Since I had the day off and Karl got out at lunch time, and it was a gorgeous day outside, we decided to hop on a bus to one of the closest beaches. After eating a quick lunch, we took a taxi to the bus terminal. Taxis are so cheap here that it costs the same amount for us to take a bus to the bus terminal, so I see no point in denying ourselves a little luxury. Anyway, we got to the terminal right after a bus to Buan, our destination, left. Of course. So we found ourselves with an hour and a half to kill before the next bus left. Not to worry, though, there is a Family Mart right across the street from the bus terminal with a well-stocked ice cream freezer and tables in the back.
I took some pictures of the bus terminal because it just looks like something from a much poorer country than Korea. Korea has all of these super high-tech things like the KTX (Korea's version of the bullet train) and crazy fast internet and neat cars, but some things are really stuck in the past. The bus terminal is small, grimy, not air-conditioned, and has no screens or even doors. It seems like something from a Chinese village or maybe one in the Philippines.
I would have taken some pictures of the inside where you buy tickets, but it's constantly packed with people and I don't really have the guts to whip out my camera and start taking snaps of random people. They will spit in your face here without restraint, and I wasn't in the mood for it. By the way, the construction you see in the above picture that looks like a Greek church or something is actually a huge wedding hall. The most extravagant structures we've seen in Korea have been, hands down, wedding halls. Weddings are big business in Korea. If you think Americans spend too much and get too frivolous with their big day, you ain't seen nothin'!
Anyway, finally our bus arrived and we hopped on. The ride was to a small city about an hour south of us, and then we hopped on a local bus for a 30-minute ride to the actual beach. The rainy season has come to an end at long last, so the countryside looked pretty today. The rice fields are just so green!
That last shot is from the outskirts of our city. Again, I'm just surprised at how dirty everything looks. It's like things fall into disrepair and they just let them stay that way. Is it a money issue or just that no one cares?
Anyway, after what felt like a very long time, we made it to the beach. It was beautiful! The sand was really squishy, more like a lake, since the west coast of Korea is mostly mud flats. There were so many tiny crabs (about the size of ants!) and minnows and shells. Some dead jellyfish, too, yikes. There weren't many other people there at all, and only a handful of them were swimming. Now, I know that most Koreans can't swim (which is strange to me, but that's another story) but there were tubes and life jackets for rent, so I wonder why it was so empty. Jellyfish, maybe? There were even two lifeguard boats out. Then we started to wade into the water and realized that it just didn't get deep! We went out quite a ways and it never got past our knees. I wonder how far you would have to go to do some real swimming?
So, we amused ourselves by walking around and splashing and checking out the rocky areas jutting into the sea.
We came back feeling a little worn out even though we didn't do much. The heat from the sun and the humidity here just seem to sap your energy if you're out for very long. Luckily, we were able to walk to Subway near our apartment and get a sandwich to revive us. It's comforting that you can order a spicy Italian or a meatball marinara all the way over here. Even if the salami is more like bologna.
On a cooler day, we'd like to go back to Buan and take a local bus to a nearby area because the beach itself and the mountains behind it are part of Byeonsan National Park. Apparently there is a nice day hike in the mountains that has a waterfall and a temple. I'd like to tackle it once the leaves start turning. And when it's not, you know, a hundred degrees. Call me a wimp if you must.
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