Last week, I went down south to the seaside city of Busan with my friend Austin. It was such a spontaneous decision (which are my favorite) and we were determined to take advantage of what little we had left of the summer. Lots of people don't know this but Busan is actually my hometown! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side when we visited and it rained 80% of the time. So! We stayed at the swanky Park Hyatt Hotel by Haeundae Marine City, which has the most amazing views and an impeccable wait staff. 

Not to mention their beds are definitely worth jumping on(to).

We quickly made ourselves comfortable and headed to the hotel Living Room for a three-course lunch. Starting at 38,000, it was a small luxury to indulge in.

I highly, highly recommend their steaks! I only managed to get a bite out of Austin's dish, and it just melted in my mouth.

But I was happy with my order of veal. My first time having it!

And le pièce de résistance! Their dessert buffet.

The Living Room hosts course meals inclusive of their dessert buffet every day of the week until 2 pm. Their menu changes every month, so be on the look out on their website!

We couldn't leave Busan without having grilled shellfish. It is an absolute must! Austin recommended we go to Soomin Inae 수민이네, a place made famous for it. Get the complete platter and don't forget the soju. Did you know they have different brands for different regions of the country?

First things first: food. There were lots and lots of mini cantinas and sari-sari stores selling snacks from my childhood (Spicy Prawn Crackers are my jam!) I was told that San Pablo is famous for their grilled isaw so you know I had to try it.  

It's chicken itestines which you dip into spiced vinegar. More recently, they've been selling pork itestines too. It was....better than I expected. Chewy, but not bad. The vinegar definitely helped :) 

For 20 pesos, you can rent a rusty, old bike and peddle around the lake. I highly recommend that you do! It's not a long ride, just roughly three kilometers long. But way you'll really get to see Sampaloc Lake up close and personal.

It's a quick way to see how the lakeside San Pabloans spend their days. I saw a few who were out tending to their fishing nets...

And some were busy getting from one place to another...

Probably off to hang up the laundry,

Or to a scrimmage with the boys...

You'll probably see a couple of chickens and pigs and goats, too. Just don't get too close, cause goats have a tendancy to headbutt you if you do. Don't ask. 

I stopped midway at this tindahan for a drink. Pepsi in a bottle, you don't see that in the city anymore these days. The man of the house (pictured above) told me how the lake used to be really dirty and the whole area used to be really polluted. The city recently started a clean-up program to make San Pablo a real tourist destination. I hear they have some great hotsprings nearby, so that shouldn't be too hard. I'll most definitely be back for that one day!

The P20 you traded for the bike will only take you around the lake once, but I think it'd be well worth another P20 for a second round. For me, I had to bid adieu to this unexpected beaut. But before I left, I couldn't resist another childhood favorite...

Fish balls!