Going to Gamcheon Village and a Buddhist Temple in Busan

I was really thankful that the weather was very agreeable for the entire duration of my trip to Busan; our little team of four tried to hit as many outside attractions and activities as possible! I think one of the major highlights of this trip was when we went to Gamcheon village! It is a relatively big cultural village that is painted in various colors. By that I mean that every house is painted a different color, usually pastel, and because this village is situated in a hilly/mountainous area the effect is very beautiful when looking at the village from certain spots!

Firstly, when I asked my friend what we should be doing here in this village she told me that the person who recommended the place to her advised us to just get lost in it for a day! Looking back, I think that was great advice and it’s exactly what I’d recommend doing! Not only is it nice to simply explore the unique village and to take great pictures along the way, it also has cultural activities and attractions scattered throughout. I remember visiting a small temple and also an abandoned home. There are several restaurants in the village and plenty of cafes as well. Although there are many neat snacks and souvenirs scattered throughout the village, I particularly remember buying some nice themed Gamcheon village merchandise in a specific square!

One of the other major highlights of the trip to Busan was when we visited one of the largest Buddhist temples in South Korea! Although it was a particularly windy day that day we didn’t let it deter us from visiting the scenic place and spent the entire morning there. I actually really enjoyed it because of how grand the temple was. I had never visited such an extensive Buddhist temple before this and had been semi-familiar with the religion because of my religious grandmother (and also world history class) so I thought of her quite a bit while I was there! The temple was also situated on the shore so there were many breathtaking scenes! I would recommend a day at the temple if you don’t want to do something extremely strenuous and just want to do another “taking in the culture” activity. There are also many opportunities to take nice pictures here!

Later in the day, we decided to ride a little “sky capsule” that let’s you see a good chunk of the shore of Busan! Looking back it wasn’t a particularly exciting activity, but it was very pretty to see the sun setting. It’s also a nice opportunity to just sit down and rest with your friends as it’s really just a calm 30-minute little train ride (although it is elevated) overlooking the the shore. Would recommend!

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