CHUSEOK (TGIVS) IN BUSAN

My family has made a tradition out of watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles, that Steve Martin and John Candy classic from 1987 every Thanksgiving. Is it cliché, maybe, but it’s not about watching a film about Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving—come on, you’ve got to give us more credit than that. I speak for myself, but I think my family would agree that part of why we watch Neil Page and Del Griffith’s bumbling odyssey home is to remind us to find the comedy during all the inevitable indignities and blunders that you will come across while travelling.

I mean, what is a trip somewhere without getting lost, or losing a ticket or the always odd and surely entertaining interactions with local yokles. I kept Neil and Del in the back of my mind over our Korean Thanksgiving as we got on wrong trains, walked in circles looking for a mountain and experienced serious “failures to communicate.” And I am on this Korean Thanksgiving tremendously thankful to be here with so many wonderful, like-minded people that I can turn to and say, “Wait, did that really just happen? Did that person just say what I think he said? We have to do what!?” And of course share a laugh about it… So, with out further ado I give youour Korean Tgivs in Busan!

Welcome to Busan!!

I found the designated "meeting place" sign rather comical!

Walking around Busan near our hotel.

Chris and Olivia on the beach in Haeundae.

Haeundae. We lucked out, it only rained the first day.

Fish market in Hongdae.

Haeundae is basically like the Atlantic City of Korea, so why not play some slots.


Olivia even won some cash moneyyy.

Haeundae cityscape

Olivia and Julie

Club Arabian. About the only thing open on Chuseok.

Dried fish is the new bar snack, haven't you heard?

View from our hotel.

On the walk toward Igidae Park.

Near Igidae.

Olivia and I. Haeundae beach is near that green mound just over Olivia's shoulders.


With da boyz.

Mo, Jo and Zoe.

Da boyz. Eric, Sam and Quinn.

View from along the trail.

Old man and the sea.

Defying gravity.

Breathtaking

I loved these men in suits. Such a perfect metaphor for Korea. The new, industrial, commercial Korea that exists alongside such an ancient and proud culture surrounded by the natural beauty of Korea.

All together now.

Chris

Picnicing

Olivia

Absolutely stunning.

He was really confused by this.

Typical Korean galbi meal after the hike.

Gwangalli Beach.

Unwinding

Eric, Quinn, Olivia and Julie.

A skateboarder's dream. Just a cement hole to run or skate around in.

Hoodlums

Talking heads

My favorite. A head comprised of famous monuments from around the globe. THANK YOU MOM AND DAD (if you are reading this) circling the head I identified quite a few famous places that I have been fortunate enough to visit. And I had my eye on those still to come...

Sam demonstrating the preferred Korean sitting position.

Down by the sea.

Fresh fish, freshly fried.

The famous Jagalchi fish market in Busan.

Faces

"It's the sound of shrieking eels..." Well this was really something. Live eels pinned down by their heads and skinned. Then they got chucked into this bucket where they wiggled around. Just slightly nausea inducing.

New friends. This man invited us to try his food and drink soju to his being 73 years young. What a character.

Some of the best fish I have ever had.

Olivia in Jagalchi.

Another character. He was crushin on Eric.

Gorgeous Haeundae beach.

I liked her red dress.

We got all kinds of time.

Chris

Do you see Sam?

Shinsegae Mall. The World's Largest Store proven by the Guinness World Records. I have never seen such a temple to consumerism before... and it was awesome!

View of Busan from the Sky Park, the 14th floor of Shinsegae. Yes, they even have an outdoor park. Pretty genius really.

Sky Park.


This place even had its own Trevi Fountain.

I don't know what I was thinking not taking more pictures of this, I think I was just in total awe that something like Shinsegae could even exist. Sky Park, golf rang, a skating rink, like 8 gourmet food courts, bookstores, SPALAND (check back for a later post on SpaLand). This place was unreal. Do you remember that kid's book Courdroy, the story of the bear who gets left in a department store over night... man if I was ever to get left in a department store this one would be it.

Hope you all are enjoying the pictures!!