturesque coastal pathway known for its stunning views of the ocean, sandy beaches, and beautiful Camellia and pine forests. It's a popular destination for nature lovers and those looking to enjoy a scenic walk.
Haeundae Blueline Park Beach Train & Sky Capsule
An iconic attraction in Mipo Busan that has been popular with visitors since it opened its doors in 2020.
Haeundae Beach' personal railway system AKA Haeundae Blueline park is a 5km rail system that starts from Mi-po station, it goes several stops before final stop at Seongjeong station. One way journey from the first station to the last station takes about 30 minutes of unspoiled stunning view of the ocean and surrounding.
One way ticket at KWR7000, return trip at KWR12,000 while KWR16,000 for hop on & hop off ticket.
These are the train stations for Haeundae Blueline Park : Mi-po station - Dalmaj Tunnel - Cheongsapo station - Daritdol Observatory station - Gudeokpo station - Songjeong station.
Haeundae Sky Capsule is a non-stop monorail that runs from Mi-po station to Cheongsapo station.
Per capsule cost KWR35,000 for 2 passengers, KWR45,000 for 3 passengers and KWR50,000 for max 4 passengers.
Busan X
Nestled in the heart of Haeundae Beach, Busan X offers a panoramic view of South Korea's second largest city of Busan from its stunning observation deck that is located on the 98th,99th and 100th floor on Busan X.
The lift from ground zero took me less than a minute to reach the 100th level.
For thrillers' hearts - there is an indoor glass walkway known as "The Shocking Bridge" where Haeundae Beach is right below your feet. For lighter hearts, there are cafe, art gallery and souvinier shop to well spend your time here.
Overlooking Haeundae beach, I am here to experience the tallest Starbucks in the world located on the 99th floor!
All these informations are found in goggle as I did not have much time to explore. Next round, I will pay BusanX a good visit.
This easy is easy to spot in Haeundae Beach as it is the tallest one in the area and one of the tallest buildings in South Korea.
Olive Young BusanX
Olive Young is a health and beauty product store based in South Korea It opened its first store in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, in 1999 and since become a major player Korea's health and beauty market. With a network 1,200 stores across Korea and global delivery services, Olive Young is the first choice for most locals and tourists when it comes to beauty products.
The big is very big, one floor fixed all, unlike the one in Seomyeon that scattered more than one level.
The decoration of this outlet is bright, blue and "beachy" feel, there are taps and mirror for customers to use.
The staff here are also very helpful and friendly, better than the staffs I came acrossed in Jung-gu and Jung-dong.
Haeundae Giwajib Daegutang Cod Fish Soup
Naver Map: https://naver.me/xmrPq6Hb
Known as 해운대기와집대구탕 in Korean, this place is well known for its one and only dish: Cod Fish Soup which is strongly recommended by our Korean oppa.
Busan has the largest fishing base in the whole Korea so the supply of seafood is almost limitless!
We are here for Cod fish soup and they only have one item on the menu or - there is actually no menu here.
Customers entered the restaurants and tell the staff the number of people in your group then you go get a table.
Staff will serve you shortly.
Our experience to this eatery is amazing, it is located hidden down in the slope, steep slope.
The best part is we are the only tourists here so the staff are all cannot speak English.
There are many small residences in the areas, many have a little plot of vegetation farming, sea view and sky capsules are in view too.
Went into the compound and the staff showed us her 2 fingers - reckoning if we are 2 persons, we said yes, and she showed us the dining room.
Wow, it feels like a cabin - long rectangular type which feel like bus or a big metal container with windows and ventilation.
We got a table by the window which comes with the spectacular view of the sea and sky capsules.
Self-service to take the water ourselves, refillable side dishes which are very tasty, and we refilled twice!
Our main dish arrived in big round metal bowls, soup is white in color, meat is also white and topped with green spring onions.
The soup is light, flavorful, tasty and full of freshness.
The meat is tight and muscular which is very fresh.
See this video for a better understanding.
Horangi Jella Tteok Rice Cake Gelato
Heard this rice cake (mochi) is very popular here in Busan that locals and tourists will queue for them.
Since I am nearby (4min walk from the Bada Maru Abalone Porridge) so I decided to pop over to take a look.
There is no queue at all, though people come and go to get the purchase.
I decided to enter and enquire about the product.
Per person entitled only to buy 1 box of 6 mochi at KWR25,000 which is near SGD25 - this is minimum and maximum purchase.
Staff at the cashier speaks good English who answered me that once I bought from store, it will come by 2 dry ice that will last 15hrs. If I put in freezer, the mochi can last me 7 days. I decided to come back again few days later when I am about to fly back Singapore.
Grabbed this pretty photo of the rice cake from the goggle.
Well, here is our verdict after our consumption: Taste normal on such high price tag.
Glad, I did not spend much time to queue for them. Once is enough... Treat it that I spent SGD25 on that pretty cooler bag.
Bada Maru Abalone Porridge
Fondly known as "jok" in Korean that sounds similar to Hokkien dialect, jok is my mum's favorite dish when we came to Seoul a few years ago.
The shop sells only abalone related food - porridge, sashimi or steamed.
The Korean jok is similar to our usual porridge in Singapore where the rice was simmered and stewed with regular stirring for a few hours with good stock base like pork bones, various dried seafood and more. I cook good porridge too, especially after learning some tips from Korean's jok restaurant many years ago. Korean's porridge grains are all pearl-like with a soft texture while mine is Cantonese style.
Perfect for a raining day.
Traditional jok that has been open for more than 35 years!
Rice was boiled to soft texture that is infused with Abalone taste.
Masitseumida!
Add-on: Below is the fun we had in Jung-dong which is also located at the other side of Haeundae.
Jung-dong is one subway station away from Haeundae station of Line 2.
Paris Baguette (Cafe Adagio)
Another local name that made it big to Singapore and many countries.
I am here just for a cup of coffee as I am too early as EMART supermarket has not opened yet.
There are many people come and go for takeaway breakfast, except for me sitting comfortably at the mini cafe area. Unlike most of the outlets in Singapore, where I can barely get an empty table.
It is a perfect place to chill and people watching.
Emart
Emart is the largest retailer in South Korea. It is the first discount store in South Korea, with the first store opening in November 1993 by Shinsegae.
With its impressive sales volume of over US$9.4 billion in 2009, Emart has solidified its position as a leader in the discount store market. Its success can be attributed to its wide range of products, competitive pricing, and strategic locations.
From Tea
I was goggling about this place and found out that "TaiPingHouKui" is in the menu which confirmed my decision to visit.
This teahouse is located just a stone throw distance away from Emart and it is easily reached via Navermap.
This walkway felt so zen and relaxed, it is very quiet.
On my first visit here, due to communication issues, as the staff doesn't speak English, she mistook I asked for the best tea when I was asking for TPHK, so I was served Taiwan Hualien Black Tea at SGD18 per brew and ordered a tiramisu to go along.
Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. First originating in China, the beverage's name there is hong cha "red tea") due to the colour of the oxidized leaves when processed appropriately. Today, the drink is widespread throughout East and Southeast Asia, both in consumption and harvesting, including in China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore.
Came again on my second visit with him, again we walked through this alley to reach the teahouse.
He shared the same peace feeling too when he entered this pathway.
He ordered Annapura Organic Golden Tip tea & a tiramisu.
Golden Tips tea is a premium black tea crafted from the youngest buds of the tea plant, harvested before they even unfurl into leaves.
This exclusive selection boasts a distinctive flavor profile, praised for its sweet, honey-like notes, nutty finish, and fruity undertones depending on the season.
Annapura is a mountain standing 8,091m above sea level in Nepal so we were wondering if this tea is collected from this mountain.
And I got what I wanted.... TaiPingHouKui
TaiPingHouKui(太平猴魁) is ordinally produced in TaiPing perfecture of AnHui since Ming Dynasty and was harvested for emperors during the Qing Dynasty. It has been produced commercially since the start of 20th century and won the "King of Tea" award at China Tea Exhibition in 2004 and is listed as China's famous tea. It is renowned for "two knives and one pole" : two straight leaves clasping the big bud with white hair. After processed, the leaves are deep green in color with red vein in the underneath. The tea shoot can grow up to 15cm.
So how was the taste like?
To me, it tasted like an average green tea in my first sip.
As more sipping goes by, there is no roasted taste but some cooling and clean taste. To put in simple, it has its own unique taste.
Lee Woo-chul Oriental Medicine Nurungji Samgyetang
AKA Korean's Ginseng Chicken Soup to non-locals.
This shop here is different than the usual Samgyetang I had in Seoul and Jeju.
Owned by the winner of Master Chef - the awards are shown below, this restaurant is very popular with locals.
We are here because we were brought here by our Korean Oppa who a fan of this restaurant is.
He ordered mung bean, friend ordered garlic based while mine is brown rice (锅巴).
Piping hot soup served in the traditional claypot, the portion is huge! There is alot of meat and glutinous rice!
Oppa even ordered a bottle of Soju and a bottle a beer to share with us.
Self-service of kimchi and yummy side dishes with courteous staffs.
Here, we reach to the end of this blog on the amazing Dalmaji-gil of Busan.
Coming up next is Cheongsapo (Haeundae) Busan.
Meanwhile, here are the links on our PLAYs and EATs in Busan and Seoul:
2024 is a blessed year for us that we travelled quite a bit, here to share some of the links of the blogs:
Between 2022 to 2023, we visited The Netherlands & Belgium, here to share : Amsterdam, The Hague , Rotterdam , Kinderdijk , Naarden ,Muiden , Haarlem , Nijmegan, Brussel, Bruges
and Antwerp.
We even moved to stay in Denmark during the peak of Covid : Relocation from Singapore to Aalborg, Denmark
Feel free, you are most welcome to browse through my other blogs to France, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and cruises etc.
Next Trip: Chiangmai Thailand & Muar Malaysia while Japan is in the plan - Please stay tune by liking my Facebook page: followblueginger, Instagram page : followblueginger , TikTok page: bluegingerkaren and Tumblr page :followblueginger.
Thanks, and Cheers
"I travel because seeing photos in books and brochures was not good enough for me, To be there, that was everything"
