by David Wills

Created on: May 29, 2009

Busan is a city that is, for me, filled with nothing but pleasant memories. My time in Korea has been one of ups and downs, but my trips to Busan have always been fun-filled and have redeemed the country a little in my mind. It's partly because of the beach, where I spent many of my summer weekends swimming drunkenly, and partly for the port, which has seen me happily exit the country twice, to the far superior country across the sea, Japan. Busan is also more like a real city than Daegu, which seems like a conservative village, grown too big for itself, and threatening to explode from the collection of ignorance and stench.

Busan makes me think of the summer, when the heat, coupled with work and alcoholism, drove myself and my friends to the beach each weekend for the pleasure of drinking and being stupid. But instead of drinking and being stupid in dumb hip-hop nightclubs, or rancid streets of trash and open sewers, to instead go and sit under the stars and frolic nude in the sea.

One time we stole a boat and sailed what seemed halfway to Japan, and then abandoned it to the mercy of Davy Jones, and swam for shore. Another time we swam out as far as vision would have, in the day time, allowed, and back again, whilst entirely drunk, defying safety and logic. On the moonlit warm nights we met the best people, and shared many laughs and drinks. We buried one another, raced each other, and generally had fun that is not possible in a boring little city. When the sun rose, we'd hit a motel and sleep for an hour or so, before going back to the beach and drinking the day away, only going home again at night to get enough sleep for working in the morning.

The first trip ended in us drinking Budweiser, shirtless, in Burger King, and me almost faceplanting on an escalator, and missing my stop on the KTX. Another trip saw me losing all my clothes and coming home naked, but for me swim shorts.

I love Busan for its different attitude to the world than Daegu. People in Busan are nicer and more tolerant. There are more foreigners, and this must be the reason for the tolerance, because Busan people seem to have an openness that doesn't exist elsewhere. Koreans stare less at foreigners in Busan, even when the show their naked chests and hairy legs whilst walking drunkenly into a Family Mart or galbi restaurant.

Busan also reminds me of leaving Korea, which is always something to which I look forward. I've flown out of Korea from Daegu airport and Inchon airport, but I've also gone to Japan twice via Busan's port. I'm always in high spirits watching the people getting ready to go abroad. They gather their kimchi and soju and prepare for life in the civilised world, while I get ready to escape their stares and weagook talk. It's a happy time, and as I watch Busan disappear over the horizon, it's the only part of Korea that I can imagine wishing to see again.

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