In my last post, I told you a bit more about what Haeundae Beach is like during summer. My next summer time recommendation is Tongdosa Temple. It’s located in Yangsan, just between Busan and Ulsan.
There’s a stream near the entrance that is quite popular among the Koreans.
As you learned in my last post, Haeundae Beach (Busan, South Korea) in the summer is more than a little overwhelming. If you find yourself at this chaotic beach in summer, my advice is to soak up the scenery…
… then head towards the Westin Chosun Hotel.
Don’t forget to people watch along the way!
Take a left just as you see the Westin and head towards the rocky end of the beach. Once there, it’s now time to check out what I’ve decided to call, “The Men of Haeundae.” They are an interesting bunch!
Curious what Korea’s best beach is like during summer?
The Korean students are out of school for the summer so this is the week that most families take vacation. Many businesses even close so that the owners and employees can enjoy some well deserved time off. Many of them head to Haeundae Beach in Busan.
The beach is completely lined with umbrellas as far as you can see… because who wants to get sun at the beach, right? And the sea is full of yellow floats.
Dave and I took a road trip to Gyeongju after he got off work on Thursday night. I wanted to take photos of Anapji Pond at night. It was quite rainy, but we were still able to get some good shots.
Gyeongju is the same city where you can see the lotuses bloom in summer. In fact, there’s an amazing lotus pond just outside the entrance to Anapji.
Entrance fee to Anapji Pond is 1,500 won per person.
It can get really busy at night so it’s a good idea to get there a bit before the sun goes down so you can get a parking space and a good spot for photos. At least that was our experience this week, which happens to be the same week most Koreans go on vacation.
This week I asked Jacqui, author of The Backpacker Chef, to tell us a bit more about her new book. She has started a crowdfunder campaign to get her book published and she would love all of the help she can get. If you’re unfamiliar with crowdfunder campaigns, it’s a way for someone to raise money for a project with a little help from people like you and me. In this case, Jacqui needs to sell 1,000 pre-orders of her book (by September 7) in order for it to be published. If Jacqui is unable to reach her goal of 1,000 pre-orders, anyone who purchased a pre-order will get a full refund — no questions asked. If she does reach her goal, they’ll get an awesome book. Personally, I think any traveler (of places near or far) would get a lot of use out of having this at their disposal! I’ve already pre-ordered and I hope you will consider pre-ordering, too. Here’s a bit more information about why The Backpacker Chef is perfect for you.
The lotuses are out in full bloom in Gyeongju, South Korea and it’s a beautiful site. Not only did I get to see some amazing lotuses, but the Shilla Flower Gardens were full of beautiful pink and purple flowers and there were also tunnels covered in hanging gourds. Full blog post will come later, but here’s a sneak peak.
I’m working on sorting through my Kyoto photos and stumbled across more photos of maiko (apprentice geisha). As you may know, seeing the maiko was the absolute highlight of my trip so I couldn’t help but share another photo with all of you.
Phuket was amazing… Loved seeing how different Buddhists in Korea look from these Buddhist monks in Thailand.
I spent all day Wednesday with my best friend, Ashleigh, and her two gorgeous little girls. I try to spend as much time with them as I can when I’m home because they are all amazing and I love them so much.
We had a great lunch with lots of hilarious conversation then made our way to Eureka Park in Denton, Texas for a photo shoot.
Beach… ✓
Sunset… ✓
Shot of everyone jumping… ✓
Elephant… ✓
Life Outside of Texas 