So this weekend i was supposed to wake up ass early on a saturday morning and catch a bus to the train station to catch a train to Busan (Korea's second largest city and fourth [some say third] largest container port in the world.) <--that has to do with boats...errr ships in case anyone was wondering. But i digress....
Anyways, i was supposed to get up early.... But, Friday night happened and Ass-Early Saturday morning did not. NEver fear though as the ever resourceful me was able to book a flight from Seoul to Busan for only $70 which got me there just in time to meet up with the group that i was supposed to have joined on the train. So in Busan, Saturday night was spent shooting off Fireworks at the beach.
After that we go to our hostel (which was really just an apartment with the rooms converted into 3 bunk beds and was awesome. The first of many coincidences occurs at this point. In the hostel--in the same room in fact!--i ran into someone i drunkenly met at the bar a month or so back. She even knew my name though i was at a complet loss about ever having met her until the light of day showed up the next day and things came back.
We left Sunday morning for Gyeongju--Korea's "open air museum" which is called that because of all the archaeological sights to be seen. On the way there, another coincidence happens. One of our friends (who was with the group, but not really with the group and stayed at a different hotel, in a completely different section of town in fact) ended up catching the same subway as us and getting in at the same car no less at a different stop!
So Gyeongju...we get there and it's like water to a man dying of thirst in the desert. There's so much nature and beautiful scenery there. After the unmerciful ugliness of Seoul for 6 months, this was a welcome relief to my tired eyes. The place we stayed at was this hidden traditional Korean hotel/house that was about a mile up this winding road in a river valley with mountains everywhere around us. Ahhhhh...nature! There were rice patties everywher that were literally full of tadpoles, salamanders (or newts come to think of it) and FireBelly toads. They are hella cool looking guys.
After we get settled in we do a nature hike of about a mile or more of steep and winding goat trails through this mountain where at the crest, is a Buddhist Temple and a 1000+ year old carved granite Buddha statue. It was definately awesome though we were all totally out of breath and shape for that matter by the time the summit was reached. That night was spent going to sleep to the sound of froggies humming their love songs ...and later being woken up by Korean's doing theres
Ok, i made up the part about the Koreans banging, but they were quite loud regardless.
The next day was going back home time which sucked. We left early and another coincidental encounter happened. Running into another friend completely unplanned for at the Gyeongju bus station.
Anyways it was a fabulous weekend and really rejuvinated me. Thank god for getting away from shit--if only for a weekend.
Anyways, i was supposed to get up early.... But, Friday night happened and Ass-Early Saturday morning did not. NEver fear though as the ever resourceful me was able to book a flight from Seoul to Busan for only $70 which got me there just in time to meet up with the group that i was supposed to have joined on the train. So in Busan, Saturday night was spent shooting off Fireworks at the beach.
After that we go to our hostel (which was really just an apartment with the rooms converted into 3 bunk beds and was awesome. The first of many coincidences occurs at this point. In the hostel--in the same room in fact!--i ran into someone i drunkenly met at the bar a month or so back. She even knew my name though i was at a complet loss about ever having met her until the light of day showed up the next day and things came back.
We left Sunday morning for Gyeongju--Korea's "open air museum" which is called that because of all the archaeological sights to be seen. On the way there, another coincidence happens. One of our friends (who was with the group, but not really with the group and stayed at a different hotel, in a completely different section of town in fact) ended up catching the same subway as us and getting in at the same car no less at a different stop!
So Gyeongju...we get there and it's like water to a man dying of thirst in the desert. There's so much nature and beautiful scenery there. After the unmerciful ugliness of Seoul for 6 months, this was a welcome relief to my tired eyes. The place we stayed at was this hidden traditional Korean hotel/house that was about a mile up this winding road in a river valley with mountains everywhere around us. Ahhhhh...nature! There were rice patties everywher that were literally full of tadpoles, salamanders (or newts come to think of it) and FireBelly toads. They are hella cool looking guys.
After we get settled in we do a nature hike of about a mile or more of steep and winding goat trails through this mountain where at the crest, is a Buddhist Temple and a 1000+ year old carved granite Buddha statue. It was definately awesome though we were all totally out of breath and shape for that matter by the time the summit was reached. That night was spent going to sleep to the sound of froggies humming their love songs ...and later being woken up by Korean's doing theres
Ok, i made up the part about the Koreans banging, but they were quite loud regardless.
The next day was going back home time which sucked. We left early and another coincidental encounter happened. Running into another friend completely unplanned for at the Gyeongju bus station.
Anyways it was a fabulous weekend and really rejuvinated me. Thank god for getting away from shit--if only for a weekend.
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I'm glad the ROK's treating you well for a change. Funny, I kind of miss the Land of the Morning Calm in a way. More accurately, I miss the idea of being able to do cool things like going to Busan for the weekend... which I couldn't do if I was there... so... yeah.
How's work treating you?