Today all started long before this trip, and the outcome reflects my utter lack of understanding of Korea during the planning phase, and this ignorance extends even further to Busan.
As I was considering my options for this trip, I’d asked ChatGPT to suggest an itinerary, and the initial iteration had me spending a few days here in Busan. But that’s not where it ended – next I asked the bot to refine its recommendations and consider my strong interests in food and history, and that’s why I went to Gyeongju first.
To be clear, I have zero regrets about Gyeongju – its deep history and verdant tumuli were magical. It was an absolute win, and memories from my time there will stick with me.
Knowing what I know now, however, I should have just dropped Busan entirely, because the train schedules and yesterday’s rain really limited my time here. Busan sprawls along the southeastern coast and really needs much more than the paltry 24 hours I allotted.
In all fairness the train schedules didn’t contribute to the problem – that’s all on me. I didn’t book my train back to Seoul far enough in advance, so the only available seats were on an early afternoon train, and this meant I wouldn’t really have enough time to do anything in the morning, and there wouldn’t be sufficient time to do much when I got back to Seoul.
To top it off, I booked a hotel rather centrally (knowing my time limitations) but several sights I might have visited were further afield. Many of the attractions in Busan require quite a bit of traveling time.
In essence, I sort of screwed up today, because without adequate time at either end to do much, it mostly became a travel day.
At least the rain had abated overnight, and the morning sun was bright, so I passed two or three hours strolling through the tranquil Saturday morning neighborhoods of central Busan, where tourist attractions are sparse.
I paused for a coffee (coffee shops are everywhere here) and lounged on a bench, just doing my best to breathe in the scant time I had left. Honestly there’s nothing wrong with slowing down and introspecting sometimes.
My meanderings unintentionally led to last night’s market, which was quiet this time of day. The tables were covered with plastic and the booths were closed down, with the exception of a few intrepid, lonely vendors. There would be no mystical dumplings for me this time.
In the end, since the luggage storage at the hotel was entirely lacking in security, I headed to the train station early to just sit, relax, nurse an espresso, and simply do some writing.
The station did have a nice viewing area there where I was able to gaze out on some of the magnificent bridges crossing the city’s harbor.
Several hours later, when I disembarked in Seoul, the rain was falling again, the pavement was glistening with shifting reflections of the street lights, and the sunlight was fading fast.
My hotel this time was near the Myeongdong market area, and I had but one mission left for the few hours remaining to me: street food.
I wandered up and down the streets, peeking around corners, and inspecting every food stand carefully. I considered several foods served on sticks, massive desserts, and Korean delicacies. I don’t remember everything I ate, but I know there was a delicious meat-stuffed pancake.
I didn’t have any of this fish, however.
Instead, as the rain intensified, I took shelter under an awning and enjoyed a delicious butter grilled steak (the one they cooked didn’t have the obscene marbling shown on this display, but was still decadent).
And I finally got around to having tteokbokki – chewy Korean rice cakes drenched in a tangy sweet red sauce.
More than just food, Myeongdong is known as a shopping area, so I made sure to browse a bit, but I did little actual purchasing. As usual, memories will be the most precious thing I bring home with me.
I couldn’t stay out late, because I my morning will begin before dawn tomorrow. Instead I returned to my hotel early, carrying a small package of flavored almonds, a full belly, and an overflowing collection of memories in my mind.
You see, my flight is headed home, and so my journey here in Korea is drawing to a close. Even with my poor choices in scheduling today, it’s been a phenomenal trip and I now know what I’ve missed by not considering this small, rich, peninsula for so many years. In short, I definitely want to come back.
Thank you for walking beside me on this voyage my friends – and I hope to see you in the Fall.
With love,
Butterblogger
butterblogger 