Visiting Korea: Day 3 at Busan

Before leaving for South Korea, I had booked the 3-day KR Pass on the Korail website one month ahead. As we travelled in a group of three, we were eligible to purchase the saver pass, provided we travel as a group wherever we went. The Saver Pass does provide additional savings so do consider it, especially if you are taking a long train ride like us - all the way to Busan!

On our first day in Seoul, we had stopped by Seoul station in order to exchange the pass for a voucher to purchase our train tickets to and from Busan. The train departed on-time from Seoul station and in about 2.5 hours we soon reached Busan station.

From the Busan KTX Station, it is a short walk over to the Busan subway station. If you are planning to make four or more subway trips in the day, purchase the one-day pass instead (4,500 won as of December 2013). We did that and used the pass to travel to our hotel near JungAng station. After a quick lunch, we walked over to the 40 Stairs (Gyedan) Cultural Center, which is like a small museum, to learn about Busan's history.

At Toseong station, we exited via Exit 6 and waited at the bus stop right outside the Busan Cancer Centre. Here, we took bus #2 up the hills. Trust me, it wasn't an easy ride as the driver swerves and brakes as he pleases and the bus was packed like sardines. Note that the one-day pass is not applicable for buses so we each paid 1,000 won for the ride. After a nerve-wrecking bus ride, we stopped at the entrance to Gamcheon Cultural Village.

At Gamcheon Cultural Village, it is up to each individual on how you wish to explore the village. You can walk along the main road or choose to go down the narrow alleys to explore. Along the way, if you feel hungry you can purchase street food from many small stalls. Venture further into the village and soon you will come to a great spot where you can enjoy Busan's beautiful sea view! Note that the winds here can be pretty strong so do not stand too close to the rails and be careful while taking photos. After taking countless pictures, we decided to hail a cab this time. This turned out to be a smarter choice as it only cost 2,800 won and was a speedy and comfy ride all the way to the Toseong subway station.

Seomyeon was our final destination for the day as there is a huge underground shopping area here. It is also connected to the Lotte shopping mall and Lotte Hotel. On the hotel's second floor, you will also find the Seven Luck Casino which is only open to foreigners. Just show the staff your passport and you can enter the casino easily. Connected to both the mall and hotel, is a Duty-Free zone where you can shop to your heart's content.