Tuesday my internship officially ended and after going out to Bossam (meat? Lettuce wraps? Side dishes? idk what differentiated it from normal kbbq but it was delicious) with my team at better World, I left immediately for the subway station. I arrived at Seoul Station where I would transfer from my subway to the KTX train, the fastest high speed train in Korea that would take me to Busan in under three hours.
However, I had printed out my ticket reservations that I had made online and was supposed to bring it to the ticket counter to exchange the piece of paper for an actual ticket. My ticket was for 2:30 and I arrived at about 1:30 so when I asked the lady in Korean to exchange the paper for a ticket, she also asked if I wanted to take the 1:50 train instead of the 2:30 one. Of course I said yes so that I would have more time in Busan, so from there I rushed to the convenience store, bought some snacks for my ride down, and then ran to my train platform. The KTX train was super nice and really fast, but the guy next to me snored super loudly the entire train ride. Like, I don't understand how someone can snore so loudly. There were a group of soldiers behind me and they kept laughing at the guy snoring, and whenever they laughed I would start laughing and so basically the entire ride I was laughing at this guy snoring so I didn't sleep much.
The statue outside of Busan station. I'm not sure what it is, but when I came back to catch my night train it had a water/light show set to different Korean and American songs.
When I arrived in Busan I immediately realized how unbelievably hot it was, even hotter than in Seoul. It was definitely over 32C (~90F) every day and the humidity was actually killing me. The Busan train station was close to one of the places I wanted to go, Gamcheon culture village, so I took the subway there right as I got off the train. I got a little lost looking for the bus out of the subway, and then when I found the bus stop I was confused on which bus to take, but thankfully someone helped me.
In fact, kind Busan people helping me was definitely the theme of this trip. Usually in Seoul if I get lost or confused I just walk around until I find a bus stop or subway station or ask for help if I'm reallyyy lost. But in Busan every time I looked just a little confused people would help me find where I was going and it was super nice.
Anyways, the guy who helped me find the right bus was from Seoul and on vacation with his friend in Busan and they also happened to be going to the Gamcheon culture village. Since the bus was taking forever, they asked me if I wanted to take a cab with them. Usually I wouldn't accept an offer to share a cab with two guys I just met in a strange city, but they were really friendly, one of them spoke English, and they also invited along the old woman who was also waiting for the bus with us and since she went with them I did too. When we got there they also took some pictures of me in front of the village (and instructed me on how to pose lol) and paid for the cab which was a bonus. Then I just walked around and took some pictures, but it was thundering and looked like it was about to rain so I just ran to the bus stop and took the first bus that came, assuming that it would bring me near some subway station (it did, thankfully).
(they made me pose like this- they said- and I quote- "Try something different, look at the scenery and think")
The pictures really don't do Gamcheon culture village justice though- it is an absolutely stunning place. Built into a hill/mountain, the village is full of colorful old houses, art murals, eclectic shops and cozy cafe. The revitalization project that made the village what is it today really worked, as evidenced by the huge crowd that was there even though it was a Tuesday afternoon and way too hot to be outside. I wish I was able to stay longer, but since I didn't have an umbrella and was carrying all my necessities for the next two days in my backpack, I left as soon as I thought it was going to rain.
Next I arrived at Haeundae, the location of my hostel for the night and arguably the most famous beach in Korea. My hostel was in the middle of a traditional market, and it had started drizzling so I had a really hard time finding it. Thankfully, I messaged the owner of the hostel and he stood outside the door waiting for me (and lent me an umbrella when he saw I didn't have one). I put down my stuff, unpacked my clothes, freshened up a bit and then left to explore the beach. The streets leading up to Haeundae, as well as the beach itself, reminded me of a big city version of Daytona Beach- super commercial, filled with hotels, beach-y souvenir shops, hot dog stands, snow cone and ice cream vendors, sports bars, and very busy big city roads covered in sand thanks to the hundreds people crossing the street heading to and from the beach. Being on the beach again made me miss Florida, and I definitely want to come back to Busan and spend more time there because it was such an interesting combination of country, city, and beach life.
At Haeundae I walked around, bought a sandwich and some snacks, and then had a picnic. I was worried that traveling alone would be a little boring but actually it was really nice to have some alone time, and even nicer when I ventured outside of the crowded parts of Busan and had some peace and quiet outside of a big city for the first time in over two months. After I ate I bought some ice cream at a convenience store and then walked to a music festival they were holding on the beach. I stayed for one DJ and almost left, but then everyone started freaking out- the next act was a 90s hip hop group that had been super famous. Everyone knew all the words to their songs but I had no idea who they were so I just stood there and enjoyed the craziness haha.
After that I went back to my hostel and showered, and met one of the girls staying there. She was French and had been traveling in Seoul for two weeks before arriving in Busan, but she didn't speak English so she was super excited when she found out I spoke French. We talked in French for about an hour and a half (with me constantly accidentally slipping into Korean- what can I say, my roommates these past two months have only spoken Korean to me so my French was more than rusty) and then went to bed. Unfortunately I had to leave early that morning but we promised to meet if (when) I go to Paris, her hometown.
That morning I left a little after 9:30 and bought a latte and a triangle kimbab at a convenience store, which I ate on the beach. Earlier that morning umbrellas had been set up so there were literally umbrellas on every single inch of the beach that people could rent, and families were already arriving to claim a spot by the water.
After I ate I walked to the bus stop and got on the right bus, but when my stop came up about 40 minutes later I was confused so I hesitated. I was going to a temple, but it was in the middle of the countryside and I was the only young person/foreigner on the bus so the bus driver predicted where I was going even though I didn't tell him when I got on (I was too confident- you can tell the bus driver where you are going and he'll call out your stop but I was convinced I'd be able to tell when I would have to get off so I didn't). When I hesitated he stopped the bus and then escorted me off, which was a little embarrassing but then again, if he didn't do that then I would have ridden that bus forever.
The temple was about a ten minute hike from the bus stop, uphill and in the worst heat I've ever felt in my entire life. If I ever go back to that temple I'm getting a cab because that walk was the absolute worst. When I finally arrived I was wonderstruck- the temple was beautiful, perched on the side of rocks overlooking the sea. I absolutely loved it and I am so glad I went. I found another Korean girl who was traveling alone and asked her to take my picture, and then I took a picture of her as well. She didn't get the temple in the background, but oh well haha.
This specific shrine (? Idk the proper terminology) was for traffic safety. I saw others for "wishing for a son" and "academic achievement and success" which I probably should have prayed to or something
Entering the temple... at this point I didn't know what to expect. And then...
Golden Buddha by the ocean
I tried to frame my pictures so that I wouldn't get anyone praying in them, so for some pictures the angles are a little strange
Me actually dying in the heat
People were throwing coins in here! I'm not sure what this one was for in particular
to give you an idea of just how in the middle of nowhere this place was... behind my bus stop there was this...for miles.... I've never seen so much open land in Korea haha
The jimjilbang I was going to, Spa land, charges a 15,000 won admission fee (~$15) which is a little higher than other jimjilbangs but it was totally worth it. Unlike other jimjilbangs, it has a time limit of 4 hours, but it is super nice inside (the nicest jimjilbang I've ever been too) so I wasn't complaining. I basically stayed the entire four hours because I was so exhausted. Just so you can get an understanding of how nice Spa Land is, it has 22 spas fed by different springs and infused with different minerals for different health benefits. The womens spa area also has an outside area (covered by a wooden fence and some shrubbery, of course), and then in the co-ed area there are 13 different saunas and an outdoor foot bath. There is also massage chairs, a snack bar, a restaurant, and a relaxation room- a dark room with incredibly comfortable reclining chairs.
First I went to the womens spa area and un-dressed and showered. Before you get into any of the saunas you have to shower (they provide soap, shampoo, body wash, loofas, basically anything you need) and then you can start trying the different baths. Going to a jimjilbang for the first time can be a little intimidating (everyone is naked!! Only in the gender separated parts, of course, but still) but Spa Land was super accommodating for non-Korean speakers. This was not my first time so I felt super comfortable and tried every spa, spending a lot of time in the outside area because it was super cute. Then I went inside, dried off, and changed into the jimjilbang uniform provided (shorts and a tshirt, essentially) to go into the co-ed area. There I went into almost all of the saunas but passed up on anything above 55C because that is just way too hot. There is an ice room too, meant to cool off in between hot saunas (going from the hot to the cold is supposed to be good for your metabolism or something) but I went in there just because it felt nice. After the saunas I went to the restaurant and ate lunch, and then relaxed in the relaxation room. Then I returned, showered again and exfoliated, and then dried my hair with the hair dryers provided and even used some of the really nice lotion they had at the mirrors. I changed into new clothes and then wandered around the neighboring department store a bit.
My lunch at the jimjilbang restaurant
Then I went to Jagalchi market, a famous fish market, and Busan International Film Festival Square. There I just wandered around, got some coffee, did a little shopping, and then went back into the subway station. In the subway station I found another department store entrance so i ate at the food court there and then took a train back to Busan Station. I had a ticket for the oldest, slowest train in Korea, laving at 11:30 and arriving at Seoul at 4:30am, and I had heard some bad things about this train. When I told my boss at my internship what train I was taking back, she told me (and I quote) "It will be uncomfortable, smelly, and people will probably be drinking (alcohol)." But yet when I got on it was perfectly normal...slow, yes (it made a ton of stops), but other than that it was perfectly fine. I slept a little and then waited about half an hour in the subway station when I arrived in Seoul and took the first train back to Hongdae!
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