lol, I meant to get these posts done faster and instead it's been over a month
since
my last one! I guess I just have to accept that they'll get done as they get done 😅 So,
last time, we departed from Nagasaki and headed across the Korea Strait to
Busan. This was both my and my husband Sean's first time visiting Korea. I only thought of it at the last minute, but I
taught myself to say hello in Korean that morning 😊 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)! Just
using one word of the local language made people totally light up in pleasant
surprise ❤️ I'm so glad I tried it!
Sunday 19 March 2023 - Daytime in Busan
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Coming into port, there was so much cool architecture. Look at that
lighthouse!
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A couple cool bridges and the first of many skyscrapers (I believe these
two are mainly apartments).
The tents at the bottom of the photo
are filling a paved, seaside campsite!
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I didn't realize it at the time, but this welcome mosaic was my first
encounter with Boogi ❤️
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While there was no big welcome party, unlike most of the ports in
Japan,
we did still enjoy getting our photos taken with these
adorable mascots 🥰
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Setting out on our Korean shore excursion!
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Our first stop was
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, which is like a Buddhist Disneyland, full of attractions and tourists (including ourselves!) 😅
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These golden pigs are supposed to bring you luck with money if you put
your hand in their mouths.
I wonder what our touching their tails
will bring? 😆
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I feel like male Buddhas are talked about way more than female ones.
That's why I was excited to learn about Haesu Gwaneum Daebul and take my
picture with her statue 🤩
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There is a row of statues depicting all twelve Asian zodiac animals.
This
is me with my year of the tiger!
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At the bustling marketplace outside the temple, I bought myself this
lucky tiger bracelet.
You can often see me wearing it during my
livestreams on Twitch!
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Our next stop was this luxury seaside resort, Ananti Cove.
We did a
little shopping for snacks and souvenirs, but nothing more worth sharing
as photos 😅
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Our final stop was Ahopsan Forest, which I was specifically looking
forward to!
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One reason I was looking forward to it is that I had never been in a
proper bamboo forest before!
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The other reason is that this was a filming location for Kundo: Age of the Rampant!
Sean and I specifically watched the movie right before
the trip to be ready!
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When we watched it, and still as of this writing, the movie is free to view
via YouTube Movies 🙌 It was like a Korean spaghetti western, a bit violent
but really thoughtful and full of adventure, good and evil, and exploring how
murky the difference between the two can be. I recommend it!
After hiking through the forest, we hopped back onto the tour bus and returned with our group to
the port. Next time, I'll share our adventure in Busan that night, bravely
exploring the city on foot, without guide or group 😮 Until then, please
stay happy, healthy, and safe~!
