changwon: the city that made me question all my life choices
well, i guess i should start by saying that changwon isn’t exactly the most exciting place on paper. like, sure, it’s got mountains and a coastline and all that, but nothing screams ‘i need to blog about this’ until you actually step off the bus and it starts raining. which it did. i checked the app a few times today, and it’s like a full-blown winter movie here. i just checked and it’s…there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.
ok, so i’m here because i bailed on a tour group in busan and needed a place to crash before my flight home. changwon was the first city on the list that didn’t involve paying 20 bucks for a hostel bed. i found this studio apartment for like $15 a night, which is basically a mansion in this place. the landlord was a guy who looked like he’d painted his face with marker and had a tattoo of a calculators sitting on his neck. he introduced me to the neighborhood like it was a concept art project.
the weather here is…vibes. like, i’m sitting here with a cup of coffee that’s probably expired and a laptop that’s overheating, and the only thing i can hear is the sound of construction down the street. honestly, i’d rather be in a fridge. but hey, the buildings are super clean and the streets are grid-planned, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on your view of simple organization. i heard that the local coffee place has the best irradiated coffee, but don’t take my word for it. check out the reviews on TripAdvisor if you’re brave enough to Google it.
if you get bored, busan and ulsan are just a short drive away. honestly, i took one wrong turn and ended up in ulsan for like three hours because their traffic system is basically a riddle wrapped in a paradox. but hey, that’s where i found this really okay sushi place. the tuna was okay, the staff kept asking if i wanted to join a temple. i said no. mostly because i’m not a fan of being spiritual at 3 a.m.
i tried to take some photos of the coastline today. the rias thing sounds cool-like a giant ditch that’s also a beach-but all i got was a bunch of seagulls stealing my sandwich. i saw this photo online from Unsplash with a boat and a statue in the water and thought, ‘i need that.’ so i walked three miles in the opposite direction and found a similar setup. it was just a boat with a statue that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. the statue was a guy with a mustache made of seaweed. i took the photo anyway.
here’s the map. i got lost here. three times. i kept thinking i was in south jeolla or something. the coordinates are 35.2708,128.6631, which is probably just a random point in the middle of nothing. but hey, that’s what makes it authentic, right?
i heard that the jinju bbq place is actually good, but i walked away after the first skewer tasted like regret. also, someone told me that the museum there has a haunted section. i didn’t check it out because i’m not a big fan of haunted things, especially when it’s 70 degrees and i just want to sweat through my hoodie.
the people here are…different. like, they’re all super busy. i saw a guy in a construction helmet trying to balance a scaffolding while texting his girlfriend at 11 p.m. the kids are into k-pop but also really into this local band called the ‘changwon soul seekers.’ i asked them for directions and they just stared at me until i asked again. they eventually pointed me to a park that was basically a concrete jungle with a few trees.
i tried to find cheap food and ended up at this street vendor who sells rice cakes for $2. the rice cake was basically a brick, but at least it was warm. the vendor was a woman who looked like she’d been crying for days. she sold me a second one just to be nice. i’m not sure if that’s a cultural thing or if she’s just a really good person. probably both.
i’m leaving tomorrow. i don’t even know why i came here. maybe i just needed a place to sleep without being judged. or maybe i’m a lost soul who thinks a city with 1.2 million people is somehow less intense than a town with 12. who knows. if you’re thinking of visiting, maybe check out the local tourism board site. they have a map of all the ‘must-see’ spots, which is probably just the same as every other city in korea.
i’ll end this by saying that changwon is the kind of place that makes you realize how much you hate small talk. i saw a woman at the bus station trying to sell me a bottle of soju for $5. i said no. she kept asking if i needed help. i said no. she eventually left and i assumed she was just a sad salesperson. but maybe she was just practicing for when she moves to new york. who knows.
p.s. if you’re into food, google ‘changwon seafood market.’ i heard it’s a thing. i didn’t go because i’m still recovering from the rice cake incident. maybe next time.