Day 7: Busan Day 1

Busan is beautiful. The travelling to get to Busan sucks.

It took about 45 minutes to get from my hostel to Gimpo airport. Fortunately, I was able to leave my big suitcase at the hostel and I will pick it up when I get back to Seoul. I packed as much as I could into my carry-on bag (I am now regretting bringing my purse to Korea rather than my backpack... oops).

I was super surprised and proud that I didn't get lost on the way to the airport. I had to get on the subway at Seoul Station which is this super confusing mix of train stops, bus stops, and subway stops and it's just very challenging to navigate. But, I made it! Once I got to the airport I checked in and got a quick snack at a convenience store before boarding. The flight was only 45 minutes and getting out of the airport was straightforward. I got on another subway, then another subway, and then a bus to get to my hotel and it took a little over an hour. The subway was above ground so I was able to look out the windows the whole time and see lots of Busan. There were so many green fields, walk ways, and mountains and it looked like a very beautiful place to explore. I am hoping to come back a little later when I have more time to go to the beaches and walk around.

Some of what I saw through the subway window.

When I finally made it to my hotel I realized Busan is very different from Seoul. The buildings are less modern and I didn't see a single foreigner the entire time I was there. I get stared at much more here than I did in Seoul (and I thought I got stared at a lot in Seoul). Very few people speak any English and the lady that I checked in with spoke absolutely none, so that was an experience. She was super nice and we ended up trying to use google translate on our phones in addition to the limited Korean I know. I actually understand more Korean than I thought though and being in a situation where I didn't have the option to use English was a cool challenge.

The view from my room.

By the time I successfully checked in it was around 5 pm and the concert started at 7 pm. I prefer walking to taking the bus and my map said it would take about 25 minutes so I started off. I have learned that, unlike in Canada, where I am always faster than the app walking time, I'm much slower here, probably because I stop every 5 seconds to take a picture. The walk was super easy and ended up being almost a straight path to the Busan Asiad Stadium. The entire walkway leading up to the stadium was filled with food trucks and stalls that were selling food or k-pop goods. I was glad I came early because I had lots of time to wander around and look at everything. I bought some food (rice churros and a meat stick thing) and then went inside for the concert.

The Asia Song Festival celebrates artists from all over Asia. There were mostly k-pop groups performing, but there were also groups and solo artists from China, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Day 1 was mostly less famous groups but I was very excited to see one group in particular, called Nu'est W, perform. Unfortunately, the last concert I had been to was a BTS one which was full of crazy energy and absolutely amazing so I think my expectations were a little bit too high. I didn't really enjoy the performances and I was freezing cold because the stadium was open and I didn't dress properly. By the end of the concert I was so ready to go back to the hotel and crash.

When I got back I put on the tv and there was a fun variety show playing, which improved my mood a little. I played on my phone for a bit and continued to watch the show until I was too tired. It was a super long day with lots of travelling so I fell asleep pretty quickly.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Emily

(October 2, 2018)

Distance walked: 9.8 km