Adventures and Anniversaries in Busan

Since we had our LASEK surgery done in Busan, we've had to go back every few weeks for check ups.  We've enjoyed the onsens of Japan and we wanted to try the jjimjilbangs of Korea.  So back in June, we took the opportunity to visit Spa Land after a recommendation from a friend.  It is located in the Shinsegae Department Store in Centum City and is Busan's largest and most modern spa.  We paid ~15,000won each to get in and we were given four hours to do as we pleased.  Alan and I went our separate ways and I headed to the baths.

The onsen we visited in Japan was remote, quiet, and peaceful, with few people present.  Spa Land was crowded and noisy but it had dozens of baths to choose from. There are baths ranging from cold to very hot, sodium bicarbonate baths, salt baths, and an outdoor bath.  As per bathhouse etiquette, I soaped off before getting in.  There's also a room off to the side where you can get a body scrub from the professional scrubbing ajummas dressed in the professional bra and panties scrubbing attire.  They just charge the fee to your locker key and you pay the balance when you turn it back in.   The old ladies took me in and had me lie on a slab where they promptly dumped water all over me and proceeded to scrap my skin off...I mean scrub me.  It wasn't the most comfortable of experiences I've had and she certainly wasn't shy about making sure ALL of me was clean.  But when I came out, my skin was soft, shining, and gorgeous.  


After I finished bathing, I got dressed in the cotton shirt and shorts provided for you.  The women were dressed in red, the men in beige.  I headed out to the communal area where Alan and I peeked through the saunas.  They have all sorts of different sauna designs that are supposed to promote specific things as you sit and relax.  There was a snack bar and an outside foot bath as well as a restaurant, massage chair area,  and other fun places on the third floor.

It was a good experience, both cultural and just for relaxation's sake.  My fellow expats in Korea should definitely give it a go.

Foxy Botique (Busan)

Chocolate Motel (Daegu)

Hera Motel (Daegu)

Hera Motel (Daegu)

This past weekend was our first wedding anniversary and I can't believe that it's been a year already.  We had another eye checkup in Busan so we decided to make a weekend of it.  Friday evening, we took a bus from the Intercity Bus Terminal directly to Haeundae where we booked a love hotel for two nights.  Now, if you've never stayed in a love hotel, you should....because it's always quite the experience.  The buildings are bright and full of colorful lights and the interior is decorated with amusing attempts at romantic or erotic quotes.  They're generally quite a bit nicer than normal hotels as well.  I've included pictures from a couple different ones we've stayed at this year.

A street full of love motels in Haeundae, Busan

Crazy Mr. J's magic show

That evening, we grabbed dinner at Hello Thai, which was just down the street from the hotel.  It was a nice restaurant with the fastest service I've ever seen.  The waitress waited a bit from our table until we were ready to order and within 5 minutes our food was on the table.

We took a walk down to Haeundae Beach after dinner where Alan ended up being recruited to help with a magic show.

At the peak.

We spent Saturday hiking up Jangsan.  The trails aren't always well marked and it's not something that really gets the heart pumping, but it's still a great hike and we really enjoyed ourselves.  And it's located on a mine field.  So it's generally advisable to not wander off.

We came across the whiniest cat I've ever seen.

Watch out for the mines.

Stone River

View from the stone river.

We had dinner that evening at the Wolfhound, an Irish pub.  The food was excellent and it seems to be a pretty popular foreigners' bar.  We topped our anniversary weekend off with some ice cream from Baskin Robins before heading back to Ulsan the next morning.





Our life at the moment is like the calm before a storm.  In just over 2 weeks, we'll be headed to Budapest for a week and a half, spend a day and night in Hong Kong, followed by the zouk congress in Malaysia after that.  After all of that, we'll come back to Korea for four days before flying home to the States. Everything is winding down and the goodbyes have already started.  Being an expat has its ups and downs.  I'm so excited to go home, see all of my family and friends, and start the next stage of our life in Colorado.  But now that it's actually time to go, I know that there's a lot about my life here that I'm going to really miss.


So here's what I'll miss about living in Korea...

1. The community.

I don't want to get overly gushy, but I've loved being a part of the community here.  I'm going to miss these incredible people, both expat and Korean, that I've spent so much time with every week for the past year.  Even if it hasn't been very long, I feel that we were able to make some strong friendships that I hope will last.  We'll miss you guys.


2. Fast internet and cheap data

South Korea has an average download speed of 53 Mbps.  The internet at my workplace gets 72Mbps download and 43 Mbps upload.  And I get unlimited data for my smartphone for ~50,000won/month.  Who wouldn't miss this?


3. The food

I really hated Korean food when I first got here.  Coming from the high sugar, high fat, processed American diet, everything tasted bland and unsatisfying.  Now after a year of eating Korean food every day, the cravings for food back home come less often if at all and I actually find myself craving Korean food instead.

4. Public transport

Neither of us own a car in Korea and we haven't even driven since we got here.  There's no need to.  We can get anywhere we need to via public transport.  Sometimes, I think it may even be more convenient to take the bus and not have to worry about parking.  And long commutes are much better when you can occupy yourself with something other than the road and cars in front of  you.  I'll definitely miss not have to drive.

5. The challenge

During our Christmas stay in Hawaii, Alan and I felt like we were being spoiled.  Everything was too easy being in English.  We didn't have to work to understand anything.  In Korea, I get a mental workout everyday trying to converse in Korean or even just trying to communicate in and understand broken English.  I also feel that my prestigious miming skills will go to waste in the States.  As inconvenient as it can be at times, I will really miss the immersion.

6. Our apartment

I like the interior style of Korean apartments.  Everything is completely modern, the sliding doors are pretty cool (even if they're not exactly sound proof), and it's much easier to clean your bathroom when it's made to just hose down.  Plus, we have mountains in our backyard to hike through and the path along Taehwa River just a few minutes walk away.  The scenery is beautiful and we've had so many wonderful conversations wandering about the mountains and river.  And we can dance on our roof! I'm going to miss our first home together.


We've made so many memories here in Korea and it makes me somewhat sad that it's time to leave.  It certainly has been an unforgettable first year of marriage.