Busan is Korea's great port, a long, steep city of more than three million squeezed between mountains and sea in the south-east corner of the peninsula. Container cranes line the harbour, ferries leave for Japan and fishing boats unload at Jagalchi market, where women in rubber aprons sell live octopus, eels and fish from tanks. The city has the energy and sharp tongue of a seaport, and its dialect is distinctly rougher than Seoul's.
It is also surprisingly beautiful. Haeundae beach, with towers behind it, fills with swimmers in summer, while on the other side of the city the Gamcheon culture village climbs a hillside in terraces of pastel houses. The Gwangandaegyo bridge, strung with lights, curves across the bay, and the Taejongdae park on the southern tip has cliffs, pines and a lighthouse. Busan also holds the UN Memorial Cemetery, where soldiers who died in the Korean War are buried, a moving place that takes an hour of quiet.
Riding here is mostly about the coast. The road from Busan northeast toward Ulsan and Gyeongju follows the shoreline, with views of fishing harbours and rocky bays, and the old petroglyphs of Bangudae near Ulsan, carved on a cliff above a river, are among the oldest depictions of whales and hunting in the world. Within the city, traffic is heavy and the many tunnels and bridges can confuse a navigator, so follow the lane markings. Speed cameras are plentiful. Typhoons strike in late summer.
Food is a main reason to go. Dwaeji gukbap, a pork and rice soup, is the local comfort dish, milmyeon is cold wheat noodles in tangy broth, and hotteok, sweet pancakes with nuts and syrup, are sold on the street. Fresh raw fish dinners by the sea are famed. Fuel is easy to find, and parking for bikes is available at many car parks. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with clear skies and moderate temperatures. Give yourself an evening at the harbour as the lights come on.