Gimhae-Busan trip (part 3)

Continuing from Busan (part 2)

A day before our flight departure, we travelled for an hour by coach to Gimhae from Busan city. A brief introduction on Gimhae, it was the land of the Great Garakguk founded by King Suro in 42 A.D, the empire that saw the advancement from bronze ware to iron ware.

To learn about the history of the Garakguk, pay a visit to Daeseong-dong Tombs Museum. The museum displays intriguing models about the traditions and cultures of the people back in the Gaya Dynasty period, how they excavated the ground to build a tomb and the ritual of burying the living with the dead.

The showcase displays how the Gaya people constructed a tomb at that time.

Ancient armours of the Gaya Dynasty.

Then we headed to the nearby Shell Mounds Museum to see the cross section of a shell mound with well arranged layers of shells formed from numerous periods. (See bottom left pic.)

The sculpture of a warrior at the museum park.

The raised houses were restored from 2002.

After that, we saw King Suro’s Tomb right in front of our eyes. It was listed as a Historic Site in 1963. The historic-style architecture buildings at the compound were designed and constructed in 1990s.

We had a fun time at Buncheong Ceramic Hall, designing our own ceramic ‘masterpieces’ with colourful markers before they were sent to undergo the heating process and framed up for keepsake.

These ceramic tiles had not been heated up yet. ME no good in drawing so I go for simple design. Guess which one of these is mine? Scroll down for answer.

Answer: The tile in the middle.

Located just next to Buncheong Ceramic Hall, Clayarch Gimhae Museum (www.clayarch.org) currently exhibits the ‘architecture and society’ of Jillye where the museum is located. Photos and artworks clearly reflect the daily aspects of the village from the 70s, 80s and 90s onwards.

The people, bus-stop and building are all cut out of cardboard and display the 3D visual effect.

Clayarch Gimhae is a one-of-its kind museum in the world for architectural ceramic, providing a platform for artists to showcase their artworks to promote public culture.

Not much introduction needed here, you can easily spend a few hours browsing through the international and local brands on sales at the Jangyu Lotte premium outlet in Gimhae. For the hip and trendy, there are some interesting Korean designed tees and caps as well.

This isn’t a Korean drama set in ancient time. Experience the traditional hanok stay at least once in a lifetime when in Korea. It’s like spending a night in a living museum characterized by wooden pillars and structures, and vintage cabinets in the room. Yes, you sleep on a mattress laid on the floor. We stayed at Gimhae Hanok Experience Hall (www.ghhanok.or.kr ) comprising of 13 rooms.

Our rooms come with the basic amenities you get in a hotel including a flat screen TV, a fridge and modern bathroom fittings. I stayed at one of the smaller rooms.

The elegant courtyard and platform where traditional earthern crocks are stored. Here is the restaurant.

We had both dinner and breakfast at this traditional restaurant that serves tasty Korean dishes. The pretty presentations definitely make the dishes look more appetizing.

Tasty braised pork slices and kimchi.

Fried vegetables.

Dining at a traditional Korean restaurant means we have to sit on the floor while enjoying delicacies spread across the table.

Korean breakfast serves at the hanok.

On the last day of our 5-day trip, we checked out of the hanok and transferred to Gimhae International Airport for AirAsia X flight departure at 10:35am to Kuala Lumpur. I transited in Kuala Lumpur while on the way back to Singapore via AirAsia Fly-thru service which connects the two flight sectors at the airline’s transfer hall at KLIA-LCCT. It’s hassle free without having to go through immigration and check-in flight again. Luggage will be sent directly from the first place of departure to the final destination – that means you don’t have to collect your luggage at KLIA-LCCT for check-in again.

AirAsia X Airbus

This is my second trip using AirAsia Fly-thru service from Singapore to Busan; the first trip was to Osaka. I would say it’s easy and convenient to transit in Kuala Lumpur for the next flight connection on AirAsia X. The overall experience onboard AirAsia X Airbus A330-300 was very pleasant – comfy and spacious seat, tasty meal and friendly crew.

AirAsia X is the low-cost, long haul carrier that flies to 15 destinations across 7 countries including China, Australia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Nepal. To find out the promotional airfares, check out www.airasia.com

*Special thanks to AirAsia/ AirAsia X and Busan Tourism Organization for the invitation to Busan, South Korea.

Busan Tourism Organization website: www.bto.or.kr