Busan : Authentic

We had a long weekend thanks to Buddha's birthday. It was also the weekend before B's birthday, so a group of friends decided a trip to Busan was in order. Busan is the main port of Korea. Famous for it's seafood markets and seaside beaches, Busan is a popular weekend destination.

Hoping for optimal sun-soaking time, we chose to take the KTX trains. These trains travel at a top speed of 350km an hour and cover a large area of Seoul. Some friends took a city bus to Busan. They arrived 7 hours later. Our KTX trip was a total of 2.3 hours. I think we win.

Trying to save our money for drinks and more travels, we booked rooms at Love Motels over the regular hotel. What is a Love Motel? I thought you'd never ask! Because most Korean's don't leave their parent's homes until they are married, young couples have to go elsewhere for alone time. And the Love Motel was born. The rooms are less than half the price of a normal hotel room and come with a lot of extras. Our room was spacious, with a big screen TV, strobe lights for mood, and a jacuzzi tub that lit up in the dark. I'm sure it would be a black light nightmare, but we took our complimentary toiletries, complete with bubble bath and condoms, and we all unpacked.

Friday's weather was great and we hit the beach. There were loads of other teachers and foreigners. It was strange understanding all the conversations around me. We met up with the rest of our group and rejoiced the warm weather with drinks and mexican food. We hit up a local bar for the night and even hopped into a mosh pit of well choreographed Koreans. They knew every dance to every song. GET A JOB. I kid.

beach fireworks

awesome sand sculpture of Buddha

jamming with the locals

We also ventured to the casino for kicks. B actually doubled his money in less than five minutes. I have never gambled so I bet $10 and like the newby I was, I lost it within the first hand. At least I got to breathe in some really great oxygen, via casino manipulation. Thanks!

Saturday took a turn for the worse when the weather shifted. An annoying drizzle and cold winds kept the beach pretty empty. We all decided to grab a tourist map and wander the beach towns. We ended up finding that we weren't too far from "The World's Mystery Library". Boy did it live up to it's name. It was a mystery all together just finding it. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by the library owner, or the wife of the library owner that is. She was amazing, and so was the library.

detectives in training

I was immediatly filled with a jealous envy that I won't easily shake for some time. There was shelf upon shelf of first edition mystery classics. Pictures of Virginia Wolf, Sherlock Holmes, Hitchcock, and LeRoux... nicknacks filled every table, and the smell of old books was eye watering. The owner told us of her husband, a famous Korean writer, and her family. She told us that should we even open the top floor of the library, which she said was very special. We spent a few hours browsing the walls and asking her questions. We even met her husband over tea and coffee. It seemed that it wasn't a popular place to visit, like the aquarium and shopping malls, but we had such a great time.

framing this

view from the library

sketch of the owner's wife...loved her.

scott and marie

After our hike to the museum, we thought a few hours in a jinjilbang was in order. A jinjilbang is like a day spa, where you can bathe in aromatic pools( totally nude of course) or lounge in the communal saunas. We got dressed in our sauna attire (picture mental patient smocks from the 50's) and walked into the first sauna. HOT DANG! It was 160 degrees Farenheit in there! No joke! I could only last a few minutes before I started to smell bacon. I opted for a lower degree and took a quick nap. Then, Elizabeth and I headed to the women's spa for a full body scrub. I was nothing short of terrified, but I took the plunge and entered the giant nakee spa. I had a scrub that pretty much removed my outer layer of skin. No kidding, the lady showed me handfuls of my own skin. It was gross, but afterwards I felt smooth as a baby's butt and a few pounds lighter.

We spent the rest of the day running through the rain, eating fried chicken, and playing this amazing drinking game we created with the help of a $3 children's toy. We laughed so much I thought my face was going to fall off. Our group of travel buddies was the perfect blend.

alligator game!

On Sunday some of the group departed for Seoul and the rest of us stayed to visit the Art Museum. It was nice to see the exhibits and get out of the rain for awhile. Then we went to a market for dinner and coffee. I had made a note before the trip to visit the 2nd hand book alley. I wasn't sure we would find it, but my lucky stars we did. The alley twisted and turned into multiple stalls and tents. I was able to find some amazingly old classics and picked up a few thrillers in lieu of the Mystery Library.

book alley

Riding the KTX back into Seoul, I thought about how random our trip to Busan was. Most people go there for the beaches and outdoor bars, but when faced with the crummy weather, we all had to look elsewhere for entertainment. Our trip was completely authentic and I'm sure, without a doubt, that no other tourist that weekend had the same whacky experience.

I'd like to go back and visit Busan when the sun is shining, but I must say, I had one hell of a time. Stay mysterious, Busan.

-C