travelblog

When Your Toddler Falls Sick in Busan

In this post I’ll be talking about our experience when my 3 year-old fell sick and needed medical help urgently on a Sunday, with Monday right afterwards being a public holiday.

If you need to get your infant or toddler to a doctor immediately on a Sunday or public holiday, please scroll down to the bottom of this post for information on the hospitals with a department for little children.

With that being said, onward with the post!

It almost didn’t happen but we’re back in Busan for just three-and-a-half weeks this time before my mother-in-law moves to France.

While we’re excited to be here, after a poor flying experience with Air China (there’ll be a whole separate post for that!), something happened that made us realise just how risky it can be to travel with a toddler to Busan.

After just a few days, our three year-old daughter a.k.a. The Littlest Dictator contracted a urinary tract infection, that caused her a lot of pain whenever she had to pee. The poor girl would cry and scream every time.

An infection like that requires antibiotics so you really need to get to a doctor.

Problem was, it was a Saturday night, with Sunday being New Year’s Eve, meaning the next day would be a holiday as well. So just take her to a hospital. No problem, right? Turns out not all hospitals here have a paediatrician or even a children’s section in their A&E departments.

I went to the largest hospital near our place in Haeundae, the Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital and was told that the specialist would only be available on Tuesday and later Friday. With the pain The Littlest Dictator was in, this was unacceptable.

Fortunately after pressing a little bit for help, the counter clerk gave me two recommendations: Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH) and Dong A University Hospital. He said these were Grade 3 hospitals, meaning they’d have children’s specialists on call at all times.

I would learn later from speaking with various people that apparently, these were the only Grade 3 hospitals in all of Busan and that most people including Koreans did not know what Grade 3 hospitals even were.

Wouldn’t be a problem if you were near the Busan KTX station.

For us in Haeundae, it means more than an hour of traveling to the other side of the city, which is huge (compared to Singapore at least!)

Early next morning while the family had breakfast I’d decided to head over the Busan Tourist Information Center (I’ll try and get a picture later) to see if maybe they had suggestions. Turns out, not really. They tried calling another large hospital nearby, the Haeundae Bumin Hospital who actually asked us to check with the Inje University Hospital I’d gone to previously. So yep.

So I let my brother–in-law know where I was so he could pick me up. And miraculously on this particular morning, he seemed to have forgotten how to use the goddamn GPS and I instead had to walk back and forth in the freezing cold until he finally let me know that he and my wife were at the Burger King in the middle of a road that wasn’t even near any of the places we’d talked about. WELL DONE, MAN.

But he was driving us, and without him the cab ride would’ve cost a crazy amount so fine.

Of course naturally, he got lost and instead of going to Dong A University Hospital – which he had insisted was nearer even though everyone I met said that PNUH was closer to where we were – we ended up in a weird small mountain town at a building for Dongan Medical Centre or something. A small clinic that wasn’t even open. GODDAMMIT.

We eventually reached PNUH but not before the Littlest Dictator had to pee again and cried out in pain. This is what happens when you leave the navigation to people who are too goddamn proud to be wrong, you know what I mean?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad he was around to help and even stuck around to bring us back home. But the delays were really unnecessary. 4/10.

Anyway, we finally reached PNUH and YES! They really did have a children’s department.

Of course the moment I arrived, they straight up asked me if I’d be OK if the bill reached or exceeded USD $1K (around 1,000,000 in Korean Won). Yea that was the first red flag, I guess.

We were led to the children’s section:

Not long after that, I had to keep slapping away the hands of grabby doctors and nurses who were super eager to run tests, a few of which I realized later were not necessary. Those tests did manage to significantly bump up the bill though…

InkedPic 8_LI 1 — Radiation Therapy? It was just an x-ray. WHY DID WE NEED AN X-RAY IN THE FIRST PLACE??

Overall, our experience with the staff were alright. Most of them spoke English, sometimes broken but enough to communicate.

After a couple of hours over there they finally confirmed what we suspected about the UTI and prescribed antibiotics.

And how much did it cost? A whopping KRW 876M (around USD $876). HOLY SHIT. I mean sure we’ve got travel insurance that we could claim back against back in Singapore, but if we hadn’t had the money up-front, I shudder to think what would’ve happened.

Fortunately the Littlest Dictator is doing much better now, and the pain seems to have gone away though she still needs to finish the course of antibiotics.

As much as I loved visiting Busan, this was something I did not expect and man, you should seriously reconsider visiting if you’ve got a little one in tow.

I’ll try and add more pictures to this post much later.

In the meantime, here’s the information on PNUH and Dong A University Hospital:

While at either of these hospitals, if you need translation help, call or get them to call 1330.

It’s a 24-hr hotline specifically for tourists, maintained by the Korea Tourism Organization and they’ve got excellent English speakers who can help.

Here’s a link to more information: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRV/TV_ENG_3_1.jsp

Pusan National University Hospital

Website: http://english.pnuh.or.kr/english/main/main.do?rbsIdx=1?rbsIdx=1

Location: Address : 179 Gudeok-ro, Seo-gu, Busan-si, 49241 Korea

Contact number: +82-51-240-7472~3

Dong A University Hospital

Website: https://www.damc.or.kr/eng/main/main.php

Location: 26 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan-si, 602-812 Korea

Contact number: +82-51-240-2400~1

Update 12th Jan 18: Included information on two other children’s hospitals in Haeundae:

Haeundae Pureun Bada Children’s Hospital (this recently opened on the 5th of Jan 18)
Centum Children’s Hospital

Haeundae Pureun Bada Children’s Hospital

A couple of days after our costly experience with PNUH, I found a flyer stuck to the front door (this is still a pretty common advertising tactic in Busan) for Haeundae Pureun Bada Children’s Hospital, which apparently opened on the 5th of Jan 18.

Other that what’s in the flyer, I haven’t been able to find any other additional information on this hospital, including a website. Not sure if I’ll have the time to swing by, or even if they have an A&E section but it’s good to know that it’s around.

Unfortunately I can’t even find an English transliteration of the address. But if you call 1330, the helpline staff should be able to get in touch with them for you.

Centum Children’s Hospital

This is another hospital that I found via Google while looking for the Haeundae Pureun Bada hospital above. I’d probably come across this one before, but figured I’d include it in this post as well.

The website is a little bizarre and looks somewhat broken though: http://www.ctadong.co.kr/

Not sure if they have any English speakers there, but again just remember to call 1330 and they should be able to help you out.

Contact details:

Tel: 051-743-1588

Address: 407 Haeun-daero, U-dong, Haeundae, Busan

Again, one important thing to note is that neither of these two might have an A&E or even open during Sunday and public holidays. So for emergencies, you might still have to head to one of the two Grade 3 hospitals mentioned above: PNUH and Dong A University Hospital.

Stay safe everyone!

January 1, 2018 0

West Coast Park

After another long week, we finally got our one day away from the Littlest Dictator.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter. But any parents who claim not to want a break from their baby are either lying or have already gone off the deep end. Kids will do that to you. They’re like those Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, and you’ve always got to be on your toes or you’re well and truly screwed. It gets exhausting.

Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, the day off. So we headed over to West Coast Park.

I had a rough idea of where it was, but didn’t know exactly how to get there. And I wasn’t going to use Google Maps because dammit, I used to cycle past it on the way to work four or five years ago and I don’t need a damn phone to tell me how to get there.

I totally needed my phone.

We reached there eventually after walking about maybe 30 mins from the Clementi Bus Interchange.

We had a sandwich at a Subway-like place, at an newly-refurbished old, three or four-storey building in an equally old neighbourhood.

The many “licensed moneylenders” and pawnshops made it a little bit depressing. Clementi is what property agencies call a “mature estate”, which means it’s been around for longer than most, and is relatively well-developed.

The old housing estates and low buildings with shops on the ground floor and apartments on the floor above have got a kind of charm. Brings back nostalgic memories for me. And some not-so-pleasant ones.

I grew up in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and as the years went by, slowly realised that we were on the lower portion of the income scale. Not dirt poor by any means. But yeah, quite lacking in certain areas.

By the way, as we walked through the neighbourhoods to get to the park, it only occured to me to take pictures once we’d arrived. So ah, you’re just gonna have to use your imagination for now. Put all those Sesame Street hours to good use!

After walking for a while and wondering if we were lost, and ng refusing to check my phone because I’m a man goddammit, we finally arrived!

Beautiful place. So green and windy and bright. Last time I was there, all I could remember was some tiny boats tied near the shore and nothing much else. Hadn’t been there in more than 15 years.

I was quite pleasant surprised.

Looks like it’s windy often because there were quite a few people there flying kites. Maybe one day I’ll show the Littlest Dictator how to fly one.

Usually a trip to a park in Singapore is accompanied by massive amounts of swearing and feeling like a perpetually melting chocolate bar. But this time it was pretty good. Weather was just perfect.

And even on a Saturday, there weren’t many people.

Yea I wouldn’t mind heading back there at all.

September 24, 2017 0

Visit to the Esplanade and a Few Other Places

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, months? And now on the last day of Ramadhan, I finally have a bit of time to write about some the stuff we’ve been up to.

By the way, I’m writing this while watching the Littlest Dictator feed herself.

A few weeks ago, we visited PIP’s Playbox, located on the fourth floor of The Esplanade.

It’s sort of like a little library and play space for little kids.

Yeah, it wasn’t too bad!

I did get a little annoyed by parents who allow their kids to snatch away toys from the Littlest Dictator while she’s playing with them.

I have a new policy now: if the kid snatches away a toy, I snatch it back immediately. Gently but firmly. Waiting for some parents to do the right thing is like waiting for snow to fall in the Sahara Desert. Or the nee season of Attack on Titan. Just… just trust me on this.

BUT! It was hard to stay annoyed when you’ve got one hell of a view:

Then we went for a walk outside along the river.

Hmm, let’s see where else we’ve been to. Oh yeah. LOL Playland at JCube, an indoor playground near Jurong East MRT. Can’t recall if we went before or after The Esplanade though.

Oh yeah! I went to KL for my very first business trip. First time I ever flew there, and first ever day trip. Usually it’s a major thing for me. Takes about six hours by rail, and four by car or bus.

Yeah, not too bad. an experience! The budget airline terminal looked pretty damn good.

Then we took a goddamn 45-min cab ride to a place that looked like it had been carved out of a forested area not too long ago. A pretty cool place with a hipster-ish vibe, with apartments on the upper floors of the shopping centre, and brand new houses on the other side of a narrow road.

It reminded me of a nice waterfall in the middle of a forbidding jungle.

Despite how nice it looked and… ordinary it felt, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were so far away from the city centre, let alone the airport. Wouldn’t mind going back for a short vacation though.

Let’s see… where else? Where else? Oh right. We paid Big Box a visit. It’s a humongous shopping mall/warehouse next to Jem Shopping Centre, also near Jurong East MRT.

We’d gone there previously and it was pretty underwhelming. While it may be huge, the products sold there appeared to me to be of a cheaper, poorer quality compared to what you’d find in other shopping malls.

But I’d heard of a huge indoor playground there and thought we’d check it out.

It was pretty big, that’s for sure. Might bring the Littlest Dictator here when we get th chance.

Then we checked out their humongous supermarket.

Seriously, this place was huge. It felt exhausting just trying to look at all they had to offer. The design seems a little off though. The aisles were a little too wide, and there were white spaces nearly everywhere you turned, from the ceiling to the walls to the floor. Too many white spaces. The place felt vast but strangely sparse.

It wasn’t that bad though. Might return to check out some of the stuff they have on offer there.

By the way, this is now two days after I started writing. And now I’m attempting to finish this while watching Slap on Titan, an Attack o Titan parody. Armin is one hell of a creepy dude.

June 25, 2017 0

First Day Back in Singapore

After the long flight back, during which the Littlest Dictator peed all over my pants (therefore making me look like I peed) during boarding time for the final connecting flight. Ended up with pee all over me for final two hours. That… that’s gotta be a sign, right?

And the moment you step out of the airport. The very moment, no matter how brief… it gets you. The. Heat.

But it’s really not that bad. Check out the temperature today.

It’s like being in a sauna. All the time! GREAT.

We haven’t melted yet or anything! I already miss days likes these, though.

Notice the lack of people in coats passed out from heat stroke.

Anyway, we’re back. Time to rejoin the workforce, and research toddler gyms and day care centres.

The countdown to the end of this year has begun. One final trip to Busan.

February 18, 2017 0

Saying Goodbye to Haeundae Beach and the First Signs of Spring

Just one full day left and you know what’s funny? After three whole months, it feels like we’ve only just arrived.

A lot of people tend to focus on Seoul when it comes to Korea but I’m telling you man, you’re missing out if you don’t give Busan a try, especially in winter.

From the clear blue skies to the mix of evergreen and bare trees dotting the landscape, interrupted by inviting mountains, surrounded by the vast sea.

I’ve heard that the locals in Seoul can be as cold as the weather there, but here in Busan, they are incredibly friendly and helpful and kind.

Yesterday we said our goodbyes to Haeundae Beach.

I am going to miss strolling on the beach under the bright sun and not sweating from, like, everywhere.

And all around us, the first signs of spring.

Leaves have begun to grow, and here and there flowers are starting to make a comeback, as well as birds I hadn’t seen during the coldest months in December and January.

Tomorrow we leave early in the morning, well before the Littlest Dictator usually wakes up. It’s going to be a very long flight.

And it just hit me. We have our own family tradition. Every year we visit Korea and my wife’s mom in winter. And now the Littlest Dictator is a part of that. I never did have something like this as a kid. It’s pretty cool. I think.

Yea, I’ll definitely miss Busan.

February 16, 2017 0

Five Days Left

Here we are, at the tail-end of our epic three-month stay. And you know what? I miss Busan already!

I’m especially going to miss waking up to this view after an afternoon nap:

It’s been almost surreal. Living by the sea, with ever-changing breathtaking scenery beckoning to me just outside the window each morning.

Now sure, there are some things that I miss about Singapore. But you know what I don’t? The freakin’ heat!

What the hell, Singapore? Even at 3am? COME ON.

It’ll be like waking up from a dream once we’re back. I’ll get a regular job again, and adjust to the standard weekday schedule most people in my line of work have.

And that’s OK. It’ll be good to stretch my legs again, you know?

Oh and I’ve got a bit in the way of motivation. Looks like my mother-in-law is delaying the move to France by one more year.

That’s right, one last trip to Busan at the end of the year, baby!

WooHoo!!

February 12, 2017 1

Skiing in Neighbouring Yangsan!

Edit: This is like, my 3rd attempt to post it due to a weird problem with the app basically saying “Hey, hey, you want to post this? It’s interesting right? Yeah? NO. SCREW YOU, HUMAN! KISS MY DIGITAL RECTUM! SKYNET 4 LYFE!”

Baby’s down for her nap, and my laptop needs recharging (like, 20 mins into the series finale of Rectify) so there’s time for another post!
We went skiing! Or, as I should call it, ‘That Time My Ass Kissed the Icy Floor Over and Over Again.’

More detailed information on the resort and how to get there can be found at the bottom of this post.

We went to the Eden Valley Ski Resort in Yangsan. At night. For the first time. So yea, we got a little lost.

I don’t know man, this looks just a wee bit off than what I expected a ski resort to look like

We finally found the proper route and you can tell it is (you know, besides looking at the signs) by the increasing number of ski/snowboard gear shops the further you go.

We settled on getting equipment from here:

There was a guy in hockey mask and a bloodied machete who was pretty nice and spoke with high-pitched British accent

The place was fine, but just bear in mind that they are an independent shop.

Be very specific about what you need to rent and for how long, and remember that they do not have any say regarding the admission cost. My brother-in-law told me that the guy spoke as if he were connected to the resort. I’m hoping it was a communication issue. Yeah. Communication issue.
Anyway, I’d recommend renting directly at the resort. Easier to drop off the items and stuff.

We finally arrived:

One important thing to bear in mind, especially if you’ve never skiied before: There is no beginner -level slope. I mean, they have one, but you’ll get what I mean further down.

First, the view from the bottom:

The one on the left is supposedly the one for beginners. LIES, ALL LIES

For starters, we had to take a goddamn ski lift to get to the top of the beginner-level slope.

For beginners. That is, for you to begin crapping yourself

Aaaand here’s the view from the top of the slope:

Notice how it looks deceptively flat… that’s because there’s a super-steep decline that connects to the slope on the right

Thought I’d take one last picture of my being alive

Being the genius that I so clearly am, I’d decided to sit in the snow for a moment to rest. In non-waterproof pants. It’s amazing what a freezing ass and the threat of hypothermia can do to motivate you to speed down a death slope.

My last fall was when I’d decided to just go for it… and was speeding downwards when I realized I couldn’t stop. Because of the speed, I actually bounced off the damn ice. Oh yea, and I’d also neglected to wear safety gear. You know, all part of being a goddamn genius.

Luckily I got away only with slight cuts on the elbow which I legit thought was bleeding heavily at the time (shut up).

Would I do it again? With safety equipment, I’d say yes.

Would I recommend it to beginners?

HELL NO ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??

Overall, an… enlightening experience.

Getting There:

We drove there at night (night skiing is from 9pm-1am), and the road conditions were pretty good.

More details here: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658160

January 13, 2017 0

Visit to Oryukdo Skywalk

What is it?

A relatively new seaside attraction that opened up in 2013, located on a cliff on Oryukdo Island. I’ll talk more about whether you should visit further near the bottom of this post.

The drive from Haeundae Beach to Oryukdo took us over Gwangandaegyo, also known as the Diamond Bridge. I never get tired of the view:

As long as you don’t think about possibility plunging to the depths of the sea, you’ll definitely enjoy the view!

One of these days I’ll have to check and see if I can walk up there.

After that was a short journey through one of those quaint, little towns that lies at the entrance to the mountain road that will take you to the cliffs on the other side.

Koreans enjoy livening up their industrial plants with cheerful murals

Made a quick stop on the mountain road to make sure we were headed in the right direction and not to Japan or something.

When we arrived, it was unexpectedly packed! I’m talking a small road filled with cars and tour buses. Turns out it was just our bad luck. Like, an hour later, the roads were clear.

So we parked a little farther out:

A pleasant stroll downhill. Pleasant so long as you don’t think of the journey back up with a cranky baby.

The whole area by the seaside is breathtaking. The views definitely merit that word. It’s like being in a masterpiece of a painting or walking in a dream.

And the air. Holy crap. It’s so fresh. If Mentos grew naturally, this is where you’d find a motherlode. Makes you feel refreshed and relaxed at the same time.

I’d never want to live here, because I’d never want to get tired of seeing such beauty.

Anyway, on to the Skywalk!

From here, it’s just a short walk up to the Skywalk proper:

Admission is free and you’ll have to cover your shoes before entering:

Here we go:

If you have vertigo, probably not the best idea.

The Skywalk itself was OK. Probably because I’ve experienced similar platforms that were much, much higher up like the Euraka Skydeck’s ‘The Edge’ in Melbourne and even the walk in Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

The Littlest Dictator was quiet… for a moment.

Next, we walked down to the bay, where there’s a small market for fresh fish:

The trailer is a little restaurant if you’re in the mood for seafood

Should you visit?

Depends, really. The natural beauty of Okyudo Island is enchanting, surreal even. If nature is your thing, I’d highly recommend it.

If you’re going solely for the Skywalk though, then you might want to give it a pass.

The place is a major pain to get to, and if you took public transport (excluding cabs), it could easily take you more than an hour to reach.

More details here:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1981825

Dear GOD has the baby always been this heavy??

December 22, 2016 0

Fooling Around in Shinsegae

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 😂.

December 12, 2016 6

One Weird Dude's Busan Blog

Busan in Three Months

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