Train To Busan

We had a lazy beach day today...yes a beach day in the middle of a Korean winter but it felt almost tropical in Busan where it is +8 degrees and not in the negatives as we have been having in Seoul. We made our way out of Seoul once again

(this time for three nights in Busan which is, 2.5hours away on the KTX which we caught from Seoul Station and using our Korail pass again) Our train journey to Busan was uneventful (with not a zombie in sight- reference the Train to Busan movie which sadly meant no Gong Yoo either, (for those that don't know Gong Yoo is a Korean actor that is in a few of my favorite K-Dramas.)

We went to Busan train station (we could have used a different route going straight to Haeundae station but it was only after we were sitting on the train and I was using the wifi that I realised we could have got to the beach a little faster by changing at Ulsan and going directly to Haeundae) and changed to the metro station (being highly grateful that we only had our small bags with us and not the big ones because there were no lifts or escalators and like every station in Seoul there were a LOT of stairs in the ones in Busan!!!) Our metro travel cards we used in Seoul are valid down here too which is great (you have to have different ones in Sydney and Melbourne) so we didn't have to think about anything except tapping on and off. Again the underground train system is wonderful (although not as fast as in Seoul) and easy to navigate. We went on Line 1 to Seomyeon and transferred to Line 2 towards Jangsan to arrive at our destination of Haeundae Beach.

When we reached Haeundae we were greeted by a wide strip still showing Christmas decorations (and they will be up until the Lunar New Year) lots of restaurants and hotels and it gave a very festive air and I felt like I was on 'holiday' and I know why Seoulites come down here to get away from the city. Even though Busan is huge, Haeundae Beach feels like a cool coastal town that is fun all year round.

We are staying in a cute little guest house just off the main road which is perfect for what we need but it wasn't easy to find (although like

once we found it we questioned how we had missed the laneway the first time) but we got to explore a little bit of the area while looking for our hotel, and we found a great street/food market and if there aren't enough restaurants to choose from on the main strip there are plenty more food options there (and yes we may have had a fish cake skewer or two as we walked) We checked in to our guest house, which is very sweet, but the rooms are incredibly small (and we had intended to get a 'family' room for the three nights to save a little on money as we had kept our hotel in Seoul and were paying 'twice' although both hotels were so cheap it was probably still cheaper than paying for one hotel room for the night) Thankfully they had another room (which still kept us within our budget...when I say cheap I mean cheap it was $44 Aus a night for the two of us so no complaints there) the only issue was it was a double bed so Jenna and I chose to stay in here for this leg of the trip.

The sea was calling our name and we eagerly made our way down to the beach, the beach is lovely (I live in Australia which has amazing beaches so it would be a stretch to call it beautiful) and even in winter is lively with lots of people braving the chill and sticking their toes in the water (so I imagine in summer I would be looking for a quieter beach to chill at).

The call for food was stronger than the sea and we headed back in search of food and had our first taste of Korean BBQ (although we are in Korea so that should just be BBQ)

We really enjoyed it and all the sides that they offered but I think I have been spoilt by the Korean BBQ I go to in Carnegie at home and it has to be really great to live up to that and it didn't quite. We think that maybe we will have to try it again in Seoul and see what they Seoulites have to offer.

A bit more exploring was called for, and then our usual afternoon treat of coffee and cake before deciding to head back to the hotel to chill for a little, recharge those batteries and have a short nap which refreshed us for the evening ahead.

We wandered around enjoying the night lights on the strip, watching the buskers and enjoying Mexicana Chicken

(which is being sponsored by my iKON boys) and was every bit as tasty as I thought it would be and mandu (and you can never go wrong with dumplings) while watching the hustle and bustle of a fun Friday night in Busan.

The main strip is really pretty at night with all the lights

and it is extremely festive and again I can understand why people want to head down here for their holidays.

We had talked about going to Noraebang (karaoke) while we were in South Korea and thought that tonight was as good a

night as any to fulfill our K-Pop dreams. You pay for the room you use and for the length of time, and paid $7 Aus each for the hour (and when we ordered a round of drinks we got some side dishes to go along with it) and we had a lot of fun.

We sang really badly in Korean and adequately in English and felt sorry for anyone who could hear our singing, but it was loads of fun and you can understand why the hard working/ studying Koreans go to noraebang to let their hair down because it is a blast and with a large group would be a really cheap night of fun.

Our nightly ritual in Busan is no different from Seoul, a 7-11 for milk drinks and snacks, K-drama on the TV and I could really get used to this.

#bUsaN #sOutHkoRea #fOod #tOeaTliSt #tOdoLisT