Seoul + Busan + Shanghai
A year ago, Adam and I were new to China and were focused on day to day survival. Everything, on one level or another was new and/or terrifying. So, when the Chinese National Holiday arrived (a 7 day Chinese ‘4th of July’) we opted for staying in Tianjin. Acclimating to life in a new country was enough adventure for us at the time.
A year later, I am stoked to spend this National Holiday exploring more of Asia. This time we’re making our second trip to South Korea. We were in Seoul last spring and loved it so much, we wanted to come back. This time we’re spending the bulk of our trip in beautiful Busan. A coastal city in the south.
Here’s our basic itinerary.
We’ll fly into Seoul from Tianjin in the morning. (A quick hour and a half flight.) We’ll spend the day in Seoul. It’ll be Sunday so we’re most definitely hitting up Seoul’s vintage market. This was the absolute favorite thing we did last time we visited. Then we’ll spend the evening in Hongdae, probably eating Korean fried chicken and drinking beer.
The next morning we’ll grab breakfast. Korean style toast topped with eggs ham and coleslaw. it’s delicious, and I’ve been dreaming about it for the last six months. After breakfast we’ll catch a train and head south towards Busan. Whether or not we’ll spend the cash on a bullet train, or go the slow route is still up for debate. Either way I’m stoked to see the Korean countryside.
Then, we’ll spend the next three days hanging out in Busan. I have a few things on my list. Like the colorful Gamcheon Village and the scenic hike around Taejongdae. When we were in Seoul the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art was one of my favorite art museum experiences ever, so we’re hoping to have another great experience at the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan.
Most of all, I’m just stoked to feast on delicious Korean food and hang out by the beach.
After three days in Busan we’ll fly back to China, with a 20 hour layover in Shanghai. Yes, 20 hours. We’re going to explore Shanghai for a day, get some shuteye and then back on the flight. This was an unexpected bonus location. But, after looking at alternate flight plans we felt, what the heck. Let’s go for it.
After our little detour, we’ll arrive back in Tianjin on the morning of the 5th giving us the rest of the day to recover (if needed) before heading back to school/work the following day.
At least, that’s the plan so far. We’ll keep you updated. ;)