Busan, city of drama

Last article from my first trip. I prefer to warn you, it may be a little longer. I spoke to you last week (read here), about different places that I had been able to visit. I will quickly expand this list.

So, if you have the chance to go to Busan, the temples are one of the destinations to go to, especially for the magnificent landscape that surrounds them. One of the most touristy, and where I went, is the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. On the coast, on the edge of the cliff, the view is as much worth the detour as the temple. At the exit, you have several food stands to eat, so there is no need to bring a picnic for your expedition. However, and I don’t know if I’ve already told you, trash cans are rare on site. Don’t make the same mistake as me and bring a bag to put your waste in, otherwise you risk having it for the rest of your walk.

In magnificent style, the coast, the sea… I offer you cabins on rails, Sky Capsules. You have several options: one way, round trip or just the return. The queue for the one way/round trip is often long. So don’t hesitate to do like my companions and me: go on foot along the coast and return via the capsules. You will see that there are a lot fewer people for the return trip.

We’re having fun, we’re having fun though, we’re getting to the point where everything went wrong for me. In fact, my card is refused in a restaurant. This isn’t the first time, so always have some cash on you. However, she was refused again in another store. I’m starting to have less and less change, so I try to withdraw: impossible. Pay online: also impossible. The doubt is more than great when I ask my bank for news: my card is blocked. I learned this news on November 2, 2022. I had a day without news, because November 1 is a public holiday in France.

According to my bank, one of the card readers in Korea generated a fake code on my card during a payment and blocked it. Two solutions are offered to me: pay additional fees to have a new card sent to me or unblock the card by withdrawing from a branch of my bank. How can I tell you that French banks are not numerous in Korea? Strange, right?

All joking aside, I couldn’t afford to have a new card sent to me either. My reservation in Busan ended on November 6 and I had short-term reservations on all my other accommodations. I could not be sure that there would be no delay during the journey of my card and therefore, I was unable to predict at which address I could receive my new card. Moreover, I had practically no change left on me, I didn’t even know how I was going to last until November 6th, so to hold on until the arrival of a new card… Fortunately, I made friends with a French traveler in my guesthouse. I made transfers to her and she gave me the equivalent in Korean currency. But our paths would separate after my stay in Busan and who knew if I would meet another compatriot to help me.

So I decided on the least stressful solution possible: contact my family, explain the situation to them so that they can get me a plane ticket to return to France on November 6. Thanks to my French friend, I still enjoyed my last days in Busan and, at the end of the week, I took my luggage to head to the airport.

Little anecdote: I had to take the taxi around 4 a.m. to arrive at Busan airport. I booked a taxi, but couldn’t find it. Fortunately, some very friendly Koreans, speaking little English, came to my rescue. My little Korean and their attempts in English allowed us to understand each other. They found me a taxi and so I was able to reach my destination without incident. Another aside: Korean taxis are inexpensive compared to the taxi service in France. (I wouldn’t make the comparison with other countries, because I don’t know what they have.)

So ends my first trip to South Korea. Lots of adventures whether on the way there or back, wonderful encounters along the way and a million memories in my mind to keep me company.

But it is not finished! See you next week to tackle the second trip. Believe me, the adventures are also present for this one! See you soon!