So when my friend Daniel told me that he wanted to see the city for his birthday, I instantly cleared my schedule.
Not only was he keen on seeing Busan, but he had discovered a tour group in South Korea Wink (When in Korea) who was massing a group to visit the city and attend a festival on Hauendae Beach. Since it was a fantastic weekend, I thought I should share some highlights from the trip.
Please note I freely steal all the following photos from Facebook, thanks to my friends with real cameras and the good sense to use them!
My weekend in Busan began on Saturday, when I arrived just past noon. Meeting up on Gwangalli beach I was pleased to find my friend Daniel in the copious company of many unfamiliar faces. Faces that fast became friends, as folks tend to do when traveling in tour groups.
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| Daniel and I on Gwangalli Beach |
We exchanged introductions and laughs over lunch and a few beers before finding accommodation and hitting the beach. Sadly, it's still too cold to swim, but nothing is quite like enjoying a few beers in the sad while waiting for the night to begin.
Saturday turned out to be one hell of a night! The group had dinner in the KSU area (Kyungsung University) home to much more than academia. The KSU area has a number of great bars and clubs, a number of them we visited. I'd share more about this night, but it gets a wee bit fussy after Daniel began taking birthday shots. One thing I can say for sure though, everyone had a great time!
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| The start of a great night... Photos of the end of the night have been censored... |
Wink had come to Busan for more than the nightlife, Sunday was when the Busan locals had decided to celebrate Holi Hai!
Holi, for those who aren't up on their Indian holidays, is the festival of colors! The actual date of Holi feel on March 27th (but who parties on a Wednesday?) but the Indian community decided to host a party for the festival on Sunday. Holi commemorates a number of Hindu legends, I honestly know very little of it, though I have come to discover that Holi is celebrated with dust and paint. Hindus traditionally throw colored dust at each other during Holi celebrations and this morning was no exception!
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| Before photo |
Everyone tried to wear a little white in order to have the color stand out. We arrived at Haeundae Beach just before the event kicked off. The Indian community hosted music, food, and libation! I must admit, Indians know how to party! They played wonderful music, modern but with a distinctly Indian flavor. After registering with the event we were given our Holi hats and packages of powder. Once 11am arrived, everyone was through with waiting and dust went flying!
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| I approve of smiley t-shirts! |
It
was
AWESOME!
Don't believe me? Take a look at some of these awesome snapshots!
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| It wasn't uncommon to color and be colored by total strangers, no one minds! |
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| We ran out of paint so we started throwing people |
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| Having a good time with the boys! |
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| Nothing solidifies new friendships like throwing paint in their faces! |
Holi on Haeundae Beach was a fantastic time! I definitely believe that is one of my new favorite holidays and I would HIGHLY recommend you attend one should you happen to have the chance! Consequentially, the festival also fell on Easter Sunday, add Daniel's birthday into the mix, and in one weekend I managed to celebrate three holidays! Personally, I found it the perfect mix for a great weekend. I didn't even miss coloring eggs (because coloring people is much more fun)!
With a few bittersweet goodbyes I parted ways with Daniel and Wink kids. Though it was a short trip, it was a fantastic experience, and I'll be having my eye out for further trips with the new friends I've found there!
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