New Adventures

Last weekend (the one before Halloween), my college friend, Allina, came to visit me. She lives about 4 hours north of me in Korea, with her parents. Her dad came with her as well, and the two of them took me out to various places around Busan that I've been meaning to go to, and we had a fantastic time.

When they arrived, we went to the Busan Aquarium, which is right next to one of the biggest beaches, Haeundae. The aquarium is built underground and has three levels, so when you walk through you go progressively deeper underground. They had a diver go into the tank with the sting rays and they swarmed around her and she fed them right from her hands. You couldn't pay me enough to get that close to those guys - and it was the same deal in the shark tank. Seeing someone else doing that was very cool, though. It was really a very relaxing visit - there's something about being surrounded by water and beautiful underwater creatures that just feels peaceful. It also made me really want a fish tank in my apartment.

After the aquarium we went out for dinner at the fish market nearby. I tried a tiny bit of the fish in the spicy soup and a tiny bit of squid, too. The restaurant brought a ton of side dishes, more than I've gotten almost anywhere else, and they were delicious. Next, I took them to Gwangan-li, the beach where the Fireworks Festival was held, where there is a beautiful, lit bridge over the cove. We meandered along the strip and the beach, got some coffee, and sat down for a beer with a view of the ocean. It was a really great day and night, and I got a great night's sleep for the first time in awhile, too!

The next day we headed to the UN Memorial Park and Cemetary, where soldiers from all of the countries who contributed troops to the Korean War are buried or memorialized on a Wall of Rememberance. It's the only UN cemetary in the world, because it's one of the only times when the un sanctioned a decalred war, and only because Kruschev banged his shoe on the table in fury, and left the room, boycotting the vote because Taiwan was being recognized as the legitimate government of China. This meant that democratic Taiwan was voting for China, and the USSR was out of the vote. Without the two communist countries voting that would have had veto power, the Security Council was almost unanimous in it's backing of the South against the Northern invasion. When the North failed to move back to the 38th parallel as requested in a UN resolution, the UN decided to put together forces from different countries to assist the south.

The memorial was really somber and thought-provoking, and I'm so glad we were able to go. Our visit happened to coincide with UN Day, so there were special flowers and decorations, and I arrived just after they'd had a ceremony with a motorcade of motorcycles, too. The Memorial Park/Cemetary is pretty huge, and beautifully laid out. There is the cemetary, a memorial to the unknown soldiers, a Hall of memorobilia, two reflecting pools in honor of the unknown soldiers, a Wall of Rememberance with a fountain and an everlasting flame, with a wall where all of the names of the dead are listed, a number of walkways and green space, an island with Thai plants in honor of Thai-Korean friendship, and a sculpture garden with sculptures donated from the various countries who were part of the UN forces. We spent quite awhile there, and it was really memorable.

All in all, it was a really great weekend and I'm so glad she and her dad were able to make the trip down, and I'm looking forward to traveling up north to see them soon and to visit a new part of Korea!