PROJECT KOREA: WEEK 19 EXPLORING BUPYEONG INCHEON

  

02/27/16 SATURDAY

FOR THE SATURDAY IN FEBRUARY, I DECIDED TO GO TO BUPYEONG. AFTER WATCHING CHARLY CHEER'S YOUTUBE BLOG, I MARKED BUPYEOUNG TO BE THE PLACE TO VISIT ON THIS DAY. I HAVE ABOUT A 15 MINUTE WALK FROM MY BULDANG-DONG APARTMENT TO THE EXPRESS BUS STATION, ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE KTX STATION. THIS BUS GOES STRAIGHT TO THE EXPRESS BUS TERMINAL IN SEOUL (GANGNAM AREA).

BUS TICKET
I'VE DECIDED TO TAKE THE 10:25 AM BUS TIME. I WOULD ARRIVE IN SEOUL AROUND 11:55 AM AND THEN HAVE TO TAKE THE SUBWAY TO MY DESTINATION. IN THE PAST, I'VE TRIED TO BOOK EARLIER BUS TIMES, BUT IT WAS JUST A PAIN TO GET UP EARLY.

ALTHOUGH ARRIVING IN SEOUL AROUND NOON WOULD MEAN THAT I HAVE LESS TIME TO EXPLORE, IT BEATS HAVING TO RUSH IN THE MORNING. THERE WERE PLENTY OF TIMES WHERE I HAVE MISSED MY BUS TIMES BECAUSE I HAD SET IT UP WAY TOO EARLY. AND THESE BUSES DON'T PLAY WHEN IT WANTS TO BE ON TIME. THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO ARRIVE ON TIME WHEN I'M LATE AND ARRIVE LATE WHEN I'M ON TIME. I'VE MISSED A COUPLE OF THESE AND IT COST ME 6,200 WON WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO AROUND $5-$6 USD.

THE BUS TICKET GOING TO SEOUL, I CAN PURCHASE AT THE 7-11 CONVENIENT STORE THAT IS ABOUT A BLOCK AWAY FROM THIS BUS STOP. FOUND OUT THAT YOU CAN REQUEST FOR A PARTIAL REFUND OF 80% BUT IT HAS TO BE WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE PURCHASED DATE. THIS CONVENIENT STORE IS PRETTY WEIRD BECAUSE IT DOESN'T OPEN UNTIL 10AM. SO, IF I HAD TO TURN AROUND AND REQUEST FOR A REFUND ON AN EARLY DAY, I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO BE OPENED, OR GO BACK ANOTHER DAY. AREN'T CONVENIENT STORES USUALLY 24 HOURS?

IT TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF TO GET FROM CHEONAN TO SEOUL VIA THIS EXPRESS BUS. I USUALLY UTILIZE THIS TIME TO CATCH UP ON MY SLEEP.

IMAGE BELOW WAS A LINE IN THE SUBWAY THAT I HAD TO TRANSFER IN ORDER TO GET TO BUPYEONG. BUPYEONG, INCHEON IS AN OLDER AREA.

ARRIVING AT THE BUPYEOUNG STATION WHERE I HAD TO GET OUT MY TMONEY (TRANSPORTATION CARD) TO SWIPE TO GET THROUGH.

AFTER SWIPING MY TMONEY CARD, I WALKED TO MY LEFT AND FOUND A HUGE LOTTE MART. HEADED DOWNSTAIRS AND FOUND THE FOOD STALLS GALORE!



CHECK OUT HOW AVOCADO IS SPELLED. #SPELLCHECK
IN KOREA, THEY DO NOT HAVE "V" IN THEIR PHONETICS, HENCE LEADING TO A DIFFERENT SPELLING.

SO, AVOCADO & BANANA SMOOTHIE IT IS. IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD. ONLY COST $2-$3. THE CUP WAS PRETTY SMALL, BUT ENOUGH TO LAST ME UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON.

THEN, I FOUND IT! IN COMPARISON TO THE GANGNAM UNDERGROUND SHOPPING CENTER, IT SEEMED SMALLER. DID I MISS A FEW PLACES? THIS WAS AROUND 3 P.M.

I KNOW THAT THERE WAS A CENTER PART, AND THEN THERE ARE DIFFERENT SECTIONS TO GO OFF FROM THE CENTER, SORT OF LIKE A SUN AS THE CENTER, AND THE BEAMS ARE EXTENDED OUT AS THE SHOPPING AREAS. WHEN YOU REACH THE END OF THE BEAM, IT LOOPS YOU BACK TO THE CENTER WITH THIS STATUE SHOWN BELOW.

I'VE SEEN THE MANNEQUINS ON OTHER BLOGS FROM YEARS BACK, AND YES, IT IS 2016 AND THESE GUYS ARE STILL HERE, AS IF THEY ARE DISPLAYING A KPOP IDOL GROUP IN THE "UNDERGROUND" WORLD. #LOL

DECIDED TO EMERGE FROM THE UNDERGROUND SCENE AND FOUND THE BUPEOUNG SHOPPING MALL THAT SITS ON TOP OF THIS UNDERGROUND SHOPPING WORLD.

TO THE LEFT OF THE MALL WAS THIS INSTALLATION, NOT REALLY FITTING WITH IT'S BACKDROP. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT AN INSTALLATION SUCH AS THIS ONE WOULD BE IN AN EVEN MORE OPEN AREA, OR PERHAPS IN A MUSEUM. THE CIRCLE DESIGN ON THE GROUND SEEMS FITTING, BUT THAT IS ABOUT IT.



                      

 

THE TIME WAS AROUND 4:45 PM. I WAS TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING, WALKING AWAY FROM THE MALL WITH NEW DISCOVERIES. ACROSS THE STREET WERE SOME SKATEBOARDERS USING THIS AREA AS THEIR PLAYGROUND.

IT WAS ALMOST 5 P.M. I NEEDED TO LOOK FOR A BITE. THE ONLY THING I HAD WAS THAT LOVELY SMOOTHIE. I WAS POKING AROUND LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT EITHER HAD A PICTURE OR SOMETHING WHERE I CAN CHOOSE WITHOUT THE LANGUAGE BARRIER AS AN ISSUE. SO AFTER SOME WANDERING, I DECIDED TO GO BACK IN THE MALL WHERE I SPOTTED THE FOOD STALLS. I RECALLED SEEING VISUALS THAT WOULD HELP WITH MY SELECTION.

NEVER AGAIN WITH #PHONHO. NOW LOOKING AT MY IMAGES, IT ACTUALLY READS
PHO NO! SO, NO MORE PHO NHO HERE FOR ME.

IN COMPARISON TO THE PICTURE ON THEIR MENU, I WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE ACTUAL PLATE. I ORDERED THE 2ND DISH ON THE 1ST COLUMN. I WAS EXPECTING A REALLY THIN SLICE OF PORK. INSTEAD, I WAS HANDED A PLATE WITH THE THINNEST MEAT ON THE BONES. I WAS BASICALLY SUCKING ON BONES AND CLUELESS AS TO WHICH PARTS.

THE RICE AND SOUP WERE GOOD, BUT THAT WAS ABOUT IT. CILANTRO IS SUCH A SCARCE ITEM IN MY GROCERY STORES, THAT I MADE SURE I FINISHED THE CILANTRO WITH MY RICE.

THEY EVEN HAD A MESSY GROCERY SECTION WITHIN ARM'S REACH OF MY TABLE.

DONE WITH EATING. HEADED BACK OUT. NO CLUE WHERE I AM GOING BUT I'M JUST GOING.

AND YEP, I SEE THIS OFTEN, WHERE PEEPS JUST PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I WOULD THINK TO UNLOAD, BUT, I DON'T SEE ANY PEEPS NOR RELEVANT INDICATION.

WALKED STRAIGHT SOME MORE, THEN DECIDED TO CROSS THE STREET IN HOPES TO FIND THE BUPYEOUNG NIGHT MARKET BUT HAD NO LUCK. BUT CAME ACROSS A SCHOOL INSTEAD... THIS IS BUWAN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
HMM, WONDERING WHO THE LUCKY ENGLISH TEACHERS ARE WITH GREAT HOURS!

IT WAS GETTING LATE AND I WAS PRETTY MUCH RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES WITH MY GOOGLE MAP GPS TRYING TO FIND THIS NIGHT MARKET. EVEN STARTED ASKING PEOPLE AROUND AND HAD NO LUCK.

SPOTTED THIS FOOD TRUCK, SELLING WHOLE CHICKENS! I THOUGHT OF GETTING IT, BUT THE THOUGHTS OF DISPOSING THE BONES WAS TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE. HENCE, IT WAS A NO GO.

MADE IT TO THE EXPRESS BUS TERMINAL IN GANGNAM.
BOUGHT MY TICKET AND THE NEXT OPENING THEY HAD WAS THE 10:20PM BUS.
NIGHT BUSES ARE SLIGHTLY MORE IN COST, ONLY ABOUT 60 CENTS MORE.
NEARBY WAS A LOTTERIA FAST FOOD AND WENT AND GOT A CHEESEBURGER AND PASSION FRUIT JUICE. THE PASSION FRUIT JUICE WAS INTERESTING. IT HAD LITTLE CRUNCHY SEEDS IN THERE.



TIME TO CALL IT A NIGHT!