Woke up at 8.15am. I guess my alarm pissed everyone else in the room again. Balir in the guesthouse in Seoul the other day told me they were laughing at me seeing I'm sleeping like a dead with my alarm ringing beside. Haha. So sorry.
Owh, the guy Lee I mentioned who I met in the plane who offered to show me around Busan, came and fetch me at 9am! Oh yeah, couldn't be more happy.
First he brought me for breakfast, forgotten what it's called but it's te food given to the Koreans by the US Army during the World War 2 (WW2). Tasty yoo!!
Mr. Lee!!
Next we went to TOM & TOMS Coffee, Korea origins, to have some coffees. He gets around 7 cups of coffee per day and he's a heavy smoker. Damn. Caffeinesssss!! Haha. The cafe culture is such a trend over here u can easily find coffee shops like across every 5 shops(?) We planned our trip for the day there before getting started. Having a weak stomach, I love spicy foods and coffees A LOT but I'll have an upset stomach if those get into my stomach early morning, and that's what happened. Haha.
Next had some walk along the Gwanganlli Beach. Freezing. Haha
We then went to UN (United Nations) Memorial Cemetery. A place paying tribute to those UN army who sacrificed during the war between South and North Korea. South Korea got enormous help from the UK, USA, Aussie etc. Very interesting to read and try to understand things happened between the both countries. How they split into two after the Japanese invasion, and the North trying to attack the South for several of times by sea way, digging tunnels, with the help of Chinese(?). Wondering, do they play each other like in a football match? Hehe.
Lee told me lot of thing he knew, as I was paying more attention to what he was saying than sightseeing for the whole day. Haha. Will try to share as much as I remembered.
Lee said the older generations, like him mum loves Japan. (I always thought they hated) They are grateful with the technology and stuffs brought by the Japanese to their land which made it a better place to live. Kim then told me plenty about te history of their then and present presidents. The president could just fulfill either the older or the younger generations. Type one, they give lots of money to elders but forced the younger to work a lot for overseas companies like for the Germans as in return for the money lent. Demonstrations were everywhere those times.
Next we went to Jongdong Tower. There's this statue of a general yes again I don't remember what's his name, but he's one of the intelligent ones Koreans had. He fought again the Japs and came out with a tactic, burying metal chains down in the sea, and then pull the both ends which straighten then chains and managed to destroy couples of Japs warship. Busan was the old capital of Korea and the area around the tower was once the government's main office. Oh the tower's 120m high anyway. Haha.
We walked to the areas nearby, couldn't really remember the names. You know when u're guided by someone you don't tend to remember anything, and that's why I prefer to travel alone, you get to really know about things, you remember. Haha. But it was the fashion street of Busan, not really crowded. Normal typical street market of Korea.
Bi-to Takeshi spotted on the street of Pusan Flim Festival Zone!!
We had squid kimchi salad and chijimi at one of the street stalks for lunch. Yummilicious!! And there came two Japanese girls, saying '辛いー 辛っ' which means spicy and were finding for water. We get free soup to drink in cups in every roadside stalks. So I kindly told them the soups are self-service, haha. Nothing much happened later. Hahaha. :p
Walked to the galbachi, the fish market.
Fulamak, I always don't really enjoy markets especially the fish ones. It's so wet. Haha. But very interesting to see around. Busan is a pier city, that's why the seafood is famous here. Sashimi with bone, no I don't remember what it's called. Sorry.
Had a long drive all the way to Taejongdae. The place I enjoyed the most I must say!!! Mother nature!!! Especially rocks and cliffs, yea. And this is the place where Kim served his 2 years of army. He kept saying about his secret place up there during his army time and wanted to show me badly. He was so shocked it has stairs now, and open to public to walk down there. Haha! I just love this place.
It was almost 5.30pm by the time we got down from the hill, and he invited me to his mum's place for dinner! Oh no how could I reject such nice offer to enjoy traditional Korean home cook dishes. Though I really wanted him to bring me have some Korean BBQ. Haha. :p Traffic jam all the way and we talked a lot, erm okay I mean he talked a lot. Haha. It's so easy when he explained places around exampling'em with places in Japan, like Shinjuku Ginza Shibuya. Yea makes me feel home. Haha.
He told me about surgery in Korea, it's so cheap compare to Japan, so common here in Korea as almost everyone does it. He told me about society problems in Korea where the Korean girls are open minded to the foreigners but not to their own guys. There's the shopping area, across the street is the drinking bars pubs clubs area, and few streets away are the motels. Motels everywhere u can feel that's something going on.
He has a girlfriend now who works in Seoul as a reporter for Japan station NHK. She was even too busy to answer his phone. Haha. He says he has been traveling a lot and he feels the best looking ones are still the Koreans. And I actually prefer the Koreans over the Japanese honestly. Haha. In term of looks I mean.
We reached his mum's house. Greeted her with just basic Korean as that's one of like 5 I know? Haha. Welcomed warmly to the house and there's this leopard skin, shot down by Kim in Costa Rica. Wtf. I won't be shot down after dinner and skin hanged on his living room don't I? Haha. Kidding, they're kind people to do that and I'm no one own nothing for them to do so. Hahaha. Random thought. So many kind of kimchi, pork soup, very delicious. Mashosoyooo!! And I was praising the pork minced sauced, she packed two packets for me to bring back!!! Hey, this is much better than winning lottery. So touched.
Kim said he went backpacking in other countries, sometimes he gets to stay in kind generous local people's house, and it's his turn to treat others in his homeland. So cool listen to it makes me wanna try one day.
We then went to this Asiad Stadium which was one of the FIFA World Cup 2002 Japan-Korea. Just outside as it was closed.
Next, Busan University area. All university areas are lively. It's like they have institutes here then Mcd next door, coffee shops then drinking places all around. Haha. He was once student of Busan University studying Law but dropped out halfway as he finds its not what he wanted and changed to IT.
He showed me around, and explained what are these DVD shops are about. Basically, it's for couples, private rooms, big tv screen, DVD player, shower room, tissue, wet tissue. You do the imagination for the rest. Haha.
Got back around 10pm. Worn out but really had an exciting day all around. Guess what, I spent 0yen.
Got his address so I'm gonna send him something for new year when I'm back. The luckiest person in land on the 27th of December, 2011.
It's 1.35am now and I'm writing this like for nearly an hour???!! Just in case I forget any. The forgetful me. Goodnight.
