We loved our 5 weeks in Japan and unlike our two sight-scoring previous visits this time we had plenty of person-to-person interaction with Japanese people who beneath the seemingly excessive politeness and protocol are genuinely kind, fun-loving, and gregarious.
And now we are flying from Kansai Airport near Osaka to Busan, South Korea. We have low expectations and only an outline of an itinerary for South Korea; however Busan won us over almost immediately as the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the coastal hiking trail was more than spectacular. Basically our two full days in Busan was spent walking a 28 km section of their coastal walking course(s), Galmaet-gil (Seagull Path), from north to south.
We booked an early train from Shingu to Kansai Airport and catch some beautiful morning vistas out the window over the Pacific Ocean.
Sun-Ling walks out to the Peach Plane.
Our first full day in Busan we ride the Metro 30 minutes northeast in order to walk south along the coast. But WOW when we come up out fo the metro station. Cherry trees in full bloom all around.
For the next several hours it's all cherry blossoms all the time as we walk from Dalmaji Hill to Haeundae Beach.
A perfect day for strolling with your partner.
Blossom viewing is creating a traffic jam.
We come upon (for the first of many times) a public compressed air station and blast the dust off our pants and shoes.
Eventually we arrive at Haeundae Beach and begin to follow the familiar ribbons of a South Korean walking course.
A stiff wind is blowing as we walk along the beach. It would turn out that almost every day we spent in South Korea would be either windy or very windy.
The Haeundae LCT The Sharp project is right on the beach. The so-called "landmark tower" on the right will be 101 stories tall, and the adjacent apartment building 85 stories.
There were some cool statues off the beach acting as beacons.
The walking course then goes around Dongbaek Island with great views up and down the coast. First up the coast to Haeundae Beach. There is a replica of the Little Mermaid statue on the rocks at center left - see if you can find it.
Then down past the APAC center towards Gwangan Bridge and Gwangalli Beach.
The nearby Movie Studio inspired a series of artworks along the promenade.
Our first good look at the Gwangan (Diamond) Bridge.
Zenith Penthouses.
At this point we have had enough and start heading home by walking over to the Bexco Metro Station where there are more cherry blossoms. Oh my!
GPS track of the day's walk.
------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
Igidae Coastal Walk
https://10mag.com/busan-discovery-walking-the-galmaetgil/
Sun-Ling and John have been traveling the earth since 2008 while blogging, eating vegetarian and vegan, and riding public transportation. We love uphill day hikes, 20th-century architecture, Roman ruins, all bodies of water, local markets, shopping for groceries, aqueducts, miradors, trip planning, blablacar, and more.
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