Monday, June 2, 2008

Bing Soo and Beach

On Saturday, my friend Nina and I went downtown for a bing soo brunch. We wanted to go to a really attractive restaurant called Nymph, which has excellent coffees as well, but they were closed. So instead, we headed off to Dark Black. On our way there, I spied another place called Can More, which looked promising, so we decided to try it out. Were we glad we did!

The bing soo there was the best I have ever had (and I have had some darn good bing soo). I tried the strawberry bing soo, and Nina had the Can More bing soo, which was like none we have ever seen. It was a pile of melon-flavored ice, surrounded by fruit, with a scoop of ice cream and some chocolate and strawberry sauce. We also each tried a slush, which were gorgeous. Nina had the persimmon and I had the mango. Along with our tasty treats, there was also toast with cream to put on it. Heavenly! The food wasn't the only attraction: we got to sit in swings in front of windows overlooking downtown Gyeongju. It was a very neat way to enjoy a meal.


After our scrumptious brunch, we met up with our friends Lizzi, Tristan, and Jeff and caught the 12:40 train to Haendae Beach, in Busan. We spent a short time with some other friends on that beach, then took a taxi to an even nicer, quieter beach. There more friends joined us, and we had a lovely early dinner of kimbap, wildberries, crisps, and wine. It was a bit cold for swimming, but we did do some wading (Nina and Lizzi opted to swim as well). We also enjoyed frisbee and a rather wild game of dares. I took the 10:30 train back to Gyeongju with two friends, owing to a migraine, but some of the others stayed and camped on the beach. I really wish I could have stayed with them!

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"Passage—immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers—haul out—shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovell’d here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O my brave soul!
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!"

~Walt Whitman, "Passage to India"