Busan

Went here several times when I was in the Navy. Ugly place. Granted, I didn’t see much of it. But what I did see was a big, ugly, smelly, dirty, industrial city.

The international market had a lot of cheap leather for sale, so a lot of the shipmates would load up on it while there. They’d also load up on kimchi, the pickled vegetables that are ubiquitous in Korea. For days after we left, the ship would smell like leather, kimchi …. and what kimchi smells like after your body is finished with it. Ewwww. Sorry to be gross, but it’s rather a vivid (and unpleasant) memory

I stayed in Pusan for most of my trip to Korea. Me and my friends lived in a small little apartment about a block from the beach. We would ofter drink and walk along the beach. The town is super easy to get around and the noribons are always rocking.

The coast is really pretty. Oddly enough, this is the only place I’ve ever had Argentinian food…

Pusan is one of the few places that I have absolutely no desire to return to. I was there in 1986, and was very disappointed. It was one of the only places in the world where I felt very uncomfortable and unwelcome as a traveller – it was a pretty universal feeling in Pusan. (I’m not saying Korea, in general, is the same, I had a fine time in Seoul, however Pusan in particular did not work for me)

Pusan is lots of fun if you know where to go, check out this webpage for all the info u need: www.pusanweb.com….and try to get out to Chinju a little city a few hours away, it’s beautiful.

I was in the Army at the time, and I only got to spend one day in the city. Most of what I remember involved drinking soju with my Ranger buddies down on Texas St. Ugghhhhh!