We landed in Seoul on January 20th. As we drove to the center it was white outside of the windows because of the fog and snow. Our hostel was very close to the main station. It was cozy, and very warm . In Korea, the apartment is heated from the floor and the shower is in the same part as toilet no cabin so everything is wet later. We were pretty hungry so we looked for something to eat. In Korean I knew only two words - Anyounghaseyo (good morning !) And kimchi (fermented vegetables, usually cabbage).
So when we found restaurant where people were sitting and it looked cheap (it always helps us choosing a place to eat) I said these words, and we sat down. The waitress who did not speak English brought us some plates so we were satisfied and wanted to eat but then she put on the table large frying pan, which was located at the center of the table where was a burner. We didn't expect such a large portion. We didn't expect also that kimchi is so spicy ! After all, we were hungry so we didn't complain. We paid for it about 10,000 won - that is, less than 30 zł , 7 euro.
The next day we visited Seoul . We were moving by metro which was easy because the names of the station were also in the Latin alphabet. On the stations sets of equipment protecting from gas attacks/ nuclear attacks/end of the world surprised us. In the evening Kuba came to a hostel and immediately went to sleep , because he was tired of the long journey and angina which he had.
January 22tjhwe went to the station where our train was leaving to Busan. We bought tickets the day before in the machine. We decided on train Mugunghwa because it was two times cheaper than the KTX ( high-speed trains, with 300 km / h speed) . We expected that if we're going with cheap train conditions would not be good, but nothing like that! We had a very comfortable seats, plenty of space for legs and conductor was bowing (and not checking tickets) .
In Busan we had to go to the apartment of our host. He wrote us how to get there, but apparently something was wrong because we got off at a different station. I asked a young Korean man if he knows how to get there and he began to check on google maps on his phone it took him a long time so I asked if we could call ( In Korea, there is no GSM network that's whye our mobiles phones not work) and by telephone Patrick , our host said that we have to go back one station. We gave krówki (polish candies) to that Korean who helped us. People here in comparison with Japan are more open to foreigners, come up to introduce themselves and ask where we are from. One guy said to Kuba that he is handsome, the other led him into the hostel. Someon congratulated Norbert's beard ;). They show us the place to seet in a subway etc. Our host Patrick was an American working in Busan as an English teacher . We sat with him a while and went out to explore the city , Patrick went to class.
We took the subway to Jagalchi fish market. The choice of fish was enormous, for sure in the morning there were even more. There were stalls with still live fish in aquariums. You could choose fish that they would kill on your eyes and get prepared for you. They called us saying that they have tables ;) Somehow we didn't want to eat a fish and were looking for something to eat in the streets next to it. In Busan as in Seoul and we suspect that throughout Korea, there are many stalls with street food. Mostly sausages, skewers , sometimes larvas.
When we decided already where we want to eat - we were given a menu with pictures. I ordered chicken soup with seafood, Norbert the same and Kuba noodles with black bean paste. We were worried that the portions would be small (and we were soooo hungry ) so we ordered plus size, which was only 1,000 won more expensive. Well, we hadn't thought that the Koreans share a bowl with few people. The dishes are placed in the middle and each imposes itself. Moments later, we got a huge plates. Once again we were wondering how cheap is food in Korea. And once again we appreciated the free water ( so spicy! ) . There were also onions and radish to take for free.
In Busan good weather pleased us, it was sunny was warm , much warmer than in Seoul. It is the second city in terms of population in Korea. 3.5 million people live here. After all, there are not so many tall buildings like in Seoul and that's why it seems more cozy. On the streets there is cabbage instead of flowers. Very original, you can always make kimchi from it!
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