South Korea Day 8: 40 Steps / Jagalchi Market / Gimhae Airport

Assalamualaikum. 안녕.

Our last day di bumi Korea Selatan. Siap² packing supaya senang, balik dari berjalan nanti...pungut beg & boleh check out terus. For our last few hours in Busan, I decided to visit the 40 Steps Culture & Tourism Theme Street first thing in the morning.  

Kasih ibu membawa ke syurga.

History is my kinda thing. 

Part of the landasan yang lalu kawasan ni masih dikekalkan. 

Apart from the Ahjussi who played the accordion, that shop is among the thing that attract me. Keluar dari kedai tu sila berhati² else akan jatuh tergolek dog. Up to this moment I still wondered, apalah dalam kepala orang yang bina benda alah tu. Unik? Maybelah kan.

Ada speaker at the Ahjussi's back. Bila ada orang duduk tepi dia, akan ada lagu dimainkan as if betul lah Ahjussi tengah entertain kita. 

"In 1950, when South Korea was swiftly overwhelmed by the North’s surprise attack. During the war, hundreds of thousands of refugees crammed into Busan, especially in the areas of Yongdusan Hill and the port. Among such a desperate crush of humanity, many families found themselves separated, lost among the crowds disembarking the overly-packed trains and ships.

Getting separated from family in war-time Korea wasn’t the minor inconvenience it would be today. There were no phones, no possibility of communication. You lose your mommy, and she’s going to stay lost. But among the newcomers, word spread of a spot in Busan where families could reunite. Anyone looking for a missing child or wife should head to the 40 Steps. This is where people could find each other again"

source here.

How the stairs looked like back in the day.

Aku yang seketul di tangga penuh sejarah suka duka itu.

Habis menghayati sejarah, we made our move to Jagalchi Market. Saja beli point to point ticket sebab mau merasa tekan mesin beli tiket di Busan. Kesian bah perangai. 

Alley near the hostel we stayed at...also sangat dekat sama market.

View macam di kampung tumpah darahku. Kalau jalan di pasar KK pun gini juga, nampak ikan bergantungan. Cuma di KK pasar adalah busuk bau hanyir ikan. And yes, kotor. Matilah perangai lupa diri sudah mari. But, that's the plain truth. Titik.

Sebelum isi perut, mari naik observation deck di Jagalchi Market ni. Cuci mata tengok keadaan keliling Busan dari rooftop. Cari damai di pagi hari as my cousin said. Ayat ndak menahan.

Yongdusan Tower. Dari 40 Steps boleh jak menapak naik pigi tower ni tapi kami memang ndak plan untuk jejak tower ni.

Sudah puas layan jiwang at the observation deck, we went down. Kali ni layan view air laut dari belakang market pula. Tu boleh nampak Gamcheon Village from afar. Sekali pandang, macam padat pula penempatan di Busan ni.

Sukanya tengok laut! Pastu ada seagulls pula. Damainya rasa. Kalau suruh duduk depan laut, dengar bunyi laut & burung berkicau; confirm aku sanggup! 

Seriously, aku memang masuk pasar basah. And cuci mata tengok bermacam jenis hidupan laut. Bersihnya pasar di Busan ni...kalau suruh aku duduk atas lantai tu pun aku sanggup. Cuba pasar di KK, air terpercik di sandals pun aku sudah membebel macam radio rosak. Sombong betul kau kan Bie. Dasar!

Nampak signage restaurant, terus lah both melompat girang. Sengaja ndak breakfast (aku just alas perut minum nescafe) semata mau membalun makan di sini sebenarnya. Orang bilang, kalau sudah datang Busan...silalah datang menjamu perut di Jagalchi Market.

Ronda 2-3 round before we decided to have our lunch here. The owner yang pakai baju biru tu, bersungguh explain menu dia sama kami. Siap tunjuk magazine dari Hong Kong yang ada mention restoran dia. Gitu kan.

"Hahaha tu magazine, siap dia sudah tanda which page. Senang buka untuk show to this customer" hmm cousin aku kalau bab ni memang laju jak dia tangkap. 

Malas buka kasut (yang sudah half-arwah! Koyak belakang boots aku memang ndak da ampun) so we opted untuk duduk area yang ada kerusi. 

15 minutes of waiting for the main course to arrived, we were served with these banchans. In which aku tambah 2x. Including the rice. Cousin aku ndak berapa makan benda pelik (to quote her), so memang akulah vakum habis banchans ni semua. Paling best makan sambal sotong (raw) tu with hot rice. Ok, terliur sudah!

Ikan yang kami order. Oppa tu suggest ikan ni paling best makan time winter. Surprisingly, ni antara ikan yang paling murah in the menu. Nampak cara diorang bisnes macam mana? Bukan semata mau kaut untung tau. Jujur! 

Dapat kim (seaweed wrap) as service. Aku pun buatlah wrap sendiri. Isi ikan, kimchi & sayur...wrapped with kim & sumbat masuk mulut. Yumms!! Cost kami mentekedarah ni around 75,000₩. 

Sudah kenyang. Its time to make our move. Mandi manda dulu before kami checked-out from the hotel at 1p. Sebab ndak da orang check-in bilik kami haritu, so Ahjumma tu bagi kami keluar lewat sikit. Without additional cost gitu. Although flight jam 5p, kami kena gerak awal. Naik train memang ndak jammed tapi takut sesak beratur check-in di airport.  

Also kami kena return wifi modem. And ada orang suddenly

"Better awal sampai, boleh lepak ngopi lagi kan".

Hmm I thought masa di market tadi ada oarng tu cakap perut penuh gila ndak tau mana mau store makanan kalau makan lagi...? Eh? 

Its time to go back to reality. Ada budak tu mentang lah kan baru habis PMR, terus ponteng sekolah dekat seminggu! Daftar lambat ok. Sudahlah sekolah baru. Bakal dapat rekod busuk lah di awal tahun.

Near the arrival hall ada changing room ni. Aku tumpang jama' dalam ni. Toilet pun sebelah jak. Sungguh convenient.

No check-in luggage masa dari Malaysia hari tu tapi sebiji telah di checked-in kan untuk flight back from Busan. Berat batu ndak larat aku hangkut ke hulu ke hilir sudah. Padahal bukan shopping apa pun, ntah macam mana suddenly jadi berat.

As requested, sudah masuk boarding hall. One hour before departure, kami pun lepaklah ngopi. Tetaplah Dunkin Donuts tapi balik Malaysia jak, terus lah ndak pandang langsung kedai ni. Kami lepak buang masa sambil reminisce kenangan selama seminggu di Korea. Gitu! Belum sampai Malaysia pun, sudah reminiscing bagai kan.

Ada orang habiskan saki baki kWon di duty free shop. Ntah apa jak dibeli. 

Flight was delayed for 30 minutes. Ndak apalah, janji kami sampai bumi Malaysia dengan selamat. Alhamdulillah. Seminggu berwinter with one of my closest sepupu. Kakak dia sungguh berdarah hati sebab ndak dapat join. Padahal aku beli ticket untuk kami bertiga but her college changed the exam schedule in the very last minute. Hence terpaksalah aku cancel ticket & request for refund. Thanks Azra & Aza sebab share info pasal how to refund with AirAsia. 

I'm a happy 'big sister' for making my cousin's dream to set foot upon South Korea land came true. Nasiblah dia berjiwa Kpop juga. So despite the 16-years gap of age, we can somehow connect dengan utuhnya. Thanks sudi jadi mangsa bulian kakak throughout the trip. Kira balasan-dendam sebab dulu kau selalu buli kakak untuk dukung kau & hantar pigi taska. And sebab kau cerewet jadi kakak selalu jak jadi mangsa untuk goreng telur-mata. 

Because u said "Kakak Bibie masak telur; cantik. Ndak pecah kuning". 

Twit! Baru aku perasan, sepanjang trip ni aku actually kena buli dalam diam. Bukan kah aku yang beraksi jadi masterchef preparing our breakfast(s) & dinner(s)?! Aigoo.

eryantierdabdulkarim