12 April 2024
My bag fell in fish
Gyeongju to Busan on the KTX
For the next 7 nights I will be in Busan. My third visit here. I am staying in the same hotel as last time.
Getting here was a bus, a bullet train and then a subway.
The bus to Gyeongju station (formerly SinGyeongju station) left from right outside a traditional Korean market. Today is market day, presumably to prepare for the influx of tourists on the weekend. Every square foot of footpath and some of the road was taken up by people selling various vegetables, fresh meat and fish. Just set out on blankets. So I was trying to get to the road where the bus stop is, leaned my bag against a pole, and the stupid thing fell over, into fish. My bag is useless and falls over a lot. My previous good bag was great and never fell over, but the airport baggage tug ran it over and smashed the telescopic handle inside the case. I hunted for the same one to replace it to no avail. I only buy 2 wheel bags because I rip the wheels off 4 wheel ones almost immediately!
Anyway, I picked my fishy bag up off the fish, and a crowd of old women continued to bargain for the fish my bag fell on without too much concern.
After arriving in Busan, which was only 40 minutes away on the bullet train, it was time to go to the laundromat. I went to the same one as my last visit. This is a good way to kill time on 'moving day' when I arrive in cities too early to check in.
Once I finished my laundry I found the familiar Stanford hotel, not Stamford, Stanford. The hotel named after a University, not the hotel named after the hotel. Anyway, when I was last here 2 years ago, they had a lobby cat, and a sign warning you that in the dark he might playfully attack you, please do not be startled. Well his name is Nero, and despite spending his days out the front of the hotel in a busy street, he still lives on!
Here is the inside of the Gyeongju station, which is 20 minutes on a highway bus outside of Gyeongju. There are more shops than pictured, it is a big modern station.
But it is in the middle of nowhere, here is the view out the back of the station.
Rear view of station. Highly superfluous.
I thought Gyeongju was famous for the upcoming APEC summit and historic tombs, but also cheese sandwiches. And when they say cheese, it is an entire block of cheese inside 2 bits of cheap white bread. Weird.
The view out the front has a new ghost town under construction. I do not think anyone lives here yet.
Now for some platform shots while I wait for my train. The station is between 2 mountains. Tunnels at each end of the platform.
Here comes my train. I missed the front by a microsecond as it went past.
I purchased a first class ticket again for the short journey. The inside of this carriage is not red like the last one. I prefer red.
Arriving in Busan to blue sky and shops going up hills in every direction.
Wash Enjoy 24 has not let me down on my 2 visits two years apart. You can see my fishy bag here leaned against something so it does not fall over.
OK, take a deep breath, because here they come, the hotel shots. A good bed, a good desk, an extra seat and little table.
And my bathroom with space toilet and full sized towels, the shower here drains into the bath, not across the floor. Many Korean hotels only give you bath mat sized towels, a bit like you might find at a weird gay sauna. I was happy with this place last time so decided to stick with what I know.
Great views too, here is view number 1, sightly to the left out of my (opening) window.
And view number 2, which incorporates the Busan tower. Most Korean cities have one of these towers.
I have no idea where I am going tonight yet, they let me check in a bit early so I have time to research a destination.