Busan with the Locals
Part 1:
From Gyeongju, I hopped on a bus to Busan, the second largest city in South Korea and a primary port. Freight ships, ferries, cruise boats, and the such come and go from Japan, Russia, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and many other places across the globe. I arrived on the outskirts and made my way into the downtown area via subway. It took another hour and it was dark and raining when I arrived (seems to be a trend). I had a screenshot of the location of the hostel and wandered around a few blocks, unable to find the place before I finally stopped in a convenient store and asked. Although the young man working behind the counter didn't speak any English, he must have understood what I needed because he smiled, grabbed an umbrella, motioned for me to follow him, and jogged down the street half a block, pointed to an elevator, and gave me the number four with his fingers. I gave him a thumbs up, thanked him in Korean ("kamsahanmida!") and headed in while he ran back to tend to the store. The genuine kindness of Koreans always puts me in a great mood.
I headed up to fourth floor, found a cafe with the same name of the hostel I was looking for and finally figured out why I was having such problems finding the place. The reception is located at the cafe I was directed to while the actual hostel is located at an apartment building (without a sign) a block away, which is the location marked on my map.
After I got the standard spiel and dropped my bags, it took all of five minutes to make friends with some really fun people and head out for a beer and some soju at the nearest convenient store with half an awning so we could stay partially dry from the downpour.
From left to right, Chelson, Emma, myself, Da Som, Min Kyung, and Marvin enjoy a traditional fermented rice beverage called Makgeolli (rhymes with 'broccoli'). I met the three foreigners at my hostel and I had met Da Som and Min Kyung, both Busan natives, while I was in Taipei. More on that later. We had a fantastic night out.
The next morning, Emma, Chelson, Marvin (above) and I roll out of bed and stumble into the common area to decide how we should spend our day.
*Queue absurd story time.*
Rain was in the forecast, so we didn't want to end up on a mountaintop or in the middle of a trail somewhere. It just so happened that a fellow American was also at the hostel. He was a middle aged, rather large fellow who was on a visa run. He, as any decent American would, recommended us an "all you can eat buffet" with tons of pizza just up the road. It sounded appealing but we unanimously decided we should first do something to 'earn' it.
Completely out of left field, no clue where the idea even came from, I said "let's go do Parkour!" We all laughed a little. Everyone except Marvin, who turned to me and asked "what did you just say?" I responded with "I was just kidding... Parkour, you know, jumping over buildings and stuff, haha." Then he pointed at his pants, which literally had the word Parkour stitched into the side and proceeded to explain that he has practiced parkour for a few years back in Germany and would actually love to go do some right this moment. He has been hoping to meet someone to practice with since he arrived. Emma, Chelson, and I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond, but then agreed that it would be cool. With every moment that passed we got more excited to learn about this, um, hobby? Sport? Whatever. I mean, when someone offers to teach you how to run through a city basically like Spiderman, you gratefully accept!
So off we go, to find some stuff to practice on. Marvin starts jumping over benches the long way, doing flips over bushes, and leaping incredible distances, landing perfectly balanced every time. He shows me a few techniques and I make some attempts at jumping with different styles over a wall about a meter high. Nothing impressive, but I'm having fun. Until one time I didn't quite tuck my legs up high enough and smashed both my knees against the concrete with a deafening thud. I was lucky enough to not go toppling face first over the other side of the little wall onto the parking lot surface below me. I decided that parkour was maybe not for me and after a little rest the four of us indulged in the partially earned pizza buffet, took naps, then went out drinking again.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I ended up sporting two insanely bruised kneecaps for a fortnight.
Part 2 (three days later):
After two fun nights in Busan, I headed off to the very unique Jeju Island, which will be the topic of the next post, then returned to Busan for one more night. I kept in touch with my two girlfriends, Min Kyung and Da Som while I was away in Jeju and they invited me to come stay with them when I got back to Busan! I was honored and delighted.
Min Kyung met me outside the subway station and led me to her home where I met her mom, got fed a delicious breakfast, and went out to explore with two of my absolute favorite Koreans!
I originally met the two girls- Da Som (middle) and Min Kyung (right) at our hostel in Taipei when I was traveling with Melanie. They were so sweet and fun that when I got to Korea, I had to get in touch with them. I'm not sure who was more excited to see each other, me or them!
The three of us took the bus to a colorful and artsy part of town to stroll around and enjoy the nice weather (finally!).
When we started to get hungry, we headed back down into the area with the seafood markets for a snack and some second-hand store shopping.
The girls were such fantastic hosts. They wanted to make sure I tried all the best snacks, saw the most interesting parts of town, and enjoyed my time in their home city to the max. They told me stories, helped me practice some Korean phrases, and enthusiastically took me all over the city. I almost forgot to mention that they had both recently graduated from University and found jobs, but they delayed their start date until the following Monday so they could have this day off to spend with me. I felt overwhelmed with humility. These girls are amazing.
For dinner that evening we had a typical Korean meal: a dish of vegetables and seafood in a slightly spicy sauce served on a hot plate. After the food is gone, the waiters take the still saucy dish back and make an eggy fried rice with the leftovers for our second course. It was fantastic. We ate, we drank, we laughed until we cried. I adore these girls.
After dinner we went to the beach to see some street performers and chill out by the water. We took a long walk, arm in arm, along the boardwalk and around the harbor, all the way back home for the night.
The three of us slept on mattresses on the floor of one of the rooms in Min Kyung's apartment, which is a typical Korean accommodation. I can't even express how much fun I had. I felt like a kid at a sleepover party complete with girl talk, midnight snacks, and facial moisturizer masks. My cheeks got sore from smiling and giggling so much!
Mama made us breakfast again the next morning (moms are so awesome at that!) and we headed to the park for a righteous bike ride along the Nakdong River under another sunny sky.
Ladies, thank you so much for making my short stay in Busan so fun and memorable. I loved every moment. I hope I can return the favor someday when you come visit me!
