Party in the city where the heat is on

One of the best things about South Korea is how small the country is and, as a result, accessible most of the cities are.  One such city is Pusan, the second largest metro area of Korea and their beautiful equivalent to Miami.  The only thing more expansive than the sprawling mountains here are the gorgeous beaches and I got to see both this weekend.

Heather, the other English teacher at my school, was headed to Pusan this weekend with some other westerners and asked if I wanted to tag along.  It would be a great way to meet a few more English speakers and also a fun escape from Jeonju.  Despite my tight budget I knew an important part of this trip was to see the country in all its glory, so I accepted.  Saturday morning we loaded up and took the three hour bus drive to Pusan.

The group turned out to be mostly from the UK but they were all great people.  Very accepting of the “new guy” and willing to let me into the group without a second thought.  They had all been there before so I was the puppy following their every step.  We hit a great Mexican restaurant (very hard to find in Korea) and an Indian place that was EXCELLENT!  We spent time at the beaches before diving into the nightlife which, for those of you who know me well, is not my scene.  I am the anti-fun when it comes to drinking, smoking, bar hopping and club going…it just isn’t me.  I am however very aware of its popularity and was all the happier to go where the night took me.

It was a packed day of travel, beaches, shopping and food with a crescendo to a night on the town punctuated with an hour of lying on the beach in complete darkness at 2:00 in the morning.  As I laid in the sand, listening to the calming rhythm of the waves crash, I knew I was in this 100%.  I made the right choice coming here.  I’m putting everything into this trip but that doesn’t mean my heart isn’t half a world away in Athens, Ohio.