Observations: Korean Beach

Hello,

In the final few weeks of my first year of living in Korea, I visited two beaches. The first was Haeundae Beach in Busan.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh

We were in Busan for two and a half days and me and my companion Jennifer spent almost the entirety of the time on the beach. During this trip, we saw a lot of what I will refer to as 'beach chicken people'. Beach chicken people are noisy individuals that walk up and down with probably cold chicken shouting 'beer! chicken! beer and chicken! chicken and beer!'. As you can imagine, beach chicken people are quite annoying. 

At one point, while in the sea, I quickly dipped my head underwater to wet my hair. In the 0.00648 seconds I spent underwater, a young lady in a rubber ring managed to position herself directly above where my head was set to emerge. Cue creepy foreigner doing a jaws-esque attack on an unsuspecting victim.

Also, Korean sun in HOT KOREA is hot ('no way' I hear you say). We were both bright pink after our full first day on the beach. Jenny even got a 'woah' during a trip to the little girls room. 

It was also on this trip that I observed the kind of things Koreans are willing to take into the sea with them. I have drawn up a comparison table to show the differences between what Koreans take into the sea versus what I am accustomed to taking into the sea with me. Please find this helpful table below.

Acceptable items in the Korean sea	Things I am used to seeing in the sea
People	People
Flotation devices	Flotation devices
Swimming costumes	Swimming costumes - sometimes ;)
Sunglasses
Hats and caps
Flip Flops
T-shirts
Dresses
Mobile phones around your neck in a plastic protecty thingy	REALLY!?

The second trip was to Daecheon beach, with lovely chap Oliver in tow.

Couldn't get a picture

The weather was not so favourable. We had planned to go for one night at least, maybe two. We spent about 4/5 hours there.

Told ya.

Arriving on the beach, we realised we were perhaps the most pitiful people on the beach, as everyone else had tents, umbrellas, food and other beach things. We had what you can see below.

They're not even beach towels.

We had a quick dip in the sea, and this time I didn't headbutt somebody in the.... butt (headbutt... get it?). Upon our fabulous return to our palace on the beach, I decided to bury my companion.

A pillow, for added comfort.

After his burial, it was my turn. When I was almost fully sanded, the rain started. Following the rain, came the thunder. But I will be damned if I get buried in the sand and don't even get a photo out of it!

Rain was going in my eyes, so I look great...

Following the rain on the beach, I had a lovely freezing cold shower followed by a bit of pudding and then a bus ride home. What a wonderful beach holiday. 

Gamsahapnida for reading,

King of the beach

P.S. K-Pop by Cho Yong Pil with 'Bounce'. Skip to 0:25 for the music unless you like people screaming (I do, that's why I attacked beach girl).