I Took a Train to Busan

I can confirm the rumors of zombies on the train to Busan are largely exaggerated. This week was full of excitement, good food (as always), and even an excursion to Busan with TEAN!

September 13th

Tuesday I was finally back in classes. First up were my two Korean courses, which were enlightening but a struggle as usual. Learning a language is hard. What I was most excited about was my Korean diplomacy class. Our first lecturer this semester was the former Korean ambassador to the U.S. (he also was an ambassador to the EU and represented Korea to NATO). His lecture focused on the security alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, both during the Cold War and after. The topic itself was interesting, but hearing personal stories from someone who was right in the middle of such diplomacy made it even better. I even got to ask him a question about how the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has impacted Korea’s perception of our commitment to the Asia-Pacific and alliances in general. After thoroughly enjoying class, I stopped at a bánh mì place just off of campus. Bánh mì is a Vietnamese sandwich usually on a baguette (introduced to Vietnam cuisine by the French) served with meat and fillings like chopped cucumbers, pickled carrots, and white radishes. I ordered the mixed ham, which meant the meat was both ham and sliced pork sausage. It was very tasty. I spent the rest of the afternoon studying. In my Korean speaking class, the professor recommended a Japanese place across the street, so my friends and I decided to check it out for dinner. This place always has people waiting to be seated outside, not because they’re slow, but because it’s that popular. When my friends and I were seated, we all ordered the yamato tendon, which came with a skewer of fried chicken, shrimp tempura, fried sweet pumpkin, fried eggplant, fried lotus root, fried seaweed, onsen tomago (Japanese low-temperature egg), and rice. Let me tell you- the hype was not unfounded. It was one of the best things I’ve eaten here so far. Although it was a lot of fried food, it didn’t feel too heavy or greasy- just delicious. They also had a lot of interesting Supreme decorations in the entire shop, including a super creepy Chucky doll holding a Supreme knife.

September 14th

Wednesday I had Korean, Internation Politics in Northeast Asia, and the American Empire in Northeast Asia. It was my first class for the latter two and both proved to be very enjoyable. I am definitely looking forward to learning more about Asia from a different perspective than I can typically get back home. For dinner, my friend and I tried the newest restaurant to open in Anam- Subway. I have never seen so many people working the counter at a Subway, but it pretty much tastes just like it does in the states (which is great to me). After eating, we headed over to campus to check out the Korea University Autumn Festival. Basically, for three days there were a bunch of tents for student organizations with different activities or food. Every night there was a different type of performance on stage, and on Wednesday, it was the rock festival. We caught the last two bands to go up, and they were both very talented. They sang a pretty good mix of Korean and English songs, but regardless of the language, it was a good time.

September 15th

Once again I had my two Korean classes, where I got my first speaking homework assignments (which were terrifying). After class, my friends and I went to a restaurant that is always popping right down the hill, but I, unfortunately, can’t remember the name of it. I ordered a ramen dish that had dumplings in it. Not only was it super affordable, but it was also delicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if I become a regular there soon. Later that day I met my friends at an arcade where we were gifted the cutest plushies ever by a kind stranger. We then went across the street to BenareS Indian Curry House. Funnily enough, we all ordered the butter chicken curry, rice, and a variety of naan. It was SO good. Usually, we all struggle to clear our plates (though to be fair that’s usually due to volume and not taste), but this time we practically licked our plates clean. Also- to clarify a question I keep getting- a lot of restaurants provide scissors when eating certain dishes. In this instance, the scissors help you cut up the naan instead of tearing it with your hands. The same is usually done for cutting the fat off of meat at Korean BBQ. Honestly, it makes eating a lot more efficient and less messy once you get used to it.

September 16th

Since my friends and I all have no classes on Friday, we decided to go to the Lotte World Mall. This mall is so big- it has nine floors AND like five basement levels. It’s connected to the Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in Korea and the sixth tallest in the world. Unfortunately, due to having homework before leaving for the weekend, we didn’t have time to fully explore. Obviously, we have made plans to return. But we still got to see a lot- a Studio Ghibli Collection store (the Japanese studio that made Spirited Away, Ponyo, etc.), a two-story Uniqlo, an Aland Market, and just an overall beautiful mall. Once we returned, my friend and I had the fun task of recording ourselves saying an introduction in Korean. This was a trial, as we had to memorize at least 5 sentences. I got plenty of bloopers but finally managed to get one take that was probably close enough to being coherent.

September 17th

Bright and early we departed the dorms for Busan. We met the TEAN staff at Seoul Station at 7:30 AM to board the KTX train. The distance between Seoul and Busan is the longest travel distance in Korea, but the high-speed train got us there in just under 3 hours. The views were absolutely gorgeous, with lots of green farm fields and mountains. Once we reached Busan, we had a quick lunch (surprise! I got tonkatsu!). We then headed to the Jalgalchi Market, which is a famous fish market that sells both fresh and dried fish. Outside there were tents with vendors selling their fish on ice or hanging up. We also got to browse around inside where they kept the live fish in tanks, which was fascinating. I saw so many different species that I had never seen before. There was everything from eel to octopus to clams and crabs and so much more. There was also an upstairs floor where you can have a restaurant cook the fresh fish you just bought. Surprisingly, I didn’t think the fish smell was too bad here, it just reminded me of the ocean. On the other side of the market, you get a spectacular view of the bay and the surrounding city. Busan is the largest port in Korea, so you could also see lots of working ships and shipping containers. Here you could really feel how much cooler Busan was compared to Seoul- a welcome relief from the humidity.

We then walked across the street to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Square. Busan hosts one of the biggest film festivals in Asia, and the square holds the handprints of famous actors and directors. Funnily enough, the square isn’t actually a square but more of a long street that has a bunch of vendors, movie theaters, and other shops. Connected to the area is also Gukje Market, one of Korea’s largest markets that sells a lot of traditional Busan food. I tried some of my friend’s ssiat hotteok, which is a Korean sweet pancake filled with honey and seeds. It was so good I almost cried. We had about an hour to walk around and see the huge variety of food and clothes both areas had to offer. After that, we headed to Songdo Beach- the first beach in Korea. The main attraction that we got to enjoy there was a cable car with a glass bottom that takes you about 280 feet above the ocean. The views were absolutely gorgeous, and it was super surreal to look down and see the water so far below your feet. At the other end of the ride was an observatory on the roof of the building for a more stationary view of the Songdo area. It was a little foggy and overcast but still an amazing view.

Our next stop was Gamcheon Culture Village, also known as Korea’s Santorini or Machu Picchu. It used to be a rundown neighborhood that housed mostly refugees from the Korean War. However, in 2009, the Korean government started an initiative to improve the living standard and turn it into a cultural hub. They invited locals, nearby artists, and students to help paint and decorate the village. According to our guide, those painting the buildings couldn’t get enough of just one color paint, so they ended up having to paint almost everything a different color. It was a beautiful sight, with different murals, lots of food options, and full of vibrant colors. I couldn’t get a picture, but they also had a ton of cats wandering around.

After spending about an hour there, we finally got to check in to the hotel, which was so nice. Definitely a change from the hard twin beds in our dorms (which really aren’t that bad). We let ourselves relax for a bit and then set out to find a place for dinner. We walked down a nearby street and found a restaurant with such a pretty entrance we had to eat there (don’t you love how we make our dining choices?). Since Busan is on the coast, we were convinced we had to have seafood. Although we attempted to order dishes to share (having learned our lesson about ordering too much), the server told us we all had to order one dish each. We’d never encountered this before, and the prices were definitely higher than usual, but we complied and did as was asked. Most of us ended up getting a soy sauce marinated crab dish that also came with stir-fried pork, fried flounder, and rice. So, funny story- once again I have discovered what I actually ate while writing this blog. The crab dish was called ganjang-gejang, which is crab marinated in soy sauce, that crab just happens to also be raw. Thinking back, it definitely explains the texture of the crab meat and how fishy it tasted (I personally wasn’t the biggest fan). It also didn’t help that we were given nothing to assist us in breaking the shell to eat the crab, we just had to use our hands. However, the stir-fried pork, fish, and sides (including pajeon) were all very tasty. After doing a very poor job at finishing our meal and hurrying out the door, we walked until we found a Baskin-Robbins, something my friend has been dying to try here. After exploring the surrounding area a bit more, we headed back for an early night to prepare for the 6:30 AM wake-up call the next day.

September 18th

Sunday was a brutally early start. After eating a quick breakfast, we headed to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. This Buddhist temple is on the northeast coast of Busan, which is rare as most temples in Korea are along the mountains. This temple is without a doubt one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. There was just something almost indescribable about looking to the right and seeing all the intricate, colorful Buddhist designs and then turning to your left and seeing ocean waves crashing against the rocks below. There were also numerous detailed, stone Buddha statues representing different Buddhist symbols throughout the temple. After we finished exploring the temple and taking in all of its beautiful sights, we walked back to where the buses were waiting through a row of local vendors. They offered an array of food and drinks, but my friends and I all got fresh orange juice. They had three different types that came from oranges on Jeju Island. I have no idea which kind I chose, but it was very refreshing.

Next, we headed to Haeundae Beach, probably the most popular beach in Korea. It was pretty quiet when we were there, but the view and ocean breeze did not disappoint. Our final stop in Busan was shabu-shabu for lunch. Shabu-shabu (coming from the sound “swish swish”) is a Japanese hotpot dish where you cook a variety of meat, vegetables, and noodles in boiling water at your table. Man, this was delicious. The restaurant offered a buffet style of options to cook and eat with the rest of your meal. They even had a machine to make your own ice cream. We put ramen, rice noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, enoki and king oyster mushrooms, radish, egg, pork, and probably more in our hotpot. We also thoroughly enjoyed the fruit sides they had- including oranges, lychee, dragonfruit, and rambutan (a fruit with a red, hairy shell and soft chewy inside). After eating more than our full, it was time to head back to the train station. The ride back to Seoul was just as gorgeous as it was on the way to Busan. We got back to Anam at 7:30 PM exhausted, grabbed Meal Plan B hotdogs, and trudged our way up the neverending hill to finally get some rest.

That’s It!

Although the majority of my week consisted of classes, homework, and food, this weekend was action-packed. I absolutely loved visiting Busan and learning about how extensive the impact of the Korean War was on its development and culture. I am far from an expert, but I felt that it helped me gain a deeper understanding of Korea’s history. Every place I got the opportunity to visit will for sure be a lasting memory. I’m excited to continue to learn more both through my classes and exploring the rest of Korea.