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 : ZYY, 22, +65. can i be a slug all day? + follow | Email | Friends:
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Korea:Busan trip:)
written on Sunday, March 09, 2014 @ 10:32 PM ✈
안녕!
As mentioned in my previous post this post will be related to my weekend getaway trip to Busan and Jeju (will be in some other post J ) over my weekend when I was back in Korea. (Who cares about studying when you are overseas already? Hahas, actually, just for weekends when I don’t have tests in between them, come on I still need to pass them to be able to map back school)
These 2 trips were quite impromptu, (I would say), even though we did thought about them before going to Korea.
Before making the trip to Korea, ZH and I did thought about going to Jeju and ZH had planned out some itinerary. (Korea trip would not be seen as complete if these two famous tourist spot is not visited!! At least in my case I guess, since I was there for nearly 2 months!)
To know how these impromptu trips came about, we need to go all the way back into the 1st day when we reached Korea, and happened to meet Singaporeans who were going to find Yonsei hostel as well! (Did I mention them before in my previous post?)
(Grandmother Story starting again…) Couldn’t believe it but I really think that it is all fated, cause funnily, me and ZH did find out the way to get to the bus stop near Yonsei hostel (SK Global House) but we forgot to find out how to get to the hostel from the bus stop. So when we saw these 2 girls holding the supposedly look-like map paper and having a few luggage we went up to ask them immediately!(Our savers !)
(Partial nightmare happened during the finding of the hostel, as there were slopes and some bumps here and there. But thank goodness there wasn’t any stairs. And I was trying to handle my 2 luggage even though one is almost empty. One of the luggages did not survive through the ordeal and 2 wheels were spoilt)
(well, back to where the story was…) so after some turns and wrong route we finally managed to reach SK global house and bided goodbye to our kind souls without knowing their names, as they have to find their hostel which is near to us, known as International house (I-house) (I think?).
And so we thought we might never be able to meet each other again during the whole of Korea trip but somehow by chance or fated we met each other again when we went for tuberculosis health check up at Severance public health centre on the same day! To be able to meet there is like a scene in Korean drama; moreover, we saw them when we are just about to leave soon, a minute or 2 late we might have left the place already-like how some the Korean main characters always meet each other, no planning, nothing, and just meet. Finally get to know their names as well; they are Yingrong (YR) and WeiQi (WQ)!
(Thinking back now, it seems like we were quite lucky on the first day on a trip to the foreign land! We managed to see Singaporeans speaking the same language especially after walking for hours to find that place, getting help from helpful and kind Koreans who were willing to help us while just some hitches during communication I guess.)
But this coincidence meet up is not the last one that we had! We met again on public transport bus when we were out for shopping and we get to arrange a proper meet up with them! Subsequently there was more as ZH had lessons in the same building as them!
Somehow we found out that they were interested to go Busan/ Jeju as well and they managed to know some other friends from the school gym as well who wanted to go too!
We booked the bullet train ticket (KTX) online with seats assigned and book the Popcorn hostel for Busan using Agoda and now we were all ready to go and enjoy the sea breeze of Busan!
 
The ticket for the KTX was booked quite last minute, maybe that was why it was approximately S$120 for return trip ticket L, way more than what I expected? Cause for standing, unassigned seat I think is around S$50~S$70? But you risk the case of having to stand for 2 to 3 hours of the ride. ( that was also the first time I experience the morning bus crowd in Korea, it just as bad as Singapore L I guess when it comes to public transport, it is almost the same case during peak hour time.)
We were supposed to board our KTX at Seoul Station, which lucky have direct bus there from the bus stop near our hostel! (Bus stop name is Ewha Womans Uni back gate, if I didn’t remember wrongly.) The Seoul Station is the connected to the Seoul Station of the Subway as well, so less walking is needed compared to if you are taking bus there. So we exchanged our online ticket for the actual ticket as we bid goodbye to the rainy Seoul on that day!
On train food/merchandises are available for sale but we were all too sleepy to have lunch/buy them. OMG! We have finally reached the sunny, warm, windy Busan!! Remember to take some brochure and the subway train map of Busan at the tourist centre at the Busan KTX station. There could be discounts, place of interest that are introduced as well, so just spend some time there to get the brochure, will come in handy!
It was quite a long subway ride from the KTX location to where our hostel was. (I think it was 45-60 mins? Involved some changing of line as well! Time to do some readings and start planning your route around Busan! )
Caution: There is no topping up of your transit card at any of Busan subway stations, but you can still do so at most GS store or any other convenient store there, so just ask them!
Our hostel is called “Popcorn Hostel” and its nearest subway station is Haeundae Station where it is located near the famous Haeundae Beach! (10~15 minute walk away from the subway station and 3~5 minutes walk away from the Beach! (The room that we got some view of the beach; the common, living room has got the best view for the hostel.
For this hostel, if I didn't remember wrongly cost around S$60 for 3 days 2 nights? The rooms are separated into girls and guys room, and there are around 8 beds or more depending on the room size. “Popcorn hostel” is on the top 2 level of a building with other hostels available as well!
Not sure if it is only for Korea or is it standard throughout all hostel, but breakfast is provided! However, there is a breakfast timing to follow as well, so if you missed it means that you can’t have it anymore, but cooking is still allowed if you want. (You are provided with raw eggs/jams/bread and drinks like coffee/tea/orange juice. So you can cook the eggs in your own style, and cleaning up after cooking and eating is compulsory as well! Depending on your hostel, they might request that you separate the garbage accordingly to recyclable and non-recyclable. So do obey them if not it will reflect badly on yourself and country! Laundry washing is available in some hostel too, so do check them out first before booking)
So as we reached there around 1~2pm, so we decided to grab a bite after settling down, which was around 3 plus already. We walked out to the main street and there are so many food stores available.  
There quite a lot of shopping around not just beach wears shopping, and really a lot of good food around here! You just can’t stop eating!
Shinsegae Centum City (신세계 센텀시티)The biggest departmental store is there as well! But we didn’t go shop at all in Busan.
After filling our hungry stomach, it is now time to go to the beach and enjoy the sun!! The beach is somehow different from the one we have in Singapore, a lot windier, and we can feel the sea breeze? even from quite a distance away! Shelters, bach chairs and swimming tubes are all available for rental! Not very expensive and someone will help you to set up.
  
There are toilets available nearby but it would be better if you can just have a short clean up at the side if you are not too dirty and go back to your hostels for full cleaning. Because if I am not wrong I think the wash up area could be without cubicle and you need to pay a small amount before entering. Since none of the girls brought swim wear and we didn't want to be fully soaked, we but just played around the shallow water, but the water is very cold! So beware!
    
One thing to take note is that the beach closes at 6pm (which we didn't know), life guards will start chasing people out of the water and the beach vendors would be closing as well, since the sea is closed for usage for the day. So do plan your timing well so that you can have enough time on the beach and site seeing around Busan!
In Busan even though the beach closes the night is still young! Nightlife is available around Busan, and many seafood stores are open as well! Where is the best place to have seafood, definitely near the beach area! At night lots of street performers are along the beach and there is firework show during a certain period of time in summer at Busan! So do check out the best timing to go Busan during summer! (Took some stupid videos there as well!)
 
Despite saying that we should be eating seafood, we went ahead to have chicken instead (LOL!). But the chickens were good, just too small for the portion, and had to get some snacks after which.
 
Went to a nearby pub after that, info from someone whom who met at the hostel. I think he is a Russian and is staying in the hostel for 1 month, and help out at the hostel to repay his debt.
I didn't really like it because smoking is allowed inside and it smelled really bad, even my hair too, and the music wasn't good as well (since no one is on the dance floor?), worse thing is we went there again on the next day after that. Drinks wise I am not so sure since I don’t really drink, just took sips from YR & WQ. So don’t visit this bar yeah?
 
Day 2
Rise and shine, time to go for some site seeing today! So the only place that we manage to go in Busan is Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사)
This temple is so famous because it is right beside the sea, and has got really pretty view.
We have to take bus at the bus stop near Haeundae station, and it takes about an hour to reach there, I think? Be prepared to be fast if not you have to stand throughout the journey since quite a lot of people would be going there as well.
         Lunch was 국수 (noodles) 
We spent pretty long time here (a bit too long I guess?) So the only other place we went was the beach again, since the trip to the beach was short on the first day due to the closure at 6pm.
Food time again!
 Yes and ended the day as they drank at the pub and back in the hostel while ZH and I just ate watermelon from other fellow hostellers. Viola, so that was the end of Busan trip, as we go back to the rainy Seoul (yes, still raining, I heard that it had rained for the 3 days that we weren't in Seoul, thank god not in Busan, hehe) in the morning.  
Note: Buy your tickets to Busan early during Summer and book hostel early too. As Summer is the hot period for a trip to Busan! There are many more places not visited as yet and food is not eaten yet so do plan your trip to Busan well, to fully experience Busan.
Spend about 4 to 5 days there at least, best is for a week (if you have the money and time to spare)?
Try not to bring luggage, instead bring bigger backpack as there isn't lift in the subway station, so you have to carry your bulky items around, you might just die from doing that.
Top up your card properly in Seoul would be the best as you wouldn't have to go round finding them.
Always have the places name in Korean language, so that even if communication went wrong they can still understand you.
Get a sun hat, sunglasses, sun block and camera to fully enjoy the beach!
Bring your own swim wear as it might cost more at the beach, and buy a water resistant pouch to prevent you from losing a phone after going to the beach. (Oops.)
Find out the route to get there even though you wouldn't know the bus stop location, better to be more prepared than less!
(Due to the fact that I have drifted tooooo far off right at the start this post is the longest post I have ever wrote?? Pardon me for all the nitty gritty details: P Hopefully I would be back soon? )
Till we meet again,
Yingying
Let's learn a new Korean word for each post: 수박 su bak (watermelon)
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