A Private Tour of Busan

Sunday 24 November 2024

A joy meeting Joy

We spent an absolutely wonderful and informative day with our volunteer tour guide, Joy. We met her over the phone on Saturday and arranged to meet in the hotel lobby at 10am. We got there a bit early to be sure. She arrived perfectly on time and exactly matched the photo her friend had sent us.

After a detailed discussion on what we wanted to see and do for the day – a plan was hatched and we set off to the 7-11 in search of two transit cards. It costs $14 to purchase the cards and we topped up with $12 credit. This was deemed enough to cover a day’s travel, and it was.

Songdo Beach and Huinnyeoul Village

Our first stop was Songdo Beach. It has the tourist features, becoming more apparent the longer we are in South Korea, of walkways, information boards, cable cars, and rules. We didn’t select to travel by Sky View gondolas across the bay, but did traverse the Sky Harbor Observatory Platform (aka Turtle Walkway)

In exactly 27 minutes we were back at the bus stop to catch the number 85 bus to the Huinnyeoul Culture Village, a charming coastal village located on the sloping cliff of Yeongdo in Busan. 

Joy loved making us take photos. I think that in the end she did it just to see our reaction.

Pork soup – a Busan favourite

By 2:30pm we were in much need of sustenance. Joy took us to a little local restaurant to educate us in the local fare – pork bone soup. What a feast – and I must say having a dedicated interpreter is a significant improvement to relying on giggles and gestures.

No pics of the soup, and rice, and kim chi, and satay sauce, and mild chillis, and cabbage, but we did have fun with the expandable hand towels.

The lighthouse and a geological lesson

The vagaries of timing meant that it was better to take a longer route to our next stop – Taejongdae Resort Park. The choo choo train was down so we walked the hour-fifteen loop out to the lighthouse and spent another hour look over cliff edges, and being regaled with seismic and sedimentary facts by our geology degreed companion. The rocks and area are intriguing, and nice to have a knowledgeable informant.

The end of a wonderful day.

Joy talked to us about everything. The history of the Joseon Dynasty, the tenants of Buddhism, the meaning of canon – the “see everything” that inspired the Cannon camera, and the political protest that led to the impeachment of President Park in the wake of the 2014 Jeju Ferry disaster. I felt much more knowledgeable about South Korean politics and life at the end of the day.

Daylight slipped as we made our way back through the nature reserve to the bustle of busses, and central Busan, and to our final farewell and departure from Joy. She politely declined any pecuniary reward – and was genuinely delighted to have the opportunity to get out and talk to native English speakers. She is planning a trip to Australia in a couple of years – so she has our contact details.

The Budget

Travel cards 32,200W
Something 12,400W ($14.03)
Lunch with Joy 27000W ($31)
Gin, tinned fruit and 2-min noodles 24000W ($27.15)
Running Tally: $6,456.99