Busan & Back

View of the Busan's Famous Fish Market

Last weekend I took my first trip out of Seoul to Busan, a southern port city of Korea famous for its beaches and laid back atmosphere. I went to visit Glenn, Jenn, and other CDI people I had trained with. After our week of training, half of us were placed in Seoul and the other half were spread out throughout Korea. A large group of 12-15 went to Busan. When I first agreed to teach with CDI, I requested to be placed in Busan. Coming from 4 years of living in NYC, I was ready to take it easy and be at the beach. Unfortunately or fortunately, I was placed in Seoul. It's not the beach. It's still the city, but I am happy. As I say about NYC, "There's always something to do." So since our separation, Jenn and I have been wanting to get all the girls from our Coatel room together. We really lucked out because we, as 4 girls randomly placed into a hotel room, ended up clicking and really liking each other. I came down from Seoul, My Khan came down from Daejeon all to visit Jenn in Busan. Christie couldn't make it because of finances --as we've all experienced. Thanks CDI.

Busan was amazing. The weather was not on my side though. Coming from a summer of backpacking in SE Asia and tanning on the beaches of Thailand and Bali, I was ready for some beach action in Busan. It was overcast and rainy, but it didn't hold me back. I left Seoul on the slow 5 hr train at 11pm. It was so hectic getting to Seoul Station because I end work at 10pm and traffic on a Friday night is insanely hectic. Wesley, a co-worker of Christie's, and I made it with 3 minutes to spare. Thankfully, he brought his computer and we watched 30 Rock during our long trip. Time flew pretty fast. Glenn and his friends picked me up at Gupo Station in Busan at 4 am.

I stayed with Glenn, a guy I met at training--but that's another story. Jenn and My Khan weren't shy to remind me of it. All of the CDI friends from training got together at Haeundae Beach. Busan is a large city of 4 million people surrounded by mountains. Although smaller than Seoul, it is very spread out making cab rides just as long. When we got there, I had to jump into the water. The water felt like the Atlantic Ocean does at the Jersey Shore. It was still worth it to go though. Surprisingly, none of the Koreans wore bathing suits. They all wear t-shirts and shorts and play in the water. Foreigners are the only ones in bathing suits. Chris, Wesley's boyfriend, brought his soccer ball and we kicked around for an hour. It felt really good to kick the soccer ball around again since I haven't touched on in so long. That evening, Glenn and his friends took us to Hwamyeong, their area in Busan, to a galbi--an all you can eat Korean barbecue. That evening, we all went to Swan's apartment. She held her birthday party at her house because she lives on the beach and has an amazing place. It was like a huge CDI reunion. I got to see all the people I had met from training as we clinked our soju bottles and aloe drinks. That night as we were walking on the beach, it rained very hard. Sadly, Glenn and I had to go home and end my Busan beach experience.

The next day, I met up with Jenn and My Khan as promised. They had been giving me a hard time for hanging out with Glenn so much, so I owed it to them. We met at a famous fish market in Dolgoji, Busan. It was huge. Apparently, the best time to go is early in the morning when the boats are unloading and vendors are fighting over prices. We saw various things from octopus, squid, fish, eel, barracuda, and sea penises! Afterwards, we walked around the clothes market. I picked up some huge brown sunglasses for 5000 won! The day was amazing. That evening, Glenn surprised me with dinner and we watched movies. It really is great to watch American movies again since I don't have my laptop or a DVD player!

Fish Market CD Cover.

My Khan & I enjoying some fish market street food.

Old lady just waiting for some business.

Jenna, Me, My Khan, Jenn on the docks.

Wishing I could stay in Busan, a trip is always a trip because it has to end. I left Busan on Monday morning on the KTX bullet train (2 hrs and 45 min) back to Seoul. All in all, the trip was great. I got to see friends from training, my girlfriends and the major sights of Busan. I'm sure I will be back very soon.