Compared to its more fashionable cousin in the north, Busan has far less of a cosmopolitan vibe than Seoul which makes for a nice change of pace and a good place to relax. I arrived by KTX train on an overcast drizzling morning which rather dampened my spirits but things brightened up a bit once I reached the busy area of Nampo-dong (남포동).

The streets here are packed with shops, restaurants, and a number of cinemas which play host to Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) each year in October. Throughout the area you can also find plenty of cheap tasty street food – look at the lengths of the queues to tell what’s popular!

Heading away from the city center by bus I visited Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사) which, while not as extensive as Beomeosa, is nevertheless worth seeing for its rare position along the rocky shoreline (most are in the mountains). It was first built in 1376 during the Goryeo Dynasty and notable features include a three-story pagoda with four lions looking out over the ocean (symbolising joy anger, sadness, and happiness).

Heading back towards the city center my friend recommended we try a local delicacy for dinner. Something I learned on this trip was never again to come face-to-face with your meal before eating it. Especially when what you’re about to eat is wet, slimy, looks like a snake, and is very much alive.

The sight of this poor eel being fished from its tank, skinned alive, and then grilled while squirming all the time was not the best way to work up an appetite. I’m told they don’t feel anything once the head is chopped off but still…

To be fair the few bites I took were pretty tasty (my friend managed to polish the rest off) but I feel an apology is in order. Sorry Mr. Eel – hope you get a better deal your next life

The evening was ended with a trip to Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장) where the old women still looked as bored and mean as before, surrounded by all manner of exotic aquatic life for sale. By this point my twice-around-the-world-in-one-week jet lag was beginning to kick in badly so I stumbled back to the hotel for a night of melatonin induced slumber.

The next day I felt like taking it easy so headed to Haeundae Beach (해운대해수욕장) which takes its name from a ninth century scholar rather than a similar sounding car manufacturer! The beach is notorious for becoming extremely crowded in the peak season but wasn’t to bad on a weekday. Although the weather was warm upon diving in the sea it turned out the water was the complete opposite. How anyone managed to spend more than 30 seconds at a time in the freezing waves I don’t know.

A cold desert after a cold dip was just what the doctor ordered – you may recognise this as patbingsu (shaved ice, red beans, and glutinous rice), the same as I had in Jeonju. Funnily enough the same cafe did a decent english breakfast also.

I took a break from Korean food that evening to have a Vietnamese feast in a particularly nice restaurant on Dalmaji Hill (달맞이고개), overlooking Haeundae Beach. Dalmaji is a rather gentrified upscale neighbourhood with art galleries and pricy restaurants aplenty – if you’re lucky you might spot the odd Korean celebrity or at least passing blacked-out luxury cars.

The view walking down the hill at dusk was particularly memorable and indeed over 200,000 moon watchers come here to pray for their wishes to come true on the year’s first full moon. Not a bad end to a short trip though Busan.

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I was in the office at the time and everything shook quite noticeably for 2-3 seconds. Having never felt anything similar before it was unsettling to say the least and given that earthquakes are rare in this part of China nobody quite new how to react. Some went outside while others continued working. I immediately jumped on Twitter and was pleased to be the first to report it with news quickly spread among the mainly expat community out here. Hopefully this doesn’t come a regular occurrence considering China’s track record on shoddy building construction.

Next up on my list of curiosity was this fella who I found dangling outside my bedroom window early one morning repainting the pipes. Considering how high up this was that rope or seat doesn’t look nearly safe enough! I’ve also heard mad stories about the guys who install air conditioning units on apartments like these – I dread to think what their life expectancy is.

As regular readers will know I’m extremely partial for home cooked dumplings and recently made a large batch with some friends. Last time I made them with shop-brought dough skins but this time we made them entirely from scratch which took longer but was well worth it.

The most tricky part of making dumplings is pinching the outside dough together in such a way that they wont fall apart when cooked – something which takes a bit of practice. Yum yum!

Last weekend I was taking a morning stroll though Lychee Park and stopped to watch the frenetic cacophony of seniors keeping fit and enjoying the autumn weather – some were practicing Tai Chi, others playing the Erhu (二胡), and even more learning dance routines! I took the above video and hope to make some more short films about Shenzhen life before the end of the year. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here so want to make the most of my time.

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Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and handles over 2,000 tons of marine products each day. In recent years it has become a major attraction for foreign visitors, so much so that the numbers allowed in are now limited on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Arriving a little after 5 am it became clear that we were too late to join an official group (applications begin at 4.30 am) but considering the early start we weren’t going to give up so easily. After walking around the back of the market we sneaked in through another entrance and tried to blend into the crowd just as the auction was beginning.

About a minute later we were discovered and despite pleading ignorance were unceremoniously told where to go by a rather large security guard who was having none of it. Fair enough, at least we got a glimpse of the auction and the hundreds of huge frozen tuna lined up in rows.

Next we wandered into the cavernous wholesale area and mingled with the shop owners who were busy preparing for the day ahead.

Each morning at 3 am the products arrive by ship, truck and plane from all over the world. After being unloaded and inspected their value is estimated before the bidding begins in earnest. Afterwards the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped to the next destination or  to the many shops inside the market.

The shop owners cut and prepare the fish which is sold to restaurants, food processing companies, and large retailers. The volume and range of items on offer was quite staggering, much of which I couldn’t even identify.

The huge frozen tuna and swordfish are often cut with large band saws, and the fresh tuna is carved with extremely long knives (some  over a meter in length) called maguro-bocho which can fillet a tuna in a single cut.

For the stall owners who follow the same routine every day it must be quite a strange existence with many of them closing up shop by midday. I wonder if they ever get sick of the sight, smell, or taste of seafood?!

Many of the workers appeared to be old men who have probably worked there their whole life. The hive of activity under the glow of the many hanging lamps was quite a unique atmosphere.

You probably wouldn’t want to be around this guy if he got in a bad mood…!

When we buy our pre-packaged food at the supermarket these days we’re rather divorced from the macabre sights which go on behind the scenes at places like this.

Between the narrow walkways hundreds of these small electric carts hurtle around at alarming speeds transporting the fresh produce to waiting lorries outside.

You’ll want to watch out since a close encounter with one of them could be an unpleasant end to your trip!

Quite what monster of the deep this came from I don’t know but it certainly didn’t look entirely appetizing.

On the outer edge of the market there are a number of small shops and restaurants which cater more to the public. Here you can enjoy extremely fresh sushi for breakfast or even grabs some raw wasabi roots to make your own spicy paste.

If you want to arrive at the market early you’ll have to take a taxi otherwise, the Tsukiji station on the Hibiya subway line will get you within a 5-minute walk. It’s well worth the trip.

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Perhaps someone can enlighten me why this is the case at this restaurant because I have no idea. All I can confirm is that they looked pretty happy and the food was delicious!

Steamed Pork Buns (Baozi) – my personal favourite.

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)

Steamed Vegetable & Pork Dumplings (Zheng Jiao) – served on slivers of carrot.

If you want to learn how to cook dumplings you could check out my video here but believe me these ladies do a far better job! You can find the restaurant right next to exit D of Che Gong Miao metro station.

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In the evening several million Korean fans poured out onto the streets to watch the games on outdoor tv screens. I headed to Samseong Station (COEX Mall) to join them and was greeted by a sea of red shirts in a jubilant mood. It was clear that some had been camping out for hours and reserved their spot on the pavement already.

Instead of staying in one place we decided to wander around and soak up the atmosphere. South Korea were playing Argentina and from the outset it was clear they had their work cut out. Unfortunately South Korea were annihilated 4:1 but you can bet the crowd went crazy when they got that single goal. I managed to capture some of it on the video below (sorry for the poor quality).

Early on in the game I walked through nearby Bongeun-sa temple which was almost deserted but acted as an incredible echo chamber for the roar of the crowds nearby – almost a religious experience in itself!

The most amazing part of the whole event came at the end; as people were preparing to leave almost everyone helped pick up litter on the street and arrange it in orderly piles for collection. Can you imagine this happening anywhere else in the world (especially after the home-team being thrashed)? Incredible.

During the match we popped into a local restaurant for some Korean BBQ and experienced another epiphany when I tasted the beef. I’ve tasted quite a lot of cow in my time but this was on another level altogether. The beautifully marbled meat simply melted away in your mouth leaving you craving for more.

My friend suggested we try intestines which I wasn’t too sure about a first but promised to have a try since they were her favourite. Even thought they don’t look hugely appetising I was pleasantly surprised by the taste which is hard to describe but not at all unpleasant. What with this and the behaviour of the football fans it was an interesting night for sure.

Gangnam is always great to wander around in the evening – while the architecture isn’t anything special, the light spilling out of the shop front signs creates a mesmerizing glow and is popular with young people enjoying the many restaurants and shops along the road. Consumerism at it’s best

Julio Mexican Diner & Cafe is a short walk from Exit 7 of Gangnam Station – go straight along the main road then take a right up the hill at the Jump Milano building just before the CGV cinema (map).

The interior has bare polished concrete walls with simple furnishings and warm lighting. It was busy when we arrived but waiting five minutes on a warm evening was no problem.

Nachos with cheese, sour cream and tomato – a filling starter and almost a meal in itself.

Chicken Tacos with extra hot sauce – mouth-wateringly good. You could order them in pairs or triplets with pork, chicken or shrimp fillings and hard or soft tortilla wraps.

Sliders or mini cheese burgers made from Austrian beef – not very mexican I guess but nevertheless delicious. They have been rated as one of the best burgers in Seoul and a tasty little snack at that.

Chicken burritos with sour cream – a little ont he small side but fresh and beautifully presented.

All the food was seriously good and I have to admit that the photos here are not all from the same day – I enjoyed it so much that I went again later in the week! I only wish there was a place like this in my neck of the woods.

Before going back to the hotel I stopped off at a very stylish looking Paris Baguette bakery in the area. Having already over-indulged it was a good thing they were almost out of stock!

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Something I’ve consistently noticed when travelling in South Korea is that there are rarely seem to be any large crowds, even at popular tourist spots. Perhaps the Korean tourist organisation just isn’t very good at advertising itself or maybe it’s just my good luck but it definitely seems to be a trend (Interestingly the KTO recently changed their slogan from “Korea Sparkling” to “Korea, Be Inspired” after much criticism – better or worse?).

Flying umbrellas (minus Mary Poppins) – I’m not sure what this was all about but it may have had something to do with the Jeonju International Film Festival held every year nearby.

For lunch we discovered a small restaurant which specialized in vegetable curry, providing only two choices: mild or hot. You can find it opposite the east gate of Gyeonggijeon Shrine and note that it’s only open 11.30am to 3pm. The waitress / chef is also pretty cute

A generous serving of curry is accompanied by rice and bread – simple but delicious and perfect for a light lunch. I had the mild option and my friend had the hot – both were as advertised!

After lunch we took a look around a few shops selling products made from special paper called Hanji (한지). Hanji is traditional Korean paper made from the bark of mulberry trees called chomok. It is a neutral paper since it doesn’t rely on any acidic chemicals or artificial bleaching methods making it much more long-lasting.

The paper was traditionally used to cover windows and doors to keep rooms warm and protect them from the wind. Today it’s used in all manor of handicraft and even in clothing, although I’m not sure how comfortable a pair of hanji pants would be! Given the amount of manual labour required to produce the intricate designs most of what you can buy is pretty expensive.

While walking toward the south-east of the village I was impressed by this gentleman’s ability to smoke and cycle at the same time. There is a certain irony in the duality of this combination.

After a wander through a former imperial school for the emperors kids our final stop before heading back to Seoul was at a newly opened dessert shop where we sampled a number tasty snacks…

Patbingsu (팥빙수) – made up of sweetened red azuki beans, glutinous rice (tteok), and shaved ice.

Sikhye (식혜) - a traditional drink made from barley malt powder, grains of cooked rice, sugar and pine nuts.

Tteok (떡) – a cake made from glutinous rice.

And so ended an unforgettable trip to what has to be one of my favorite places I have visited in Korea. If you like culture, tradition and good food then Jeonju is definitely worth a visit.

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The dish consists of a whole young chicken which is stuffed with glutinous rice and then boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, garlic, ginger, and dried seeded jujube fruits. Each restaurant has its own variation on the recipe which is surprisingly simple to prepare (once you have the right ingredients).

As usual it’s served with a variety of small side dishes – the small pancakes at the bottom of the photo are called buchimgae which is made from kimchi mixed into a wheat flour-based batter, and then pan-fried. Very tasty!

We had it for lunch and the video above shows how Samgyetang is served and cut open in the stone pot to reveal all the succulent ingredients inside.

The taste of ginseng might be a little strange to those not used to it but the combination is delicious and at only 12,000 won (~£6) quite reasonably priced. It’s widely believed in Korea that the soup can cure and prevent physical ailments as well as provide relief from bad hangovers!

Koreans use an inordinate number of chillies in their cooking and on our way back that day we came across these ajuma (older women) de-seeding an enormous pile of chillies. If you imagine the smell of cutting one or two chillies in your own kitchen then time it by a thousand you can imagine what it was like. You wouldn’t want to rub your eyes (or any other body part) after a days work here!

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Bibimbap (비빔밥) is typically served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables (나물 - namul), sliced meat (usually beef) and mixed together with chilli pepper paste (고추장 - gochujang) and egg. Just looking at this picture again is making my mouth water – if this doesn’t look good to you then there’s something seriously wrong!

When ordered in a restaurant it usually comes with a variety of side dishes, most of which are also vegetable based so makes for a very healthy meal. It’s also available in a hot stone bowl (돌솥 – dolsot), which slowly cooks the egg as you stir the ingredients together. If it get’s too spicy for you then you can cool your tongue with the accompanying bean-sprout soup.

The characteristic thing about Jeonju bibimbap is that it comes with Korean beef tartar (육회 - Yukhoe), Hwang Po Mook (a yellow jelly made from mung beans) and raw egg yolk (most of other regions in Korea serve it with fried egg). In addition to this the rice used for bibimbap in Jeonju is cooked in beef broth rather than plain water so it looks and tastes better.

This is how it looks once everything has been mixed together and is ready to be enjoyed. We ate this at a restaurant called Jongnohoigwan (종로회관) which is opposite the west gate of Gyeonggijeon Shrine. Believe me, it tastes as good as it looks!

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Overlooking the open kitchen we soon realised that the hand-written menu was all in Chinese but luckily the proprietor was kind enough to walk us through it and our neighbors provided some helpful recommendations. Apparently they plan to have an English menu soon. Diary doesn’t serve a specific cuisine so I guess you could call it “fusion” food.

Mushroom and Truffle Risotto – I don’t think I’d ever eaten anything containing truffles before up till that point but wow, the texture and flavor was something else. Filling but left you wanting more.

Stuffed Tomatoes, Courgettes and Potatoes – bite-size and healthy little morsels, beautifully presented with a pesto sauce.

Pork Chops with Mash Potato and Herbs – I’m not usually one for rare-cooked meet but this was seriously tasty.

Seeing everything cooked in front of you immensely enhanced the experience and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the relaxed atmosphere. This is one place I thoroughly hope I can return to in the future.

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