#seoul to busan

[kyndaris]

Train to Busan

Unlike the movie of the same title as this post, my train ride down to Busan was uneventful. After a late night out in Myeongdong, bleachpanda and I arranged for a slightly later start to the day for our transit down to the famous port city. After enjoying a breakfast at Starbucks (there appear to be hundreds of them in the heart of Seoul, although there are also a ton of other coffee shops as well), we made our way towards Seoul Station and the KTX station within.

Let me tell you of the hassle it all was once we stepped out of the metro! Stairs everywhere the eye could see. And not a single escalator. Yes, there was a conveyor belt for luggage but it was limited to those who would be taking the airport line.

Thankfully, bleachpanda and I hadn't bought too many souvenirs just yet and could still manage to lug our bags up and down the many flights of stairs taking us from the metro station to the KTX station.

As we waited for our designated train (bleachpanda and I had pre-purchased our Korail tickets online), we took a gander at the shops for those looking to take a high-speed cross-country train. Unlike Central Station in Sydney, there were numerous places to eat AND the entrance to a local department store. More importantly, there was a Kakao Friends store. It was here that bleachpanda went and bought Apeach (her constant companion for the rest of the trip and whom I said looked ugly). Given we couldn't open up our luggage right there at the station with everyone watching, bleachpanda managed to cram her Apeach into her already bulging backpack.

On the train, bleachpanda slept through most of the ride, citing a headache which I doubted was authentic. I, on the other hand, eagerly looked out at the passing scenery before reading a few pages of I Am A Cat by Natsume Soseki.

While I would like to sing the praises of this Japanese author, the truth is...I found the writing tedious. In fact, by page ten, I could barely keep my eyes open. So, I fiddled with my phone and looked out at the scenery. I may have even fell asleep myself although I couldn't say for how long.

We pulled into Busan at around 2 PM and went for a quick bite to eat as we hadn't had lunch (we did buy a few snacks at a convenience store but I needed something heavier). Once we were functioning human beings again, we braved the rain and headed to our hotel nearby: Asti Hotel Busan to check-in. After we offloaded our luggage in our room, we decided to cross off a few key tourist attractions close by despite the weather.

So, off we trotted back towards Busan Station and Texas Street right opposite it. Then it was down into the Busan metro system as we headed to Busan Tower, which is also commonly known as Diamond Tower. Due to the poor weather, it felt like we were the only ones there as we bought a ticket up to the observation deck.

But while I would have loved just seeing the city from on high, Busan Tower also had a lot of interactive activities inside. They even had a QR game (our end prize turned out to be a couple of pens), one needed to locate within and outside the Tower. This made our time there much more worthwhile after trekking to Yongdusan Park.

And despite the overcast day, bleachpanda and I were still able to see quite a bit of the city and get in our required bird's eye view. I even bought a fridge magnet and another postcard to send to my friend. However, unlike N Seoul Tower, Busan Tower didn't have the facility to mail off my postcard.

After we had drunk our view of the aerial view, we descended down into the bowels of Diamond Tower, hunting down QR codes and engaging in the game that had been organised. Once we had claimed our prize, bleachpanda and I headed to to Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, which was just on the other side of the Yongdusan Park and down into BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) Square where there was a ton of street food.

Google tells me there are apparently handprints of famous Korean actors lining the streets but I didn't notice. Alas, perhaps another visit is in order.

We did, however, stop at a sushi restaurant called Manatsu for dinner. Bleachpanda even got to enjoy her share of tuna while I revelled in eating something that didn't have kimchi served on the side (something which I can't eat because it's gosh darn spicy)! Our appetites sated, we returned to our hotel to prepare for a busy day on the morrow as we would be heading to several destinations given we were only staying in Busan for only two nights.

Looking back, I can honestly say we should have stayed in Busan longer but alas, Japan was calling.

[academic-vampire]

𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 🍊

Dear, M.

[herigo]

Korea♡

[cicadangel]

IM BACK FROM KOREA!!!!!!! 🔥 what an unforgettable trip i had. I made some really good friends, and I'm actually quite sad about leaving them, and I've met relatives and so many wonderful people in Korea. I will return soon.

[lucygold95]

이지나[Lee Ji-na] as Meg Understudy and Ballet Dancer.

1. Busan(u/s costume fitting day's pictures)

---------------------------------------------------

2. Seoul

[blingblingisdino90]

Dino Smiles….

.

Spam 2.

.

He’s such a cutie. 🩵

[roadtophantom]

Love how these Ghost mascots embody the Phantoms:

Kim Ju-taek / Julian Kim who is an opera singer

Cho Seung-woo who has a puppy (and loves puppies)

And Jeon Dong-seok who loves coffee maybe (he did treat his castmates to Starbucks coffee gallons one time)

Thanks to @lucygold95's translations, which pinpointed their names scribbled on the pictures!

[berrijelli]

in Japan :^)

[thegirlwiththecowtattoo]

march in busan

내 사랑 많이 보고 싶어, 빨리 오세요

29.03.2024

[cyberphuck]

Seoul Station: one full hour of me screaming "CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR!!"

[manny-jacinto]

hi guys!!! sorry if i'm MIA but i'm currently traveling through South Korea which is why i'm like... not online much haha. if you tag me in your stuff i may take longer to reblog it <3

[aventurasdeunatortuga]

Sunday, July 21st

Last full day of this trip.

I managed to actually very easily change my train tickets back to Seoul for this morning and booked a last minute hotel. The train journey was very quick and seamless.

I had wanted to go back to my original hotel in Seoul but it was all booked up, so I found one sort of nearby but didn’t realize until after I booked it that it was a capsule hotel, where you basically get an 8x4 wooden box with a little door on the end, the box sits on a shelf with 8 other boxes per room. The hotel itself was honestly one of the worst I’ve ever been to, not the worst, but definitely up there in the top 5. At least there was proper ventilation and air conditioning is all I can say. Bathroom was definitely very scary.

After putting my things in my weird little wooden box on a shelf I went out to _____ market to go try to find a suitcase. I have bought way too much stuff here, more than I’ve ever bought on any other trip before, so I got a whole separate suitcase.

Then I went over to Myeongdong and though I’d been to that neighborhood plenty of times I somehow didn’t realize there is a big shopping street there that I ended up on. I went there to go get my haircut.

I hate getting haircuts so I almost never get them and then my hair gets really long and damaged. Korea does beauty and hair salons like no one else, so I told the stylist to give me whatever style she thought was best. She told me she was going to cut it short and I said I was okay with that but was still shocked when without even looking she lopped off a good 5-6 inches of hair.

She did a fantastic job and it turned out really well. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy with a haircut.

After that I got some dinner. I love Korean Barbecue but they serve such huge portions it’s usually best to not go alone, a lot of barbecue restaurants here will actually turn you away if you’re eating alone. My first night here I found a place that served small portions, and I was able to get barbecue again with a girl I met on a group tour another day, but today I was all by myself and they served huge portions. I was surprised they didn’t turn me away, I was fully expecting them to. The staff were laughing after I ordered. I was very determined though and managed to eat it all.

The last thing I did was go up to Namsan Tower, it’s a huge tower on a hill on the outskirts of town that has the best view of Seoul. They had a little outdoor elevator / escalator that took you up to the bottom of the second hill, from there you take a cablecar up to the top. It was gorgeous. They light it up different colors depending on the air quality that day, red/orange/yellow for poor, green for average, blue for good, and purple if BTS is doing a concert 😂

I took the cablecar/elevator back down to the ground but even though it was only about 1km back to the metro and my hotel it took me nearly an hour and a half. I don’t know why but today my feet just started hurting so badly. It was also still really hot despite being nighttime so I might’ve been experiencing a bit of heat stroke as well. When I finally got back to my little drawer hotel my feet were literally bleeding from blisters.

Until tomorrow,

[myobsessionsspace]

｡･ﾟﾟ･ 5th Muster ｡･ﾟﾟ･

✧*: Magic Shop :*✧

Such a memorable and important event.

In 2 out of the 7’s home town, Busan and in Seoul.

The brought the Magic Shop to life for ARMY, to be in the crowd would have been an experience!

We saw silly ‘Spine Breaker’ Bangtan

‘Dimple’ Vocal Line

Throwback Bangtan

“V!

Nuga nareul magado (What?)

Naui gal gireul gandago (What?)

Insaeng han bangirago

Let go (Let go!)

Let go-o-o-o”

Soo much cuteness!

If you haven’t watched it and weren’t lucky enough to attend, these shows are a must watch, talented, fun and happy Bangtan!

AND WE CAN’T FORGET THIS!

When will we get the rest of your explanation Jungkookah??

💜

[korealog]

[2] I‘m still standing (ENG/DE) — Monday, 15.07.24

(ENG)

I spent the rest of the time browsing through various stores and taking it all in. I was able to sit down on the beach for a while and write in my travel diary. Towards evening, I was brave & approached someone. As I wasn't sure which language to use, I started with English. Luckily for me, he didn't understand at all, oops haha. This is where my Korean conversation adventure begins. I would say he understood most of what I said, but I'm not sure. Our conversation lasted about 10 minutes, but it was a really funny experience. At 8pm the light show started at the Gwangali Bridge. I've only ever seen it on video, but it's even more beautiful in real life. Unfortunately it started to rain, but I'm always ready & quickly got my umbrella out of my bag. After the light show was over, I decided to walk home... 1h & 24min. Why not ;) That was the best decision I could have made. The rain stopped and I was able to discover Busan in the late evening. In Haeundae near my apartment I went into a bar a got a drink to experience Korean bar/club life. It was super fun & really good music! With every new experience this country steals more and more parts of my heart and this was just day 2. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!!!

Good night xo

(DE)

Den Rest der Zeit verbrachte ich damit, durch verschiedenste Shops zu stöbern und alles auf mich wirken zu lassen. Am Strand konnte ich mich für eine Weile hinsetzten & in mein Reisetagebuch schreiben. Gegen Abend war ich mutig und sprach jemanden an. Da ich nicht sicher war, welche Sprache ich verwenden sollte, begann ich mit Englisch. Zu meinem Glück hat er mich überhaupt nicht verstanden, haha. Hier beginnt mein koreanisches Konversationsabenteuer. Ich würde sagen, er hat das meiste von dem verstanden, was ich gesagt habe, aber ich bin mir nicht sicher. Unser Gespräch dauerte etwa 10 Minuten, aber es war eine wirklich lustige Erfahrung. Um 20 Uhr begann die Lichtshow an der Gwangali-Brücke. Ich habe sie bisher nur auf Video gesehen, aber in Wirklichkeit ist sie noch viel schöner. Leider fing es an zu regnen, aber ich bin ja immer bereit und holte schnell meinen Regenschirm aus der Tasche. Nachdem die Lichtshow vorbei war, beschloss ich, nach Hause zu laufen... 1h & 24min. Warum nicht ;) Das war die beste Entscheidung, die ich hätte treffen können. Der Regen hörte auf und ich konnte Busan am späten Abend erkunden. In Haeundae, in der Nähe meiner Wohnung, ging ich in eine Bar und trank etwas, um das koreanische Bar-/Clubleben zu erleben. Es war super lustig und die Musik war wirklich gut! Mit jeder neuen Erfahrung stiehlt dieses Land mehr und mehr Teile meines Herzens und das war erst Tag 2. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, zu sehen, was morgen passiert!!!

Gute Nacht xo

[cicadangel]

something that's so. makes me so insane is that i realized that i've been saying "this summer im going to korea, it's my first time going back"-- my first time going back... like no i haven't been there but yes i am returning. second generation american eye twitching