Get To Know Busan

Hi everyone~
So this is my first post. I am uploading this in the hopes that it may help a few of you fall in love with this city just as I did.

I first came to Busan right as the COVID-19 pandemic was slowly reaching the finish line. Ending my almost 22-hour journey, I thought the hard part was finally over. While I am usually right, this time I was completely off.
24hours after I left my hometown, I got off the bus somewhere in South Korea. The medical staff running around dressed in white overalls, faces covered, test kits ready, caught me admittedly off guard.

(Anyone else remember the feeling of a thin plastic stick in your nose? Sorry for bringing back those memories; I am already regretting it myself.)

After the test, I paid a ridiculous sum and was taken to a hotel. The blinds in the bus were closed, and while the colorful LEDs lessened the apocalyptic atmosphere, my hands were still shaking a little less.
Might not have been my brightest idea to undertake travel at this time all by myself.
At the same time, I felt reassured by my lonesome self.
As long as I was doing well, I would be fine!
I will spare you the details, but I did get through ten days of quarantine without going crazy.

Now, the interesting part starts! Somehow I had to find out how to get from this hotel in the middle of nowhere (Incheon) to Busan. Thankfully, we were taken to the next subway station by shuttle bus, and from there another Ex-Quarantinee agreed to figure out the rest.

Trying to buy a train ticket with a Visa card at a kiosk? Haha. Nope.

Instead, I had to beg the already overwhelmed lady at the counter to let me on the next train, which luckily only left about one hour later. My German heart fluttered—the efficiency was unmatched.

Looking back, I feel that after reaching Busan, something clicked. Something changed within me. While this experience dates back to 2022, I wasn't the same when the three months of exploration ended.

But what is it that made me come back and spend three more years?

It was something in between the noisy traffic, the dusty air, the cruel summers, the stares of strangers, and learning a language so different from anything I knew.

So different from anything I knew.

The first step to feeling Busan

Let me tell you how I first got to know this city.

I think it is no secret to anyone here that life in Busan can be stressful. But if you really want to get to know a place, you need time and an open mind to see what is going on around you.

To get some relief from the daily rush, I have developed a new hobby ever since I came here. It has taught me the rhythm of life here and taken me to so many places that I couldn't even imagine.

Let's cut to the chase!

The instructions are as follows:

Take a bus to a district you have never been to or only visited once or twice. Get on a bus and sit somewhere comfortable, preferably a window seat (I love the ones where you can put your legs up).

Maybe take your headphones or a good book for the journey and some water.

And off you go.

I personally recommend taking the bus to Yeong-Do and letting yourself be chauffeured around a little bit. Cross the 부산대교 and watch the squawking seagulls fly next to you.
Line 6 is the one that takes the longest, but it also lets you see the most.

Look out the window and take in the tiny streets and the busy markets. Sometimes you may even see an elderly lady dressed in hanbok waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
Get off at 75광장 (75 Gwangjang) and walk along beautiful cliffs with endless ocean right next to you. Glancing back, the skyline of Nampo-Dong will look back at you. Sky-high buildings and neon lights.

If you want to walk a little further, you will find 하늘전망대 (The Rainbow Bridge).

The best part is you can do this however long you want and whenever you want.
Have a look through the binoculars and observe the bustling city from afar!

When you get tired, let the bus take you back. Turn on your favorite music or just sit and listen to the chatter of your fellow passengers.

That is the first story. Please, let me know your ways of discovering Busan!
Or, if you decided to let the bus take you somewhere new, do share where it took you!