Lucy, you got some Complainin' to do!
Thursday, December 15, 2011 Okay, sorry for the corny title. But it's such a great show and a happy thought to start with before the vent session about to occur. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated right now! Nothing big or terrible has happened, and I know I should be grateful that the first of my travel frustrations are occurring after 3 months of being on the road. But, I'd still like to vent a bit so please just be a good friend and listen….or skip ahead 'til after I'm done complaining, deal? Thanks. So, yesterday was supposed to be my day to explore Busan. I had arrived there the day before but had an early travel start and ended up sleeping away most of the day and didn't see much. It was my sister's birthday and we had a Skype date at 11am (that part of my day WAS awesome!)so I got up early and planned to finalize some travel plans and odds and ends online before heading o ff to explore Busan. Oh, if only it were that simple. I researched ALL morning the most affordable way to get to Japan (that's right, I'm off to Japan next!) and this was not an easy task. All the websites for the ferry were in Korean. Didn't help me. Finally found some websites in English, but couldn't actually purchase anything from them. Found a travel agency (thanks, Marisa) that spoke English and could help, but conversations over Skype were COMPLETELY lost in translation. To the point where I would say, "is there a train from the ferry to downtown?" and they would respond with "what time do you need to be at the consulate?" It was a challenge. We finally got it figured out as to what I wanted and then I had to calculate between 3 currencies. Some prices were quoted in Korean Won, others in Japanese yen, and I had to convert them all to US dollars. This was fun. Wasn't entirely sure I even knew what I was buying or how much I cost but at that point I decided to just go for it. Perfect, I'll give you my credit card and I'm set…..
Only they take cash only. Of course. By this point, we had given up on Skype and were emailing to communicate, so I wasted the whole day waiting for emails. Did go for a jog by the river which was nice. Fine, I'll bring you the cash. But it was 5:50pm and they closed at 6pm. Asked what time they opened in the morning, was told 8am. So, even though I was set to be on an early bus to my next town, I rearranged those travel plans to go there first and then continue on. That brings us to today. Headed out the door around 7:30, made it to the agency at 8:30….but they were closed! Found another business who was open, borrowed their phone, and heard the recording that they open at 9. Waited 'til 9, got down to business and wen tto get the cash I needed from the 2nd floor ATMs. Only the ATM kept saying "exceeds the limit" The Korean banker that was greeting people helped me out and he and another co-worker and I put our 3 heads together to find the international contact number for my card, figure out how to call collect from Korea to the US, and I called my bank. Got through! But wrong division. After 3 transfers and waiting on hold for 15 minutes, we were disconnected. Perfect! I gave up on that and decided to try the card again, the whole time worried that my bank would cancel my card for too many tries (still not sure they haven't done so). Same nice banker guy spotted a fellow white person and grabbed him and said "help!" and pointed at me. Turned out to be Canadian, Shane. Canadian Shane stayed with me while I took out $50 at a time, offered to lend me money after meeting me literally 2 minutes prior (I take that back, he didn't even know my name at that point so hadn't technically met yet), and accompanied me back to the agency once money was in hand. Thought the worries were over after I handed over the money and was told my reservation was complete. Oh, but apparently I have to come back to the agency to get my train pass for Japan the next day…and I would no longer be in town. Great! Canadian Shane (sorry, just so fun to say) offered to come back and get it for me and meet me on Sunday to hand it over before I head to Japan the next morning. I hope this plan works! THANKS, Shane! It's really nice how being in a foreign land brings ex-pats together…LOVE it! I was now 3 hours behind schedule to get to my next town, Gwangju. Made it to eh bus station and had to wait over an hour for my bus. Had to pee an hour into the bus ride and was about to burst and had no idea how long the bus ride even was but knew it was at least 3 hours. Was just about to panic when the driver pulled into a rest stop…thank God! Also bought what I thought were the same cinnamon rolls I discovered in the last bus station, but they were like little mini apple pies...that's the kind of surprises I can deal with! Made it to Gwangju around 5pm and my couchsurfing host had sent me directions to her house via taxi. This should be easy. Only the first driver had no idea what I was saying, even after I showed him the email. Got out of that cab, spotted two cops who read my email and patiently listened to me butcher their beautiful language in an attempt to just get to her house! They finally figured it out and escorted me to the next taxi and pronounced it for me. Whew! Made it here and thought I'd relax before heading out to explore. Checked email and my flight for Thailand (next stop after Japan and Korea) did not go through because they didn't like my credit card. Really, people??!!! SO, now I've spent all afternoon on Skype, from Korea, with Spain, trying to purchase a ticket with China airlines to Thailand. Talk about Gloablism! I'm sidetracked. Long story longer, they wanted me to transfer money from my bank to their account. Wasn't about to attempt that so canceled that, purchased it directly from China Southern airlines…and am now crossing my fingers that went through since I received no confirmation. Oh the joys of travel! Why can't anything be simple?! Okay, so enough ranting. For those of you who were hoping to skip the venting, BEGIN READING AGAIN HERE. Going to end with positive thoughts. I'm grateful that this was my first big traveling obstacle and I'm already 3 months into my journey. I'm grateful for couchsurfing hosts willing to host me sight unseen, last minute, and offer me a free, welcoming home (with free wifif). I'm grateful for helpful Koreans and Canadians. I'm grateful that I am healthy and in a position to have this opportunity to travel, be flexible, take it all in, and explore the world. I'm grateful for family and friends who support me and encourage me to keep going, even when frustrated over finances and such. Above all, I'm grateful for those same friends and family who help me keep this all in perspective and realize that all of this is "small cookies" and part of the challenges that I signed up for and ultimately enjoy because they make me a better person. THANK YOU ALL! And please keep that support coming as I'm sure there will be many more "opportunities for personal growth" to come! Thought I'd throw in a happy picture of me for good measure so you know I really AM enjoying ALL of this (each interaction is still a cultural encounter!)!