Scaredy Cat Travels

Busan, SOUTH KOREA!

Transportation: a big fast red boat

At some point during my many hours of YouTube video watching, I got sucked into the black hole of videos of people riding all the different kinds of trains in Japan which was only slightly helpful in planning this trip but was oddly entertaining. That black hole led to another black hole (as they do) which was people riding ferries. It was during this marathon that I discovered the Queen Beetle hydrofoil ferry that connects Fukuoka, Japan with Busan, South Korea. Until this point, I had planned like a normal person to fly from Osaka to Seoul after Kyoto. The straw that broke this camel’s back was that you can book First Class accommodations on the ferry for just a little more than the regular class.

Now you might be thinking “I thought she was afraid of boats and the ocean.” You are correct. On our one and only cruise, I dreamt every night that the boat was listing and water was coming into the room and, in Puerto Rico, in our beautiful room right by the ocean, I dreamt every night that there was an offshore earthquake and we were running from a tsunami. When Ryan made fun of my fears, I sat in my lounge chair by the pool and Googled fault lines in the Caribbean to make myself feel better and instead discovered there is a huge fault just off the north coast of Puerto Rico which really did not help. But this is the challenge of being a scaredy cat Gemini/Enneagram 7 wing 6. I am scared of everything but often also drawn to it. It would be a lot easier to be me if I were scared of everything and were content to just stay home.

So I rearranged our plans. We’ll leave Kyoto a day earlier than originally scheduled and head all the way down to Fukuoka (which is not close) just so we can take the ferry.

Hotel: Well…I have two booked at the moment so either The Fairfield Busan Songdo Beach or the Park Hyatt Busan. I am torn between being practical and my true nature.

Plans: In the very early stages of planning, I intended to skip Busan altogether even though it is the second largest city in South Korea and, more importantly, the hometown of BTS’ Jungkook and Jimin. There were other places I wanted to visit, and I wanted to make sure we had enough time in Seoul. But, once the ferry hijacked our plans and after some research (and YouTube videos), there is a ton to do here. On the Busan “to do” is a beautiful seaside temple, elevated walkways above the ocean, oceanside hikes in the mountains, an historic neighborhood filled with colorful buildings and amazing views, the café owned by the father of Jimin and of course, a ropeway. I will stop adding ropeway to the list. Because seemingly every place in Japan and SK we are visiting has a ropeway and we plan to do it. Just assume from now on.

I can’t believe we’ve made it this far without me posting any pictures of BTS.

The ferry arrives in Busan around 1 pm. Once we get our things to whichever hotel we end up at, there are a few options…

Visit the street food/markets – there are several areas known for their street food stalls in Busan – Gukje Market; Jagalchi Market and the Busan International Film Festival area.

Gukje seems to be a typical market area with stalls selling food but also home goods and clothing. Jagalchi is Busan’s fish market. All major cities in Japan and Korea seem to have one and Busan, as Korea’s largest port, is no different. The fish markets are popular tourist attractions but they don’t rank high on my list. Jackson doesn’t really like seafood, and I don’t like to get to know my food before I eat it. The Busan International Film Festival is only really a film festival once a year, but the square bears its name year-round. It’s well known for its mix of shops, food stalls and restaurants.

If we end up staying at the Park Hyatt Hotel and if we missed out on high tea in Tokyo, we may spend the afternoon having high tea here instead. A complete change of pace from the street markets I know. For those of you a little weirded out about the idea of street food, it is a thing in Asia. Think of it as more like the precursor to food trucks in the US than the guy selling gyros on the corner in New York at 2 am. Although I have eaten plenty of those too. I had been leaning toward the less expensive, more responsible hotel option as of this morning, but the photos of the seasonal drinks and the high tea set at Park Hyatt are calling to my inner fussy.

So fussy I could die

In the evening, I think we’ll go to the Lotte Giants baseball game. None of us care about baseball but the Busan fans are known for their intensity and odd habits like putting garage bags on their heads in the late innings. Traveling halfway around the world to put a garage bag on my head seems like an appropriate use of time.

Scaredy Cat rating: Five paws. I wanted to put four but I know once we get closer, my anxiety will overcome some of the excitement that is tempering the nerves at the moment. Of course there is the aforementioned phobia of the ocean. You can add in some logistical terror too. The ferry only leaves once per day and we are only in Busan for two days so if something happens or we screw it up, it will have a major impact on our plans. The fact that communication in the area around the port is in both Japanese and Korean and that we will be leaving for a country that I can at least communicate on a two-year old level isn’t enough to take away a paw yet.

I also have a little fear that I will forget to cancel the hotel we don’t choose and will pay for a night of hotel that I do not need. Maybe I should do that now?

The $$$ – Business class on the ferry is $125 per person. It should have been $65 per person but I didn’t book it earlier thinking it wouldn’t sell out. I had a mild panic today when I checked and had to book a fare with less restrictions but higher cost. Oops. High tea is $50 per person if we do it. Tickets to the baseball games are about $6. Hotel cost is discussed below but that Park Hyatt is seeming less and less likely.

Hotel #8 Extended

Eight hotels in and we’re just making it to Korea.

As I mentioned, I have two hotels booked here. By now I am sure you are shocked. I can’t seem to pick between the two.

At first, because I wasn’t super interested in Busan, I thought this would be a good place to save some money. My usual extended trip hotel strategy is to book some cheaper hotels in order to allow a splurge here and there. A less expensive hotel here would assuage some of the guilt about my birthday night hotel in Seoul.

With that in mind, the first hotel I booked is the Fairfield Inn Songdo Beach. Again, I know I said I wouldn’t stay in a Fairfield Inn because of the Oklahoma Valentine’s Day incident. But this one gets good reviews and the rooms do not look like a typical Fairfield Inn. The beach views here would almost make up for the nonfunctional toilet in the room and the moronic staff that came with the Oklahoma incident. The best part though is the price. For two rooms with ocean views, the total per night is $250. I keep thinking that is a typo.

There are some negatives to keep in mind – first, it is not centrally located. It is near some attractions we are interested in but the priorities are on the opposite side of town. The second is that it is still a Fairfield so service is likely to be less than inspiring and there’s a chance the lovely pictures disguise some place that is actually run down. Last, in the photos online, it looks like the hotel may suffer from the disease that is spreading like wildfire through trendy, highly-designed hotels and that’s the “TMI bathroom” layout. These bathrooms only close with a sliding barn door, have no lock and may feature frosted glass doors or shower windows into the bedroom. Why do hotels assume that everyone traveling together is comfortable enough to see each other’s naked body outlines? Or that I want to hear anyone, including my significant other’s, bathroom body noises? Just because Megan Trainor has side by side potties with her spouse doesn’t mean anyone else on the planet wants the same experience. It is also important to note that these rooms do not have a tub.

The other hotel is the Park Hyatt – a luxury hotel on the opposite side of town and closer to many prime attractions. The location isn’t what made me make the reservation though. Part of it is Rowan’s fault. If you are trying to make a decision between Product 1 and Product 2 and ask Rowan’s opinion, he will introduce Product 3 that is more expensive than both original options and make it seem like it makes sense. My beautiful refrigerator which I will be paying for until the end of time is case in point.

I was showing Ro some videos about the places we’re going, trying to drum up some excitement when we stumbled across this hotel and its views of Gwangan Bridge and the bay. Here we’d have to squeeze into a single Junior Suite but look at that view. And that tub. With its own view.

I don’t want to say how much it costs.

The room does come with access to the Executive Lounge but trying to eat and drink the difference in price doesn’t seem like it’s in my best interest.

In addition to being significantly cheaper, Fairfield also makes more practical sense because it is a Marriott property which feeds into my elite status. As a bonus, Marriott is currently doubling elite qualifying nights through the summer so it would be twice as advantageous. But I don’t like being practical. Especially on vacation.

Fun Fact – It costs more than both rooms at the Fairfield Inn.