Plane to Busan [Korea]
After a delightful time in Seoul and Jeju, the last stop on my 2019 Korea trip was Busan! We had trouble finding our Airbnb at first, and were told we need to speak Korean in Korea. I felt affronted at the time, but I've come around to the logic.
After settling in, we went to Eonyang Bulgogi for my first taste of beef Korean barbecue in Korea and... omg. It might have even been better than all the pork barbecue we'd been consuming up to this point. Beef barbecue is definitely pricier than pork though. I also found it intriguing that the best places in Korea specialize in one or the other: beef or pork barbecue, but not both. That's a telltale sign that a place is legit.
Our first day in Busan was super hot and beautiful. I slurped down another too-sweet bubble tea (seriously, what's with the sugar levels in this country?!), and then started on the Igidae coastal walk (with trepidation, after being burned by the Olle trails in Jeju). We were quickly rewarded with incredible views, shade, and easy walking. :) This is what the Olle trail SHOULD'VE been. Hikes like these are my favourite: we took some pictures, walked in the shade on a hot and sunny day, and and some wholesome chats where we expressed real compliments to one another.
Around sunset, we made our way to Haeundae for fried chicken. Unfortunately, the sunset was kind of blocked by buildings. Haeundae beach also seemed to simultaneously have a rave and sandcastle-building competition going on. I guess that meant it was a happening place. In the nearby alleyways, I also tried hotteok for the first time — it was like a doughnut, but better! We also found a super cute hat / sock / accessory store, which miraculously was the same one that Dan, Kristen, Sharon, and Kevin had visited a week prior. I got my favourite sheep socks, green polka dot socks, and a white spaceship hat (to match Dan's astronaut hat — probably shouldn't have bothered when he didn't buy them both for us at the same time. Cora once noted that that relationship was marked by a series of unfortunate headwear, and I am typically a "hat" person.)
Seafood, seashore, and sights
Allowing me to modestly change at the beach
The next morning, we headed over to Jagalchi fish market for the freshest fish around. Here, I finally got to try sannakji of choking-hazard and grade 10 Food & Nutrition project fame. I was a fan — the wriggling live octopus mainly tasted like sesame oil. We also got red snapper, red spiky... conch, maybe? (it was very briny), and steamed crab (YUM). We probably should have tried to haggle a bit.
Next, we went to Songdo beach to chill in the heat and enjoy more fun convenience store snacks like honey butter and turtle chips.
As the afternoon wore on, we went to Gamcheon Culture village. The colourful buildings were so pretty at sunset! We accidentally got jelled at by some ahjummas for trespassing (oops — but again, not as bad as Dan, Kristen, Sharon, and Kevin, who got in trouble with police officers in Busan for setting off firecrackers by the beach). We had a bit of difficulty finding the good photo spots, but eventually hit payload.
That evening, we visited Nampodong Night Market! I'd characterize this place as: bright lights and good skewers. I also got Baskin Robbins here, which seemed a lot fancier. I got a "shooting star" drink, which included pop rocks. We also tried on some silly clothes (although it's debatable whether Henry wearing my heels should be considered silly or impressive).
A meme-y night all around. That's right, there's a restaurant called STEAK JOBS.
Let's go to the mall!
In true sauga-kid fashion, we spent the next day at Shinsegae mall (according to Robin Sparkles, perhaps this is actually a more general Canadian thing). We got lunch at a pork and rice soup place that felt so clean. In my opinion, udon is always a good call.
After doing a bit of shopping and getting Korean popcorn on my own (too sweet — what else is new?), we made our way to the Centum Spaland! This was my first experience at a Korean jjimjilbang. There were a ton of crazy saunas and hot rooms. I had a blast, and I was super thankful to be the only woman on the trip in the ladies' bathing area (side note: the guys had to get quite intimate on the men's side). I much prefer the joint areas with spa pajamas.
After our relaxing spa day, I got The Alley. The chocolate deerioca was a great call; it finally wasn't too sweet anymore.
For dinner, we went to a cheaper Korean barbecue place. This kind of establishment was much more reminiscent of Daldongnae or similar in Toronto, with cheese corn and egg cooked on the griddle. This was our first time cooking for ourselves in Korea (again, underscoring that it was a less premium spot), and promptly got chastised for burning bits.
That evening, we decided to stay in and have real talks. This was my last night of the trip, but everyone else was continuing on with their grad trip plans across Asia.
The next morning, Alfred and I got more soup (to cleanse the soul!!) before heading off to our next desinations. Alfred was adamant about taking a train back to Seoul (in homage of Train to Busan and his own NUMTOT brand). I planned to fly from Busan to Toronto with a layover in China, only for smog from China to ground all flights to-and-from the country that day. I dramatically Karen'd with Air Canada, Asiana, and Aeroplan for three hours. As a relatively new grad, I was still so keen and adamant about making it back to Toronto in time for work the next day. After staking out the ticketing booth for three hours and shedding a tear or two, the manager took sympathy at my plea ("I just... want to go HOME 🥺") and got me on a direct flight from Seoul to Toronto. The connection from Busan to Seoul was a bit tight, and my oversized skincare almost caused more drama. I ended up packing it all in a parcel box to be picked up at baggage claim. It was a wild (and ultimately positive) conclusion to a fantastic trip. The vibes were immaculate — somehow, there's nothing quite like traveling with high school friends. Korea, I'm excited to return!
Trip date: May 23-26, 2019