Beetling from Hakata to Busan and a seafood BBQ

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This may well be very short (let’s hope so). Had to leave the Hakata hotel to get down to the ferry terminal by around 9am (accdg to them) to collect ticket etc – I had used the phone at the hotel and rung them directly to confirm a booking – seemed the best thing as the boat was pretty chockers as it happens. Had spent the previous evening locating the right bus stand (eventually) so just had to turn up at 8.40am and get the morning commuter jam still a bit. However I was the last person still on the bus after all the workers had jumped off. Checking in was pretty easy, just had to ay – with a fuel surcharge it cost about $150 for virtually a 3 hr trip by jetfoil. I had obviously been on one over to Sado Island and they are pretty smooth considering they go at 80kmh.

So arrived at Busan port terminal at 1pm and no hurry to leave the boat as I had to lug my (increasingly) heavy bag down the stairs form the second deck then half lug it up the gangplank before an escalator. As it was not raining as promised (this happened later) I decided I might as well wheel it to the hotel. After wondering why there was so much traffic on the “wrong side of the road” realised that Japan is left drive like us, and Korea is American style on the right. The walk only took about 15 mins actually. The room was about $53 and was virtually in Chinatown – which I definitely wanted to avoid for eating – my worst meal in Korea last time was in a Chinese restaurant on Jeju and I realized how fresh and clean Korean food was compared to (that) Chinese anyway. It was nice to be in a large room with large bed and a walk in bathroom – after all those Japanese capsule bathrooms.

As it had started raining and I was not dying to do anything, decided to have a nap for an hour or so. Then had decided that I would go over to Gwangalli (beach) on the subway and eat there. It required a change of lines and about 11 stations, but not as far as that foreigner hellhole dump Haeundae where I made the mistake to stay last time. I found the same place I had eaten last time and repeated the experience - a great BBQ over hot charcoal shellfish feast for about $40. Not cheap but 8 or so scallops on the shell, seafood in these giant shells that were BBQ’d and ended in a melting cheese sauce (less sure about that). And to finish off a strip of pork and a sausage in case you weren’t already bursting! Not too sure I want to do it again again but at least I knew what I was going to get after the previous time.

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Photos

Hakata - boarding the JR Beetle
yes that is what they call their jetfoil

Gwangalli the seafood BBQ feast
only part shown (pork out of sight)

Gwangalli copper hoods
yes, we are back in Korea

Comments

[Bryan Turfelle]

mmm
BBQ seafood is where it\'s at bro! ;)