We booked the rental car and hotel a few weeks before the trip and were all set. 2 days before the trip, I was mentioning it to a new teacher who just arrived (but had taught here for 2 years a few years ago) and she causally asked if we already booked our ticket on the ferry. I said I wasn't sure, but would check with Katy who was in charge of the car, me being in charge of the hotel. Turns out we didn't, and the ferry was totally booked for the day we needed to get on it. So I quickly cancelled the hotel reservation so we could book something different. Meanwhile, it was 1 day past the cancellation date for a refund for the hotel. Now we were in a pickle - out over $300 for the hotel, and with 2 days left to find something, lots of things were already booked. Frantically we looked for other places to go that were beachy, Busan is an obvious choice, but most hotels were booked except the very expensive ones. We came across Ulsan which is beachy, but smaller, so had some space. We rebooked there, and I contacted the company I booked through to try and get a refund for the other place, citing it was because the ferry was full. He tried, but said there was no one who spoke English at the hotel who could help so he would send an email, etc. We had some help from a Korean teacher at out school who faxed our evidence of no room on the ferry to the hotel, hoping that would help get us a refund.
A bumpy start, but we are so thankful that Caitlin asked about the ferry. Could you imagine if we drove down there and then were stuck with nowhere to go? (See what I mean about all 3 of the aforementioned people showing up at the right time?)
The three of us agreed that all we really wanted on this vacation was a beach and to not be at work. So, in the end we were very happy with the trip. The drive down took longer than expected because of so much traffic getting out of Seoul. Luckily, Katy bought a box set of Disney CD's plus the new Beauty and the Beast soundtrack (mostly in Korean), so we were all set.
I wish I had taken pictures of the rest stops. Korean rest stops are glorious. There are so many bathroom stalls which are clean and well kept, lots of food options, and plenty of parking space. I really wish Canada would get on board with something like this.
In the rental car, on our way!
When we arrived at the hotel there was a bit of a language barrier as the woman behind the counter was quite shocked to see us, even though we had a reservation. I saw her look online at the site we used quite puzzled at how this happened. I showed her the credit card I booked with, she still seemed confused as to why we were even there. It kind of put me at a bit of an unease until she just gave me a room key and we had no problems after that. I guess there's two types of hotels in Korea, love hotels and the Hilton. So if you don't stay at a fancy hotel you stay in a love hotel. Here are some clues that you are in a love hotel:
- Along with the well stocked personal supply area which is normal in Korea (disposable toothbrush, hair brushes, lotions, etc,) there are condoms and massage gel.
- The tub fits at least two people.
- When you turn on the tv it is set to the porn channel
Maybe this is why the woman behind the counter was shocked to see three young teachers holding Disney sing along CD's show up at her hotel?
Anyways, it was a very nice room and it was quiet, which allowed us to get a lot of rest. Because we booked so last minute, the hotel was not in a great location, being about 25 mins outside of the city. But, it was somewhere to be other than school, so check and check.
The first full day we were there promised sun, so we planned a beach day. The best part was it was a day sandwiched between two holidays, so the beach wasn't very busy because a lot of people had to work still. The sun was nice, we found really cool shells, and a restaurant across the road was blaring good tunes all day long. It was exactly what we wanted. Multiple times I would just exclaim, "I am so happy right now!" Danielle did cartwheels on the beach, she was so joyful.
Loved the name of the pizza place
I got a wicked burn. You should see my back.
My name in Korean on the beach
Up to no good
How is this comfortable?
We ate at the place blaring the good music because it had a nice patio and promised burgers. We didn't want to go back to the hotel for the night as it was only around 5:00, so we went to a park nearby which had beautiful flowers. When we were trying to find a parking spot, we saw a shop that rented Segways. We decided to take a look, but would only try it if it wasn't too expensive. It was only the equivalent of about $12 for an hour! They gave us protective gear, a quick demo, and we were off. Needless to say, I was the scared one. I screamed in fear going over every little bump, my legs were sore from tensing so severely, but about half way through I relaxed enough to take one hand off the handlebar! Rebel! It was a perfect way to end the day because the sun was going down, so we zipped along the river and flowers to a sunset. How cool?!
Safety is sexy
My outfit is outrageous for a Segway. Flowy dress, cardigan that doesn't match, scarf that doesn't match, and backpack/purse, sunburn underneath. Lord, help me.
Footage of me freaking out, while the other two would do figure 8's around me. Old lady alert!
Because we ate lunch so late, we decided to just grab some cake to eat in bed. Hello vacation! But then we all wanted to try the jet tub (individually) so I said - why don't we eat cake in the tub?! Two of us did.
The next day the weather app said it was raining when it wasn't. And it would rain all day when it didn't. It began to rain around 5pm. So, we drove into Busan which was about 1.5 hours from Ulsan to try and find a place to get a fish pedicure. But, we drove to a place that advertised it and when we went in they didn't have it. This is a reminder to myself to send an email about that so they update their website. Feeling a bit bummed, we drove to the very famous Haeundae beach in Busan, even though it wasn't beachy weather. We walked around and took some pics for about 10 mins before it rained. We decided to eat at TGIFriday's and then head back home for the night.
Too much sass
We drove home the next day which was less busy because it was Saturday. The drive home was fun, but we were all Disney'd out. So, I played a bunch of random songs from youtube because I have an unlimitted data plan on my phone. We jammed out to Beach Boys, The Temptations, and Bruno Mars. I did throw in Hakuna Matata because it wasn't on the CD.
Katy would like you to know it's been her dream since childhood to just walk into McDonald's and order 5 hashbrowns for breakfast, so she did. #empowerment
Beautiful scenery. I didn't realize how mountainous Korea is, but it's like 70% mountain.
Vines grow on the sides of highway walls.
Even though it wasn't the vacation we hoped for, it worked out in the end. I am so well rested. I slept so much and rested and relaxed.
I know you all want to hear about Kenneth. He is still out of the country but we talk every day on video chat. Things are taking a bit longer to clean up there than he expected, so he will probably be away an extra week. Updates to come when they happen.
Lots of love,
Alli
PS - On the way home I got an email from the first hotel that they will refund the full amount. Woot!
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