Busan is a beautiful city with so much to offer. I definitely could have explored it for days on end. Alas, I only had an 8 hour layover and I sure as hell wasn't going to spend it all in transfer.
Hour 1
As soon as I landed there was an attendant waiting for me with my name on a sign. She asked me if I would be going to transfer immediately or if I was exiting the airport. I let her know I would be doing the latter and she allowed me to follow the rest of the passengers to immigration.
The line. was. painful. My visit was a layover between Japan and Guam, and so the foreign passport line was extremely long. The length of the line tripled in just minutes as another flight from Japan landed shortly after ours. I could feel my time in Busan slipping away as the line slowly snaked across the entire immigration area.
Hour 2
As soon as I was out and I got my bags, I headed to the domestic flights side of the airport. I wasn't planning on hopping onto another plane, though, I needed a place to store my luggage. I sped-walk across the street, headed towards the domestic wing and looked high and low for the luggage storage company. ZIM Carry at Gimhae airport was located on the second floor, just to the left of the elevators. Perfect. The best part was, the domestic wing was closer to the rail station entrance!
Busan's railways are pretty simple. The Gimhae Airport is a last-stop station, so you can't get lost (at least on the first leg of the trip). I took the purple line to Sasang where I transferred over to the green line in Jeonpo.
Hour 3 - 5
I made my way to a wonderful little place called Cafe Street. I had been traveling since 6 in the morning, I NEEDED my coffee. I wandered around this place that felt like a coffee lover's Disneyland until I found Cong Caphe - a Vietnamese coffee shop that sells a mean coconut coffee. I sat in their rooftop area for a while, enjoying the coffee and the breeze, then purchased two boxes of their instant coffee.
Hour 6
Once I made my way back to the airport, I encountered my first issue- TSA wouldn't let me through. My passport didn't match the name on my boarding pass. Well, technically it did, but my boarding pass didn't include my middle name. I had to wait in line, get my boarding pass reissued, and then ran into my next issue. Our wonderful TSA friends in Busan wouldn't let me bring in the cheesecake I purchased in Narita because of the ice pack! The ice pack was no bigger than the size of the palm of my hand (and still very much solid because Japanese containers are insanely great at insulation). The reason for the stop was because the ice pack itself did not display an exact measurement of how many fluid ounces it contained. Luckily, I was able to dump the ice packs and bring my cheesecake in, but now I had to think quick. Time was of the essence.
Hour 7
I made my way to a cafe closest to my gate and ordered two large cups of ice. The language barrier was a little too large, so I settled for peach teas with extra ice. I proceeded to chug these teas like my life depended on it and I was able to put the ice in my insulated containers. The cheesecake made it home safely and deliciously, if any of you were wondering.
Hour 8
Gimhae airport has a plethora of places to eat, even a Heineken lounge! I had a nice kalbi rice bowl, took a short nap, and made my way onto my plane ride back home.
Final Thoughts
I wish I had more time in Busan. It's a beautiful place! My only regret is that I didn't explore more of the city. The railway was smaller but more intimidating. I had flown in from Japan and even though Japan's transportation system is much larger, the directions and stations on Google Maps are translated in English. Even when directions weren't in English - I read Japanese! By the time I started heading back I had felt a little more comfortable with the transportation, but out of fear of getting lost, I decided to make my way back to the airport. I will definitely be visiting again.
Comments