Bye Bye Busan

It was our second and last day in Busan.  It was a short trip, but we all had to get back for class on Monday (yes, we do actually go to class sometimes).  We left out motel and then walked along the Gwangalli beach for a bit.  We hadn't seen it in the daytime.  The ocean was beautiful and the temperatures were much warmer than Seoul.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at a coffee shop and then headed for the subway.  We were going to check out the famous hot springs in a northern part of the city.  There are many spas you can go to with water from the springs, but we decided just to check out the water from the springs that was right in the middle of town.  When Busan hosted the APEC meeting in 2005 they built a little foot bath with water from the hot springs.  It was really neat!  We took off our shoes and sat with our feet in the pool; the water was extremely hot but it felt good.  There were many older Koreans sitting there and like usual, they didn't hesitate to stare at us.

Felix taking a picture of Rosie and me at the springs. 

Nothing like starting your day off with a little foot soak! 

We then continued toward the base of Mt. Geumjeong, a mountain located in the northern area of the city.  We took a cable car up to the top and the view on the way up was spectacular; we could see the entire city of Busan.  At the top of the mountain is Geumgang Park, which is a famous tourist destination of Busan.  Koreans love to hike and so there are many different hiking trails at the top of the mountain.  We were most interested in seeing the Geumjeongsanseong, which is an old fortress in the park.  It was built in the 18th century to protect Korea from both Chinese and Japanese invasions.

A shot of the cable car from the top of the mountain.  In the background you can see how big the city of Busan is!

While hiking through the park on our way to the fortress, we encountered a bizarre, yet fun group of Koreans hanging out at the restaurant that was at the top of mountain.  There were all sorts of families and adults, including many kids and older Koreans.  It kind of had a "family-reunion" feel to it, although we think that it was just a big group of locals enjoying a Sunday afternoon.  Those that weren't eating or socializing were playing a game on a volleyball court that was a volleyball-tennis-soccer variation.  They were really intense about it and we realized quickly that they were playing for money.

Rosie and me at the top of the mountain in Geumgang Park.

The scenario by the restaurant was so intriguing.  We couldn't help but stop watch them play for a bit.  In no time many of the locals came up to talk to us.  Very few of them spoke English, but they asked us to join the game and even offered us food.  Rosie and Felix headed in to join the game.  It was so funny watching them try to learn the rules to the game; from what I could understand you could kick, bump, or head to ball back over the net.  At one point Rosie even "scored" and all these old Korean men rushed over to her and started hugging her and yelling something that I couldn't understand.  It was pretty funny!

Rosie scored!

I was sitting at a table watching them play but also talking with these cute little Korean kids; sitting with the kids is much more up my alley than playing the game.  The kids were so adorable I just wanted to take them home with me!

When the game was over a group of older women brought out trays and trays of Korean food.  They literally pulled us over to the table and just started feeding us.  I mean, literally, these women were so aggressive, they were shoving kimchi into my mouth!  I wasn't complaining though, they were really nice people and I think that they were just so excited by our presence.  Also they were pouring shots of Soju (Korean vodka) and Makoli (Korean rice wine) and were insisting that we drink with them.

Andrew trying to understand the wonderful and old Koreans as they merrily force-fed us. 

Displaying hospitality in any kind of situation is deeply ingrained in the Korean culture.  So although these Koreans were extremely aggressive in feeding us and making us drink, it was their way of welcoming us to their get-together.  We stayed for awhile longer and then kept heading towards the fortress.

The remains of the fortress were beautiful, most of it had been knocked down, but the main gate remained almost completely in tact.

The entrance to the fortress. 

It was slowly beginning to get dark so we headed back towards the cable car and took it back down to the base.  Andrew and I were taking the KTX back to Seoul, but the others were taking the bus and had to head to the bus station.  

Andrew and I took the subway back to Busan Station and purchased our KTX tickets and then went looking for somewhere to get dinner.  Across from the station is Busan's China Town, although very small, we managed to find a yummy Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Afterwards we wandered around some more but then headed back to the station for our 8:40pm train.  now.  All in all, it was a great trip.  We didn't do as much as I had wanted, but it's hard with such a big group.  After a quite speedy 2 and half hours, we were at Seoul Station.  Arriving back in Seoul is always nice because now it feels like home to me.