We (Clementine and I) took the slow train down from Seoul to Busan for a weekend, basically covering Korea from the North-Western corner of Ganghwa to the South-Eastern Corner of Busan. It was my first time to Busan and I was very curious to see the landscapes and a new city.
Busan is a little slower than Seoul and the presence of trade through this busy harbour port is evident as many Russians and Japanese walk the streets of downtown Busan searching for a bar, a meal or sex.
The city is beautifully located amongst the rolling hills with beaches and a more relaxed atmosphere.
The sceneries by train were average and the same: rolling green hills with highways, rice paddies and industrialisation. My expectations were not satisfied, but hey, it was another proof that even the landscapes are same-same. I want to go to the East-Coast next to see if there is some kind of change.
It was a great weekend break away and my first introduction to train travel in South Korea. Almost any place is reachable within one day from Seoul be it by train or bus and I should see it as an opportunity to do this more often.
Next week will be Chuseok (Korean Thanks Giving) and I am planning to take a slow boat and slow train to Beijing China. I got my visa on the weekend and booked a return ferry ride to a port in China. I don’t know much other than the ferry is 17hours and the train 12hours. I’ll need to do some research this week, but I also don’t want to know too much. The plan is to visit the Great Wall, how exactly I don’t know.
