Adventures, anecdotes and advice from three months exploring Busan
So-called "love motels" are ubiquitous in Korean cities, and exist primarily to provide couples a secretive, swanky place to hook up. But as we've discovered, they're also a valid option for budget accommodation, for those who are more interested in sleep than sex.
Is there anything more thrilling than standing next to a wax figure of a celebrity? Say, Lady Gaga? Of course not, what a stupid question! Wax museums are among humanity's most transcendent achievements, allowing us to indulge in fawning celebrity worship without the actual physical presence of the celebrity! There's nothing the least bit ridiculous about that.
Okay, Busan's Light Rail Transit (also known as The Purple Line) isn't exactly as fast as light -- and I suppose that in this instance, "light" is used in the "not heavy" sense rather than "beams from the sun". Whatever, it's still a cool name for a cool ride.
One of South Korea's three horse-racing tracks is found just outside Busan, and we decided to check it out on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We knew that we'd have fun, since we have fun anywhere that gambling is involved, but the Busan Gyeongnam Racecourse Park exceeded our expectations.
With a prime location where the Nakdong River empties into the East Sea, the small, sandy island of Eulsukdo has long been a paradise for migratory birds. However, our trip there couldn't have been more poorly timed, since the birds only visit in the fall and spring. But we'll be gone by August, and didn't want to pass up a visit to this interesting bit of nature.
If you're in Korea, asking whether you love or hate K-Pop is kind of futile. It's not like you're going to escape it, regardless. Could you "hate" the color yellow? Oxygen? Gravity? I suppose you could, but what's the point? These things are just immutable parts of life, and it's best to have a healthy, positive relationship towards them.
The $150 million dollar Busan Cinema Center is an architectural oddity which opened to the public during the Busan Film Festival in October, 2011. Its cantilever roof is the world's largest and seems to break the laws of gravity. And at night, it lights up in spectacular color, adding a splash of beauty to Busan's most modern neighborhood.
I've had terrible vision since I can remember. Glasses, contacts, waking up every morning blind... severe myopia has played a major role in my life and always been a part of who I am. When I first heard of LASIK technology, probably twenty years ago, it sounded like a dream from some futuristic fantasy world, too good to be true. "But one day", I thought. "I am totally doing that."
A collection of sculptures found near BEXCO and the Museum of Art, Busan's Olympic Sculpture Park pays homage to the city's involvement in the 1988 Summer Olympics and provides a place to check out some bizarre modern artwork. We paid a short visit to the park after a day of shopping at Shinsegae.
South Korea has made a serious effort to brand itself as a Health Care Tourism destination. "Medical tourism" is a phrase normally synonymous with "cheap plastic surgery" but, as we've discovered during our own adventures in Korean hospitals and clinics, that's not all it means. "Would Mr. Horn please enter the doctor's office?"
