Le Trip To Busan (Day #1)

Haeundae (해운대), Busan

If you are in South Korea, probably you will be wondering what Busan looks like. 

Basically, Busan is a city with some beautiful beaches since it is located at the southeast of South Korea. I can say that the beaches are modern ones. Why are they sophisticated? It's because even if you are in the beach, you will still be able to see skyscrapers. I am not sure about other countries' beaches, but in Indonesia, the beaches are literally beach.. which means no skyscrapers, and even you will hardly find signal for your cellphone. lol. 

This post is related to How to Apply Free Shuttle Bus From Seoul to Busan, South Korea. So, if you haven't read that post, you'd better read it since it will help you to get from Seoul to Busan without any charge! Seriously. No kidding.

I went there on July 26 - 28, 2012. Well, here is my story!

Day #1. Arrival at Lotte Hotel: 13.00 Korean Time.

By the time you arrive there, I am sure that you'll have been feeling so damn hungry, except if you bring snacks to feed your growling hunger during the trip! What I did to overcome this madness was by eating Dakssambap (닭쌈밥). I am not sure whether this dish is originally from Busan, but who cares, I was starving to death. Haha. It costed KRW 4900. Cheap, eh? No doubt. The chicken tasted really well. Freshly baked and so Indonesian. It is located behind the Lotte Hotel.

Next, I went to meet my friend Kevin and Gary, along with Conal, of course, at Seomyeong Station. I bet you'll kinda confused to find where it is. It is located beneath the Lotte Department Store. Our first destination was Beomosa (범어사) Temple, to learn air bending skill. Haha.

Beomosa - The Tranquilizing Buddhist Temple Backgrounded in Green Hills Stretching Above The Horizon

If you are interested to know more about Buddhist culture, this place suits you. I can say that the atmosphere was really supportive for meditation or such things since it was so quiet. There, you will meet monks with grey clothes, just like on TV (The Journey to The West). There are  also golden Buddha statues inside some of the buildings. Actually, there was Home Stay service here, but at that time there were children only. Make sure that you visit the river.. bringing some snacks and a mat for picnic on the river is not a bad idea. It's worth to try! 

Gwangalli Beach - Where Random Dance Takes Place

If you come here at night, there will be a open-space club on the beach. At that time, there were mainly old people, dancing in a Latin manner. I liked it though, since I love Latin songs. There was no fee to enter the open-space club. What made me amazed was people did not know one another but they could easily find partner for dancing. Then once the music stopped, they separated again. Even one of my friends, Conal, got onto the dancing area and he asked a woman to teach him dancing. I was so speechless. Hahaha. Then, if you are tired, you can go towards the beach and witness the rainbow bridge:

Gwanggalli Bridge (광안리 대교)

Dont forget to bring TRI-POD, I forgot to bring it.. I regret it so much. The picture above is taken without tripod, hence the result is not that satisfactory. 

SongJeong Beach - My Resting Area. Then since we were bagpackers, we decided to spend a night at Jjimjilbang. The cost was KRW 8000 per 12hours per person. It is located at SongJeong (송정). From station number 201, we took a taxi. When we arrived at the beach, we were relaxed by the calm breeze of sea wind.. and the beach was decorated with tables with colorful lamps, tempting me to take a snapshot even we were tired. haha.

SongJeong Beach (송정 바다)

I think that was our first day of trip. Not to mention that we also had dinner (all you can eat) in Seomyeong for KRW 11,000.  ㅋㅋ. 

Tips!

If you are planning to sleep in a jjimjilbang, you don't need to bring your own pajamas and towel. Just use what they will have provided.. you have paid for them! Trust me, they take a lot of space in your bag! Haha.

Read More

How to Apply for Free Shuttle Bus from Seoul to Busan, South Korea

Hello there! It's been almost a year! Haha.

In this post I wanna share how to get a free shuttle bus from Seoul <--> Busan! You guys love free stuffs right? Everyone does. #youdontsay

Normally, if you live in Seoul or nearby,  like Incheon, you'll need approximately KRW 60,000 or USD 52.80 for a round trip from Seoul to Busan by train.

If you have a passport, then you are eligible for this!

The first thing to do is to visit this link: 

http://english.visitkoreayear.com/english/benefit/benefit_07_01_01.asp

Read the pop-up notes carefully.

Then you will notice the calendar for the schedule, please note that you can only book at the maximum of D-11. So, if you want to travel at 12 August 2012, make sure that you have applied for it before 2 August 2012. If you have decided the date, then click on the name of your destination, either Busan or Joenju. 

Another page will come out, just click "I Agree" then you can fill out the registration form. Easy, eh? Fill it according to your real data, because I think that they will check it. 

The seats are very limited, so there will be a kind of lottery. They will pick the lucky ones RANDOMLY. The ones who are close to departure from Korea will most likely get it. However, pray for it! Haha. In my case, I did not get it, but my friend, Conal got one and since he applied for 2 seats, he asked to join him. 

In D-10 there should be a confirmation email. If you don't get it, then sorry, try again! Otherwise, you well get the ticket and you can print it out and bring it with you at the D-Day. 

The meeting point for going to Busan is here:

It is easy to get there, once you get out from the Gwanghwamun Station, you can see colorful buses in 100-m radius. You have to ask the committee there to make sure that you are in the correct bus! We got a nice "Visit Korea" tumbler from them. They are so kind.

There will be 2 resting area during the trip. However, I suggest you to bring some snacks or lunch since it will take 5-6 hours (you need to bring your own food). Bringing gadgets would be better, to kill the time, of course! 

I think that's all what I need to share. I hope you can get the ticket! Happy traveling! Enjoy Korea!
Let me know if you get one, I will share to how to survive in Busan at a minimum cost, my version. Haha.

Note: Changes of system may occur in the future.

Read More