August 19, 2007
Current Location: Seoul-Bupyeong, South Korea
Today's Itinerary
- Fukuoka, Japan
- JR Kyushu Beetle Ferry
- Busan, South Korea
- KTX High-Speed Train
- Seoul, South Korea
- Bupyeong, South Korea
Fukuoka
Early in the morning, I went to the Hakata International Port to depart for South Korea via the ferry (hydrofoil). I actually got to the port a little bit early (around 8 AM; ferry was scheduled to depart at 10:15 AM). At the port, most of the people that were taking the ferry were Japanese. This wasn't much of a surprise, given the
current popularity of Korean television and culture in Japan.
After checking in and getting on board the JR Kyushu Beetle hydrofoil, I was ready to depart from Japan.
さようなら 日本!
(Goodbye Japan!)
JR Kyushu Beetle Ferry
In the past, I have always arrived in South Korea via airplanes, but never by boat, so riding the JR Beetle hydrofoil was a unique experience. For those unfamiliar with
hydrofoils, just think of them as an elevated, high-speed boat. Here's a picture of one of the JR Beetle hydrofoils (picture not taken by me):
On the way to South Korea, the Beetle passed by several fishing boats (Japanese and Korean). The Beetle also passed by the Japanese island of Tsushima, an island located in the middle of the Korea Strait, between Japan and South Korea.
안녕하세요 한국!
(Hello Korea!)
Busan, South Korea
After riding on the Beetle for almost three hours, it finally made it into the harbor of Busan, which is South Korea's second largest metropolitan city and largest port. I was able to get a few shots of the city from the Beetle.
After landing and passing customs, I headed directly for the Busan train station. Unfortunately, I didn't really have the time to look around Busan.
KTX High-Speed Train
Launched in 2004, the KTX (Korean Train Express) is a super high-speed rail system, the Korean equivalent of the Shinkansen. At peak speeds, it is able to reach up to 300-350 KPH. Here's a picture of a KTX train (picture not taken by me):
In my previous trips to South Korea, I never had the opportunity to ride on the KTX. Riding on the KTX was reminiscent of the Eurostar train between London & Paris. I guess this isn't too surprising, since the KTX train technology is mostly based on the French TGV high-rail system.
With the KTX, it took just about three hours to reach Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
Seoul, South Korea
After getting to Seoul, I took the subway to get to Bupyeong, the city where some of my relatives in Korea are located. Bupyeong is located in between Seoul and Incheon. Unfortunately, since my stop was almost twenty stations away, it took almost an hour and a half to reach Bupyeong. By the time I got to Bupyeong, it was already 8 PM, so I hit the sack after reaching my relative's apartment.
There's more Japan pictures incoming!
