Korean Adventure 7

 

Busan Day 3: Day of Disasters

On the day prior, before retiring I had decided to visit Guemgang Park again along with Beomeosa Buddhist temple after getting up. God knows how I overslept, got up only at around 10.30 AM. May be hours of ‘Few minutes of walk!’ must have taken its toll. Mind was saying ‘’Yes’ body was saying ‘No’! May be the reminder of steep ascent from the base of the mountain was the main deterrent. In the end I decided to laze in the bed till 12 before venturing out. And decided, today I would exert less as four days of Jeju were still there. Preserve the energy was today’s motto. The hotel building has/had Star Buck Cafe; in its premises so had breakfast there before venturing out, aimlessly.

Korea has overdose of malls. So far I had categorically decided not to step in any one of them but today was the day of ‘Lazing around’ so I visited the nearest mall, one metro station away, Lotte mall on the Busan harbor. Till few years ago it was the biggest mall in Korea but now CoEx from Seoul has surpassed it.

The exit from Jungang metro station takes you directly into the mall. Surprisingly like Pune the ground floor in Korea is called as 1^st floor and not like Mumbai where it’s known as Floor zero. After climbing to ‘1^st’ floor I was awestruck, but not that much to be dumbfounded. At the entrance there is/was huge 4 story fountain like Jewel at Changi airport, Singapore! As of now it holds the record of highest indoor waterfall in the world!

The water was falling from the ceiling in cascades taking myriads of forms. Circular curtain of water was falling in the artificial pond below every few minutes meeting various jets of waters playing to the tune of music. Well my words will always fall short to describe it, please see the video elsewhere on Facebook.There were many spectators like me who went on watching it for minutes, not hours.

  

I had plans to buy entire swimming set for myself as mine at home was overused. I went on searching for the sports section. In that maze of sections, shops and franchises I searched and searched when somebody told me it to be on the 7^th floor. It in the end, it was big fiasco. It had only one brand which I had never heard of. I was looking at least for Speedo, it was not there but other Korean brand TMAK made popular by K Drama Hallyu star Sung Hoon was also not available. The one available was so expensive that I dropped the idea to buy it. Ordinary swimming goggles, with no choice, were available at Rs.9000/- or around when better quality one is available in Decathlon in R City mall, just opposite my home in Mumbai costs not more than Rs. 1000/-.Same thing about trunks. Exorbitantly priced at Rs.3500/- that too not Speedo was unthinkable.

I should have learnt the lesson but then how curiosity would kill the cat? Just window shopped ladies section to buy winter coat for Shubha my wife and something elegant for Neha and Saana my daughters. There was this lovely two piece woolen jacket and skirt suit that caught my attention. The top itself was priced just short of a Lakh in rupees, while the skirt, much more! I decided to tell Neha and Saana, there was nothing worth their beauty!

Actually Lotte mall is like Big Bazaar in India so I was expecting some reasonable prices, but some sections of it were totally up market, and were beyond the reach of average middle class Indian like me!

• As it was my day to laze around I thought of watching a movie and to my surprise it turned out that Lotte mall has/had cinema halls occupying 4 floors, from 7^th to 10^th. It had everything from IMAX to 4-D to Super 3D and something Super Ex-vision. Unfortunately all the movies running at that time were in Korean language without English subtitles [why should they have?], including Hollywood Block-Busters. ‘Black Adam’ starring Rock Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan was running but in dubbed version, in Korean. I was ready for that too just for the sake of experience but the ticket was K won 14000/- more than Rs 900/- Insignia-INOX  at R-City mall is much less and on top of it they serve food! We leave Indian shores but India never leaves us! My nephew on whats App messaged me, “Good you did not go for it, it’s a Dud!”

The rooftop of the mall, free entrance to everybody, offers excellent view of Busan again. Busan Tower from afar looked more beautiful. Plus the bridges which were not appreciated due to lack of proper view. Yeongdo Bridge, one that opens in the middle to make way for a ship passing underneath. Not a novelty but all the same, it is unique. It was built by Japanese. Other one on the side is Busan Bridge with Antique architecture, compared to today’s times. Plus the double Decker Diamond bridge, which I haven't appreciated while traveling on it.

Wandered for an hour or so, while doing so, I observed a peculiar trend among-st the Korean youths. Maximum temperature outside was never more than 11-12* C but every young one was carrying iced coffee cups, no, tumblers in their hands. After seeing number of such young boys and girls with their iced black coffee cups I could not hold my imprudence anymore and asked one of them,

“How could you drink such cold coffee in such chilly weather?’

He definitely understood my question, more, my English and said,

‘So what?’ shrugging his shoulders he joined his group again giggling, laughing. All his group mates waved at me and moved on laughing again.

Surprisingly Korea has many many coffee shop chains though it’s not a major coffee producing country. They import mostly from South America. Barista, a coffee maker carries a good respect on his shoulders, in the society. We have only one good chain though we are good coffee exporters [Coffee from Coorg is famous all over the world], Starbucks [actually American though run by Tatas in India] . Korea has more than 10 chains and their shops can be seen in every nook and corner of the country. Angel in Coffee being the most popular, but there are others like A Twosome Place, Tom N Tom’s Coffee, Holley’s Coffee, Ediya Coffee, Cafe’ Pascucci. All of these I saw myself and it’s not enumeration from Wikipedia!

Not only they are mad about Coffee brands but Korea is a ‘Brand-Mad’ country in general. There are brands among-st bakers also. Paris Baguette leading in the sector. And rightly so. I tasted  their bakery products; they were so divine that they absolutely melted in the mouth.

I had my bad while ordering Cocoa at one of such outlets. The girl on the counter filled 3/4^th of the jar with ice cubes before blending it. I said,

‘Heck No, I don’t want that much of ice!’

Through sign and mobile conversation,

‘But it cannot be made without it!’

‘Why not, put all the other ingredients like you normally put but less ice!’

While saying ‘No’ Koreans put their both forearms at cross.

Making that cross sign she said, ‘No’. Again.

After using my translator she understood what I wanted and my cup of Tea, no Cocoa, was ready after much persuasion! Why do they have such fixed/dogmatic ideas I don’t know but I had similar experience in Mumbai too!

And I was at it again! Walking! The city venue of Busan Film festival was just few meters away. It actually is a lane like ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’. On either side there are many cinema halls and multiplexes with Central Street embedded with Brass Stars and hand imprints of Korean as well as international celebrities. 

I could see plaques of Willem Daphoe, villain in Spider-Man: I, Famous Japanese Director Akira Kurosawa, Rashoman fame. Surprisingly because the name was changed from Pusan to Busan in 2000, old plaques still carry the old name of the city, Pusan.

The street is also famous for the Korean street food. I had sweet; again made from sticky rice but this time it was stuffed with Honey, Brown sugar syrup tinged with cinnamon and Crushed Peanuts with seeds of pumpkin, Hotteok! The vendor must be popular because I was 5^th in the queue! And the queue was worth for its taste; in plain words it was yummy!

On the bus back to hotel my T money card died no balance! As the sensor showed the red sign driver asked me to get down by crossing his hands. I showed him a note of K won 10000/- but he again gestured, No ! A fellow passenger suggested, in English [!], ‘Go to the nearest convenience store and get it refilled. Cash not allowed on bus.’

I got down helplessly but fortunately 7-11 was just in front of the stop. Recharged the card and caught the next bus within 10 minutes because frequency was good!

I was late and did not want to venture out again for food so had bought a cup noodles. Ramen. You just have to pour hot water and the noodles are ready. As I said it was the day of disaster, Ramen too was disaster. It comes in different tastes, contents, texture and what not. I had selected the cup randomly and it turned to be excessively spicy [pungent], after few morsels, my eyes and nose started watering like hose pipe. I didn’t know what to do. I washed them three times with hot water but the pungency was same. Ultimately I flushed them down the ‘Japanese’ toilet!

The problem, next in the queue was, ‘What to eat for dinner?’

As said earlier the hotel building had Starbucks, Nice to CU and a deli on the ground floor,, I rushed to the deli but their daily quota was almost finished. Randomly I selected three dishes from the remaining lot; one was fish, other squid and third simple potato. From CU I got ‘Sweet Potato Cake’ a pucca Korean dish which was novelty for me and small carton of pain ‘lassi’ made in Holland! Out of all, the worst was pure vegetarian Potato dish, chewy to the hilt with some weird taste. That too I had to  flush down the drain! In closed AC room the smell pervades.

With disaster of dinner I went to sleep with half empty stomach. I had few bananas left from the previous day so that was it.

But it was not going to be so!

After 3-4 hours of sleep I got up with a start because I was profusely sweating and was feeling suffocated. Myriads of possibilities danced in front of me with disastrous outcome. I consoled myself, you are not having chest pain, there is no whizzing as such and you are not obviously breathless. I checked my pulse , volume was alright and rhythm too, "Just don’t panic!"   I reprimanded myself !

I checked around and it turned out that AC was not functioning. I tried to contact the front desk but he gave me vague answer,

‘As there are many guests today, cooling is on the lower side’

I said, ‘Not lower side, it’s not working’

I realized it was futile to argue on the phone so I rushed to the front desk in my sleeping clothes. First few sentences were verbal but I realized whatever I was saying was going over their heads so I asked for a pencil and paper and the next conversation was on the paper.

He said the same thing again, adding,

‘I will provide you with a fan’

‘I have paid for AC room, I don’t want fan, if you insist reduce my tariff. Plus my entire house in Mumbai is air conditioned; I am used to sleep in AC, no fan for me!’

‘That’s not possible. I’ll give you free break-fast tomorrow’

‘I am a frugal eater and can afford to pay for my breakfast.’

‘I’ll give you another room.’

‘I am checking out tomorrow, I don’t want to pack, unpack and repack again, as my things are cluttered in the room.’ Here I failed to understand ‘How the AC in the other room is working when the number of guests is same.’

‘I will give you extra checking out hour.’

‘My flight to Jeju is at 2-3 PM so I have to be at air port 2 hours before that, so that doesn’t count.’

In the end it started becoming exasperating. So I raised my voice and said verbally,

‘I want AC in my room to be started within 5 minutes otherwise I’ll lodge a written complaint’

‘I am sorry, I’ll do the needful.’

As soon as I returned to the room whirring sound of AC was on and cooling was good! Next day morning though I had said otherwise, I lodged a written complaint and asked for full refund.

Surprisingly newer man on the desk was proficient in English and was ready to lower his mask. I put down my apprehensions to his ears on which he requested,’Why written complaint but, please take it back’

I refused. We exchanged few pleasantries and we parted giving each other high fives!

As usual Busan air port is far away and I did not want to drag my bag again so took a cab and reached the airport in time for my flight to Jeju-do at 3 PM.