Busan, be still my heart

(Two weeks ago? I think? This has been sitting in my queue, unfinished for that long T_T.) Two weeks(ish) ago was Buddha's Birthday as well as Children's Day (not entirely sure what that is still,) so most of us in this 'hood had a four-day weekend! I ventured to Busan, which I raved about in passing before. But in all reality, if I ever taught for another year or just decided to move back to Korea, Busan would be the place. Everyone in Korea has been really nice, but in Busan the culture is friendly, warm, and laid back. I liken Seoul to the New York City of Korea and Busan to the West Coast. Most importantly, there's an ocean (I'm landlocked in Chungju T_T.)

Busan from Igidae area

I stayed at a hostel for two nights where the ladies who run it were seriously welcoming, interested, and helpful. They remembered our names and what we did each day. There is something magical about hostel culture. I've stayed in some pretty terrible places (note: the worst was one in London where there were hairs in the sheets. They advertised a free drink in the bar downstairs, which turned out to be soda. The staff and guests were rude, and though it wasn't their fault, that was the same night I almost got kidnapped by a fake cabbie from the train station at 6 a.m. when I went to drop my friend off out of fear for her safety. You live and you learn.) In any case, when you have a good hostel experience, it can be magical.

I met a guy from Mexico in my hostel on the day I was leaving. He and I ran into each other when we were walking to the subway. We waited for the subway together and then rode it for several stops before parting ways. He is going to school in Seoul and we got along really well for that half hour. We talked about where we were from, the beach, learning languages, and our hometowns. And suddenly, it was my stop to meet with my coworker and our time to go off on our own adventures, likely to never meet again. "It's strange meeting people like this. So temporary. You meet many cool people and then they're suddenly gone," he said. And that's magical.

Of course, there are also annoying (insufferable) people. One of the guests, in discussion, told us all that he spoke Korean and that it was really easy to learn. He then went on to say that he can order at a restaurant and get directions...you know...so he's basically fluent (*sarcasm*.) What more do you need to know when learning a language? Indeed, he asked me how much I knew and I said, "Well, maybe I don't speak as well as you," giving him the benefit of the doubt. I told him what I could do and he said, "We're about the same, then."

In any case, I had a peaceful, sun-filled, perfectly-balanced-isolated/socialized vacation.
I didn't take very many pictures after all, but it'll have to do.

The first night, I wandered around the Jagalchi Fish Market 자갈치시장(http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264168.)
There were booths upon booths of fresh seafood to buy, but the real kicker (that I wasn't expecting,) were the myriad of places that were frying fish for diners to sit and enjoy. The smell was completely decadent. The following night, I met for dinner with my coworker and her friend, but unfortunately we didn't make it back to Jagalchi for dinner because it was too far away from where we met up.

On Sunday, I ventured to the supposedly hidden-away Seokbulsa Temple (석불사), which was nestled in the hills of Geumgang Park. I read many blogs about it beforehand that claimed it was a huge, out-of-the-way hiking adventure that took hours. Maybe it's my Seattle mentality, but the hike was maybe an hour and a half to two hours, since I took the cable car up. Granted, there was a huge, steep hill up to the temple at the very end--during that final ascent, I thought I might die (there's a selfie video from this time that I considered putting up, but let's save me the shame)--but overall, it wasn't that deathly and completely worth the trek if you are able-bodied and like the exercise (and bring lots of water.)

the cable car--albeit cool--was scarier than the rest of it

It was a bit of a complicated journey. I got directions online first, which included "following the dirt path" and "turning at the bridge." Truth be told, if I wasn't able to read and speak the tiniest bit of Korean, I would have gone the wrong way entirely. There was plenty of signage, but much of it was in Korean, so it was my lucky day that I could figure out which word meant "east" and therefore figure out which direction I was supposed to go in based on that. Not to mention, when I got to the little town, there was construction and absolutely no indication of where to go. Luckily again, a helpful older woman asked me where I was going--in Korean--and pointed me in the direction of the temple when I indicated my goal. I can't imagine trying to figure it all out otherwise, but people are usually helpful and friendly, so there's that.

Seokbulsa Temple

The temple was pretty incredible. It was shaded and breezy from being on top of and cut into a mountain. There were private, cavernous nooks and crannies, where they were burning incense that lightly scented the whole air. During the hike up, there were many other adventurers braving the park, but once I got to the temple, it was quiet and peaceful. There were a few other visitors, but considering it was the day before Buddha's birthday, I almost had the place to myself.


That night, my coworker and her friend and I met up for dinner. We explored a "used book store" that they kicked us out of after five minutes. We also found the "Mystery Ship Bar," we think, though the place we went to had no name. I visited Haeundae Beach, which was understandably more crowded with tourists than it was when I visited in January and therefore not the most pleasant environment. Igidae--which I visited on Monday before my train left--was more enjoyable. I didn't get to complete the walk up Igidae Beach and there were plenty of people on that path, but I was able to find a quiet dock and watch people fish in front of a beautiful cityscape.

Busan

Overall, it was an incredibly relaxing and re-enlightening weekend. I know a lot of people come to Korea for Seoul, but I'm going to argue for Busan all the way.

Anyway, I took a break from writing my end-of-the-term student comments to finish this post and now I'm tired. Naughty.

Food

I have another post in the works (meaning halfway finished) from last weekend in Busan, but it awaits photos (that I still need to upload from my camera.) Until that laziness is overcome, this is something that I've been thinking about now that I'm just past the halfway point of my contract.

A few things I thought I probably wouldn't eat before I came here, but then did:


1) Sundae 순대

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundae_(Korean_food)

image credit: http://www.buhaykorea.com

This was the only thing that I had predetermined I would absolutely not touch before my plane landed in Incheon Airport (well, never say never.) Open minded or not, as a recent non-vegetarian, it was too much to think about.

it's less appealing in this format
image credit: http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2012/sundae/ 

Sundae is a blood sausage stuffed inside of a pig's intestine. The first time I tried it was at a dak galbi 닭갈비 restaurant and my coworker wouldn't tell me what it was. And you know, it wasn't half bad, but as soon as it was in my mouth, I remembered my conviction and that I had chanted, "Sundae, sundae," in my head before I came so that I'd remember what it was. Anticlimactic ending; the texture is a little bit chewy, due to the noodles inside, but it's pretty innocuous if you don't think about it. My favorite tteokbokki 떡볶이 place serves their curry tteokbokki with sundae chopped up in it. The first couple of times, I just went for it and consumed the whole thing. The power of the mind is strong, though, and I can't not think about the bloody flavor. So I've learned how to say "without sundae" (anyone speak korean: bego? I can't find the word I'm looking for in the dictionary, it keeps telling me to use "없이." In any case...) The woman who works there also knows me by now, so she tends to omit the sundae without my asking. I did eat a piece again last night at dak galbi, and in comparison to the following entry, it was grand!


2) Dried bug guys. Silkworm Pupae 번데기

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beondegi

image credit: http://upinthecloudsisay.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/spiced-beondegi/ 

This wasn't even my first venture into bug eating, but I can't force bravado here. I've tried these little guys twice and I think that's the limit. When you bite into them, their insides squirt juicily into your mouth. Not to mention the aftertaste is very strong, and to me tastes distinctly buggy. I don't think my stomach loves them, because both times I ate merely one bug and was burping up bug flavor for hours afterwards. I also tried these for the first time at a dak galbi restaurant. The woman was standing over us, cutting up the meat, and for some reason I thought this was a perfect time to try it.

"Not delicious?" she said, laughing at whatever face I made.

I tried it again last night. I just can't get over how particular the taste is. Give me sundae any day. Still, worth the venture.


3) Chicken off the side of the road

Maybe this shouldn't be an entry in and of itself, but I ate chicken on a stick from a food truck on the side of the road. Ya know? My L.A. instincts were fighting me, but it was pretty good and I'm still here to tell the tale.




I tried to think of one more entry, but to be honest, everything else is very palatable; I like seafood and I eat meat now. Today, I was invited to attend my coworker's wedding, where I tried a myriad of new treats that had no names attached to them. One thing I recognized but hadn't tried until today was dessert tteok (which had a sweet sauce, sesame seeds, and sesame oil inside, I think.) It was very nice. Every day is a new adventure.


Sort of. That's a fib, let me be real; for dinner I ate a cheddar cheese sandwich from the block of cheese my coworker brought me from Costco. It was delicious.