Busan, Baseball, Bars, Beaches

From the Beach

Cold water shock

Concert on the beach

Weird floating thing

Foosball!

Sand sculptures

Making a masterpiece 

Cheering at the baseball game

Our imitation seats

Weird man who wouldn't leave me alone

Subway walks

Streets

This weekend was Memorial Day (현충일, Hyeon Chung il) in South Korea, meaning we had Friday off from work!  The bus trip can be anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours all depending on traffic, this trip seemed shorter than the last time we went.  We arrived at the baseball game an hour early trying to get seats.  Most of the tickets are general admission and they sell as many tickets as there is standing room (not seats like you might expect).  Needless to say getting to the game an hour early is not early enough and we still had to stand.  We got some beer and fried chicken though to make the wait for the game to start a little easier.  As before that crowd is totally into the game, or perhaps they just like to chant.  It doesn't seem to matter whether they win or lose, or who is at bat, there always seems to be some sort of chant going on.  And our team, the Lotte Giants, lost.  

After the game we decided to go and get some dinner at the same Turkish restaurant that we went to last time we were in Busan because the food was quite delicious.  We got there and sat down and waited almost an hour to get just our appetizers and 2 beers.  Thinking, this is ridiculous as we saw other customers come after us and get their food we decided to leave.  A bit angry we went to cool our nerves at the local Korean Baths, an interesting place and something I've never experienced to say the least.  At the baths, the women and men are separated.  You take your shoes off in one room and put them in a locker, then you enter another bigger locker room and take off all your clothes and store them with anything else you might have brought.  Then you enter a huge room that has showers and baths of all types.  There are cold, warm, hot, hotter and hottest tubs.  They are all carved out of giant rocks so you feel like you are at an actual rock hot springs or something.  There are also salt baths, and these giant waterfall things that are a great massage as well as steam rooms. After this invigorating  experience we continued on to the next local watering hole where we got to play some foosball (I am quite possibly the worst foosball player ever and only like to play on teams with someone who is really good).  

Then, onward.  We stopped at a local street food vender for some yummy deep fried kim bap and fish on a stick (lots of food for 3,000 Won!) We went to a couple of other bars, with crazy dance music and one where I got to dance my heart out:) At the last bar we found a pool table.  Mike played a round of pool for a round of beer and had to buy a round of beer, ah but life goes on.  It was late at this point and time to find a hotel/motel and hit the sack.  What seemed like a very long cab ride later we found a motel for 30,000 Won, not too shabby. 

It had a bed and pillows all that I wanted for the night.  The bathroom was kind of scuzzy but I wasn't expecting much.  After sleeping until 1 pm we finally got up and out.  None of the hotels we've been to seem to have a check out time, interesting.  We found our bank and the subway and decided we needed to eat before going much further.  We found a local rice joint and had some kimbap, noodles and bibimbap, very tasty and filling.  Back to the subway a short ride later and we found the stop for the beach.  Not quite sure where the beach was from the stop we looked around and found a blimp in the sky and determined that must be where the beach was.  At the beach they have a stone walking path, the beach is narrow and full of activity.  It happened to the the time of the Sand Festival.  There were tons of really intricate sand sculptures and people were working on them as we walked around.  There was also a concert and sand wrestling and volleyball.  The weather was a bit chilly with the wind and the water was cold!  Even though I had my bathing suit on there was no way I was going in the water.  After hanging out for a bit taking a nap and reading we decided to walk around.  We found a restaurant and I wanted to get some fish being so close to the ocean and all.  The sashimi platter was going to run about 130,000 Won! No way! So we got the least expensive thing on the menu which was still 20,000 won, it was okay but way over priced.  

Trying to find the subway again we walked in a couple of circles but eventually found it.  The maps are confusing and no one likes to use street names. We took the subway to Lotte world where we could catch a bus back to Jinju and eat some dinner.  In the grocery store they had avocados which they were selling for 4,900 won, even though they were so expensive I decided to buy one and it better be the best avocado I've ever had.  Before the next bus came we had some time and walked around there area which was quite bustling with activity.  There are all these tents sent up on the road where you can have a sit down dinner and there are also ones that are bars, and quite fancy for being in a tent.  All around there were arcades and we got sucked in and played some street fighter, always a good move.  

Back to the bus stop, there seemed to be a lot of people waiting for the bus back to Jinju, we thought we might have to stand but we were lucky and got seats.  At the next stop people had to stand for the hour long bus ride back.  And ahhh finally back home!