부산 태종대~ Taejongdae, Busan

January 2010. Day 3 in Busan. From Busanjin Sijang, we took bus no.101 to Taejongdae, Yeong-do. Bus is the only public transport to Taejeongdae. The 45 mins long bus ride itself is like a sightseeing tour. Crossing over from mainland to the island via new connecting bridge Busan-daekyo, overlooking at the old bridge Yeongdo-daekyo which is side by side. Yeongdo daekyo is an connecting bridge that can lifted to allow ships to pass between the south and north ports. Along the way, could see a lot of gigantic ships and ferries along coast since Yeongdo is not just a port, also a ship maker area.

Taejongdae park is free of charge. You can hike up like the local did or buy a ticket to go round the park with Danubi train. We choose Danubi train to save time and energy. The ticket price only cost 1,500 won (adult) 1,000 won (youth) & 600 won (child). Danubi will go round the 5 scenic sites of Taejongdae in 3 stops. First stop, South Port Viewing Point,. Second stop, Statue of Mother & Children + Observation Deck, and third stop, Yeongdo Lighthouse & Sinseon Rock - where we alight.

Yeongdo lighthouse & Sinseon rock is the most popular stop for it's scenic view, however it is also popular place for people to come here to suicide. The first rock which is accessible, is Sin-seon Ba-wi which means Rock of Goddess. The name is after a myth where gods and goddesses has came down to the rock to rest. Next to Sinseon Bawi, there's another giant rock but inaccessible due to the huge gap. The rock has a a standing stone named Mang-bu-seok (Rock of faithful woman). Myth says a woman has turn into rock after long waited for her husband who never return after he is captivated and taken to Japan. The small island in the middle of open sea that resemble tea kettle is Saeng-do 생도. It's not for visit however it can be view closer if you are taking the cruise tour. The cruise can be taken from Gamji Pebble Beach near where we boarded Danubi train.

Besides visit the sinseon rock, we also climb up to the top of the Yeongdo lighthouse for the 360 degree view. From top, we could see Gamji Pebble Beach - the black pebble beach and aOryukdo - The Five Six Islands. Oryukdo can be appear as five islands and sometimes six islands when the tide is low. There's a gallery with mini lighthouses models worth to take a look. The ship building built along the cliff has a cafe and public toilet inside. Do visit the toilet, the toilet has a full body glass window overlook the open sea where you can do business inside. Next to the ship, if you follow the steep staircase go down the shore, there are tents on the rock selling freshly catch seafood and sashimi.