With the Boryeong Mud Fest quickly approaching, I’m on the hunt for a bathing suit here in Busan.  I’ve spotted a couple shops that sell them in the Seomyeon underground mall, though a recent jaunt to Songjeong Beach revealed that the Korean girls don’t usually, well, reveal much.

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Neither do the guys!  (Except for that one exhibitionist on the left.) 

This group did, however, spend the bulk of their beach time sneaking up on each other in boisterous raids, grabbing wrists and ankles, and tossing the fully-clothed target into the sea. One of the most entertaining people-watching sessions I’ve experienced here so far.

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For Busanites and visitors wishing to explore beaches other than Haeundae and Gwanganli, Songjeong is a quieter stretch of sand, sprawling a little over a kilometre before the East Sea near the edge of Dalmaji Hill.  At the entrance sits an evergreen park called Jukdo, and a short bus ride away is the epic Haedong Yonggungsa temple, where you can spot the tiny monks mentioned in my last post. 

The temple and the beach make a sweet combo for a day trip, especially when the weather and the water unite…

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Apparently Songjeong also hosts a surf bar located right on the beach called Blowfish.  (Yep, the waves at this beach get big enough to surf on.)  Not sure how we missed this watering hole during our Songjeong sojourn, but we’ll definetely be back to hunt it down.  Any place referred to as “Thailand in the front, Afghanistan in the back,” can count me in.

Route to Songjeong:
 

From Busan Station: Take Bus No.139, 140, 239, 302-1
From Subway: Take subway line No.2 and get off at Haeundae Station (Exit no.7)→ Take Bus No. 100, 100-1, 139, 142 → Get off at Songjeong Station and walk 600 meters.

Or, ride line 2 all the way to Jangsan and hop in a cap from there.  In just five to ten minutes, you’ll be scoping out the surf, the sand and the shirts! 

I recommend.