[HiKorea Hostel(Guesthouse) in Haeundae, Busan] Walk Over the Lake of the Dragon

 There is the Galmaetgil course decorated from 2009 when the project, ‘Busan, the city we want to take a walk’ started. Among the 9 courses, the best one is the Ikidaegil (2 course) connected from Haeundae to Oryukdo. This, where blue and transparent waves break under the steep seashore road, is considered as a special place in Busan. Some of the beautiful scenes in the movie ‘Haeundae’ were filmed here, and a 2011 Korean famous soap opera, Man of the Equator, was filmed here as well. Busan is the place that dramas and movies love considering ‘Gamcheondong’ that I wrote about last time was also the place where Man of the Equator was filmed.

Most of all, Oryukdo is the most remarkable place. It is a tourist attraction which shows its unique nature by the name. Oryukdo consists of 5 islands, Woosak Island, Suri Island, Songgot Island, Gul Island, and the Deungdae Island, and Woosak Island gets submerged in flood-tide. At that time, the two mountain peaks seem to be separated from each other, making it look like there are 6 islands. The name of this island became Oryukdo because it seems that there are 5 islands during flood-tide but 6 at low tide.

Ikidae, a special sea of Busan, is also one of the attractions on this road. You can hear the sound of the pebbles on the shore bumping into the waves and you can get natural acupressure by walking over the attractive stones here. The origin of the name Ikidae is still controversial. 3 stories regarding Iki which means two gisaengs (Korean Geishas) have been coming down. First, there might be two tombs of gisaengs near there. Second, two Jwasoo in Gyeongsang-do might have hanged out with two gisaengs. Third, some gisaeng jumped into the sea holding the general of the enemy like Nongae, and so, it should be called Eikidae instead of Ikidae. Although the exact origin has not been revealed yet, these three stories are definitely interesting.

The fine combination of the Gwangan bridge, the beach and the bustling city of Haeundae that you can see from Ikidae, is a breathtaking scenery. It has an expansive view during the day and a special one at night. Ikidae has uncommon natural landscapes; not only the broad and deep sea, but also the stratum caused by volcanic eruption, coastal cages made by wave erosion, barracks for female divers used for keeping their fishing gears and taking breaks, a fossil assumed as the footprints of Ultrasaurus which was the herbivore dinosaur 65 million years ago, Chimabawi(skirt rock) named from its appearance of wearing a skirt seen from the sea, and Nongbawi(nong rock) like the piled up wardrobes.

Among them, the barrack for female divers is a wonderful place, and it is not easy to see even for the people living near the sea. The female divers would keep fishing gears like diving suits, nets, and webbed feet. Haeundae and Gwanganri is the sea for tourists while Ikidae is for people living near the shore considering the traces left from female divers.

I went to Goseong to see the dinosaur footprints when I was in elementary, but I didn’t know there were fossils of footprints in Ikidae at all. It is interesting that dinosaurs used to live close by. It is assumed as the footprint of Ultrasaurus which was the herbivore dinosaur 65 million years ago. Even though it is a long time ago, don’t you feel like the dinosaurs living near us when you see these kinds of fossils?

Do you remember the scene Lee Min Gi and Kang Ye Won acting in the movie, Haeundae? This is the very place that the ingenuous guy of Busan, Lee Min Gi falls in love with Kang Ye Won, who is chic and a bit haughty. The beautiful scene was filmed right over here. As I mentioned, Busan is absolutely the hot place where many movie directors love.

Also, it is also fun to see the Nongbawi which is a little bit risky in Galmaetgil. The female divers who crossed from Jeju island to Busan used Nongbawi as a tool for having contact. When the female divers said “Ajimae~ (a Jeju dialect for calling married women), I will go work to Nongbawi,” they understood that these women would come to Ikidae to work. Another name is Buddhist Rock because it seems that Buddha is holding a baby. By the way, what do you think of this Nongbawi? Right after I saw the Nongbawi, I thought like this. ‘It seems that it will fall on a touch of someone. What if a typhoon comes? However, you don’t have to worry because it stands still though a lot of typhoons have passed by Busan.

In fact, since Ikidae seemed to be filled with sea bugs when I was young, it used to be a place where I didn’t like to visit. Actually, there are so many sea bugs like cockroaches even now. The rocks are showing off their weird-looking appearances and the marine insects are moving around the cracks between the rocks. I used to hate these bugs, but nowadays these bugs look cute. I feel I’m getting older.

You might realize this, but I live in Yongho-dong, Nam-gu, Busan. Whenever strangers ask me where I live, I say “Yongho-dong.” You know what, after my answer, a lot of people ask “aha, isn’t there where the Oryukdo SK VIEW stands?” It is surprising that many people know the apartment buildings although it is quite new. I think the reason it became popular is because of the great view. The Oryukdo, which has 5 islands during the day but 6 at night, is a gorgeous view you can’t see often.

To enter the breakwater in Oryukdo, you need to take a ship. The ship fee is 10,000won for adults and 5,000won for children. Now that it is a bit expensive, so people usually don’t take the ship and just look at Oryukdo from faraway. In my opinion, I think just looking at Oryukdo is better because if you go close there, your inspiration might be blown away. By the way, do you know that the harmony of cherry blossoms and rape flowers is very famous? You should try to visit here in Spring.

Anyone who grew up in Yongho-dong will probably say ‘Jangja Mountain’ when he or she is asked which mountain they have been the most. It is easy and comfortable for both children and adults to climb the mountain. The air is very clear and clean, and the scenery from the mountaintop is unbelievably nice. Moreover, even those who don’t like mountains and who walk too slowly can complete the whole hiking course within 2 hours.

Yongho-dong means a lake where a dragon used to live. I didn’t have much knowledge on this town despite it is my place. Try to enjoy Yongho-dong, which is a little different from Haeundae and Gwangan-ri of Busan.