Busan 2019: Leaving Busan (and Korea)

It was finally time to leave Busan, and Korea. I had spent two weeks wandering all around Korea but now I was returning to Japan for the next leg of my journey. On my final morning in Busan I took a relaxed pace and ate all of my remaining food before loading up my backpack and leaving my apartment. Then it was time for a long ride across town to Gimhae International Airport. At the airport I dropped off my Korean pocket wifi device and headed to my gate.

Originally I was going to be flying from Busan directly to my next destination but a few weeks before the start of my trip I got an email from the airline informing me that my flight had been cancelled due to a change in flight schedule. That was a bit frustrating because I had gotten a really good deal on that flight but there wasn’t anything I could do about it, so I got a refund on my original flight and booked a new flight on Korean Air that would take me first to Incheon (Seoul) where I’d transfer to another plane that would then fly me to Japan. While waiting at Incheon International Airport for my second flight I got to see a little cultural parade that was marching through the airport. It reminded me a bit of the changing of the guard ceremony I had seen at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. I also got rid of almost all of my remaining Korean currency by purchasing a few donuts from a Dunkin’ Donuts.

My flight from Incheon took me south across the Korean Peninsula and then over the ocean. At one point the place crossed over the middle of Jeju Island. In 2017 I had spent a few days on Jeju and during the planning phase of this trip I had considered a return visit but I unfortunately couldn’t fit in the schedule. Maybe next time I’m in Korea I’ll be able to go back. My flight continued south for a while longer and then started to slowly descend towards the arrival destination. The next stage of my journey across Japan and Korea was about to being. Okinawa awaited me.