Dongbaek Island & APEC House

Because I didn't start this blog until a few weeks into our Korean adventure, I have yet to blog about all of the amazing memories from our first two weeks in Busan, South Korea.  As this blog serves as a written history of our family's adventures, it's important that I backtrack a bit and do some posts from our first two weeks here.  Enjoy!


At the end of Haeundae Beach, where we live, there is a small peninsula called Dongbaek Island where you can hike up one side or walk up the other.  I'm sure you're wondering how it can be a peninsula and an island at the same time.  Well it's not actually an island anymore.  Over time, a land bridge formed connecting it to the mainland. 

As you hike up the Haeundae Beach side of Dongbaek (starting at the foot of the stairs by the Westin Chosun Hotel), you'll spy a mermaid statue on the rocks below on the shore.  According to legend, this mermaid was married off to a king, and she missed home so much that she would go out at night and gaze at the view of her home reflected in her golden ball on every full moon.  The statue is of her holding the ball and looking out towards the sea.

Once you reach the tip of the island that juts out into the water, you'll see the Nurimaru APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) House.  The name is created by combining the Korean words nuri (“world”) and maru (“summit”).  Thus, APEC House collectively means “a house where the world summit leaders gather together for an APEC meeting.”  Korea hosted the annual APEC meeting in 2005 and built this lovely place especially for it. 

We decided to put on our tennis shoes and head over for a morning hike.  We did this with two toddlers, which was a little difficult for us and great fun for them to go up and down tons of wooden stairs and even a small suspension bridge.  God bless Talton who carried the stroller the whole way so we'd have somewhere to put the boys when we got on the other side of Dongbaek to walk back down.

watching "Caillou" after breakfast before heading out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The special Korean clothes all of the leaders wore.  I love this kind of stuff!

 

This is what they served the leaders for dinner that day:
steamed king prawn, grilled beef served with pine mushroom, scallop and ginseng salad, chestnut porridge, side dishes: kimchi, white kimchi, beef boiled in soy sauce seasoned vegetable, fried kelp, steamed rice in black bean/pine nut/black rice and red bean with "Sin-Sun-Ro", assorted Korean pastries, pear and citron punch

Well that's one way to put it.

 

 

 

The walk back down the other side of Dongbaek Island.  Great walk downhill!

 

 

Talton & Connar were hanging out on the balcony people watching, boat watching, and enjoying some one on one time.  :)