April 4: Upon arrival in Busan, our hotel room wasn't ready, so we left our luggage there and went to the nearby Bupyeong KKangtong Market to search for local snacks. It was a big market, and we quickly got lost there. We tried a few snacks, including spicy rice cake, fried squid, chive pancakes, and unique green rice balls wrapped with red bean paste.

Following a satisfying lunch, we returned to the hotel for a brief rest before exploring the renowned Gamcheon Culture Village. This picturesque locale, characterized by its colorful houses and narrow alleyways, was a must-visit destination. We went up and down through alleyways and enjoyed the excursion. We climbed up the “Stairs to See Stars”, felt a little tired but not dizzy. Many tourists waited in line to take photos with the statue of the Little Prince and the fox overlooking the whole village, a Social Media hotspot.

We returned to the city for dinner and enjoyed a delicious Korean barbecue feast. The flavorsome grilled meats were accompanied by an array of traditional side dishes and a delicious crab and clam soup. With our appetites satiated, we revisited the market from earlier in the day, taking advantage of its convenient proximity to our hotel. The evening market had transformed, featuring numerous mobile food stalls offering a variety of tempting snacks. Despite their attractive appearances, we decided to save these treats for the following night.

April 5: Busan greeted us with a continuous downpour. Undeterred, we remained committed to our original plan of taking a bus to Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Korea, located one hundred kilometers away. Unfortunately, the inclement weather persisted in Gyeongju, with strong winds adding a chilly touch. After reaching our destination, we boarded a local bus to Bulguksa Temple. Before immersing ourselves in its tranquil ambiance, we savored a delicious Bulgogi set meal nearby. This particular style of Bulgogi differed from the grilled version we had encountered in the U.S., as the ingredients were boiled in water, resembling a hot pot with less broth. Nevertheless, the flavors were still exceptional.

Notably, Bulguksa Temple differed from other temples in its lack of burning incense, and visitors were required to remove their shoes before entering the temple halls. As we made our way towards the temple, cherry blossom trees adorned the surroundings; however, the heavy rain and wind had unfortunately damaged most of the blossoms.

After visiting Bulguksa Temple, we opted to take a taxi to the East Palace and Moon Pond, which was reconstructed in recent years. Given the wet and cold weather conditions, our enthusiasm for exploring further waned, leading us to return to Busan via train.

Outside Busan Station, we went to a renowned fish cake shop, Samjin Eomuk, offering a diverse selection of fish cake products. Curiosity piqued, we sampled rice cake/fish cake, and green pepper fish cake. While the rice cake/fish cake didn't leave a lasting impression, the green pepper fish cake stood out with its delicious filling of various meats and shrimp. Busan's streets and markets are packed with fish cake vendors, offering locals a satisfying and convenient snack.

We revisited the nearby market for dinner, only to realize that the mobile food stalls from the previous night had yet to arrive. It appeared they were exclusive to the late-night market. Nonetheless, the permanent stalls remained open, allowing us to indulge in local food. Our feast consisted of deep-fried delicacies such as cuttlefish, shrimp, fish sticks, mixed noodles, spicy rice cakes, and fish cakes. After several days of culinary indulgence, it was safe to say our blood sugar levels were likely to rise.

April 6: We had been away from home for a whole week and had been busy every day since, so we decided to take a well-deserved rest. In the morning, we explored the vicinity of our hotel in search of a typical local breakfast but were disappointed to find nothing exceptional. Undeterred, we went to the nearby market and found that most stalls were still closed. We continued our search. Fortunately, the weather was favorable, offering ideal conditions for outdoor activities. We first visited the renowned Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) street and were pleasantly surprised to find a few mobile food stalls open. We couldn't resist indulging in delicious steamed buns that resembled steamed dumplings. Subsequently, we made our way to the Jagalchi seafood market. Unfortunately, the indoor area was undergoing renovation, discouraging us from venturing inside. However, the outdoor stalls stretched endlessly, showcasing an astonishing variety of seafood we had never encountered before in the morning. Continuing our stroll along the seaside, we eventually reached Lotte Mall, a large shopping center resembling those in other parts of the world.

After briefly exploring the mall, we ascended to the top floor, discovering a specialized Bulgogi restaurant. The menu presented four different types of Bulgogi, yet we struggled to fully grasp the distinctions despite our attempts to communicate with the waitress.With her phone's translation feature, the waitress explained that one version came with soup while the others did not. Intrigued, we opted for the soup option. Relying on our phones for further translation, we uncovered that two varieties featured Korean beef, while the remaining two offered American beef. We naturally opted for Korean beef. It wasn't until the dishes arrived that we realized the key difference between the soup and non-soup versions was the marinade. Adding to the amusement, we discovered that the disparity between Korean and American beef lay not in the type of beef itself but rather in the grilling method. Korean Bulgogi was traditionally boiled, while the American version aligned more closely with what we had experienced in the U.S., being grilled. Unfortunately, the translation apps on our phones struggled to provide accurate assistance during our time in Korea, and the live translation earphones we had bought before the trip was a total failure.

After lunch, we ascended to the rooftop garden. This beautifully designed and expansive space offered panoramic views of Busan, leaving a lasting impression.

Upon descending from the garden, we made our way to the famous Busan Tower, conveniently located not far from the mall. Continuing our leisurely walk, we passed the seafood market again, realizing we had only explored a small section in the morning. To our surprise, the market stretched far and wide, not only offering fresh seafood but also a variety of dried goods in Nampo-dong Dried Fish Wholesale Market nearby. Adjacent to the market, modest seafood stalls housed within large tents made of plastic sheets for protection. With the coal-fired barbecue grills outside, tables and chairs were arranged inside the tents, inviting visitors to relish the abundance of fresh and raw ingredients.

As we made our way back, we found ourselves passing through BIFF Street once again. Now there are more vendors on the street. This time, we couldn't resist trying a unique dish called Korean pancake with melon seeds. While Korean fried chicken, highly praised in the U.S., was not as popular as anticipated, we did come across a few places offering it. Since we had a heavy lunch, we visited a chain restaurant, Lotteria, for dinner. We ordered chicken wings that surpassed our expectations, surpassing even the renowned KFC.

Tomorrow a new adventure is waiting for us.

4/4: 上午坐火车去釜山市，韩国第二大城市。在坐Taxi去火车站之前在旅馆旁边的安东老城及传统文化博物馆区转了一圈，那里的建筑非常漂亮。从安东去釜山的火车三个半小时左右，没有快速子弹车，不过一路还算舒服。到了釜山，旅馆的房间还没好，我们把行李寄放在那里就匆匆去附近的集市找小吃。要了鱼饼辣年糕，炸尤鱼，韮菜葱油饼和豆沙青团。他们的豆沙青团是青团包在豆沙里。集市非常大，走进去会迷路的。

午餐后回到旅馆小息后就去甘川文化村，那里有色彩鲜艳的小屋和狭窄的小巷，是值得一去的地方。有个什么网红点在最上面，好多人排着长队等着和小王子拍照。

晚饭回城里吃韩国烤肉，除了有韩国小菜外，还给螃蟹蛤蜊汤，味道都不错。吃饱喝足又再次来到中午刚去过的集市，因为就在住的旅馆旁边，太方便了。晚上的集市多了许多卖不同小吃的移动摊位，看着嘴馋，可实在吃不动了，留着明天晚上再来吧。

4/5: 今天的釜山一整天都在下雨，我们还是按原计划坐大巴去一百公里外庆州，朝鲜的古都。庆州同样是下雨天，风还特别大，特别冷。到了庆州后又乘坐当地公交车去城外的佛国寺，先在寺庙旁的小镇上要了Bulgogi套餐为午餐，这里的Bulgogi不像美国的那样烤的，而是放在水里煮的，有点像吃火锅，但没那么多汤水，味道还算可以。佛国寺与国内的寺庙不同的地方就是没见人烧香，另外必须脱鞋进寺堂。一路走到佛国寺，周边全是樱花树，只可惜我们错过了，这场大风大雨将樱花打得所剩无几。参观完佛国寺，我们叫了出租车去东宫和月池，很漂亮但都是近年复造的。参观这二处古迹后，因为天实在是又湿又冷，没了兴致再去看其它的，我们便坐火车回釜山。在釜山站外去了一家有名的鱼饼店，店里各色各样鱼饼食品，我们要了年糕鱼饼和青椒鱼饼，年糕鱼饼没什么特别，但青椒鱼饼昧道很不错，里面塞了各种肉，虾之类的。在釜山这里到处都是卖各式鱼饼的，集市里，马路上全都是，吃上一串鱼饼就算垫饥了。

晚饭又去了附近集市，发现昨晚上看到的移动摊位一个都还没来，还真只做夜市的。固定摊位还都在，我们就继续吃当地的小吃，各种油炸的尤龟，虾，鱼条都试试，拌粉条，当然还有辣年糕和鱼饼。估计这几天下来，血糖指标要直线上升了。

4/6: 离家整整一个星期了，每天都在不停地赶东赶西，有点累，今天就休息一下。一早先去旅馆周围看看有什么当地的特色早餐，很失望啥都没见着。又去旁边的集市看看，好像韩国人不早起，大部分摊位还没开，两人只能继续找。正好今天天气不错，适合在外面走走。先来到有名的BIFF（釜山国际电影节）街上，很意外地发现有几个移动摊位已经开始营业了。买了份蒸包子，应该说更像蒸饺子，好吃。接着走去海鲜市场看看，室内区在装修，我们没进去，外面的摊位一眼望不到头，有些海鲜从来没有见过。继续沿着海边散步，不一会儿就来到Lotte 商城，感觉和中国的大商城很像。走马观花看过便来到十楼的餐厅层，又找了一家做bulgogi的饭店。菜单上有四种不同Bulgogi，与服务员说了半天也没搞懂。她用手机从韩文翻译成英文，说是一种有汤一种没汤，我们觉得奇怪，什么叫一个有汤一个没汤呢，那就要有汤的。我们也用我们的手机把菜单翻了一下，两个是韩国牛肉，两个是美国牛肉，到韩国当然要吃韩国的牛肉。当上菜后我们才恍然大悟，有汤没汤就是腌没腌，最好笑的是韩国牛肉和美国牛肉的差别不是牛肉而是不同的烧烤方法，韩国Bulgogi是水煮的而美国的才是烤的，就像在美国吃到的那种，这次来韩国翻译软件不太管用，临行前特地买的翻译耳机更是失败。

饭后来到屋顶花园，花园造得很别致，大得离谱，在上面可以看到釜山的全景。下了花园便来到离商城不远的釜山一景的塔和公园，也算是到此一游。左转又转又来到海鲜市场，发现上午我们才走了一小段，基本以新鲜的海产品为主。而整个海鲜市场其实大得惊人，不只卖新鲜的，还有干货。两旁还有破陋的海鲜小吃摊，用塑料布做的大帐篷，中间放桌子和椅子，外面放一个用煤的烧烤炉，反正原材料到处都是，而且还新鲜。

往回走时又路过BIFF街，来了份油煎饼夹瓜仁，很特别。在美国，都说韩国炸鸡很好吃，来后也看到几家卖炸鸡的，但并非到处都是。中午吃多了，晚餐就去一家连锁店要四个炸鸡翅，味道比KFC上口。