Went back to the clinic this morning to get my bandage replaced. Man was it a beautiful day!
Since it’s pretty close to the beach, figured I’d take a detour on the way back.
So I went from here:
To here:
Not a bad trip.
Updated 8th January 17:
So I was still sick and my mother-in-law suggested heading to a clinic ahead.
This is highly recommended instead of the hospital. It is significantly cheaper. A consultation without insurance sets to back only about 10K won.
Koreans have a thing for injections which is both amusing and a little disturbing.
Also, the nurse insisted on injecting in my ass for some reason.
After that, we got a prescription for more meds and headed over to the pharmacy. I still wasn’t feeling well after two days so we returned, and the doctor legit asked me how many days of medication I wanted. Again, slightly amusing and disturbing at the same time.
In the end I did get better though so yea… always head over to a clinic first if you can.
Updated on 15th Dec 16: Added a bit more advice under ‘Recommendations’ at the bottom. Also, if you like the cat drawing, you can get it on a shirt or sweater here.
So about a week ago, I scalded my hand pretty badly. In this post I’ll give a quick recap, and at the bottom, recommendations on what you should do if you’re stuck in a similar situation and can’t speak Korean.
For that first visit, you’re looking at paying around $50-$100, and that’s on the upper end of the scale. It’d probably have set me back by $15-$25.
But when you’re in Korea and especially if you don’t know the language, it can be a major pain in the rectum. Right smack in the rectum.
For example, let me introduce you to this crappy HOLYCRAP 240k won bandage (and some antibiotics) courtesy of a visit to the ER…
They fixed me up pretty nicely, and the doctor was critical of the hospital bandage that I got.
Not too bad… until they said I had to keep getting it replaced daily until it got better.
- So yea, not having travel insurance can be a very expensive mistake. So always get travel insurance.
- If you’re not sure about the type of clinic to go to, or need a free translation service, call 1330. It’s a super-convenient service provided by the tourism authorities here in Busan. It’s also great for basically any tourism-related questions you may have. Check out this site for more details: http://www.bto.or.kr/eng/06_visitor/a01_a.php
- Unless you need immediate treatment, head first to the Information Counter to find someone who speaks English, and make sure that they can provide the treatment that you need. Confirm this before agreeing to see a doctor, or you might get charged an arm and a leg only for the doctor to tell you (like in my case) ‘Yea, you should go to one of these two other hospitals instead.’
There’s plenty of resources for tourists in Busan, so while medical care might be a tad pricey if you’re not covered, if you know exactly where to go (and don’t have an over-anxious mother-in-law!) you won’t end up paying too much.
There are many things I love about Korea, but these DRIVE. ME. CRAZY.
…sometimes.
So I finally relented and went to the hospital to have someone look at my messed-up hand. After being directed to the Emergency Room…
Here’s what my hand looked like with a homemade bandage:
Here’s what it looked like after a HOLYCRAP 240k won quick bandage and a few antibiotics:
This one one of those rare moments we didn’t pay with my credit card (Citibank PremierMiles) which comes with travel insurance. And like a genius, I’d completely forgotten to get us covered for a three-month stay in Busan.
The doctor barely had a look at my injury, and when I asked if it were infected… he replied with – and I kid you not – a goddamn “Probably”.
He gave me two locations I had to pick from to visit a burns specialist (apparently) hospital for a special dressing. No idea what that even means. But I’ll go. I’m already feeling a little feverish. That can’t be a good sign.
Oh yea and these hospitals are like, an hour away by car. GODDAMMIT.
Just outside the hospital were a few pharmacies, each with its own promoter standing near the entrance. Coming from Singapore, this was surreal.
All in all, a very expensive lesson. I’m getting travel insurance later tonight from a company that offers it for those who are already on their trip.
Always get travel insurance.
So I was in deep trouble. This particular morning was our anniversary, and with all the crap that had been going on, I’d realised too late that my original gift idea wouldn’t work, due to time constraints.
Yea, yea, that’s not an an excuse I know… I know…!
I’d gotten the flowers preordered from before, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for in Jangsan… matching hats for my wife and our Littlest Dictator. This morning was basically a do-or-die (possibly literally) situation.
Got my brother-in-law up to drive me to Shibsegae Shopping Mall, once the world’s largest mall in the world (it was in the Guinness Records, if I’m not mistaken).
We got there on a cold morning at 10am.
And… they were still closed!
Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal to me, since they were going to open at 10.30am. Except in my haste, I did not dress for the really cold morning.
Ah well. Decided to walk around a bit to warm up.
Didn’t realise that Bexco (a major exhibition and convention centre) was so close by).
We grabbed a quick coffee at the nearby convenience store and headed underground to one of the main entrances.
Turns out there were others who just couldn’t wait to get their morning shopping in. I wonder if they too had messed up in a big way like I did!
The place is huge. I moved from floor to floor, communicating in a mixture of very basic English and sign language (the latter mostly).
It reached the point where I’d almost given up and decided to have a bit of stupid fun instead.
This is a man who has lost all hope:
At long last I found them!
These, plus the flowers basically meant I could continue to breathe the cool free air 😂.
Hand’s still smarting, but thought I’d do a quick post on a recent trip to Hwangnyeongsan Mountain or the Beacon Fire Station Mountain.
Do you remember the fire signals on the top of mountains in Lord of the Rings? This is exactly that (only much older, of course!)
It’s not very tall or steep, so hiking to the top won’t take more than maybe 2-3 hours. Or you can take my my preferred approach, which is to drive straight up to the summit 😂.
The pictures posted below are a combination of my first and second visits.
The first time, it was right after it had rained, so there was a lot of fog. View was still amazing though.
The clean, paved roads and sidewalks make for a very pleasant climb, but there are also trails you can check out if that’s your kind of thing.
If you drive or take one of the paved pathways, you’ll reach the main entrance, which is right next a KBS Station or something.
I can see what you’re doing down there!
The sun was setting rapidly.
The five beacons that indicate severity, with five lit-up beacons indicating that the battle has begun.
The descending sun and clear skies gifted us with an incredible experience.
Looking forward to checking it out again.
Getting there:
Get off at the Yangjeong metro station. It’s quite a bit of a walk from there. Or you can take a cab to the summit (about a 9-min ride).
My hand now looks like a wrinkly apple with an attitude problem, but the pain’s almost gone so hopefully I’ll be able to resume my workouts tomorrow!
Anyway, we visited the ancient Haedong Yonggungsa temple recently. First built in 1376 (and my little sister calls me old!) and situated on a cliff by the sea, the views you get are breathtaking.
Here’s the entrance from the car park:
On the way to the temple proper, you’ll come across many vendors on either side of the narrow path selling souvenirs and unique (and a little overpriced) snacks.
The weather was really nice. I just suck at taking good pictures.
This was pretty good, actually.
Gets pretty crowded on the weekends.
Totally worth it.
There’s also a trail that leads you directly to Songjeong Beach. Definitely trying this out next time I’m there.
Hopefully I’ll be able to return at least one more time before we leave.
Getting there:
We drove there, but if you’re going by bus, as per the Visit Korea site, take the subway to Haeundae Station (Busan Subway Line 2), and then head to Exit 7. Take Bus 181 and get off at Yonggungsa Temple Bus Stop.
It’s still a bit of a trek to get to the entrance though, so if you have leg problems, it’s best to pay a bit for a cab to drop you off.
For those who don’t know me (which would be most of you since I only started this blog like, a week or two ago), I’ve been hoping to encounter snowy weather for AGES.
The last time I touched snow was about four or five years ago in Jangyu after I arrived just a little bit too late during an unusually cold day in that part of Korea. There were only small piles of it left on a mountain.
Ever since then, I’ve been hoping to see snow again. Each year I always get so close. SO DAMN CLOSE. I mean goddammit there was even once where it snowed JUST AFTER I LEFT.
With these being my final three months in Busan, I’ve got a plan. Right after the coldest night, I will scale Jangsan Mountain. There’s got to be snow up there.
Every week once or twice I’ll practise going up Jangsan. Once the time comes, I intend to reach the summit hopefully in less than three hours. What? A guy can hope, can’t he??
Be scaling you real soon…
My mother-in-law has a really good filter that also dispenses cold and HOLYCRAPTHATISHOT!! water.
Unfortunately after my workout last night, my hand experienced first-hand (get it? Get it??) just how hot it was. And even now my hand still feels like it’s on fire. In winter.
I came to Busan from Singapore in part to the experience the cold of winter. Talk about ironic.
So here I am, posting with a phone, while being interrupted every five minutes by my two year-old.
But fear not! I’ve got a ton of stuff yet to post about! Including my Quest for Snow in Busan (more about that later).
In the meantime, here’s a nice view of the sunset from two or three days ago.
One Weird Dude's Busan Blog 