Bathing in Busan

We spent three nights in a Busan, and although it didn’t match the excitement of Seoul or the beauty of Jeju, there were several highlights during our stay. Days before we arrived in Busan, Fionnuala was struggling to contain her excitement about a visit to Spaland in Shinsegae Centum City – “the largest department store in the world” (english.shinsegae.com). Thankfully, Spaland lived up to expectations, and Beomeosa was a wonderful temple to visit.

After a short flight from Jeju, we took the underground to Haeundae to find our hostel. The hostel wasn’t far from the station, and our route led us through Haeundae Market, which was full of stalls selling Korean meals and snacks. The smell was amazing, but the tanks full of live eels and fish aren’t something I’m a big fan of.

On our first night, we ate at a Japanese restaurant near the market and walked on the beach. The next morning, feeling refreshed, I ran around Dongbaek Park then towards the city, admiring the large tower blocks of apartments. After breakfast, we took the underground to Beomeosa station and walked to Beomeosa temple. As we stood looking lost, trying to figure out which direction to walk, a local man pulled up in his car and gave us directions. The temple was beautiful, and we spent some time listening to the prayers taking place in the main hall. We took a meandering route back to the underground, stopping for a while at one of South Korea’s many outdoor gyms.

Monday was all about our visit to the “upscale, yet affordable playground for adults” (CNN) known as Spaland. We arrived just after 8am, and by 8:15, I was naked in a bath with a couple of Korean blokes! Although it seemed strange to me, this was perfectly normal for everyone else. Once I got my head around that, I tried out a few more baths, the steam room and the sauna. Next up, I dressed in my allocated shorts & t-shirt and met Fionnuala in the main spa area, where themed heated sauna and relaxation rooms awaited us. Having initially thought the four hour time limit was more than sufficient, I had changed my mind with only one hour remaining! Rooms we visited included the Ice Room, Body Sound Room, Pyramid Room and Roman Room. Despite my earlier apprehension, I couldn’t resist ending my trip to Spaland with another twenty minutes in the bath.

Post-Spaland, we ate lunch in Centum City’s food court, and browsed some of the shops. With an early morning ahead of us, we returned to the hostel, put our laundry in the machine and prepared for Tuesday morning’s ferry ride to Fukuoka.

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