Oh! The Bus Rides!

 

 


                                


This is the note my Co-Teacher wrote for me to
 get to the Station in Seoul. 
Also pictured here is my first bus ticket in Korea!

 
     Hello Friends, I not so recently took my first visit to Bonghwa, S. Korea.  My two friends from the states happen to live in this not so big town in a not so populated area.  Their new land here in Korea is known as the country land or rural Korea.  Personally, it was a breath of fresh air and a gaze of beauty for my eyes.  My weekend can pretty much be summed up in one word BUS.  I took so, so many bus rides and realized I am very sensitive to motion sickness which is pretty sad, since the bus is a very prominent transportation option here in Korea.  I met so many people on this trip it was my biggest adventure yet.  I was a little terrified venturing to Bonghwa which is a whopping four hours away from me.  I had no idea how to get from one place to the other let alone navigate the bus system.  Somehow I managed and had a great time.  Let me tell you all about it in a few basic steps.  Here we go....
STEP ONE
Leave work early to make the 3440 Bus to Dongseoul (main bus station) to catch the 6:00 bus straight to Bonghwa

STEP TWO
Get on the "right" bus after leaving work, hand the bus driver a paper with Korean on it saying I have no idea what I am doing, please tell me when to get off the bus at Dongseoul.

STEP THREE
Freak out the whole 40 minutes into Seoul on the bus, because you got flustered accomplishing step three, hit your head and threw your paper at the bus driver, sat down in a daze possibly in the elderly seat but are too terrified to move kind of freak out.  With an added freak out of not really knowing what the note you threw at the bus driver says.

STEP FOUR
Chill out because the Lord my God is with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9) I take refuge in that, right?  RIGHT. Even on personal vacations with a simple purpose of seeing friends for a few days. 

STEP FIVE
Enter a state of confusion when the Bus driver tries his best to tell me there is no Bonghwa Bus and accept the kind help from a fellow passenger who speaks no English but wants to completely disrupt his life to make sure I get to the bus station.

STEP SIX
Follow the friendly stranger to the station on foot and again accept the help of a station guard who refuses to let me buy a ticket to Yonju because there is a bus straight to Bonghwa

STEP SEVEN
Board the bus and journey three hours out of the city to the country

STEP EIGHT
Jump, yes, JUMP off the bus and greet J and T (Jesse and Teresa), and check out my weekend accommodation.

STEP NINE
Have a bus ride packed weekend of riding to an Apple Festival, Tourist Packed Mountain and Sweet Bonghwa

STEP TEN

REPEAT IN REVERSE STEPS ONE THROUGH SEVEN IN TWO DAYS : 0 (


Turned out a bus broke down so the bus we boarded was packed!
We stood(well, we sat on the floor some of the ride)
 the whole hour or so long ride to Andong that was a fun one!

 


Met these guys boarding a bus to Andong. 
They were nearing the end of their one
 month or so long biking adventure across Korea 

 



   


The bus rides were well worth all the free
 apples we would get at the festival! 

Did I have a good time, yes I did. I found that I was starting to feel homesick, exhausted from work and lacking in a lot of areas, it unfortunately affected my mood but regardless it was refreshing to see Jesse and Teresa, eat a comforting supper of potato soup made by Chef T and make a Halloween feast Breakfast together the morning before my departure. 

This trip was great because I had to remain calm in situations completely out of my control.  I also got to meet several people I consider pretty kind.  I met a man on my bus trip back to Anyang who just moved back to Korea from the Netherlands with his wife and daughter.  I must say we became instant friends and I have since met his family and had two fun outings in Seoul with them.  I am sure you will hear more about them through the year.  Alright keep warm readers and keep reading.

<3



 



We had to wait a very long time for a bus
that NEVER came at the festival.  So...we set off on foot. 
We were thankful when a very nice couple stopped to
give us a ride in ther new vehicle! 
THE END