Last Korean post….I promise!
On our last day in South Korea, we decided to head to the beach. After a week of walking, hiking, and generally being on the move, we decided that it would be worth it to just sit in one spot and enjoy the day! After waking up early for most of the week, we decided to sleep in and met each other around 11 AM to make our way to Haeundae Beach. Busan is well known throughout Korea and even all of Asia for its beautiful beaches, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The day was cloudless, and the white sand beaches reached out and touched the blue waves rolling in. Out of all the beaches I’ve been to in the last two years, it was that beach that reminded me the most of the Gulf Coast.
While the water was waaaaaaay too cold to actually go swimming, that didn’t stop us from having a great day at the beach! While Melissa and I found a spot and made camp, Ian and Mollee went off and bought drinks/snacks for the day. There was plenty of entertainment for us to watch. For example, there was a couple who brought their cute little Pomeranians to the beach. The dogs were terrified/intrigued by the surf. They wanted to investigate it, but each time it touched their paws, they ran away in fear. At one point in time, the girl lifted one of the dogs over the surf. We could tell that he was NOT happy to be over the water! The other Pomeranian tried to save his friend by rushing toward him, but as soon as the surf touched his paws, he decided that it was every dog for himself!
Later that afternoon we had a rowdy group of high school boys near us. They were funny to watch because one by one, they would suddenly grab one of unaware members, drag him to the water’s edge, and toss him in. I’ve never seen boys jump so high or fast out of water before!
We talked about EVERYTHING. I’m not sure too many subjects were skimmed over as we lazed on the beach. As sunset grew near, we decided to pack it up and say goodbye to the beach. Since it was our last night in Korea, we decided we wanted something unusual, but all of the restaurants that were near the beach were either super crowded or expensive. We wandered along the streets until we stumbled upon an Irish pub. If there’s one thing that Ian Reed enjoys, it’s an Irish pub. He voted to stop there for dinner, and the three of us were too hungry to put up a fight. I’m actually really glad that we did go there, though. As soon as we opened the door to the second story restaurant, we weren’t sure if we were still in Asia. There was a sea of white people drinking, smoking, eating, and having a good time. Someone had even brought their baby to the pub, and he was sitting on the bar while patrons played with him! Honestly….it felt like we were in Ireland!! After a hearty dinner of shepherd's pie and a few drinks, we went to our last stop of the night before heading back to the hotel to pack up….Gwalligi Beach to see the Diamond Bridge lit up at night.
The Gwalligi area is a trendy little area of Busan that centers around the beach. Across the bay is the Diamond Bridge, which is known for being lit up at night, and the light reflecting off the water looks like diamonds, giving it its name. It was a beautiful area. The surrounding sky scrapers were lit up with neon flashing signs, shooting those brilliant colors out across the water. A million pictures couldn’t do it justice! It’s one of those things that you have to see for yourself. Vendors were selling bottle rockets to beach goers, and with the lights shining and fireworks being shot off, it was a truly magical moment.
We were enjoying our time and taking pictures when it happened. It was a complete freak accident. Ian stood up and was brushing the sand off of his bum when his wedding ring slid off and flew across the beach. It’s not like he’s had problems with it being loose…..it just….happened. “Um….guys…” he said. “My ring just fell off.” I didn’t believe him at first and thought he was joking, but then a mass panic ensued in an attempt to find the ring. We have the BEST friends because Melissa and Mollee were down on their hands and knees with us sifting sand through their fingertips in an attempt to find the ring. We looked and looked and looked for a good hour or more, but we really weren’t sure exactly where the ring landed. It was dark, and people were walking around the area. We weren’t certain if it had already been pounded into the sand by either our sifting efforts or someone walking by. Either way, we gave up efforts of finding it. Ian and I were both stunned and sad at first. It wasn’t just any ring….it was his WEDDING ring. However, we realized that it’s just a thing…a thing that can be replaced. Granted, it’s a rather symbolic thing, but it’s not like we lost each other or an arm or something. The ring could be replaced. If nothing else, it makes for a great story to say that Ian lost his wedding ring on a Korean beach!
After such a wonderfully relaxing day, it was a rather crappy way to end it, but that’s the way it happened. Since we spent so long looking for the dang ring, we had to quickly rush back to the subway station to avoid missing the last train. I think we made it just in the nick of time. I’m pretty sure the train we were on was the last train of the night because it was PACKED. It was so crowded that Ian got separated from us. However, we all made it back to our hotel safe and sound.
………..and that concludes our trip to Korea! While it ended on a rather dismal and disappointing note, we had an amazing trip, and I’m so glad that we got to do it! That was the last big trip we’ll take until we go home in August. Then it’s Fuji, Tokyo, and Hawaii before we head home. EXCITEMENT!!!!
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