I cut my Busan trip short by a day because I really wanted to ride my motorcycle to Wando for the Mokpo camping trip. Since I got back so late I didn't get a hold of the other riders so I rode to Wando solo. Took about two hours and I was able to enjoy some great view of Jeollanam-Do. Like most area in South Korea, Jeollanam-Do is dotted with lush green mountains. when the mountains give way, the dominate feature is rice fields. Summer is a great time to ride if you can avoid rainy weather since everything is green but you have to avoid the rain. Lucky for me the weather was great until I got to Wando. There the weather turned cooler and foggy but no rain thank god. I rode through Wando and crossed the bride to the Island where Myeongsasimri Beach was located. This is one of the great beaches of South Korea. It's 4k long and very wide so there is plenty of room to relax. The beach and the ocean meet smoothly so the water stays nice and shallow which helps keep the temperature warm. This beach is similar to Daegwang Beach which at 12k is the largest in South Korea. I can't decide which one I like better so I just need to visit both again to make an educated decision.
After I set up camp and said hi to everyone I headed to the beach for a swim. It was exactly what I needed after the ride down and the water felt great despite the dropping temperature and increasing cloud cover. That evening we built a campfire, ate some dinner and drank some booze (classic camping) It was Canada day so Canadian maple leaves could be found on everyone and everything throughout camp. Some people brought fireworks so we had a little show going by the beach despite the high winds and light sprinkles. Since everyone had been drinking since noon, we ran out of steam and called it an evening at around nidnight. This was when the fun really started. I have a cheap tent that has only netting on the sides and thus provides no protection against water so I was really worried about possible rain. For the first half of the night the main problem was the high wind. It created a nasty little sound in my tent and made sleeping impossible. At one point a gust uprooted one of my stakes and caused my tent to collapse. The rain starting coming at around 3am. I had not slept but my tent had done a good job of keeping out the light rain and I was cautiously optimistic a dry night could be attained. My optimism quickly shifted to an impending sense of doom when the rumble of thunder in the distance made itself known. Lightning followed it and before I knew it when had a torrential downpour in Camp Wando. The monsoon was coming down like a shower at home and the water quickly flowed into my tent, forcing me to abandon it for shelter in a tarp setup that was being used by some other campers. Much of the structure had collapsed from the wind but there was still enough room to put my soggy sleeping bag. At least I wasn't going to get any wetter. The rain bounced off the tarp like bullets and I knew this would be a sleepless night. Anyone that was actually asleep at camp was woken up but by one of the loudest thunder claps I have ever experience. The decibel level had to have reached 120-130 at camp.
The rain continued to pour until about 5am, at which point daylight began and everyone rose to assess the damage. Our camp resembled a flood zone more then anything. One girls motorcycle had fallen over due to the mushy ground and was damaged. Canadian beach balls and flags littered the landscapes. My tent had an inch of water in it but thank god my electronics stayed dry. One couple had even abandoned their sleeping spot for the safe refuge of the bathroom! That's how bad it was folks.
The busers packed up and left really early. We bikers got a later start because we had to deal with the broken motorcycle but we did get on our way at around 10am. The ride back was like the night camping. Very hard rain. We all got soaked head to toe in water while navigating the slippery roads back to Mokpo. Although soaked, none of us got cold. The weather was warm and the water felt like a shower even with the wind factor. My motorcycle Entourage did have one bad incident when a girl lost control of her bike on a 90 degree turn and flew off the side. I saw her accident in my rear view mirror and I knew she was probably injured as I pulled my bike over. Amazingly she escaped with a only a few cuts and bruises. She was wearing a leather jacket which prevented road burn and the helmet saved her head. She was even brave enough to get back on the bike and finish the trip. I dried off and collapsed into bed not wanting to think about going to school the next day.
This Wando trip was not what I hoped it would be but I can chalk it up as a life experience I can talk about. It's not very funny when you are experiencing a sleepless night in rain and witness a motorcycle accident but time makes these sort of things funny and in the end you are glad to have went through them.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Busan
Last week was finals week at my school and since my class doesn't have a final exam I was excused from classes for the finals period. Usually Principals will make the native speaker attend school regardless of whether they have classes because Koreans are just consumed by their work and don't yet understand the meaning of time off. I am very lucky to have a reasonable principal who doesn't see the need to for me to attend when I have nothing to teach. So last week I headed to Busan for some much needed beach time. I went over there on Tuesday because I did have classes that monday. Got there really late so after I check into my hostel I headed to Haeundae beach just to check it out. Haeundae is the famous beach you see in photographs jammed packed with people. That occurs only during the peak tourist season which is still a few weeks away, the rest of the time leaves plenty of space on the 2k beach to take a rest. Nighttime is a special time at Haeundae. The whole beach is clearly lit from the plaza walkway and all sorts of different colors are used to create a romantic seaside effect. The plaza itself is lined with hotels, restaurants, a casino and even an aquarium. There is no shortage of things to do on this beach.
The next day was sunny and so I really had no other option but to spend the day at Haeundae. The beach was not crowded at all except for a large group of kids who arrived at the beach for a little field trip. The water was a bit chilly at first but I quickly got used to it. Afterword I took a ferry ride around the harbor for a view of Busan from the water. It was a really hazy day and not a good time for photography but I really enjoyed the cruise. Busan is often called the San Francisco of Asia and although I would certainly never mistake one for the other, I did notice some similarities on that boat trip. The Grand suspension bridge which links the two sides of bay and is the signature structure of the Busan skyline looks like a cheaper and less attractive version of the Golden Gate. The steap rolling hills throughout Busan also give it Frisco feel to it and Busan also gets some fog from the ocean, especially around Haeundae beach which you can see in one of my photos. After swimming I found a sauna shower room nearby. These public facilities are famous all over Korea and I was told they were quite relaxing. The sauna was one giant room Showers were located near the entrance since that is the first thing you must do before using the goods stuff. In the middle were two large hot tubs. In the corner was a cold tub and next to that was two sauna rooms. Basically what I did was spend 10 minutes in the hot tub then jump in the cold tub. Ten minutes in the sauna, then jump in the cold tub It was comfortable and relaxing in there and for the cheap price I was glad I tried the public sauna. That evening I checked out the casino at Haeundae in search of a Poker room. I was disappointed to find only the mindless slot games and some blackjack and craps which I have never enjoyed so I left there sooner then I thought and called it a night.
The next day was hot, humid, sticky, and rainy. Earlier that day I had made contact with my global freeloader contact and made a plan to stay at her apartment after I checked out of the hostel. I really wanted to swim at Haeundae so I was walking in shorts and sandals on my to the beach when my sandal gave way on the slippery cement causing my foot slide forward violently. When I looked down I realized by big toe ( which is abnormally big) had slid off my sandal and had been shredded like sandpaper on the cement. Blood was already pouring out of the toe and I was pretty mad. I had nothing to clean or bandage the wound but luckily I found a pharmacy about one block away. I dragged my ozzing digit into the store and asked for bandages and disinfectant. They were very nice in the store and sat me down to treat the wound themselves. I bought the disinfectant and waterproof bandages they used and was as good as new. I made my went to a great bakery I found the day before to eat but I skipped the swimming for that morning. In the afternoon I met Jen from GFL, she was a hogwan worker but has a great location on Gwangalli beach. She had to go to school pretty quickly so we basically had intro talk and arranged a key situation. I then headed to the famous fishing market in Busan. This place has all sorts of sea creatures ranging from king crab to small sharks. It was basically a giant aquarium only an abattoir. I also went to Busan Tower, the highest structure in Busan to check out the view. The fog prevented me from seeing the whole city but the view was still nice. I then spent some time in the major shopping district of Busan looking for bargains. I wanted to escape the heat so I watched Transformers to kill some time in the cool theatre. Great movie. That evening I photographed the Grand Bridge and a few drinks on Gwangalli Beach.
I decided to head back to Mokpo on Friday because I wanted to go camping in Wando but I did get some more sightseeing in before I left. I saw a great Buddhist temple just north of Busan. There were a lot of people praying by the shrines and some Monks were present leading dozens in people in worship. I thought it best not take photos of these sacred moments but it was a very powerful sight seeing the significance this place has for the South Korean people. I was photographing a statue and a group of korean girls asked me to take a picture of them. After I did that they asked me to be in the photo with them and then they had me do those stupid poses you can see. Just another example of feeling like a celebrity in this country.
The best beach in Busan is SanJeong beach which was nearby the temple. This beach is little bit north of the city so is doesn't have the artificial vibe the other major beaches give off. The high hills and lush vegatation give it a more exotic and tropical feeling as well. Sanjeong has a sand spit that goes into the sea so the waves break far away which makes this the best spot for surfing and Bogey boarding. I had badly burned myself at Haeundae but with the overcast weather I figured I could spend a couple hours swimming without doing to much damage. I'm glad I did because it was a great capper to the trip spending time at this great beach. When I come back to Busan I would like to stay near this place and try some surfing. At around three I packed up my stuff and headed back to Mokpo to get ready for the Wando trip.
This was a great trip for me because it was the first time taking a vacation by myself. It's certainly better to travel with friends and family but I'm glad I was still able to have a good time alone. I did meet some new people that I might not have I traveled with friends. Fun times.
The next day was sunny and so I really had no other option but to spend the day at Haeundae. The beach was not crowded at all except for a large group of kids who arrived at the beach for a little field trip. The water was a bit chilly at first but I quickly got used to it. Afterword I took a ferry ride around the harbor for a view of Busan from the water. It was a really hazy day and not a good time for photography but I really enjoyed the cruise. Busan is often called the San Francisco of Asia and although I would certainly never mistake one for the other, I did notice some similarities on that boat trip. The Grand suspension bridge which links the two sides of bay and is the signature structure of the Busan skyline looks like a cheaper and less attractive version of the Golden Gate. The steap rolling hills throughout Busan also give it Frisco feel to it and Busan also gets some fog from the ocean, especially around Haeundae beach which you can see in one of my photos. After swimming I found a sauna shower room nearby. These public facilities are famous all over Korea and I was told they were quite relaxing. The sauna was one giant room Showers were located near the entrance since that is the first thing you must do before using the goods stuff. In the middle were two large hot tubs. In the corner was a cold tub and next to that was two sauna rooms. Basically what I did was spend 10 minutes in the hot tub then jump in the cold tub. Ten minutes in the sauna, then jump in the cold tub It was comfortable and relaxing in there and for the cheap price I was glad I tried the public sauna. That evening I checked out the casino at Haeundae in search of a Poker room. I was disappointed to find only the mindless slot games and some blackjack and craps which I have never enjoyed so I left there sooner then I thought and called it a night.
The next day was hot, humid, sticky, and rainy. Earlier that day I had made contact with my global freeloader contact and made a plan to stay at her apartment after I checked out of the hostel. I really wanted to swim at Haeundae so I was walking in shorts and sandals on my to the beach when my sandal gave way on the slippery cement causing my foot slide forward violently. When I looked down I realized by big toe ( which is abnormally big) had slid off my sandal and had been shredded like sandpaper on the cement. Blood was already pouring out of the toe and I was pretty mad. I had nothing to clean or bandage the wound but luckily I found a pharmacy about one block away. I dragged my ozzing digit into the store and asked for bandages and disinfectant. They were very nice in the store and sat me down to treat the wound themselves. I bought the disinfectant and waterproof bandages they used and was as good as new. I made my went to a great bakery I found the day before to eat but I skipped the swimming for that morning. In the afternoon I met Jen from GFL, she was a hogwan worker but has a great location on Gwangalli beach. She had to go to school pretty quickly so we basically had intro talk and arranged a key situation. I then headed to the famous fishing market in Busan. This place has all sorts of sea creatures ranging from king crab to small sharks. It was basically a giant aquarium only an abattoir. I also went to Busan Tower, the highest structure in Busan to check out the view. The fog prevented me from seeing the whole city but the view was still nice. I then spent some time in the major shopping district of Busan looking for bargains. I wanted to escape the heat so I watched Transformers to kill some time in the cool theatre. Great movie. That evening I photographed the Grand Bridge and a few drinks on Gwangalli Beach.
I decided to head back to Mokpo on Friday because I wanted to go camping in Wando but I did get some more sightseeing in before I left. I saw a great Buddhist temple just north of Busan. There were a lot of people praying by the shrines and some Monks were present leading dozens in people in worship. I thought it best not take photos of these sacred moments but it was a very powerful sight seeing the significance this place has for the South Korean people. I was photographing a statue and a group of korean girls asked me to take a picture of them. After I did that they asked me to be in the photo with them and then they had me do those stupid poses you can see. Just another example of feeling like a celebrity in this country.
The best beach in Busan is SanJeong beach which was nearby the temple. This beach is little bit north of the city so is doesn't have the artificial vibe the other major beaches give off. The high hills and lush vegatation give it a more exotic and tropical feeling as well. Sanjeong has a sand spit that goes into the sea so the waves break far away which makes this the best spot for surfing and Bogey boarding. I had badly burned myself at Haeundae but with the overcast weather I figured I could spend a couple hours swimming without doing to much damage. I'm glad I did because it was a great capper to the trip spending time at this great beach. When I come back to Busan I would like to stay near this place and try some surfing. At around three I packed up my stuff and headed back to Mokpo to get ready for the Wando trip.
This was a great trip for me because it was the first time taking a vacation by myself. It's certainly better to travel with friends and family but I'm glad I was still able to have a good time alone. I did meet some new people that I might not have I traveled with friends. Fun times.
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