Why Dynamic Busan? Well that’s because that’s the city’s slogan. Every city in Korea has a slogan, for example, Super Pyeongtaek, Happy Suwon, Seoul of Asia, and Fast Cheonan. Well I was in Busan this past weekend at it was AWESOME. Why have I not been there every weekend?! Busan is on the other end of Korea, the south part of South Korea. After a friend’s 80s birthday party on Friday, a couple of us headed over to Busan on the overnight train. We left 11:40pm and got to Busan at 4am on the midnight train (no, not to Georgia). Getting to the station was just, well it was breathtaking. Because the holiday that commemorates Buddha’s birthday is coming up, the entire station was lit up by different types of sculptures, like Rose Parade floats. They were awesome and then we proceeded to head to our hotel.
After our cab driver found our hotel, the Dawn Beach Hotel where we had a reservation, we saw the hotel doors were closed, and it wasn’t lit. We were worried. Aren't hotels open 24/7? After we went to a neighboring hotel, they informed us that our hotel was in a fire the day before. So then we panicked and began looking for hotels in Busan. Do you know how difficult it is to find a beachside hotel in Busan on a Saturday when it’s cherry blossom season?! Extremely difficult! So we found a hotel, and it was a gold mine. Great room, great price, great service. We wandered around the area then headed to the Busan Tower area, which alone is very beautiful. After some time doing that, we then headed to the beaches for food, more food, and some beachside cocktails. We spent the nighttime around our hotel’s area, which has an arcade district and countless blocks of restaurants. I now equate Busan as if it were Los Angeles’ and Las Vegas’ lovechild. Sunday was spent in Chinatown, the only Chinatown I’ve ever seen that has a strong Russian presence. The food there was great, reminded of the Seafood Port restaurants in Torrance. Coming back on the express bus was a breeze too. It baffles me that in four hours one can go from one end of a country to another. In California, four hours later, and you’re still in California!
Side notes: we almost got killed by the taxi driver from hell who had way too many driving close calls. We made him drop us off in some obscure location by a police station. I mean, who lets their tire get hit by a two-by-four on the freeway and doesn’t pull over to see if they have a flat or not? I mean, Come on! Btw, I’ve never heard my friend Josh swear so much before (i.e. “We need to get the F out of this cab!” Also, we almost missed our bus terminal stop because the driver decided to make a “California Roll” style stop where he opened the door for a whopping two seconds. That’s not enough time for us to grab our bags and jet. That’s the complaint list. Nothing about Busan though, I loved that place!
After our cab driver found our hotel, the Dawn Beach Hotel where we had a reservation, we saw the hotel doors were closed, and it wasn’t lit. We were worried. Aren't hotels open 24/7? After we went to a neighboring hotel, they informed us that our hotel was in a fire the day before. So then we panicked and began looking for hotels in Busan. Do you know how difficult it is to find a beachside hotel in Busan on a Saturday when it’s cherry blossom season?! Extremely difficult! So we found a hotel, and it was a gold mine. Great room, great price, great service. We wandered around the area then headed to the Busan Tower area, which alone is very beautiful. After some time doing that, we then headed to the beaches for food, more food, and some beachside cocktails. We spent the nighttime around our hotel’s area, which has an arcade district and countless blocks of restaurants. I now equate Busan as if it were Los Angeles’ and Las Vegas’ lovechild. Sunday was spent in Chinatown, the only Chinatown I’ve ever seen that has a strong Russian presence. The food there was great, reminded of the Seafood Port restaurants in Torrance. Coming back on the express bus was a breeze too. It baffles me that in four hours one can go from one end of a country to another. In California, four hours later, and you’re still in California!
Side notes: we almost got killed by the taxi driver from hell who had way too many driving close calls. We made him drop us off in some obscure location by a police station. I mean, who lets their tire get hit by a two-by-four on the freeway and doesn’t pull over to see if they have a flat or not? I mean, Come on! Btw, I’ve never heard my friend Josh swear so much before (i.e. “We need to get the F out of this cab!” Also, we almost missed our bus terminal stop because the driver decided to make a “California Roll” style stop where he opened the door for a whopping two seconds. That’s not enough time for us to grab our bags and jet. That’s the complaint list. Nothing about Busan though, I loved that place!
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Aloha
So my school is planning & paying my ticket home. In my contract it states that my school is responsible for paying for my ticket to my “home country.” This is where I had an amazing idea, why not get my school to pay for me to go back to my home country, but not my home city? So I’ve decided to go to Hawaii. I have family in Hawaii, so I’ll be staying with them. Free lodging PLUS my cousin’s husband is a La Cordon Bleu chef, what could be better? So I’ll be in Kauai for a few days before I return to LA on June 9th to visit my family and friends. I’m really stoked about these trips, and hopefully the LA trip converts into an LA (or at least So Cal) stay. Summer in Hawaii!! Whoop whoop! Funny because as my plans were coming into fruition I later found out my friends Phoebe, Pati, and Nick are also going to be in Hawaii this summer around the same time, but unfortunately not the same days. Phoebe will be going first, then Pati & Nick, then it’s my turn to hit up America’s Busan.
So my school is planning & paying my ticket home. In my contract it states that my school is responsible for paying for my ticket to my “home country.” This is where I had an amazing idea, why not get my school to pay for me to go back to my home country, but not my home city? So I’ve decided to go to Hawaii. I have family in Hawaii, so I’ll be staying with them. Free lodging PLUS my cousin’s husband is a La Cordon Bleu chef, what could be better? So I’ll be in Kauai for a few days before I return to LA on June 9th to visit my family and friends. I’m really stoked about these trips, and hopefully the LA trip converts into an LA (or at least So Cal) stay. Summer in Hawaii!! Whoop whoop! Funny because as my plans were coming into fruition I later found out my friends Phoebe, Pati, and Nick are also going to be in Hawaii this summer around the same time, but unfortunately not the same days. Phoebe will be going first, then Pati & Nick, then it’s my turn to hit up America’s Busan.
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Contemplative Comments
So in the span of three days I’ve heard from two different people that they got a comment from a student about them. They are both in different schools and these are two completely different people, so I was thrown back not only these comments happened, but that they happened within a short window of time. I won’t mention the comments because they’re not worth repeating, but worth noting. Both people were hurt and it put them in a crummy mood, I just hope that those around them and the people who made these comments put away their ignorance before it creates escalating and unnecessary problems and prejudices. Comments like these definitely won't help in others seeing you in a positive light. Although this didn’t happen to me, I can’t help but to think about it and its effects.
Lesson: Think before you speak. On that note, I bid you ado.
Contemplative Comments
So in the span of three days I’ve heard from two different people that they got a comment from a student about them. They are both in different schools and these are two completely different people, so I was thrown back not only these comments happened, but that they happened within a short window of time. I won’t mention the comments because they’re not worth repeating, but worth noting. Both people were hurt and it put them in a crummy mood, I just hope that those around them and the people who made these comments put away their ignorance before it creates escalating and unnecessary problems and prejudices. Comments like these definitely won't help in others seeing you in a positive light. Although this didn’t happen to me, I can’t help but to think about it and its effects.
Lesson: Think before you speak. On that note, I bid you ado.
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