(Part 2) Busan, the Southern Frontier: Shopping and Seafood in Downtown Busan

- April 12, 2019, Friday.

- My first day in Busan (click here) has given me so much to look forward to! However, as my trip to Korea was a work-related trip, I still had to suit up when I needed to. Despite having a packed day, my Friday was still full of surprises!

- That morning we visited the newly-opened ASEAN Culture House, a cultural center dedicated to promoting knowledge about the ASEAN countries. The center organizes various cultural activities, workshops, performances, lectures, and so on. It also has a museum that shows different aspects of cultures of the 10 ASEAN countries. I initially thought that this was just an office building, but I was more entertained than I thought I'd be. I even go to experience a virtual reality trip to Cambodia's Angkor Wat! (This center is close to Jangsan metro station.)

Here we are!!

ASEAN countries.

Greetings in different languages.

Cambodian apsara costume.

Lao hilltribe costumes.

Burmese costumes.

Philippine exhibit.

Our team!

Experiencing VR!!

- After lunch we headed to Pukyong National University (near Kyungsung University & Pukyong National University metro station) to have a meetnig with some counterparts. This university, though not really a "tourist site" per se, was something I thought was special as it boasts to be one of the (if not the only) "flat" university campus in Korea. Korea has plenty of mountains and hills so much so that most universities are not built on flat ground. Pukyoung National University, however, was built on reclaimed land, and so its campus is flat.

A perfect view of Busan from the rooftop garden.

Campus.

I love their library's rooftop garden!!

- We had a brief tour around the university after our meeting, and later, we were driven to the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, which was near Pukyong National University and Busan Museum (it's closer to Daeyon Station, the station next to Pukyong metro station.) The cemetery was built to bury the soldiers who fought during the Korean War from 1950-1953 (it was the war that separate Korea into two.) The cemetery itself was built in 1951, though it only became a "UN" cemetery after around 20 years. It is the only United Nations cemetery in the world.

The only UN cemetery in the world.

Chapel.

Request granted.

Statistics.

The cemetery. So many tombs. Many of them were quite young, in their late teens or early twenties.

Memorial.

- Later on we had some time to shop at the downtown area of Busan called Nampodong (near Jagalchi metro station and Nampo metro station). Apart from the shopping area that can remind one of Seoul's Myeongdong  - full of cosmetics shops, clothes stores, and other cute stuff - the is also known for the Yongdusan Park, where the Busan Tower stands.

Busan Tower.

The streets of Nampodong.

Sunset. (So many restaurants!!)

- That evening we had seafood for dinner, and I was finally able to try snow crab!! I actually wanted the king crab, but I underestimated its size (and more so, its price!!) Still, the snow crab was quite big and it did make it a happy fat boy that night.

ONE DAY. ONE. DAY. I WILL EAT YOU.

I had a snow crab instead.

The aftermath.

Nampodong at night.

See the Busan Tower?

Busan Harbor Bridge illuminated at night.

Gwangandaegyo or Diamond Bridge.

- Finally, I was able to rest well at our hotel that night after a series of successful meetings with our partner universities and institutions. However, I still had one free day left before leaving Busan for Manila. It was my most-awaited part of the trip as it was my time to explore Busan on my own. You know what they say - save the best for last! (See my trip to Seoul here, Busan Part 1 here, and Part 3 here!!)