Korea, Busan: How to get to Taejongdae Resort Park (태종대 유원지)

Taejongdae Resort Park is small park south of Busan in on of the many islands around Busan.

We had our difficulties finding it because we used the official sightseeing map of Busan which was not helpful at all.
If you look at a map, you will get the impression that the island is mostly nature and forest. In reality it's mostly city apart from the resort park and the hill in the middle. Also it's pretty big so you really do want to either use a car or go there by bus.

More detailed information about the park can be found at the official tourism site of Kora.

The easiest way of getting there is from Busan Station. They are currently rebuilding the area around Busan station so you might need to ask around to find the right bus stop.
You can take the following busses: 66, 88, and 101 with the final stop Chagoji (차고지) and get off at Taejongdae (태종대). It will take 40-45 minutes to get there.
Please note that even though the directions are shown in English on the outside of the bus, neither the bus stop signs nor the station map inside the buses are English so you should definitely learn the Hangul characters or go and ask the bus driver.
Taejongdae is the final stop so just stay seated until the end.
You can take the same buses to get back to Busan station. The bus stop "Busan station" will also be announced in English.

Once you reach the Resort park, you can either walk or take the small train to get you to the sightseeing spots. Please note that the train will only run every other 20minutes and if you get off in the middle and try to get back on, you might have to wait a while.
The train always runs in circles, so no matter where you get off, you always pass all spots.

Source: http://taejongdae.bisco.or.kr

 There are 5 sightseeing spots along the way. It's a pretty long way up the hill to spot no. 3 but not very long between 3 and 4 and 5 is 1 km away from spot no. 4. As you can hop off and on the train any number of times you want, you can alternate between walking and taking the train.

The 5 sightseeing spots are:
1. A beach
2. Gumyeongsa temple
3. Observatory
4. Lighthouse
5. Taejongsa temple

You should definitely get off at the lighthouse as you not only have a wonderful view over the sea but you also have access to a beautiful cliff where you can rest a for a while and enjoy the power of the ocean.

Korea, Seoul: How to get to the Coffee Prince café

Today's post is about how to get to the café that was used for the K-Drama Coffee Prince.

It's actually pretty easy to find, if you get the right exit.
The café is located in Hongdae, so you want to go to the Station Hongik University (Subway line 2 (green) and AREX A (light blue))  홍대입구역.

Source: http://map.naver.com/?menu=route&mapMode=0&lat=37.5564664&lng=126.9272555&dlevel=12&slng=126.9241893&slat=37.5569337&elng=126.9292551&elat=37.5545201&pathType=3&dtPathType=0&sText=7JWE66aE64uk7Jq06rCA6rKM&eText=7Luk7ZS87ZSE66aw7IqkMe2YuOygkA%3D%3D&enc=b64

Once you're at the station, follow these directions:

1. Take Exit no. 8
2. Follow the street to your right.
3. At the 5 way intersection walk straight to the end
4. Turn left, walk for about 30 metres
5. Turn right into the next possible street. There is a small square and the second house should be a conbini
6. Walk straight, the street should go up a slope towards the end. You have to walk for a couple of minutes
7. Almost at the end of the street, the café will be at your right hand side.

Coffees are a bit expensive here but the waffles are really good and before you leave, one of the waiters will take you to the second floor if you want, from where you can take more photos.
Please be advised that you are not allowed to take photos from within the area if you don't order anything.

Korea, Busan: Geumjeongsan Mountain (금정산)

(This post gives you information about Geumjeong, a mountain located north of Busan and worth a visit.
This spot is famous for its fortress wall and the gates you can visit and a temple.
There are two ways of reaching the top:

1. Using the hiking trail, that leads you through the temple and towards the gate. I have not used the hiking trail so for detailed information please refer to the official Korean tourism site.

2. Using the cable car. You will still have to walk a bit to reach the south gate. Also the path is not safe for buggies and make sure to wear proper foot wear if you plan on starting your hiking trip from the cable car.

To get to the cable car from the station is actually not very tricky if you follow the right signs. As for all places in Korea, the best way of finding your way is you use the Naver Map as it works a lot better than Google Maps. If you cannot read Hangul it's a bit more difficult but it proved to be the most reliable source of information.

Here is the route to get from the station to Geumgang Park, where the cable car is located. If you want to look it up yourself, type 온천장막썰어횟집 (Oncheonjang) as your departure and 금강공원 (Geumgang Park) as your destination.
It will take you around 20minutes from the station to the cable car. The good thing is, that you can see the cable car almost all the time, so even if you don't find the right crossing, you can still see it and try walking towards it.

2014.6.6 | 지도 크게 보기 ©  NAVER Corp.

So, how to get there:
1. Take the train to Oncheonjang Station (온천장막썰어횟집)
2. Take Exit 1 and turn left and walk straight for a while until you reach the next big intersection with traffic lights.
3. Turn right, cross the street, walk straight
4. At the next 5-way intersection, walk straight.
5. At the next bigger intersection, take the street at the most left side, it will lead half left.
6. Walk straight for about 10 minutes, up a hill until you reach a  3-way intersection where you cannot walk straight anymore. You have reached Geumgang Park.
7. To your right you can cross the street and enter the Park.
8. Take the center road, it will lead you up a hill through the park for a couple of minutes until you will reach the cable car.

Once you'r§ up, you might want to follow the actual hiking trail for a bit.
For example, you can follow the sign towards the south gate. If you follow it correctly, it will take around 20-30 minutes at most to reach that point.
1. When you leave the cable car turn right, towards the toilet.
2. Take the left road towards "South Gate" and keep right until you reach the top.
3. Turn right, pass the small toilet house and downhill up until you come to a crossing.
4. Turn left downhill and walk for a bit
5. There is a small crossing with one path leading downhill and the right path straight. Take the right path. If you can read hangul, the sign will tell you to walk straight but this will actually only lead you to a small town, not to the gate.
6. Follow the small path until you reach a house, pass that hous up the hill
7. Turn left and walk straight towards the South gate.