Since we've been back Brian and I have been taking care of Ryan and Shannon's rabbit, Chingu, while they're on vacation. She's been a lot of furry fun and a pain in the ass all at once. I'm glad this experience has cured me of my desire for a pet in our one room apartment. I think Brian's even more glad. There are some pictures of her in the slide show below.
Our big adventure day since we've been back was a Saturday; David, Duck, Brian and I played blackjack with coins at D and D's apartment Friday night. Then we were off to Shanghai street and Foreigners' street near Busan Station to explore. Foreigners' street used to be Texas street, but now there's so much Russian influence there that the name was changed. Most of the signs are in Russian, and the Russian mafia is known to cause trouble there from time to time. It might be the only part of Busan where you have to hold your bags close and stay clear at night (see slide show).
From Foreigners' and Shanghai we walked to Nopodong where we saw this friendly, cabbage covered lion. We also found a great street full of antiques and traditional ceramics near there.
After a coffee break it was time for the true mission of our day - sashimi (called hoe (hweyh) in Korea) dinner at Jagalchi market. This is the enormous seafood market near Nopodong, but upstairs are restaurants with a view of the harbor and delicious fresh fish. It was our Christmas gift to each other, and we ordered 2 small flounders raw and 2 small flounders fried (but not battered) along with various banchan and drinks and it was all less than 17 bucks a person. Here's the raw fish platter. Koreans usually put this in a lettuce wrap with some spicy/salty sauce, but there's also soy sauce with wasabi for dipping. It was amazing. OH, and on our way there we saw whale balene outside the market. The lady said it wasn't for eating, maybe it was just to let you know that they sell whale at those stalls. It felt like fingernails.
We milked our time at Jagalchi to enjoy the view, but once we finally left we walked through Nopodong once more on our way to Busan tower. The streets are festively lit all year round.
Half way up the escalators to the tower there was a little shop area with a traditional tea shop and these Buddhist lanterns.
And then finally, the tower. It changes colors of course. The view was pretty great with Pusan Port and a huge portion of the city visible. The glass angled out too so that you could look directly down and get dizzy, which is always fun.
Once finishing our tower observing we had to walk back through Nopodong on our way to the subway (heading to our apartment for a late night of gin rummy and rhum and cokes), and along the way we found a wig stand. Look at all those colors! And observe the slide show.
It was a great day in Busan.
It was a great day in Busan.
Since then there's been a burrito bonanza at our place with Sunny and Yun Jae (I made pretzel appetizers but didn't think to explain the appetizer concept and Yun Jae ate 6 big ones because he thought it was the dinner I'd made, but he still managed to eat 2 burritos too), a seashore exploration at Igidae Park, and Seollal (Lunar New Year, biggest holiday in Korea) dinner at Sunny's apartment. And Brian and I just got back from a trip to Seoul. Check in soon for the post (there will be videos with gruesome footage!).
