Instagrammable Spring in the Southern Part of Korea

Spring is here and it is the best season in Korea to recolor my messy Instagram feed. So here is my best idea of a perfect Korean spring, inspired by my unhealthy Instagram obsession.


Jinhae
It is overrated for a solid reason: every corner of this tiny little town offer you perfect angles of cherry blossom. There is no bad time to come to Jinhae during the festival. I have been there at the start of the festival and in the past two years, I only come in the last two days of the cherry blossom season.

Greenish cherry blossom? No worries, still charming!

Those traveling blogs do not lie, the best spots are Gyeonghwa Station and Yeojwacheon Romance Bridge with a quick photo stop here and there while you are in the city.

Do not get turned off by the crowd of humans. Jinhae is simply beautiful and you can always skip the mainstream shots. I do not normally take pictures of the train in Gyeonghwa Station, because the queue is always toooo loooong. But I still got a great shot, gurl.

Gyeonghwa Station, without the train

Busan
If you are already coming all the way to Jinhae, you might as well add stop in Busan. Approximately 1 hour away from Jinhae and only 5100 won one-way by bus, you should definitely not miss the chance to snap more Instagrammable pictures in Busan.

Daejeo Eco Park

I got over my Gamcheon obsession (finally) and found a better flowery spot: the Daejeo Eco Park.
Getting here could be tricky, so you might as well just go right away after Jinhae since this place is only a short taxi ride away from Sasang Terminal (and there is nothing much around Sasang).

Uh mighty yellow field

This park is huuuuuge and they are all very yellow. No pun here.

Be careful of the very strong Busan wind. But seriously, a little freezing worth the fantastic pictures, no?

Forget all your complaints about the limited restaurant in Jinhae too, Busan will take care of your tummy. I can give you a list of different places to eat in Busan as a Muslim who does not eat meat. My top priority would be GAEMIJIP!

simply fresh octopus and shrimp

This restaurant in Seomyeon opens 24 hours so anytime you feel like craving for the freshest seafood with a kickass soup, come here. It looks plain and colorless in the beginning but waits until the lady mixes them up and create the magic red soup.

Gaemijip Octopus + Shrimp

Priced at 8000 per person for the octopus soup and 9000 for the octopus and shrimp, I guarantee all seafood lovers will lick the last bite of it!

Another Muslim-friendly must-try item is the mighty hotteok! Find the longest queue at BIFF Square, or look for Ajusshi Hotteok if you can read Hangeul. Currently priced at 1300 won per pcs, it is certainly not the cheapest hotteok in Korea (compared to Jinhae 2000 for 3 pcs). BUT THIS WILL MAKE YOU DROOL AND CRAVE FOR MOREEEEE. Literally.

the king of all hotteok

So please make your way to the southern part of South Korea next spring and make all your Instagram followers obsessed over the beautiful Jinhae cherry blossom and drooling Busan foods! The whole itinerary is doable within a day but you can definitely chill and eat more food if you stay for a night in Busan.

Do not wait any longer, start your WOW KOREA trip ASAP!

Jalan-jalan Cantik di Musim Semi

"Korea kapan bagusnya sih?"

Gue sering banget dapet pertanyaan itu dari temen-temen gue. Ya sebenernya kapan aja bagus. Cuma kalo cari suasana berbeda dan instagrammable dengan cuaca yang mendukung buat tubuh tropis seperti kita, musim semi jawabannya. Tergantung budget dan tanggal, lo bisa pilih untuk stay di Seoul atau pergi ke gudangnya cherry blossom di Jinhae.

Pesona Jinhae setaun sekali aja

Sebagai manusia asli Indonesia pecinta kekinian, pasti harus dibela-belain dong cari cherry blossom terbaik!!! Yak jadi sarannya adalah pergi ke Jinhae! Bagaimana caranya?

Tiket bus Busan-Jinhae

1. Transportasi
Lo bisa naik bis Seoul-Masan-Jinhae dari terminal Dong Seoul. Tetapi di musim semi puncak cherry blossom, bisnya suka penuh. Ga usah bingung, naik bis ke Busan Sasang aja lalu sambung dengan bis ke Jinhae seharga 5100 won sekali jalan. Atau bagi yang ingin hemat waktu, bisa juga naik KTX pagi dari Seoul menuju Busan, kemudian nyambung bis dari Sasang. Pilihannya banyak, saudara-saudara.

2. Itinerary
Jangan turun di pemberhentian terakhir! Turunlah di Gyeonghwa Sijang alias Gyeonghwa Market untuk menuju spot pertama cherry blossom di Stasiun Gyeonghwa, Jinhae. Jangan khawatir kalau si kereta ikonik penuh banget buat difoto, masih ada banyak sudut menarik di Jinhae kak!

Ga perlu keretanya di Gyeonghwa

Puas berfoto berlatar belakang kereta, naik bis ke arah Jinhae Station untuk menuju Yeojwacheon Romance Bridge. Wah ga ada matinya deh foto disana.

Yeojwacheon

Jalan pelan-pelan balik ke terminal bis sambil menikmati festival lokal. Kapan lagi bisa ngerasain kearifan lokal di pedalaman Korea. Puas jajan-jajan di festival, pergilah ke Busan dan lanjutkan perjalanan ke Daejeo Eco Park. Agak susah kesini, jadi disarankan naik taksi aja dari Terminal Sasang sekitar 8000 won.

Ini cukup underrated padahal keren bangeeeeet!
Hati-hati dengan angin yang bisa membuat kalian terhempas, cukup dingin mas, mbak.

Puas acara foto-foto? Bermalam dan jajanlah ke arah Gwangan Bridge.

Hari kedua, bisa menuju Gamcheon Cultural Village dan kemudian berfoto cantik lagi. Sebelum meninggalkan Busan, jangan lupa jajan hotteok dulu di BIFF Square. Ga cuma kenyang foto, tapi kenyang jajan juga karena Busan memang terbaik kalo urusan makanan.

3. Makanan
Gue punya segudang rekomendasi di Busan. Melihat itinerary, pastikan mampir di Gaemijip Seomyeon, Hotteok BIFF Square dan Jaws Jjimdak. Tetapi tentu ini bukan guideline mati karena seriously, makanan di Busan ga ada abisnya.

4. Best shots
Berikut foto-foto terinstagrammable gue di musim semi 2018, musim terlovely Korea.

Yay

Yak tunggu apalagi! Jangan lewatkan cherry blossom tahun depan di bagian selatan Korea!