I considered merging my Busan experience with my Gyeongju recap since we only stayed in Busan for half a day, but I really want to share my Gyeongju trip in detail because it was the main highlight of my South Korea journey. So here’s a quick rundown of what happened in Busan.

So, train to Busan? Yup, we rode the KTX around 8 a.m.? I’m not sure of the exact time; I just knew I woke up early. The rest of the day was super hazy because I wasn’t feeling well. If you didn’t know, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis, so I experience all kinds of weird symptoms during my period (or cycle). It was just bad luck that it happened the night before we traveled to Busan. Apart from barely sleeping, I also had all the nasty symptoms: migraine and severe abdominal cramps really overpowering me. 🫠 So I felt really awful that day. But I just sucked it up because my sister had paid for the whole trip already, and I couldn’t chicken out. Thankfully, the meds helped somewhat, but I wasn’t able to enjoy the ride and barely took any photos because the entire time I felt like I was floating, haha!

If my physical health wasn’t cooperating, everyone’s mental state wasn’t either because we made the stupid mistake of getting off at the wrong station! Instead of Busan, we got off in Ulsan! My sister’s nice friend was going to tour us, and they were weirded out that we couldn’t meet until it turned out we were at the wrong station, haha! So yeah, we boarded the train again, and I think that was only about a 30-minute ride, and we finally got to Busan!

It’s a highly urbanized city like Seoul with a cute coastal line. You know Haeundae Beach? Yeah, we went there, but it was kinda unbearable to walk in that heat. And yes, as a tropical island girl, I’m also not a big fan of beaches, but it’s kinda amazing to see a seafront with all those high buildings in the background! We don’t have one here; beaches here are strictly resorts and exclusively for water activities. Our islands are very pantropiko! So it’s kinda amazing to see a beach within walking distance of the city center, and it’s clean (I couldn’t say the same about Manila Bay).

Anyway, we were planning to visit the bamboo forest that was featured in “Eternal Monarch” (my sister is a big fan), but we were running out of time. So we went to check out Cheongsapo Fishing Port where there’s a train you can ride (for a fee), but again, we didn’t have time because our train to Gyeongju was scheduled to depart really soon. So we just visited a cute cafe, and my sister’s friend gave us a really quick tour around the city.

We even got to the station 10 minutes late, but my sister’s friend, who speaks Korean (she is a resident there), was able to talk to the staff, and we were able to board our train! Kamsahamnida, unnie! Also, thanks to her friend for driving us around and treating us to a wonderful late lunch (even though I wasn’t able to eat at all).

Overall, I felt a tiny bit of regret that we weren’t able to explore the city more due to lack of time and not feeling well. Good thing we were chauffeured because I was only fueled by saltine crackers and Pocari Sweat because of my endo symptoms (I had nausea too). Anyway, it was way too short, but I still enjoyed our super quick trip to Busan. I hope to come back and see more of the city!

And Gyeongju, you beautiful, you! Next and final installment of my South Korea trip!