Gamcheon Cultural Village ❤ The long awaited day have finally arrived! The reason we wanted to come to Busan was because of this place! We saw it on Running Man and I also saw some awesome pictures of this place on a forum. This is definitely the place to go for all you art fanatics!
(Oh right, since this is also the 2nd day of my period, I bled a LOT; combined with the amount of walking we had to do, it was terrible. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡)
To get to Gamcheon Village from our motel, we had to take the subway from Haundae Station to Busan Station and then transfer to lines to Toseong Station. Lastly, we had to take the bus (number 2 or 2-2) in front of Pusan National University Hospital. You will definitely know what bus to take because there will be a lot of tourists going to the same place. The bus ride is quite short, perhaps 10 minutes overall and it will take you to the top of the hill. You can definitely walk up there BUT the bus ride only cost $1 CND or less.
Once you get off, be sure to go to the visitor center to get a map for 2000₩. The map shows you the various attractions in the village and you can also collect stamps from different shops/houses/centers; once you collect all of the stamps you get a free postcard! ヾ(´▽｀*)ﾉ☆It was definitely very entertaining and exciting collecting the stamps other than the fact that if you miss one of the houses you have to walk all the way back to your initial starting point like what we had to do. It was quite a hassle but nothing beat the sense of fulfillment after you accomplish this feat! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
We got to Gamcheon Cultural Village around 10AM, it was an hour transit from Haundae. The earlier you arrive the better because there would be less people, especially if you want to take a lot of pictures without background noise. We started seeing more and more tourists towards 12-1PM and when they do arrive, you have to wait to take pictures and they watch you while you get your picture taken. It was a cloudy day but you get quite sweaty after walking around nonstop. They do have washrooms there but PLEASE TRY NOT TO GO, it was beyond scary and dirty. ε=ε=(っ*´□`)っAs for food, there are a lot of coffee and mini snack shops in the village and it's quite cheap. ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ
You will find these "fishes" everywhere along the village because they serve as way guiders. They said to follow the fish if you every get lost. And due to the large surface area of the village, you can follow the fish to visit each attractions.
If you are feeling hungry, you can grab something to eat here. There's a sitting area nearby. We did buy a mango drink for 1000₩, BUT my stomach felt a bit queasy afterwards. Probably cold drinks don't sit too well with me so early in the morning.
The "Art Shop," we were hesitant about going into this place, but we had to in order to get our stamp. I thought they might haggle you into buying souvenirs but nope, they don't. The stamp is on a table inside so you can just stamp it yourself.
Super duper CUTE penguins! Ψ(≧ω≦)Ψ
The LITTLE PRINCE!!( ˘ ³˘)♥ He looks pretty hot here. SEXY.
Gamcheon Cultural Village from another angle.
Here's a creepy little house housed with robotics hands that move without notice. Gave me a total fright especially in the the dark. (╬☉д⊙)
I think this is the neatest artwork in the village!
Stairs to See Stars. Yes, we had to walk up these stairs because we missed a stamp near our starting point. It was brutal for me.
LOOK AT HOW HIGH you have to CLIMB! But at least these stairs are easier to climb than the Great Wall of China.
Finally we arrived at the community center, I think, this is also another place to get a stamp and also a free postcard! The community center is also a school? cause we walked by some classrooms and it is also multilevel. On the first floor you can find a naked grandpa in a sauna and some artworks all around the walls. And on the rooftop of this building is where one episode of "Running Man" was filmed! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+
We stood on the same ground as the Running Man cast and Choi Ji Woo! It's also interesting to get a 360 degrees perceptive of the village.
You can see the entire length of the "stairs to see stars" on the left.
House of Peace. Eh. Wasn't too interesting. There was also a picture of a bowl and of a moon. But I got to say, most of these houses have graffiti everywhere.
LOL, what a coincidence that there's a cat beside an artwork of cats.
I see Yoo Jae-Suk and other Korean comedians. I think that's what the picture is referring to.
And here is the picture of the map with the stamps and postcards. Mission accomplished. (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧ We spent around 3 hours at the village. I think we could've spent more time there, but we had to head to the hospital.
After exploring the village, we took the bus down to Pusan National Hospital. My sister needed to get her ankle looked at because there was an abnormally large bubble the size of half a golf ball and it was growing larger day by day since our trip to Kyoto a couple days back (5 days?).
We went straight to ER, but was stopped at the registration because we did not know Korean and we were also tourists, and I guess the manager? called somebody who spoke English to speak to my sister over the phone. He told her to go to the international department at the hospital instead of ER. Once we got there, apparently the receptionist was on lunch break or something and there was another tourist waiting in the waiting room. I think it was at least 1 hour of waiting for the receptionist to come back. We were super hungry as we had not eaten lunch yet too. It was already 2PM.
Once the receptionist returned, we registered and the receptionist called the nurse to come over. Once the nurse came, my sister showed her ankle bite to the nurse and she said she had never seen anything like that before, especially of that caliber (we assumed it was a mosquito bite, but she doesn't think so). After some calls, we were told go to see the dermatologist in the hospital as the nurse was unable to help us. We were then guided by one of the translator who was, by the way, super nice and social. I think we spent around 2.5 hours at the hospital due to all the waiting. Apparently there were a lot of hospital admissions for tourists that day so it was very busy and thus the long waiting time.
The dermatologist performed a drainage on the bubble. It appears to be an allergic reaction to a bug bite, probably not a mosquito. The hospital visit was fairly positive. Everybody was quite polite, the doctor and nurses were professional. The hospital is very large and we did take around 3 elevators and quite a lot of stairs to get to the dermatology department. But before you get to see the dermatologist, you have to pay first. Overall, the cost was ~$160 CND for consultation and procedure, which is actually pretty cheap if you compared it to Canada. An consultation with the dermatologist will probably cost around $200 and afterwards perhaps additional fee for a procedure. After this we went to the nearest pharmacy at the subway station to pickup the prescriptions and while we wait we were offered two banana milk drinks by the staff!! WOW! FREE!! ٩(⚙ᴗ⚙)۶
Next off, Jagalchi Market. Fish MARKET! There's a variety of unseen ocean species here. It is quite crowded with locals. I wasn't too into it as I am not much of a fan of dead sea animals/fishes. It smells too.
As we kept on walking we encountered a enormously large mall. But as we went towards the door, the security was blocking it. She said it was closed. I think they are filming inside, otherwise why would it be closed on a weekday afternoon. We thought, perhaps, they were filming a Running Man episode. lol
We bought some mini redbean fish at the subway from Deli Manjoo. It wasn't that good though but at least it was cheap 2000₩ for 10.
And finally we did some shopping at Nampo dong shopping street. It was here that I started to have a very bad migraine and my eyeballs were killing me with sharp pain combined with the fact that I was feeling so nauseous I could barely keep my head up. There were a lot of sales in stores, but I just could not concentrate at all. I didn't not buy anything. I felt quite disappointed for leaving empty handed. We had to head home soon after leaving this place as I can't keep myself from lifting my head without feeling nauseous. This shopping area is quite trendy and geared towards young adults. There was a good amount of shops and cafes and it wasn't even crowded, unlike Myeongdong.
Back to the hotel by 6-7PM and I just laid there and ate cuttlefish chips!!! I don't have to worry about dropping chips on the bed or the floor as it was not even my room. I can eat where ever I want. I can even eat in the bathtub if I wanted to. (*˙︶˙*)☆*°
The night view of Haundae from our room window. You can only see motels everywhere.
(Oh right, since this is also the 2nd day of my period, I bled a LOT; combined with the amount of walking we had to do, it was terrible. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡)
To get to Gamcheon Village from our motel, we had to take the subway from Haundae Station to Busan Station and then transfer to lines to Toseong Station. Lastly, we had to take the bus (number 2 or 2-2) in front of Pusan National University Hospital. You will definitely know what bus to take because there will be a lot of tourists going to the same place. The bus ride is quite short, perhaps 10 minutes overall and it will take you to the top of the hill. You can definitely walk up there BUT the bus ride only cost $1 CND or less.
Once you get off, be sure to go to the visitor center to get a map for 2000₩. The map shows you the various attractions in the village and you can also collect stamps from different shops/houses/centers; once you collect all of the stamps you get a free postcard! ヾ(´▽｀*)ﾉ☆It was definitely very entertaining and exciting collecting the stamps other than the fact that if you miss one of the houses you have to walk all the way back to your initial starting point like what we had to do. It was quite a hassle but nothing beat the sense of fulfillment after you accomplish this feat! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
We got to Gamcheon Cultural Village around 10AM, it was an hour transit from Haundae. The earlier you arrive the better because there would be less people, especially if you want to take a lot of pictures without background noise. We started seeing more and more tourists towards 12-1PM and when they do arrive, you have to wait to take pictures and they watch you while you get your picture taken. It was a cloudy day but you get quite sweaty after walking around nonstop. They do have washrooms there but PLEASE TRY NOT TO GO, it was beyond scary and dirty. ε=ε=(っ*´□`)っAs for food, there are a lot of coffee and mini snack shops in the village and it's quite cheap. ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ
Gamcheon Cultural Village
This is the starting point from the top of the hill, and you can slowly make your descent as you enjoy the artworks.
You will find these "fishes" everywhere along the village because they serve as way guiders. They said to follow the fish if you every get lost. And due to the large surface area of the village, you can follow the fish to visit each attractions.
Plant pants! SO COOL!ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ
This building is so pretty! You can go inside and take a look at the history of Gamcheon Village.
If you are feeling hungry, you can grab something to eat here. There's a sitting area nearby. We did buy a mango drink for 1000₩, BUT my stomach felt a bit queasy afterwards. Probably cold drinks don't sit too well with me so early in the morning.
More fishes to guide us!
The "Art Shop," we were hesitant about going into this place, but we had to in order to get our stamp. I thought they might haggle you into buying souvenirs but nope, they don't. The stamp is on a table inside so you can just stamp it yourself.
Super duper CUTE penguins! Ψ(≧ω≦)Ψ
The LITTLE PRINCE!!( ˘ ³˘)♥ He looks pretty hot here. SEXY.
Gamcheon Cultural Village from another angle.
Here's a creepy little house housed with robotics hands that move without notice. Gave me a total fright especially in the the dark. (╬☉д⊙)
I think this is the neatest artwork in the village!
Stairs to See Stars. Yes, we had to walk up these stairs because we missed a stamp near our starting point. It was brutal for me.
LOOK AT HOW HIGH you have to CLIMB! But at least these stairs are easier to climb than the Great Wall of China.
View from the top of the "stairs to see stars"
Finally we arrived at the community center, I think, this is also another place to get a stamp and also a free postcard! The community center is also a school? cause we walked by some classrooms and it is also multilevel. On the first floor you can find a naked grandpa in a sauna and some artworks all around the walls. And on the rooftop of this building is where one episode of "Running Man" was filmed! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+
What's under that towel, grandpa??!╰(✧∇✧)╯
We stood on the same ground as the Running Man cast and Choi Ji Woo! It's also interesting to get a 360 degrees perceptive of the village.
You can see the entire length of the "stairs to see stars" on the left.
House of Peace. Eh. Wasn't too interesting. There was also a picture of a bowl and of a moon. But I got to say, most of these houses have graffiti everywhere.
LOL, what a coincidence that there's a cat beside an artwork of cats.
After exploring the village, we took the bus down to Pusan National Hospital. My sister needed to get her ankle looked at because there was an abnormally large bubble the size of half a golf ball and it was growing larger day by day since our trip to Kyoto a couple days back (5 days?).
We went straight to ER, but was stopped at the registration because we did not know Korean and we were also tourists, and I guess the manager? called somebody who spoke English to speak to my sister over the phone. He told her to go to the international department at the hospital instead of ER. Once we got there, apparently the receptionist was on lunch break or something and there was another tourist waiting in the waiting room. I think it was at least 1 hour of waiting for the receptionist to come back. We were super hungry as we had not eaten lunch yet too. It was already 2PM.
Once the receptionist returned, we registered and the receptionist called the nurse to come over. Once the nurse came, my sister showed her ankle bite to the nurse and she said she had never seen anything like that before, especially of that caliber (we assumed it was a mosquito bite, but she doesn't think so). After some calls, we were told go to see the dermatologist in the hospital as the nurse was unable to help us. We were then guided by one of the translator who was, by the way, super nice and social. I think we spent around 2.5 hours at the hospital due to all the waiting. Apparently there were a lot of hospital admissions for tourists that day so it was very busy and thus the long waiting time.
The dermatologist performed a drainage on the bubble. It appears to be an allergic reaction to a bug bite, probably not a mosquito. The hospital visit was fairly positive. Everybody was quite polite, the doctor and nurses were professional. The hospital is very large and we did take around 3 elevators and quite a lot of stairs to get to the dermatology department. But before you get to see the dermatologist, you have to pay first. Overall, the cost was ~$160 CND for consultation and procedure, which is actually pretty cheap if you compared it to Canada. An consultation with the dermatologist will probably cost around $200 and afterwards perhaps additional fee for a procedure. After this we went to the nearest pharmacy at the subway station to pickup the prescriptions and while we wait we were offered two banana milk drinks by the staff!! WOW! FREE!! ٩(⚙ᴗ⚙)۶
Next off, Jagalchi Market. Fish MARKET! There's a variety of unseen ocean species here. It is quite crowded with locals. I wasn't too into it as I am not much of a fan of dead sea animals/fishes. It smells too.
We bought some mini redbean fish at the subway from Deli Manjoo. It wasn't that good though but at least it was cheap 2000₩ for 10.
Interesting statue, though at the same time I have this question of "WHY? WHY? WHY? would you have a naked kid with his wee-wee showing..." ◑.◑
And finally last statue, JUST WOW, it is so pretty! This whole street is full of statues! Even statue people look like Koreans lol.
Back to the hotel by 6-7PM and I just laid there and ate cuttlefish chips!!! I don't have to worry about dropping chips on the bed or the floor as it was not even my room. I can eat where ever I want. I can even eat in the bathtub if I wanted to. (*˙︶˙*)☆*°
The night view of Haundae from our room window. You can only see motels everywhere.
