Busan

Now that the weather in Korea is really hotting up, we have had a couple of really good beach trips. Busan is probably the most famous beach destination in Korea, apart from Jeju island perhaps. It is the second largest city in Korea and lies on the south coast. We have been to Busan twice, but the first time was a little chilly for a proper beach holiday! The second time was with Alex's sisters when we had a four day weekend due to a national holiday. This meant that half of the people we know in Korea were also there, which was a nice surprise! There was a sand festival going on for the weekend, so there were some amazing sand sculptures on the beach, as well as loads of other festivities such as a display by the Korean equivalent of the Red Arrows and a parade.

Haeundae Beach, One Of The Most Famous Beaches In Korea

Psy and Superman for the Sand Festival

The Parade

Passion Fruit and Raspberry Margaritas!

The funny thing about beaches in Korea is that Korean people generally don't like to expose their skin to the sun, so as we are lying there in our bikinis trying to get a good tan, everyone around us was covering up with wide-brimmed hats and long sleeves, perched under umbrellas or even inside tents!

Although there are many things to see and do in Busan, we decided to mainly just chill on the beach for this trip, as we had been having a hectic time and we needed a bit of a rest. We did, however, go to the fish market to eat some delicious fried fish, and we also visited the biggest department store in the world.

 We also had a really fun night out with a load of friends who were also in Busan for the long weekend. We found a bar which was on the 14th floor of a skyscraper by the beach, and it had great views, a pool table, a beer pong table AND a flip cup table. So our American friends spent the evening showing us how to play! Beer pong was very confusing (I think they were just making up rules half the time...) but flip cup was amazing, and our girl's team beat the boy's team every time!

Spring in Songchon

After the short-lived cherry blossoms all fell from the trees, I thought that all the beauty of spring in Korea had been and gone. However I am glad to say that I was very wrong, and particularly our little area of the city, Songchon, continues to surprise me with new and different wildlife popping up every few weeks. Flowers in Korea seem to have a very short shelf-life - they appear one week, then a couple of weeks later are dying and being replaced with something new.

We are lucky enough to walk through a pretty little park on our way to school every day where we can witness all this happening. Here are a few snaps that we have taken over the past few weeks.

'Dongchundang Park'

Middle Schoolers hanging out