What I Describe About Korea

 쓸쓸하던 그 골목을 당신은 기억하십니까?

지금도 난 기억합니다

사랑한단 말 못하고 애태우던 그 날들을

당신은 알고 있었습니까?

It was the 27th morning when I landed in Korea, the country of dreams for a lot of people around the globe. Incheon Airport as it was a tremendously beautiful architecture and very unique in its showcase of design and development with that modern touch of cliched airport structure. It was a bright Saturday morning and I was to go to Busan from Incheon. My first guess was to look for a limousine bus because Incheon Airport has the option of booking buses via kiosk or via counter for all major cities of Korea like Daegu, Busan, Gwanju, and others. There are information desks available for foreigners who can't speak Korean to communicate in English and the signs and directions throughout the airport are easy to understand and with English translations.

I couldn't find the bus that I wanted and ended up taking the express metro rail to Seoul station. The seats were super comfortable and it took me 50 minutes to reach Seoul station from Incheon Airport via Airport Railroad Express. Seoul Station is like the biggest  station in Korea with a variety of cafes, eateries, gift shops and others. I took KTX from Seoul station which is Korea's fastest train (bullet train) and reached Busan in two and a half hours. The transit was super comfortable and the train was really fast and steady. It was a great experience because it was my first time on a bullet train. That day was super hectic but I was happy that I have finally made it to the city of beaches and sea food. 

But there's much more to Busan than just the beaches and sea food. The entire city is linked with an amazing network of subway and bus services. The transportation service of Korea is one of the best in the world that makes it so easy to navigate throughout the country and that too on a reasonable price. Busan has been so welcoming, the people, the food, the ambience and one of my favourite things, the weather is just amazing. I come from a place where there's only two seasons that I get to experience, summer and winter. But for the very first time I am getting the serenity of the autumn season in Busan. I just cannot wait for the autumn foliage to take over the entire city and make it look extravagant. 

My university is on the top of a mountain and the view is simply breathtaking. The entire campus of Busan University of Foreign Studies is that chic and classy infrastructure with the stunning beauty of mountains and clouds. The entire community at my university is really welcoming and helpful, especially towards foreign students. I have had the opportunity to visit some super fun and astonishing places in Busan. 

Gwangalli Beach is one of those places. The beach is beautiful and less crowded as compared to Haeunde Beach. The reason I like Gwangalli more is because of the calmness and pleasant ambience that it offers. The environment makes you wanna sit and just gaze at the sky and moon above the ocean and feel the energy and innocence that the white moon has to offer. There were many artists busking there and the songs were chosen to fit the mood of that particular time. I even requested them to sing some of my favourite songs and they agreed with full compassion and enthusiasm which was really touching. The entire beach is surrounded by eateries from around the world serving a variety of cuisines. It was a really great experience being there at that moment. 

I also had the opportunity to visit the Tongdosa Temple which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site with my friends and was amazed by the beauty of this Buddhist monastery. The place is pretty easy to reach by bus. And the path to the temple is through a forest which uniquely had all trees bent to one side. I couldn't find a single tree that wasn't bent. They even have a temple stay program which I would love to do one day. The entire temple has many structures and stupas to visit and beautiful plants and shrubs shaped in specific ways to suit the arrangement. There's a shop inside the temple to buy gifts and the collection of books was worth checking out. The temple offers a combination of forest, river, and mountains as a total package. There are two small bridges which have a side arrangement of flowers which is such a small detailed thing but looks really beautiful. 

I have also had the opportunity to go to Seomyun which is like the downtown area in Busan with all cafes, restaurants, street food, shopping zone, underground market, clubs, bars, etc. The underground market is really huge with a variety of shops selling clothes, footwear, accessories, plants and even a small bookstore. It's a place for budgeted people who want fashion within a budget. The place also has a lot to offer in terms of what people one find there. The entire area is famous as a place to witness the maximum foreign population. The Lotte Department store which is the centre for all luxury brands is here in Seomyun. What I personally like about Seomyun is that it's the opposite of what my university area has to offer. Both places are opposite and for a person like me who enjoys everything from time to time, it's a great opportunity to switch between environments as per my mood. Having said that, if someone is on a very tight budget for shopping then the underground market of Nampodong is also a must visit. The shops there have much cheaper clothes, footwear and accessories but the collection isn't that diverse but it's still great! 

One of the place that was astonishing and awesome to visit was Busan Diamond Tower that had the best view of entire city of Busan. The 270° view shows everything, from ocean to city to mountains to bridges, literally everything making it one of the best place to be. 

In this one month journey in Busan, I have been exposed to a lot of different things, both qualitatively and quantitatively. And it's been a great journey so far and it's going to be the same ahead. I describe Korea through my eyes, my ears and my heart. What I saw, what I heard and most importantly what I felt. And I felt like this is the place I was meant to be. This was my call and I received it and now I am having the best of what my life has to offer. Korea has much more to offer only one knows how to accept that and let it absorb well. For all of you willing to come to Korea to live your dream, always remember that the place is pretty with good people and you will make the most out of it if you are comfortable enough to believe in this idea. 

My idea of Korea is what Busan has shown me in this month but it's not restricted rather more open to upcoming opportunities and situations for me to explore the rest of Korea. I know Korea and would love to know much more than only Busan has to offer but the culture and community emotions that I have felt would be my first in Korea is what Busan has offered. 

Vatssutra