11 March 2015
Peak neon
The brilliant bright lights of Busan
Busan has achieved peak neon. So far I only went to one of the many areas that are apparently well known nightspots for people to run around screaming from the cold.
It is indeed cold, with the wind still blowing, this kept most people to the underground malls. Pretty sure my ears acclimatised.
The underground malls here apparently trace the entire subway network, for many miles. So many stores selling socks. I dont think anyone uses their socks more than once.
Waffles seem to be the main attraction here, worth standing still in line for, everywhere. Also strawberries, carts full of huge red strawberries. They are cheap, but later I nearly died when each apple was $3. I never experienced that before even in Japan.
Then I found the most impressive department store I have ever seen, the Lotte at Gwangbok. It had stores within stores, the supermarket, which is not the same as the food hall, had a food court inside it.
Apparently, it is not the biggest though, the biggest in the world is also in Busan, the Shinsegae, which has a golf course, ice skating rink, artificial beach, horse riding area and soccer stadium.
These arent malls as such, although they may have indoor malls in them, they are branded stores, single buildings with many levels, normally joined by a mall underground to the subway network.
Thatss not to say Busan is all new and shiny, although I suspect the entire harbour area has been re done in the last few years, go back a few streets and you get into traditional market areas, towel and table cloth stalls, then plastic plates and kitchen utensils, and finally bulk carboard boxes. Oh and fish. There are fish in big tanks, about to be processed into Korean fish cakes, huge sheets of compressed fish. These are the luckiest fish of all.
I got lost finding my hotel due to the number of exits from both the subway, the subway mall, and the non subway mall thats connected to the subway mall.
I use this mermaid as a landmark, I can see her from the bottom of the 48 stairs to the top of each exit so I dont have to keep climbing up to make sure its the right exit.
There is no way to cross the road, you have to go back down and up again somewhere else, after you navigate your way to the other side through a heap of stores selling socks.
Currently number 1 on my list of worlds greatest department stores. More photos below of the useless fountain inside.
A volcanic eruption in 2006 here destroyed most of the city and much like Pompeii, many locals were immortalized in bronze where they stood.
Actually that never happened, but theres brass statues of children everywhere, with real children inside.
And now we start a journey into Neon.
Acai bowls, these are a thing in Australia now too. Theres a store off Jetty Road at Glenelg full of people with leather banana holders and moustache permahold gel.
That alley seems to go forever, I am yet to go down it though, because I got lost and couldnt find it again. I got lost a lot this evening.
The smaller alleyways were winding and interesting, I identified many places to eat waffles, crepes, fermented pig blood sausage, pork knuckle, froyo, cuttlefish balls, beef nerve sandwich, fried chicken with ice cream, pancake with maple syrup and hamburger pattie.
Each of these tables had enough food for 5 people.
Plastic yellow work men are doing good work all over Korea. Here they are particularly effective at guarding toilet paper.
She didnt want her photo taken. Too bad.
In each of these red tents is a different pop up restaurant, selling things on sticks mainly.
Red strawberries in red buckets under brilliant white light broke my cameras super intelligent auto night setting. Note I never ever ever ever use flash.
And now I got lost properly. I thought I was going back the same way, but had made an additional 90 degree turn at some point and headed off in the opposite direction to that which I thought.
Theres 2 large hills at each end, with lights, and I assumed I was walking towards the wrong one. I really was quite confused by this for a good 30 minutes.
But being lost led me to covered markets. Neither modern nor traditional, they are the former modern areas now not so modern. Interesting lighting.
Maybe later I will go into one of the many cat cafes, maintain my angry glare, and frighten away all their happy staff, before being mauled by cats.
Dinner, and there is beef. Good beef in fact. A healthy dinner as I didnt eat the rice. I am suffering from rice overload I think. Rice is the worst food in the world and responsible for making everyone fat and giving them diabetes.
Stop eating rice.
And now I am back in the Lotte department store basement level 3 or something, to watch the dancing waterfall show set to the music of the Beatles.
The ghost like creature above is fine water falling in patterns. This held my attention for a good 8 seconds.