2012 - Korea (Part 6 - Busan and Typhoon Sanba)
You know it's a good one when they give it a name.
Sunday 16 September 2012 - Tuesday 18 September 2012
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2012 Korea
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Sunday 16 September
A short (2 hour) train trip from Gyeongju to Busan. Again the scenery was quite scenic, but also very industrial as we passed through cities like Ulsan.
I got off at Haeundae, one of Korea's premier beach areas. However with a typhoon on its way, it was not beach weather at all. I managed to find the hostel easily and went for a walk to the beach. On the way I destroyed my first umbrella.
Haeundae Beach before the typhoon arrives.
Building the berm on the beach.
The hostel had a lot more English books so I stayed in, venturing out only to get some dinner at a very nice place across the road.
Monday 17 September
The typhoon arrived and it was just like you see on TV. Waves crashing on the beach, wind howling, things banging and falling off and so on.
A midday walk was a very dodgy, and I destroyed my second umbrella. Hanging onto lampposts to stop being blown away made me realise that it was better that I stayed in the nice warm dry hostel reading yet another book. It calmed down later in the early evening and I was able to get out to take some pictures and get some dinner.
The light house getting battered by the waves.
The headland near the beach.
The buildings around Haeundae Beach.
It was still a bit windy when I was trying to take photos!
After the storm has passed.
Tuesday 19 September
A nice sunny day, but I had to leave to get back to Seoul. My sightseeing in Busan was exactly zero, limited to the inside of the hostel, a bit of the beach, the metro line to the main railway station and the main station itself.
The KTX train back to Seoul was excellent. However, the coffee was still pretty bad.
From Seoul I caught the train out to the town of Unseo as I had an early flight the next morning. This is one stop from the airport. A good dinner in a small place, a couple of beers in the main square saw me through.
In all, South Korea is an interesting place. The food can be a bit daunting, but if you give it a chance, it is very good. There is lots to see and I hope to be back one day.
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Posted by nzhamsta 13:00 Archived in South Korea
