Photo Trip Report: South Korea

[buksida]

The statues look very impressive in the photos. After seeing the photos of the Vietnamese highway supported by a giant hand, I was wondering if the Koreans had gone one step further with their cable cars.

Trick photography

[buksida]

Our bus back would pass Biff Square, Busan’s popular street food market and we were both hungry. There was plenty of weird and wonderful food to sample such as tteokbokki and mandu (stir-fried rice cakes in sauce and Korean dumplings) and beef pancakes.

Our bus ride back across the city took over an hour due to the heavy traffic during rush hour. Busan’s rail network is limited so we relied mostly on busses to get about the sprawling city. However, Google Maps again posed problems. South Korea has strict laws and security policies when it comes to mapping data and it has not allowed Google access to its country’s map so it can’t provide accurate data – we found out the hard way with the app ‘guessing’ instead. Naver Maps is what is used here but it was mostly in the local language so not much use to us.

We tried to book tickets for tomorrow’s day out on a coastal railway but were stumped again as the website would not allow us to pay with our card. Booking things online for this trip has been a nightmare and virtually impossible aside from flights and hotels on Agoda (which was a pain for other reasons).

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To follow: Haeundae Beach, Busan

[buksida]

The weather looked pretty dire this morning but the forecast was for it to clear by 11am. Since our original plan was scuppered by non-functioning Korean websites, we decided on Busan’s third main beach – Haeundae Beach – instead which was a short bus ride away.

The beach was pristine, just like Gwangali, but the tower blocks were taller and it seemed more commercial with shiny facades and all the big brand names. We walked to the end of the beach into the local fishing village which was much more down to earth with fishermen trying to sell us live octopus.

This was also where the hi-sos went to show off their cars, I lost count of the number of Porsches. In Japan, vehicles are smaller and selected for practicality, in South Korea everyone drives the largest glitziest executive saloons they can get their hands on as they appear a lot more ostentatious than their neighbours. Korean drivers are also very similar to Thais – f* you, me first and the traffic is just as bad.

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To follow: Gwangali Beach, Busan

[buksida]

I'm guessing DSC_0499 will get the most comments, and yes, the girl almost got run over by a bus trying to get a selfie.

[STEVE G]

Is that some kind of monorail they have there, with the small
yellow cabins?
So far I rather like the look of South Korea and will consider a trip there after I finally retire.

[pharvey]

I'm guessing DSC_0499 will get the most comments, and yes, the girl almost got run over by a bus trying to get a selfie.

Pretty typical of many places and young females these days!! Christ, I'm sounding my age.....

The typical scenes I remember are more like the ones shown in DSC_0503 and DSC_0510 (aside from the Chemical Plant I was working on!!).

[buksida]

The monorail is a tourist attraction and the thing we tried to book for that day but failed because the website wouldn't accept payment.

We returned to our beach in the late afternoon and took a walk along the waterfront in the cool evening air to take in the ambiance and lights.

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Next: Seoul

[Nereus]

DSC 0528:
Just imagine the fun that Thai motosais could have with that dragstrip!
Are motosais in use like they are in Thailand?

[buksida]

No, its all flashy boss cars in Korea, very few motorbikes. Same in Japan though there were a lot more bigger bikes there.

[buksida]

It was another transit day and we checked out and walked a couple of blocks to the bus stop to grab the 41 to Busan station. The connection and KTX (bullet train) ride to Seoul took around three hours and went without a hitch. The train maxed out at just under 300kph and you didn’t even feel that you were on one as the countryside whizzed past outside. One observation is that, unlike in Japan, tower blocks are everywhere in Korea, even in smaller rural towns and cities there are forests of tower blocks.

Upon arrival in a very cold South Korean capital, there was a huge anti-government protest with 300,000 people marching through the streets of Seoul. Public transport on buses was not an option we found out after waiting for half an hour without ours turning up so we headed down to the subway to take a train to our Airbnb apartment in the Namsan district.

Hotels in Seoul are very expensive, more so than in Tokyo it seemed, so for the same price we could get a fully loaded apartment on Airbnb. We arrived late in the afternoon, dumped the bags, and headed out to find something to eat.

We noticed that Korean hotels and accommodations only provided hand towels and not full bath towels that we were accustomed to. I did a little research before complaining to find that this was part of the culture as smaller towels are quicker to use, dry quicker, easier to clean, don’t dip into water on the floor, and cost less – after a couple of days we got used to them.

To follow: Seoul

[buksida]

Today we were heading a stop or two along the subway to the Bukchon Hanok Village, a cultural area dating back to the 14th century with narrow streets lined with restored traditional homes. Being a Sunday, the place was packed so it was a challenge getting photos without the Insta-selfie-crowd getting in them.

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To follow: Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace

[buksida]

The area was fascinating but not as good as Gamcheon so we walked over to the sprawling Gyeongbokgung Palace. This place was impressive with huge courtyards, royal residences, and pristine gardens. However, it was even busier as the locals and tourists were out in droves donning rented Hanoks for more selfies.

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To follow: Gyeongbokgung Palace.

[Nereus]

DSC_0691, 0693, 0695:

Incredible architecture there! A lot of those old palaces were built out of timber. Do you know when it was built?

[buksida]

Built in 1395 apparently.

[KanDoo]

Selfies . . . maybe ought to get over it.