Busan Aquarium: Swimming with Sharks

I've never been one for fireworks.  But, when my boyfriend decided he was deadset on going to Korea's largest fireworks display in Busan, I immediately decided it would be a perfect time to learn to scuba dive in a tank full of sharks.

After a quick check to see what would be required, (all the information is on the website: http://scubainkorea.com/), we had our reservation.  It was going to be a perfect fall weekend before winter set in with fireworks on the beach, good food, and a new experience.  Unfortunately, when we showed up for the fireworks on Saturday, the weather looked like this:

We were stopped by a reporter who asked us to speak slowly and clearly about how we felt about the fireworks being delayed until Sunday night.  It didn't interupt our train schedule, or our shark dive, and I think my boyfriend and I were just happy to be out of Seoul, so we told the camera things like oh, well we understand.  The weather is awful. Maybe it will work out.
The cameraman lowered the camera with a disappointed look on his face.
"Can you maybe sound angrier?" asked the reporter.

Thank goodness we were in such a good mood, because the next three hours were spent trudging in the rain looking for a hotel in a city booked to its bursting point.  Every hotel had no vacancy.  Finally, after numerous calls and some nasty looks on my part to a boy hogging the much-needed computer for a video game, we were helped by the concierge, who probably just wanted us homeless-looking folk out of his lobby.  For 50,000 won each we had a comfy bed with a view just in time for us to put our bags down and find something to eat, which (of course) was one of the most delicious seafood meals I've ever had.

The next morning we were up bright and early as the doors to the aquarium opened to the public.  Mike met us at the entrance, and simply motioned for us to follow him, where we paid the other half of our deposit to the aquarium (which also included full entry to the rest of the aquarium).  We entered a room filled with fish, but didn't have to time to take it in because Mike casually leaned on an unsuspecting door, leading right into a large room meant for staff only.  This was how the staff fed the creatures in the tanks, and where we would enter the shark tank from. We found out, to my absolute delight, that we would be his only customers that day.  A private scuba diving lesson for two.  To celebrate, Mike brought in a giant sea turtle to say hello, which was a special privilege I had never expected.

Much like rock climbing, white water rafting and skiing, scuba diving was not what I thought it would be.  In response to the fact that the wetsuit was actually torture to put on, Mike simply shrugged and said, "Well, you're not shaped like a Korean."  This is true.  I also somehow forgot that breathing, hearing, and seeing would be completely different while underwater.  The first time I tried to empty my goggles of water while underwater, I was hyper-ventilating so much I had to stand up in the practice pool.  When he explained how to put the mouth piece back in underwater, I actually didn't believe it would work, despite his decades of experience.  Turns out it did work, however. 

He was also right about the fact that once I got in the tank, I would forget about trying to breathe altogether. Immediately after reaching the bottom of the tank, I made friends with two beautiful porpoises, who followed my every move.  By the time both our instructor and my boyfriend were down at the bottom of the tank, I remembered to turn around.  There, right in front of me, was six feet of shark with some 100 teeth at the end.  Then there more. Then a sea turtle, some tropical fish and two giant groupers, which Mike said were more dangerous than the sharks. (Needless to say, I didn't believe him when he said that, either).  We spent the next fastest forty minutes of my life collecting shark teeth, waving like a celebrity to the children gazing in at our bravery, and making sure we didn't stick our arms out too far in case it looked too delicious.  At first I was hesitant getting into the tank.  By the end, I didn't want to leave.

We dried off, had a delicious lunch at Taco Senorita's, and explored the rest of the fish in the aquarium, proud to point and say we were in there.  We took a crowded subway to a crowded place to see the fireworks. We enjoyed the show from a motel roof with a perfect view away from the crowds with a couple good friends.

Busan: Yonggungsa Temple (용궁사)

Our first full day in Busan my two friends and I caught the 181 bus (off of Exit 7 of the Haeundae Station) towards Yongungsa Temple.  In typical Korean (or maybe Asian) fashion, there was a mad rush for the door, general chaos, then a half hour of typical "stoptional" driving, where red lights are more or less considered a suggestion, obnoxious starting and stopping ensues because it seems no one ever has the right of way (or maybe everyone does), and on top of that you don't really know when you're getting off.  Fortunately, it being the day before Buddha's Birthday, most of the bus piled out all at once and we found ourselves off the bus at the bottom of the hill. 

As we entered we found ourselves mesmerized: through more than 50 lanterns and a natural cave we came to look out on a temple situated on the side of a cliff looking out to the ocean:

It was absolutely breath-taking.  Although somewhat crowded because of the holiday, it is so vast and so incredibly detailed than even standing in one spot I found myself enraptured.  Knowing the basics of Buddhism having researched it thoroughly all throughout college, I felt overwhelmed by all the writing and yearned for interpretation.  The chanting was both haunting and soothing despite it's audited sound through many different speakers. 

Then there were the lanterns.  The many tags attached included either a prayer, or a hope, or a resolution to concentrate on.  These were Lotus Lanterns, which are unique to Korea.  They represent not only the light of knowledge, but also the willingness of Buddhism's followers to rise from the mud into enlightenment.

What I loved most was the prayer: Buddhism is not idolistic, and the image of Buddha is there simply to remind the follower of his practices.  Buddhism is also about focusing the mind, and prayer ranges from chanting, to silent meditation, to active prayer that includes standing, kneeling, and bowing in a loop. 

After wandering for hours, lost in the sea of colors and the color of the sea, we made our way back to the top of the 180 stone steps.  On our way we noticed people throwing coins into two separate statues that held bowls.  Suddenly Rachel pushed a coin in my hand.  Not one for fantastical wishes, and inspired by the calm of the temple that was so intrinsically one with the land, I threw the coin.

It didn't even come close. I didn't need a wish though.  I felt a deep-seated happiness knowing that simply the practice of obtaining inner peace had inspired all those people to gather at Yongungsa Temple that day.  All I had wished for was the happiness I had already received that day to stay with me.

I didn't learn until afterwards that the Yonggungsa Temple Motto: "At least one of your wishes will be answered here through your heartful prayers."

Busan: Pobi Guesthouse, KTX, and foreigners (Part 1)

Two friends and I decided to take full advantage of the four day weekend we had for Buddha's birthday and headed to Busan.  Because Korean holidays follow the lunar calendar, the holiday happened to coincide with Memorial Day back in the states this particular year.  Because I told my sister about Buddha's Birthday and her response was "Oh he just wants a Memorial Day weekend, how's he doing by the way?", I figured I would provide a quick summary, proving that Buddha is not fine but is indeed more or less dead, and the holiday has been celebrated for signifigantly longer than any and all modern war veterans:

No one is very sure of Siddartha's place of birth or when he was born, but the most popular theory is that he was born somewhere near Nepal between 500-400 B.C.  Buddha is not his name but became his title, which simply means "enlightened one".  He was raised a spoiled, fairly ignorant prince and it is believed that it wasn't until he became a young adult that he became aware of pain and suffering in the world.  He became obsessed with the idea of eternal hapiness and tried a bunch of crazy things from running away from the palace, his wife and child, to giving away all material goods to starving himself nearly to death.  Finally he sat under a tree for something like 40 days and there he finally attained enlightenment.  In this state, called Nirvana, no identity exists perse as all ailments (including greed, regret, anger, hunger, etc.) are eliminated.  These are called "dukka", and "The Four Noble Truths" explain these, how they affect us, and how to overcome them using the "The Noble Eightfold Path". Historians are not even sure what language Buddha used but we do know that he taught his practice to all classes despite gender or ethnicity.  Hence Buddhism was established with a strong following throughout Asia, and according to the super reliable Wikipedia, there are about 300-500 million Buddhists today. 

I fact-checked on various websites, but I know most all of this because I was just about set to become a Buddhist my freshman year of college.  I then realized it was highly impractical to try and eliminate all desire when you live in a society where you are considered dead if you don't have a phone or a facebook.  Still, part of the teaching is moderation--you may not be able to eliminate all desires in life, but you can practice meditation or simply remind yourself that the human mind is above that dress or sunglasses you want and a form of happiness is indeed possible with,some level of inner  peace.  My other idol, Kurt Vonnegut once said: "And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'”

Lastly: If you are still interested and I haven't bored you to death, I highly reccomend Herman Hesse's "Siddartha".  A colorful biography of the Buddha's life, it's a simple, easy, quick read that will stay with you when you're stuck in traffic or run out of money or get sunscreen in your eye.

Back to my Busan adventure:

By bus, the trip takes over five hours, but for just a little bit of extra won we found ourselves in a comfortable train going 315 kilometers/hour (about 200 miles per hour). The KTX train split our time in half and, anxious to get my feet in some sand, I was more than happy to spend the extra money.

Our planning was last minute, so we had no choice in hostel and ended up at the only place with availability: the Pobi Guesthouse.  Expecting the worst, we could not believe our luck:  the hostel was friendly, well-organized, very clean, and super safe.  We had computer access as well as free wi-fi, shampoo, a decent breakfast, a personal locker, and clean sheets.  Not only that, but besides being directly on the beach we were the next closest building to it.  It's always a good sign when the place you're staying reads "Please wipe off sand".

The first thing we noticed walking around the downtown area was the amount of foreigners.  Being a holiday weekend, it seemed that every foreign teacher had headed to Busan...and we weren't fans.  A group that sat next to us at dinner literally flexed his muscles and pointed when we asked which way the beach was.  Then they recomended a "Foreigner Bar". By the time we got to the beach it was dark, and after sliding down a giant pile of sand with all the little kids, admiring some amateur fireworks displays, and working our way up and down the length of the beach, we found ourselves growing silent.  The ocean has something magical about it--even without seeing it you can simply feel the void it fills as the unknown.  Haeundae Beach, which is the most popular beach in Busan, has it's own mini bay with land curling up on the sides.  As we looked out we could see the hotel and building lights reach out into the sea then end abruptly, swallowed by vast darkness.  The waves lazily lapped on rocks rhythmically and we sat looking out into nothing, trying to imagine just where in the universe we where.

The weekend included lounging on the beach, mexican food at both the Fuzzy Navel and Taco Senorita, soju (obviously), Namaste Indian Food, a very neon bar called 88 in Miami, hiking, Yongungsa Temple, Seokbulsa Temple, and a free jetski ride out far enough to see the city of Busan and the mountain backdrop that protects it.  Those stories are too cool to summarize, and this post is obnoxiously long as it is, so feel free to click those links to find out what happens. It's like a Make-Your-Own-Adventure Book! Remember those?  Turn to page 5 if you decide this stuff is somewhat interesting....