Lunar New Year in Busan!

This past weekend was the Lunar New Year weekend, so I had four days off from work! I went on a trip to Busan on the southern coast of Korea with a group called WinK (When in Korea). I heard about the group from a couple of people just a week or two before the holiday, and I decided to check out one of their trips! I'm so glad I did...this trip was the most fun I've had since I arrived in Korea!

On Wednesday night, I finished work at 8:30, went home to get my bag and eat, and hurried to Yangjae Station to meet the tour bus. We were set to depart Seoul at 11pm and drive all night to get to Busan. I was sitting on the bus, waiting to leave, when a girl that I recognized got on the bus and walked by me. I asked her her name, and realized she was an acquaintance from my university! SUCH a small world! She and I volunteered with the Japanese students in AUAP at Western, and then when I was thinking of moving to Korea, I sent her some messages to ask a few questions about what to expect when I arrived because I knew she had ended up teaching here. But it was so crazy that we had never really met and we just ran into each other! And the best part is, we have the same awesome name: Alyssa. She even spells it the right way ;)

We drove through the night and arrived in Busan around 5:30am on Thursday. We got to our motel, were assigned roommates, and went to our rooms to crash for a couple more hours of sleep.

I was in a room with two girls from Indonesia and one girl from Ireland. We had so much fun together! Even though I signed up for this trip on my own, I knew I would have no trouble meeting people and making friends quickly :)

When we actually got up for the morning, the four of us girls went to walk at Gwangali Beach, which was just a block from our motel. The weather was so nice...over 20 degrees warmer than in Seoul!

  

(photo cred to Karen Parkes!)

(photo cred to Aulia Dewantari!)

We had lunch with the group at Burger and Pasta on the beach!

From there, the four of us decided to do a little adventuring on our own and go see something that we wouldn't get a chance to see on the planned day trips. We took the subway to the north part of Busan, took a bus a little bit further, and arrived at Beomeosa Temple. It was so serene and quiet...an amazing place to visit.

When we arrived back to southern Busan, we had Korean barbecue with our group. Korean food is soooooooooo delicious!

The next day was the first day of the Lunar Year holiday. Korean people usually spend this day with their families, and many people who practice Buddhism visit temples to pray and make wishes for the new year. (If you want to learn more about the traditions for the Lunar New Year in Korean culture, check out this video that my friend Park and I made!)

Our group visited Yong Goong Sa on Friday (the last day of the lunar year). It was a stunning place, and there were lots of people there to bring in the new year by paying their respects at the temple.

Year of the ram! 

Traffic safety prayer pagoda.

(prepare for a brief feminist observation!)

This statue was titled "Buddha of Granting a Son." Sons are certainly a wonderful thing to wish for, but I was bothered and saddened to see that girls were not being wished for and celebrated. As my sister said when I texted her a picture of this statue, "if daughters were held in the same regard as sons and were allowed and encouraged to succeed in the same manner, then there would be no concern one way or the other...people think girls are less valuable because they have been limited and treated that way."

"Statue of Buddha for Academic Achievement." I'm sure those Buddhas made bank that day!

  

People would come up to this table, take the ladle, and pour water of that little statue. Can anyone explain to me what the purpose of that act is? 

People came to drink pure water from the little stream that was running from the rock (all from the same ladle, I might add).

새 해 복 많이 받으세요! (Happy Lunar New Year!)

We took taxis from the temple to Dalmaji Hill, our next destination. When I got in the taxi, the driver took one look at me and said over and over something that sounded like "hween, hween". He popped a DVD in his player and the song "We Will Rock You" by Queen came on. I guess he thought a foreigner would appreciate some English music?

Dalmaji Hill.

From here we went and had some amazing Indian food near Haeundae Beach!

(photo cred to Aulia Dewantari!)

While some people in the group went to the Busan Aquarium, several of us went to an Irish pub for hard ciders. My Irish "roommate" was pretty excited about it! She said it was just like home :)

That night we went for dinner and drinks in downtown Busan. Here we are!

The next morning, we went to Tae Jong Dae Cliffside Park on the island of Yeongdo-gu. 

  

That afternoon we went to Jagalchi Fish Market. I just want you to imagine the smell for a moment.

At the end of the day, we visited Busan Tower!

That night we had dinner and 막걸리 (traditional Korean rice wine) near the university in Busan. 

We came back to Seoul on Sunday night after a relaxed day of hanging around on the beach, drinking coffee, and taking pictures.

I'm so glad I came on this trip!! It was amazing to see another city, explore new places, and meet new people. Shoutout to Barun Sarkar for being a great tour guide and showing us how much you love your city! I will definitely go on one of these trips again!