April 1999
OUT AND ABOUT, PUSAN

TRAVEL
   Further to Cedar Blomberg’s piece in the March issue, readers may be interested to know that you can easily make a day-trip to Haeinsa and Kayasan from Pusan as well as Taegu. There’s one bus daily to Haeinsa; it leaves Sobu (Sasang) Terminal at 9.50. It takes 2 hours 40 minutes to get there, and the fare is W9500. You can ask the driver to drop you near the temple, which is a short distance before the terminal.
   According to the official timetable, the only bus back to Pusan is at 4.30, which would leave you plenty of time to have lunch and look around the temple, but not enough to hike up the mountain at a leisurely pace. However, on my visits, I’ve found one leaving at about 6.15, so if you want to try the hike, check when you arrive.
   Another travel tip: Last year I wrote a piece for that fine but defunct magazine, “The Expatriate”, about the delights of Kadokdo. Well, later this year, the City’s going to open a bridge to the island; the 6-lane highway leading to the bridge is already nearly completed. So if you want to see Kadokdo in its present idyllic state, be quick. Briefly, take the 58 bus from Nampodong (in front of Moonoodang Bookstore) to the terminus at Yongwon (about 1 hour). Then take the ferry, which departs every hour on the half hour and takes about 20 minutes to cross, and get off at the second stop where you’ll see a shuttle bus waiting.

GALLERY NEWS

   The exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Anthony Quinn and his son Lorenzo continues at Dongbaek Art Centre on Talmaji Gogae until April 30. To me, the paintings look generally Picasso-esque, but they contain elements of Fauvism and Expressionism, or so I read. Tickets are W6,000. To get there, take the No. 10 blue shuttle bus opposite Haeundae Bus Terminal. 
   Five minutes walk from the Dongbaek you can find the 051 Gallery, which is currently showing a collection by a local photographer, Kim Min-shik. The pictures are mostly of Pusan, and cover from 1960 to the present day - a remarkable chronicle of rapidly changing lifestyles. Entrance is free, though the owner would appreciate your buying a coffee in the foyer, where you can admire the view of the sea. 

MUSIC

   A highlight of the classical music month is a visit by the prodigiously talented cellist Cho Young-chan. Based in Germany, he has made several appearances as a guest soloist with the Pusan Phil, most notably with his sisters in a memorable performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. This time, he gets an evening to himself on April 8, with a program ranging from Beethoven and Haydn to ragtime and tango.
   If you saw the snatch of “42nd St.” which figured in the Korean box office smash, “Swiri” and felt you’d like to see the rest of the show (in Korean), go along to Pusan Cultural Centre on April 10 (4 & 7:30pm) or 11(2 & 6:30pm). And what is this thing that Korean audiences have about nuns? A recent original cast reunion production of “Agnes of God” is now followed a drag version of the perennially re-appearing “Nunsense”, called “Nunsense A-men” (April 24-28, 4 and 7 daily). Tickets for both, W25,000 and up.

SPORTS

   The Kyonjgu Cherry Blossom Marathon takes place on Sat., April 10, starting in the cool at 7.00 a.m. The event includes a full and half marathon, 10k and 5k. Foreigners’ entry info: (02) 7299-604/5. The fee is W7,000. 
For more great events and outings, see our Cultural Calendar on page 19.