We are happy to have a few days to explore Busan more fully before we head back to Japan. We are now more confident riding our trikes with traffic and yet cautious with our awareness of the challenges cyclists face on these busy roads. Today will be a day of exploring markets. It is a beautiful day for it.
We are enjoying the view from our room. We can see the Ferry Terminal from our room and we reflect on the crazy time we had finding it when we arrived.
As this photo below shows, rooftop spaces are well used for gardening, making kimchi, laundry and enjoying personal space.
The density of housing in Busan is a massive contrast to how we live on Saltspring Island in BC. That is one of the joys of travel for us. We get to see and appreciate how people live in different countries.
There is an intricate network of small roads which go up, down and across as they make their way through these neighbourhoods. From the bottom, you can see steep and long sections of stairs going up and up.
The first mission of the day is to get new glasses for Mary Ellen. You don’t realize how necessary they are until you don’t have them. We asked at the hotel for advice on where to go and the young woman took this request very seriously. After a pause, she said…DaVich, they are legendary. It is the only place Koreans go for glasses. Well, that’s good enough for me. Luckily one of their branches is only 1.5 km from the hotel and it is close to the fish market…one of the places we want to visit while we are here.
Da Vich, a great place to get glasses, have an eye exam and leave in 30 minutes with new glasses.
The only disappointment was that I could not get Progressive lenses same day…it takes 5 days. We leave in a few days, so I decided to get 2 pair…one for reading and one for distance. The first step is to pick out frames. The frames are organized by price, starting at $10 and they go up to $50. The lens start at $10 but I splurged and got the lighter, better lenses at $20.
As well as the exam, my prescription sunglasses were helpful. They scanned them and used them to fine tune the process. I was surprised how comfortable the glasses were, and best of all, their clarity.
This is what a grand total of $80 can get you in Busan when you are buying new glasses. The pair on the left are for distance and the other pair are for reading. The other unexpected part of the process was the lounge where you can wait and enjoy free beverages.
Next stop is the Fish Market known as Jagalchi. It is the largest fish market in South Korea and its length spans 3 km. It is located outside on narrow streets and stretches for blocks. There are also cafes in buildings which serve fresh fish from local fishermen. As a country which is surrounded by the ocean on 3 coasts, fish is a staple in their diet and a means of livelihood for many.
Our first stop is this restaurant which is reputed to have the best fish cakes.
Typically the men catch the fish, but the women vendors rule at the market. They come ready for market, battle ready made up with bright lipstick with matching aprons and colourful clothing. They’ve seen it all, they are pros in handling fish and keep the market humming with energy.
Older Korean women run things at the market. They work tirelessly, keeping their display of fish fresh and appetizing, all the while calling out for your custom. They are also cleaning and deboning fish getting them ready for you to grill at home. They all have dippers to keep the fish wet. This woman was continually pouring water over her octopus.
The fish market has been a fixture in Busan for a very long time. We can imagine that these women have been doing this for much of their lives. It feels like it has become a rich and special community of its own. We have visited many fish market in our travels.. South Pacific, Asia, Europe…but this market is in a league of its own.
This woman was a hoot. One of the octopus was an escape artist and she didn’t let this slippery guy defeat her. At one point, she picked it up and it squirmed its way out of her hands again. She had a good laugh and persevered.
There are several eating areas in these buildings. Each section serves fish from a specific fisherman. Large groups were enjoying their feast of fresh fish.
As luck will have it, we visited on a day that there were special things happening. Pop up food stalls with eating areas were on Arirang Street. Women who made the food and served customers were in the centre and patrons sat around them. We enjoyed seeing the various food stalls and tried some local specialities.
This rich area is also home to the Busan International Film Festival…the BIFF. It started in 1996. During the 1960’s, there were 20 movie theatres in this area. In 1996, the area became known as BIFF square.
We were parched from our busy day. There are so many coffee shops in Korea.This was the only one where we could find a place to sit down…so Starbucks it is.
We have had a rich, wonderful and exhausting day. We walked for miles, rode our trikes for miles, ate a lot of food and bought 2 pairs of prescription glasses for $80. A day to remember.
Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles) Total: 915 km (568 miles)
