It's always cool when I get to see or hang out with people from home, while overseas. Like when I met up with Andy my first day here, or when we had that funKtion reunion when Terence and Sherry came to Korea. It just makes me feel like I'm home. Of course this is mainly the case with my University of Michigan folks. I didn't even realize I had so many Korean friends, or just traveling friends in general. So I was excited when my friend Ann told me she was visiting family in Korea this summer.
Ann was in Seoul, so I got a chance to meet up with her for lunch, and I even got to meet her sister. We also have a friend from Michigan who teaches in Busan. The thing about Busan is that it's wayyyy in the South of Korea. There's a KTX train that goes from Seoul to Busan, but it's a 3-hour ride. So, with some tactical scheduling, we devised a plan to spend the day in Busan with Alex.
So Ann and I got on a train about around 9am and journeyed down South. The funny thing is, most of that week, it had been raining like crazy. So I totally expected it to be gray and dreary, but I don't think I've ever seen the sun shine so brightly. So nice that a bunch of high school kids were doing some dance routine outside of the train station.
So we met up with Alex and walked around a little bit and grabbed lunch. The main reason that people like to check out Busan is the beaches. Like I said, it's down South, on the southern tip actually, so you get to visit the gorgeous coastline. And that's exactly what we did.
We got on the subway and went over to Haeundae. And we weren't the only ones either. There were mobs of people visiting the beach that day. You could barely see the sand because it was covered with umbrellas, beach towels, and small spots of people throwing frisbees.
But who needs sand when you've got this amazing blue water
It was such a beautiful day. And we were pretty lucky to end up going on the day that it didn't rain. Just walking around in the sunshine, eating an ice cream cone, taking it all in and enjoying it.
My favorite part of the day actually came when we were leaving the beach. We were walking past this man with his two little kids: a girl and a boy. He was taking the kids for a ride on a scooter, so he pulled the girl on in front of him and tried to help the buy up on the seat behind him. However, the boy was too small to climb up, so he struggled. Me being the superhero that I am, I ran over and lifted the boy onto the back of the scooter. The man thanked me and the boy just stared; part shock, part confusion I think. But when they were riding away, the man stopped and the boy smiled and said "thank you". I highly doubt that boy spoke/understood much English (or any for that matter) but it felt good hearing it.
I also wish I'd taken a picture of him.
So to end our day in sunny Haeundae, we went to this Vietnamese restaurant that served phở and that's where I had my second favorite part of the day.
Imported beers aren't always common in Korea, and when they are, they're usually on the expensive side. But that tall, cold glass of Guinness was like drinking a piece of heaven.
So that was the end of my bright and sunny day in Busan. Definitely worth six hours of traveling in one day. Big shout outs to Ann for hanging out and making the trip with me, and to Alex for taking us around her neck of the woods. An expedition I won't soon forget.
Good times.
P.S. My boy Jason told me that his mom reads my blog pretty consistently, so a special shout out to Rasheedah Wazeerud-Din. And the same goes to everyone who's been checking out my posts. Thanks for reading.
