Gudeok-ro Avenue

It was almost nine in the evening when I decided to leave Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Square in the Nampo-dong area. I started walking away from an official UNIQLO counter at BIFF Gwangjang-ro and then continued down the main street, Gudeok-ro. One hundred and fifty meters ahead was Gate 7 of Jagalchi Station which was the target of my steps to immediately leave Jung District.

I was heading underground ten minutes later. In warm basement, I didn’t have to bother looking for ticketing vending machine because I still had a small piece of One Day Pass I bought this afternoon when I arrived in Busan. Walking past automatic fare collection gate, I waited for arrival of Humetro Line 1 (Orange Line) at station platform.

The Humetro quickly arrived, opened its automatic doors and I quickly entered center carriage. Sitting on a seat, I kept an eye on the busyness of Busan residents after work. Humetro slowly crept through underground line, dropping me off at Seomyeon Station after passing through nine stations, then I changed to Humetro Line 2 (Green Line). And similarly, after passing through nine stations I arrived at Gwangan Station in Suyeong District. It felt that trip towards this station took quite a long time, forty-five minutes.

I rushed down the carriage and back to surface using escalator. Then took exit at Gate 5 of Gwangan Station which was directly opposite Gwangan-ro Avenue. The street’s air temperature was already at the level of one degree Celsius. I was forced to walk with an occasional shaking body for seven hundred meters towards beach. The presence of several groups of tourists heading in the same direction, made me a little calm, considering that it was almost ten o’clock at night.

I arrived at the beach twenty minutes later after walking nearly seven hundred meters. Standing on the beach as far as the eyes can see, the luminous stretch of the second longest bridge in “Ginseng Country” was truly stunning….Yup, that was Gwangandaegyo Bridge, a seven and a half kilometer long suspension bridge which connects Haeundae District and Suyeong District.

Now I have mingled with tourists and other locals enjoying the festive atmosphere at Gwangalli Beach. I continued to observe the show by residents airing mini-sized lanterns. Parents, young people and small children were almost all immersed in the excitement of show.

While some others seemed to enjoy decorative lights in the form of various kinds of fauna which were pleasing to eyes. In the other hand, the beach looked crammed with multi-storey buildings which gave an impression that the beach area had been touched by technology. But everything looked clean with a well-maintained and organized environment.

I was only able to withstand cold air for forty-five minutes. Surely the air would approach freezing point when night reached its peak. I hurried off the beach and headed back to station. Quickly stepping to escape growing cold, I arrived at station breathless, then rushed to platform and a few minutes later Humetro took me, to then drop me off at Seomyeon Station. Humetro then transferred me on Line 1 to Beomnaegol Station, a station where the hotel I was staying at was located….Yup, Kimchee Busan Guesthouse.

Now it was time to rest for next adventure tomorrow.

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Hampir jam sembilan malam ketika aku memutuskan untuk meninggalkan Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Square di daerah Nampo-dong. Aku mulai melangkah meninggalkan konter resmi UNIQLO di bilangan BIFF Gwangjang-ro dan kemudia berlanjut di jalan utama, Gudeok-ro. Seratus lima puluh meter di depan sana adalah Gate 7 Stasiun Jagalchi yang menjadi target langkahku untuk segera meninggalkan Distrik Jung.

Aku sudah menuju bawah tanah sepuluh menit kemudian. Di ruangan bawah tanah yang hangat, aku tak perlu bersusah payah untuk mencari ticketing vending machine karena aku masih menggenggam potongan kecil One Day Pass yang sudah kubeli sore tadi setiba di Busan. Melenggang melewati automatic fare collection gate aku menunggu kedatangan Humetro Line 1 (Orange Line) di patform stasiun.

*One Day Pass* seharga 4.500 Won (Rp. 57.000).

Humetro itu cepat sekali tiba, membuka pintu otomatisnya dan aku segera memasuki gerbong tengah. Terduduk di sebuah bangku, aku terus memperhatikan kesibukan seusai kerja warga Busan. Humetro perlahan merayap melalui jalur bawah tanah, menurunkanku di Stasiun Seomyeon setelah melewati sembilan stasiun, untuk kemudian aku berganti menggunakan Humetro Line 2 (Green Line). Dan serupa, setelah melewati sembilan stasiun aku tiba di Stasiun Gwangan di Distrik Suyeong. Tak terasa perjalanan menuju stasiun ini memakan waktu yang cukup lama, empat puluh lima menit.

Aku bergegas menuruni gerbong dan kembali merangsek ke permukaan menggunakan escalator. Kemudian mengambil arah keluar di Gate 5 Stasiun Gwangan yang dihadapkan langsung pada Gwangan-ro Avenue. Suhu udara jalanan sudah berada di level satu derajat Celcius. Aku terpaksa berjalan dengan tubuh sesekali bergetar sepanjang tujuh ratus meter ke arah pantai. Keberadaan beberapa rombongan turis yang menuju ke arah yang sama, membuatku sedikit tenang, mengingat malam sudah hampir mendekati jam sepuluh.

Aku tiba di pantai dua puluh menit kemudian setelah berjalan kaki hampir tujuh ratus meter. Berdiri di tepi pantai sejauh mata memandang, bentangan bercahaya jembatan terpanjang kedua di Negeri Ginseng itu sungguh mempesona….Yups, itulah Gwangandaegyo Bridge, suspension bridge sepanjang tujuh setengah kilometer yang menghubungkan Distrik Haeundae dan Distrik Suyeong.

Kini aku telah berbaur dengan turis dan warga lokal lainnya menikmati suasana malam nan meriah di Gwangalli Beach. Aku terus mengamati pertunjukan warga mengudarakan lampion-lampion berukuran mini. Orang tua, kaum muda dan anak kecil hampir semuanya terhanyut dalam kemeriahan permainan itu.

Sementara sebagian yang lain tampak menikmati hiasan lampu berwujud berbagai macam fauna yang enak dipandang mata. Disisi lain pantai tampak berjejal bangunan bertingkat yang memberikan kesan bahwa area pantai telah tersentuh teknologi. Tetapi semua tampak bersih dengan lingkungan yang terjaga dan tertata.

Beberapa bangunan hotel di tepian pantai.

Aku hanya mampu menahan dingin udara selama empat puluh lima menit. Pasti udara akan mendekat ke titik beku ketika malam mencapai puncaknya. Aku bergegas meninggalkan bibir pantai dan menuju ke stasiun kembali. Melangkah dengan cepat demi menghindari hawa dingin yang semakin menjadi, aku tiba di stasiun dengan nafas tersengal, lalu bergegas menuju platform dan beberapa menit kemudian Humetro membawaku, untuk kemudian menurunkanku di Stasiun Seomyeon. Humetro lantas mentransferku di Line 1 menuju Stasiun Beomnaegol, stasiun dimana hotel tempatku menginap berada….Yups, Kimchee Busan Guesthouse.

Kini tiba saatnya untuk beristirahat demi petualangan lanjutan esok hari.

Tag: Gudeok-ro Avenue

Lantern Show at Gwangalli Beach

Permainan Lampion di Gwangalli Beach