Day 10: Busan Station - China Town - Gwanggali Beach (END)

Assalamualaikum~

Hari terakhir di Korea. Saya sama temen saya girang banget karena besok... kita pulang!!!! 10 hari di Korea saya bener-bener kangen banget sama rumah. Kangen keluarga, kangen makanan berbumbu kuat semacam Nasi padang. Bakso Malang yang endes~ ~

Last day in Korea. My friend and I were super excited because tomorrow… we’re going home!!! After 10 days in Korea, I really missed home. Missed my family, missed strongly-flavored food like Nasi Padang. And the delicious Bakso Malang~ ~

Karena sudah banyak tempat wisata yang kami kunjungi jadi hari ini kami akan santai-santai aja. Jam 10an lebih kami baru keluar dari hostel. Dan tujuan pertama kami hari ini adalah Stasiun Busan. Baru juga di stasiun, kami nemu Daiso. Akhirnya kita masuk buat lihat-lihat. Ehhh.... malah belanja. Di sini banyak pernak-pernik lucu dan aneka peralatan untuk bikin bento. Kita terpaksa balik lagi ke hostel buat naruh belanjaan baru naik subway menuju stasiun Busan.

Since we’d already visited so many tourist spots, we decided to just take it easy today. It was already past 10 when we left the hostel. Our first destination was Busan Station. As soon as we got there, we spotted a Daiso store — and of course, we went in just to look around. But… we ended up shopping instead! There were so many cute knick-knacks and bento-making tools. We had to go back to the hostel to drop off our shopping bags before taking the subway to Busan Station.

Ini Hwang Jini sama Janggeum >.< / These are Hwang Jini and Janggeum >.<

Yang suka nonton reality show Korea pasti familiar sama mainan ini / Anyone who likes watching Korean reality shows must be familiar with this toy!

Stasiun Busan / Busan Station

Petunjuk Arah : Naik subway turun di stasiun Busan

Directions: Take the subway and get off at Busan Station.

Kenapa ke Stasiun Busan? Ada apanya? Nggak ada apa-apanya sih. Daripada diem di Hostel kita iseng aja turun di stasiun Busan. Kami setuju hari ini untuk nggak capek-capek jadi sengaja menghindari objek wisata yang jauh. Selain itu kita juga penasaran seperti apa sih penampakan stasiun Busan. Waktu pulang, saya crita ke si Om kalau kita ke stasiun Busan dan dia cuma nanya dengan wajah heran WHY? >.<

We went to Busan Station just for fun. There’s actually nothing special there, but instead of staying at the hostel, we thought it’d be nice to just explore a bit. Plus, we were curious about what Busan Station looks like. When I told the Korean Ahjusshi that we went there, he looked confused and asked, “WHY?” >.<

Stasiun Busan / Busan Station

Mejeng pas ada air mancur / Striking a pose right when the fountain started!

Musisi Jalanan di di Stasiun Busan / Street musicians at Busan Station

Kami tadi sempet belanja camilan dan minuman di mini market di bawah. Jadi ceritanya kita mau piknik gitu di stasiun Busan. Wkwkwkw. Kami duduk tidak jauh dari musisi jalanan yang tampak di pojok kanan foto di atas. Mereka sepertinya menyanyikan lagu gereja, kurang tau juga sih. Kita sempat dihampiri pengemis juga. Bingung mau ngasih uang berapa soalnya baru ini saya dihampiri pengemis. Akhirnya saya kasih 1000 won. Saya cuma dilihatin sama orangnya, tapi diambil juga uangnya. Jangan dilihat nominalnya berapa yang penting ikhlaaaas >.<

We grabbed some snacks and drinks from the minimarket downstairs—basically, we were having a little picnic at Busan Station. Wkwkwk. We sat not too far from the street musicians you can see in the top right of the photo. I think they were singing church songs, though I’m not really sure. A beggar came up to us too, and I got kinda confused about how much to give since it was my first time being approached like that. In the end, I handed over 1,000 won. He just stared at me for a moment but took it anyway. It’s not about the amount, it’s about sincerity >.<

Kami asik ngemil, makan mi diiringi lagu dari musisi jalanan. Itu sumpah cewek yang masih ABG itu suaranya kenceng banget padahal dia nggak pake mic. Pandangan kita tertuju pada bangunan di seberang jalan stasiun Busan. Warnanya yang merah mencolok cukup menarik perhatian kita. Ternyata itu adalah China Town. Kita memutuskan untuk ke sana.

We were happily snacking and eating noodles while listening to a street musician. Seriously, that teenage girl’s voice was super loud even though she wasn’t using a mic. Our eyes were drawn to a bright red building across from Busan Station. Turned out, it was China Town. So, we decided to check it out.

China Town, Objek Wisata yang Tidak Direncanakan / China Town, the Unplanned Tourist Spot

Tampilan Pintu Masuk China Town /The Entrance View of China Town; Credit : https://bethinkorea.files.wordpress.com

Penampakan di dalam China Town / The Scene Inside China Town Credit: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com

Di dalam China Town, saya sama sekali nggak ambil foto dan saya juga heran kenapa. Nggak kepikiran aja. Di sana temen saya sempet cari oleh-oleh pajangan berbentuk landmark Korea. Saya nyari gantungan kunci nggak nemu. Nyesel kemarin di Insadong kenapa nggak beli.

Inside China Town, I didn’t take any photos at all—and honestly, I have no idea why. It just didn’t cross my mind. My friend was looking for some souvenir displays shaped like Korean landmarks, while I tried to find a keychain but couldn’t. Kinda regret not buying one back in Insadong.

Ada yang menarik di dalam China Town ini. Ternyata di sini ada banyak restoran manca negara tak terkecuali dari negara-negara di timur tengah yang pastinya Halal! Pilihan kamipun jatuh ke restoran Uzbekistan. Penasaran seperti apa sih masakan Uzbek, kayaknya nggak pernah denger juga. Hehehe...

Didn’t take a single photo inside China Town—and honestly, I have no idea why. Just didn’t think of it. My friend was hunting for some Korean landmark souvenirs, and I was looking for a keychain but found none. Totally regret not getting one back in Insadong.

Sebelum makan foto dulu sama pakaian orang Uzbekistan / Before eating, we took a photo with traditional Uzbek clothes.

Seperti ketika di Itaewon, saya seneng banget waktu mengunjungi restoran ini? Kenapa? Karena banyak ketemu saudara-saudara muslim, dengar mereka saling sapa 'Assalamualaikum' rasanya ati adem banget. Pengunjung restoran ini memang di dominasi orang-orang timur tengah, tapi ternyata ada juga orang Korea yang datang ke sini dan dua 2 orang Indonesia ini. Mungkin sama-sama penasarannya seperti kita. 

Just like when I was in Itaewon, I was so happy visiting this restaurant. Why? Because I got to meet so many fellow Muslims, and hearing them greet each other with “Assalamualaikum” felt so heartwarming. Most of the guests here were from the Middle East, but there were also some Koreans—and, well, the two of us Indonesians. Maybe they were just as curious as we were.

Oh iya di atas meja sudah disediakan camilan roti kering yang nampak di sebelah kiri saya. Saya penasaran nyicipin ternyata rotinya keras bin hambar. Tak lama kemudian, pelayannya datang menyajikan semacam salad dari timun, kubis dan wortel beserta sambal semacam sambal bangkok botolan itu.

Oh right, on the table there were some dry bread snacks—you can see them on my left. I got curious and tried one, but it turned out to be super hard and totally bland. Not long after, the waiter came and served something like a salad made of cucumber, cabbage, and carrot, along with a sauce that kinda tasted like bottled Thai chili sauce.

Pesanan Saya / The food that I ordered

Taraaa... itu pesanan saya. Judulnya meatball apa gitu lupa. Saking kangennya sama bakso jadi pesen menu ini. Itu ukuran baksonya lumayan besar tapi ada campuran nasinya gitu. Kelihatan kan yang bintik-bintik putih diantara daging itu adalah nasi.

Tadaaa… that’s my order! It was called something like “meatball something,” I kinda forgot. I ordered it because I was really craving bakso. The meatballs were pretty big, but they had rice mixed in. You can see those little white specks between the meat—that’s rice.

Tujuan kami selanjutnya adalah Pantai Gwanggali. Pantai ini direkomendasikan untuk dikunjungi di malam hari karena lampu jembatan Gwangan kelihatan bagus-bagusnya pas gelap. Karena sekarang masih siang, akhirnya kita putuskan untuk pulang istirahat dulu. Entah kenapa habis makan daging ini kita ngantuk banget. Sampai-sampai kita berdua ketiduran di subway, untung nggak kebablasan.

Our next destination was Gwangalli Beach. It’s recommended to visit at night because the lights on the Gwangan Bridge look their best after dark. Since it was still daytime, we decided to head back and rest first. For some reason, after eating that meat, we got super sleepy. We even dozed off on the subway—thankfully, we didn’t miss our stop.

Oh iya di dekat hostel kami ini ada toko etude yang harganya muraaaaah banget. Kemarin saya iseng masuk ke toko ini dan ternyata harganya murah-murah banget. Jauh lebih murah daripada di Myeongdong. Masker Etude di sini bahkan ada yang diskon 50% dari harga normal yang biasanya 8.000 - 10.000 won per 10 biji, ini cuma 5000 won. Luar biasa bukan? lebay. Saya beli eyeliner, lip tint, masker dan masker mata untuk menghilangkan kantong mata. Saya dimintai kartu kredit. Saya nggak ngerti buat apa, lagian saya juga nggak punya.

Oh right, there’s an Etude store near our hostel and the prices are supeeeer cheap! I randomly went in yesterday, and everything was way cheaper than in Myeongdong. Some Etude masks were even 50% off — usually around 8,000–10,000 won for 10 pieces, but here they were only 5,000 won. Amazing, right? Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. I bought an eyeliner, lip tint, some masks, and eye patches to get rid of my eye bags. Then they asked for a credit card — I had no idea why, and besides, I don’t even have one. 

 

Gwanggali Beach

Petunjuk Arah : Naik Subway turun di stasiun Gwangan

Directions: Take the subway and get off at Gwangan Station.

Setelah istirahat cukup kita keluar lagi untuk mengunjungi Pantai Gwanggali. Dari kemarin temen saya penasaran sama deli manjoo. Akhirnya dia beli juga. Wkwkwkw... Rasanya kayak kue ayam yang kita beli sepulang dari Everland cuman beda bentuk aja.

After getting enough rest, we headed out again to visit Gwangalli Beach. My friend had been curious about Deli Manjoo since yesterday, and she finally bought some. LOL… It tasted just like the chicken-shaped cake we bought on our way back from Everland—only the shape was different.

Sampai di Pantai Gwanggali / Arriving at Gwangalli Beach

Kita sengaja datang ke sini waktu belum gelap biar merasakan suasana berbeda di pantai ini, saat masih terang dan ketika sudah gelap.Oh iya saat itu di sana ada musisi jalanan yang perform, sayang kemarin gak kefoto.

We came here before it got dark on purpose, just to feel the different vibes of the beach—both in daylight and at night. Oh, and there was a street musician performing there too, but sadly, we didn’t get any photos of it.

Langit mulai gelap / The sky is starting to get dark

Ada yang kemah juga lho / There were even some people camping there too!

Diamond Bridge

Foto berlatarkan Diamond Bridge ketika langit belum begitu gelap / A photo with the Diamond Bridge in the background, taken before the sky got completely dark

Foto berlatarkan Diamond Bridge ketika langit gelap / A photo with the Diamond Bridge in the background, taken when the sky was dark

Bisa dilihat perbedaan kedua foto di atas ya. Ketika langit belum gelap, Diamond Bridge tampak seperti jembatan biasa. Tidak ada yang istimewa. Tapi setelah langit gelap dan lampu-lampu mulai dinyalakan... baru kelihatan bagusnya. Aslinya lebih bagus dari yang saya foto, kamera saya aja yang jelek *nyengir*.

You can really see the difference between the two photos above. When the sky isn’t dark yet, the Diamond Bridge just looks like an ordinary bridge—nothing special. But once night falls and the lights come on… that’s when it truly shines. It actually looked way more beautiful in real life, my camera just sucks.

Di sana kita cuma duduk-duduk di atas pasir. Nggak lupa copot sepatu biar bisa merasakan sensasi pasir di pantai Gwanggan dengan kaki telanjang sumpah ini lebay banget. Kita ngobrol-ngobrol tentang apa yang kita lakukan selama 10 hari di Korea. Serunya nyasar nyari yang namanya Bukchon, nggembel di pinggir sungai Han demi nunggu pertunjukkan air mancur di Banpo Bridge, dikejar om-om mabuk di Stasiun Cheongpyeong sampai berantem pas jalan menuju N Seoul Tower. 

We just sat on the sand for a while, of course taking off our shoes to feel the Gwangalli beach sand with our bare feet—okay, that sounds super dramatic, I know. We chatted about everything we’d done during our 10 days in Korea: getting lost while looking for Bukchon, hanging out like hobos by the Han River waiting for the Banpo Bridge fountain show, being chased by a drunk guy at Cheongpyeong Station, and even arguing while walking up to N Seoul Tower.

Suasananya enak banget, didukung suara piano dari musisi jalanan yang seolah jadi soundtrack kita malam itu. Malam itu saya merasa terharu dan senang sekali bisa mewujudkan cita-cita saya ke Korea ditemani sahabat saya dari bayi ini. Saya ingat, di pesawat pulang menuju Indonesia kita berdua berpelukan. 

The atmosphere was just perfect, with the sound of a street pianist playing as if it were our personal soundtrack that night. I felt so touched and genuinely happy—finally making my dream trip to Korea come true, alongside my best friend since we were babies. I still remember, on the flight back to Indonesia, we hugged each other tightly.

Akhirnya setelah 1 tahun 3 bulan saya bisa menyelesaikan tulisan pengalaman saya ke Korea 7-18 Mei 2015 kemarin. Semoga bisa membantu teman-teman yang berencana untuk ke Korea. Insya Allah.... Saya ingin kembali ke sana lagi ~

Finally, after a year and three months, I managed to finish writing about my trip to Korea from May 7–18, 2015. I hope this can be helpful for anyone planning to visit Korea. Insha’Allah… I’d love to go back there again someday ~

Kesampaian juga beli cumi goreng ini / Finally got to buy this fried giant squid!