The best patbingsu shops in Busan, Korea

Bingsu, or Korean shaved ice, is the perfect treat in sweltering South Korean summer weather. Here’s where you can get it in Busan.

Bibibidang

Bibibidang is a traditional-style Korean teahouse, located on Haeundae’s artsy Dalmaji Hill. It serves a number of traditional Korean desserts, including a delicious hobakbingsu, or sweet pumpkin shaved ice. The teahouse has a lovely, vintage-style interior and sweeping views out over the ocean. As well as bingsu, you can try a wide variety of Korean teas, all of which are served with dashik (traditional Korean confectionary designed to accompany tea).

Dala 100% Chocolate

No prizes for guessing what kind of bingsu is served here. Dala 100% Chocolate is a dessert café that focuses on all things rich and chocolatey, and their ‘Dinosaur Egg Bingsu’ is no exception – comprised of shaved ice and chocolate flakes, it’s topped with chocolate syrup and a generous scoop of ice cream (and small chocolate dinosaur) inside a massive chocolate dinosaur egg. It’s in the popular café area of Jeonpo and the bright pink exterior makes it easy to find.

Sulbing

Sulbing is an iconic South Korean dessert café chain that specialises in bingsu. It’s one of the best places to go if you want to choose from a wide range of flavours, including strawberry cheesecake, mango and traditional injeolmi. There are Sulbing cafés all over Busan, but the best-located is perhaps in Millak, on the eastern side of Gwangalli Beach – the café looks out over the beach and the famous Gwangan Bridge, and is just a few minutes’ walk from the lovely (and underrated) waterfront between Millak Hoe Center and Millak Waterside Park where young Koreans congregate to eat street food in the evening. There’s also a Sulbing on the main road at Haeundae.

Bosung Nokcha

Bosung Nokcha is located in Namcheon, within walking distance from Gwangalli Beach. Although it’s a little tucked away, it’s well worth the journey. The café’s two floors are surrounded by greenery, making it look wild and overgrown from the outside. Inside, wooden floors and furniture meld harmoniously with the trees and leaves. It serves traditional-style patbingsu at an unbeatable price – a one-person serving is 2,500 won (approx. US $2.22).

Halmae Patbingsu

Halmae means ‘grandmother’ in Korean and this shop sells simple, traditional (and cheap!) patbingsu, just the way a grandmother would make it. The name also makes it easy to spot – just look out for the smiling old lady on the sign. It’s a little way away from the main tourist drag, but close to Igidae Coastal Park. It’s best combined with a bracing walk along Igidae’s dramatic shoreline.

See more: Enjoy the best dishes from seafood in Busan

Source: Internet

6 reasons to visit Bagan, Myanmar

Is Bagan a new destination in your note’s travel guide? Why you should visit Bagan?  One of the world’s greatest religious sites, Bagan offers a vast number of historic temples, magnificent sunrises and sunsets, and a magnitude of scale unimaginable to everyone.

Marvel at the ancient temples and monasteries

Bagan is the perfect place to hop on a bike and explore, flying through the dusty dirt roads to view, climb and walk around endless temples. Now people can rent a horse-drawn carriage or e-bikes to zip along quicker.

Let your curiosity take over and witness most temples without a tourist in sight; gaze at the wild temple dogs that seem to have the wisdom of a thousand years as they guard the ancient edifices with little movement. Admire the crumbling dark stairwells, thousand-year-old peeling paintings, and grand Buddhas greeting you inside each marvelous architectural feat.

People are fantastic

Those temples may not be perfectly authentic, but the people, the people truly are authentic. This goes for all of Myanmar and Bagan is no exception: without fail, the people are polite, pleasant and as helpful as they can be. Unlike in many countries and regions with an established or growing reliance on tourist trade, you will never feel harassed or pressured. Even the hawkers and beggars are relatively polite and quick to leave you alone once you have made it clear you are not interested.

Learn about a preserved culture

After you watch the sunrise at a temple of your choice, bike over to Old Bagan near the Bu Paya where you can watch the hustle and bustle of the locals and monks. At this hour, watch as the procession of monks come to accept alms from the locals. Bike to one of the many villages like Min-nan Thu Village or Thuhtaykan Village to learn their special crafts and how the Burmese survive off the land.

Savor new foods

Unlike fragrant Thai food, Burmese food is Asian cuisine fused from Southeast Asian, Chinese and Indian influences. There are many delicious snacks of pickled tea leaves, sesame seeds, peanuts, and fried garlic chips. You can have tasty candy treats made from coconuts, palm and peanut oil, and sugarcane.

The sunrises are stunning

It is an absolute must, one morning, get up before dawn, climb onto your scooter, and head out for the best vantage point to catch the sunrise over the Bagan Archeological Zone. Your hotel can likely provide you with a map of the Zone and favored sunrise viewing points. Many of these will be atop an actual temple. The other option is to leave extra early and cruise around as aimlessly as possible.

See more: The best places to catch sunset in Bagan, Myanmar

Feel like an explorer

Although tourists are slowly coming to a land that was cut off for so long due to an oppressive military junta, there are still far less tourists than you would expect at other major world attractions like Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu. If you desire to travel to an untouched land with a fascinating culture still intact, you should go now, because this nation is on the cusp of great change.

Source Internet

Best secret islands and beaches in Malaysia

Imagine white sand, turquoise waters and empty palm tree-fringed beaches. Malaysia has thousands of these islands, with many relatively unknown and off the tourist trail.

A luxurious beach getaway on Tenggol Island (Terengganu)

Tenggol is the southernmost island in Terengganu State’s archipelago chain, stretching over the South China Sea. Unlike its neighbours the Perhentian Islands, this place hardly gets any visitors apart from a handful of locals. Expect ideal snorkelling conditions, daily whale shark tours and jungle trails. To get here, take a five-hour bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Dungan followed by a 50-minute ferry to Tenggol Island. It’s worth the long trip.

Romantic getaways on Rawa Island (Johor)

Dazzling white-sand beaches, celebrity-favourite resorts and beachfront villas are three ways to describe Rawa Island. This tiny coral island off Johor State has just two resorts, alluring those looking for a very private retreat. Wake up to the sound of lapping waves and open the curtains to the empty white coastline. This piece of paradise comes with a high price tag and limited rooms that often sell out months in advance. Rawa is perfect for honeymooners or more affluent couples on a romantic getaway.

The mesmerising ‘Blue Tears’ on Tusan Beach (Sarawak)

Sarawak’s Tusan Beach near Miri doesn’t get many visitors apart from local families. Not many outsiders get to see the warm orange sand hugging the cliffs or photograph the unusual rock formation (resembling a horse bending down to drink the sea water). The lack of commercialisation plus the strange geological structures aren’t the only things that make this (somewhat) secret beach in Malaysia so special. When conditions are just right, tiny micro-organisms in the sea release a chemical into the water. This bioluminescence transforms the gentle inky waters into a neon blue oasis, creating the spectacular and very rare ‘Blue Tears’ phenomenon.

Disconnect from the world on Kapas (Terengganu)

Terengganu’s Kapas Island is practically uninhabited compared to its neighbours. Only a handful of guesthouses and hostels line the empty coastlines, catering towards budget-conscious crowds. Forget luxury resorts, mass development and WiFi: Kapas is all about reflection and solitude. Expect vast coastlines, colourful coral reefs and crystal-clear waters.

Read more: Top famous tourist attractions in Malaysia

Source Internet