Home is where Hwamyeong is?

We are currently back on the train en route to Seoul. We actually really liked our first hotel so much, and it was such a great location that we decided to book another night with our frequent flier miles. Thanks United! We've done the love motel, which was pretty cheap, and we liked it fine. It had a computer and a little fridge. There was no shower curtain, and the sink and shower both emptied right onto the bathroom floor where the drain was (in true Korean fashion), so yeah, maybe having a bit of an upgrade again is good. Another plus- we can do our laundry. We want to be fully reset to begin our 3 week stint in Vietnam tomorrow. Whoa, that's exciting! Korea hasn't been that hard for me (well, maybe a little), because I lived here before. I can read and speak a little of the language, I'm comfortable with the customs. Vietnam will be a whole new story! Kinda exciting and a little scary too!

Ryan figured this out quickly, when the other morning he said, "there is a big difference between traveling and vacation!" True dat' brothah'! And this is NO vacation. Don't get me wrong, we fully plan on totally laying out on several beaches around the world, and we're even in talks about maybe taking a quick cruise around parts of Turkey. Those parts might be relaxing and free of worry, but for as much planning as we put in to this trip, we couldn't have planned everything! We're planning as we go along, and I think that's sort of the beauty in it. I think some days Ryan agrees. :)

Busan was actually really good. We did just enough adventuring and just enough resting I think. I checked many things off my "Want to do in Korea" list. We visited Lotte department store, had a great night out with my friend/teacher Billy for Shabu Shabu (a soup you make at your table with thinly sliced meat and veggies and seafood) and then hit up a beer bar that had drink sized coolers installed in the table. Why they STILL don't have those in America is beyond me.
We went up and walked around Beomeosa Temple in the mountains, which was absolutely gorgeous and serene. We found a little area in the woods around the temple that was just covered in boulders, looking like that had cascaded down the mountain, but they were stable, and underneath them was the clearest mountain stream I've ever seen. We climbed around a bit, and listened to an old Korean man, taking a break from his hike, sit on a boulder and play his harmonica. It was hot, so after jumping and climbing over a few rocks, I decided that that stream looked way too inviting and I took my shoes off and just waded for a little while. I could see these little Chinese minnows darting around my feet, and the water felt so cool on a day that just had us dripping sweat. Calm. Sigh. I love finding moments like that!

Next we hit up the Korean spa, which Ryan has so kindly filled you in on. After the initial shock, it became really relaxing. Body scrub was lovely!
Yesterday we laid low a bit. My tummy was a little funny, but eventually we went over to Busan station to move up our train tickets (we decided to get into Seoul a little earlier). It poured from the sky huge buckets of raindrops, but, we didn't let it stop us.

I still knew I wanted to get to Hwamyeong to see my old neighborhood. Home was in Hwamyeong, but it's so different now! They're in the process of building a raised freeway over the middle of the main street, my apartment building looked the same, but maybe a little bit more worn. My school, Wonderland, I couldn't find it, so they must have closed it or moved it. Breaks my heart a little. I couldn't find another one of the restaurants I had enjoyed, so we got really cheap and yummy Korean BBQ for dinner. Loved that!

So, we've come full circle and are back on the bullet train to Seoul on this rainy afternoon. I shall continue to watch the countryside go by ever so quickly. Still looks beautiful to me in the rain.