Busan

Jen Yi

18 Jun 2024 • 3 min read

The next part of our trip was 3 days in the oceanside city of Busan, Korea. We took a (zombie-free) bullet train from Seoul which took around 3 hours. (C'mon US and get your shit together about high speed rail!) This was my favorite part of the trip as I got to see my loves: the ocean and the moon.

**Three of Cups:** The first morning I woke early and had my coffee on the beach. These three figures were dancing along the shore and making videos with their phones. I assumed they were younger women, but they walked past to reveal they were probably around my mother's age. I just thought they were so sweetly spirited and delightful. Nice way to start my day.

**Queen of Cups:** Princess Hwangok. Each full moon, she gazes into a topaz ball to see her homeland mermaid country.

**The Hermit:** Introverted me was able to spend an afternoon alone exploring the rocks and trails along Haeundae Beach and listening to Maria Bamford's book *Sure, I'll Join Your Cult.* It's a honest and darkly funny memoir about mental health. Bamford is a stand up comedian and has been diagnosed with OCD with intrusive thoughts and bipolar 2. Highly recommend listening rather than reading as Bamford's delivery with music and sound effects lets you know it's OK to laugh at some heavy topics. Trigger warning for suicide and eating disorders.

Busan hosts a sand sculpture festival annually towards the end of May. We were a few weeks early, but still able to see some of the sculptures. This year's theme was world art.

Picasso's Guernica behind Munch's The Scream. It was fascinating to watch the artists use rakes, hoses, and various tools for these creations.

Dongbaekseom Lighthouse with a Waxing Gibbous above. Constantly trying to capture the Moon with little success.

This was the entrance to an arcade with my brother adding to the collage with a sticker for his band Pullstring.

Sign for a restaurant called Witch Gimbap. Gimbap is rice rolled in seaweed and filled with cooked vegetables and meat. We ate lots of gimbap, but decided that my mother's is still the best.

Thanks again for checking out my vacation pictures! Lately I haven't been in the writing mood and choosing to spend my creative time drawing and making collages. I have a few more pictures I would like to share so I think there will be one more Korea post. Wishing you all love + peace 💜