Life Continues....Cherry Blossoms Korea

by Teo Yoke Lan , Apr 27, 2015

Cherry Blossoms!!!... It has been my dream to see cherry blossoms. My sister and I with a close friend went on a cruise to Japan in early June 2014. The timing was not right to see the cherry blossoms. So after the cruise, my sister said to me......you better go and see the cherry blossoms before you die! Well life is short........

So we planned our Korea trip after the cruise. We did some homework and googled to see what are the other attractions in Busan beside the Jinhae Spring Cherry Blossom Festival. Both of us with our mum who is 84 years old flew into Busan on the 5th of April 2015. We did not join a package tour as we know mum is too slow. When we reach Busan, it was drizzling and the weather was cold. After checking into our hotel, with borrowed umbrellas we made our way to look for food. Oh dear! The Koreans don't speak English except for the hotel and airport front desk. Anyhow we managed to order our food by pointing at the pictured menu and see what other patrons were eating. We had a steaming hot spicy bowl of seafood noodles with many side condiments especially their kimchi! The noodles was not too spicy, just nice for a cold wet day.

steaming hot spicy bowl of seafood noodles with kimchi

 The next day with gathered information and a Metro line map we made our way to the Metro Station which is about 10 minutes walk from our hotel. At the Metro station, we went to the information counter. On the counter there was a notice board with these words "ENGLISH SPEAKING" we were so so happy. There were 3 elderly men in suits manning the counter. They are retirees, on volunteer basis working 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. They could speak little English but we managed to communicate. We reach the Jagalchi Fish Market, one of the largest fish market in Korea.

We were really fascinated by all the stalls with colorful display of live sea creatures, shellfish, sea slugs, eel, abalone, octopus and many more. Some of which we have not seen before. There were also loads of different kinds of seaweed, wet and dried. The market is very long and wet but clean without any fishy smell. The vendors were cheerful with rosy cheeks and most of them were women folk. Our catch of the day was a lobster, a fish, an eel and an octopus for our lunch. It was truly an amazing experience!


The following day, we proceed as usual and the counter this time was manned by retired ladies. They helped just the same, but it was a little different because we need to take a bus to Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival. In the bus, we met a young local boy who was also going to the festival. His name is Park and could speak a little English. He was kind enough to become our guide for the day. How lucky we were!!! After we alighted from the bus we  

whole stretch of white and pink cherry blossom

could see the whole stretch of white and pink cherry blossom trees along the tracks of the Gyeonghwa Train Station. It was such a beautiful sight. Now  and again we have to slow down and take a rest with mum. Breathtaking petals flutter in the wind each time the train passes trough. Then we took another bus to the next cherry blossom highlight. Here the white and pink cherry blossom line the banks of the Yeogwa stream for 1.5 kilometer. When the breeze blow, soft petals of white and pink fly like snow flurry, some falling onto our faces and hair. It is just an awesome feeling standing there with outstretched hands. We had another meal before our friend took us back to the Metro Station and said goodbye. We went back, had a shower and rest our poor aching legs. But mum was good!
 

 Next on our list is Gamcheong Culture Village. While waiting for the bus we could see the pastel colored village on top of the hill. These small houses are built in such a way that they do not block each other's view. They are built on the hill slopes facing the valley with small alleys in between them. It is like a maze, and one can get lost.

Some of the houses are abandoned and not many villagers around. The villagers must be very healthy with strong legs. We did not explore very much as it need a lot of walking up and down the small alleys.
 We did some shopping, had some street food and most important we were happy to have spent time with mum