Meredith and I took a 50 minute bus ride to Busan early Saturday morning. Considering the 45 minute inner city bus ride I take to get to her neighborhood, the trip to Busan felt like a blink of an eye. The subway stop was right next to where the bus let us off and soon we were off to the international "Chinese" market. The subway system was so easy to navigate thanks to our smart phones and the fact that each stop was given in Korean and English.
Even though it was 10:30am a lot of the shops weren't open along the market street but the owner's of the shops that were open spoke to us in English, which was such a refreshing experience. I think I ignorantly thought that I would experience English wherever I went in cities and I quickly discovered that is not the case in Ulsan. The residents of Busan continued to amaze me as we explored the city through their curiosity of why we are in Korea and also in their eagerness of have us sit by them on the subway (often I notice people avoiding me when I am on the bus, probably because they either don't speak English or are afraid I'll speak to them in English) but there was a group of elderly women on the subway at one point who were so fascinated by Meredith and I. They didn't say anything to us but through their body language and their smiles I could tell they were so excited to have us sit by them. Meredith's co-teacher had taught her "cute" in Korean and she heard them use it while they were looking at us a few times. They were so cute though. The best interaction we had was with a taxi driver who stopped and asked where we wanted to go, I couldn't believe a taxi would slow down long enough to ask! I'm normally the one running out of their way!
In the early afternoon we took a bus up to Beomeosa Temple. It was a beautiful day for walking around in the hills of Busan and we both agreed we'd like to go back when the flowers are in full bloom. The temple buildings were painted with a vibrant teal in different designs. There were a few buildings that had signs outside that said "no pictures" or "do not enter" and we did see a monk walk by in his robes. It was special to see the contrast between the busy city life and the quiet temple atmosphere.
After that we went to an Iris pub and I got a real burger! And by real I mean it was made out of real beef and was cooked with burger spices. Hmm... now I want another one.
Our final (and most anticipated) stop was to the largest shopping center in Busan. Why were we so excited about this place? Because they have an H&M! I was looking forward to shopping at a place that I knew would fit my "long" arms and legs. I was not disappointed (well I was a little when I saw my bill) but it is worth spending every Won because my new clothes fit and they are cute. I now have enough warm things to help me survive the open windows at school.
I am very glad that we visited Busan and that I am so close to the city. I think I'll be spending a lot of time there now that I know it's so easy and cheap to get to (4,800 W). Plus we only scratched the surface of the city.
The biggest disappointment was coming back to Ulsan and having to take a bus home. I fell in love with the clean and smooth subway ride. There were points during our trip that we had to stand in the middle of the subway with no handles and it didn't matter because the subway started and stopped so smoothly that no one went flying.
The Christmas spirit is in full swing in my apartment! On Friday I went decoration shopping and I put them up on Sunday. I have been listening to Christmas music nonstop and it's pretty much wonderful. If only it would snow... but I'm not holding my breath because it doesn't sound like it snows often in Ulsan.
Bless friends
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