Sunsan Service Area

Slight interval between my arrival and bus departure sweetly paid off, so I didn’t have to wait too long for bus to depart. A few minutes ago, I had asked to one of drivers in order to find a bus which would I take at Busan Central Bus Terminal. His forefinger clearly pointed at the white fleet with a red color. I rushed to bus and asked to its driver who was sitting in front of the parked bus.

“Yes, this bus”, he said when I showed the ticket.

The ticket which I bought this morning with costs 23,000 Won.

He allowed me to get on early on the bus which its machine was slowly starting but bus still neatly parked at the platform. Bus seats were in two columns on each side and I acquired a seat slightly behind. By being on the bus, apart from getting peace of mind because I won’t be left behind, I also got warm air which made me felt comfortable.

One by one local passengers arrived and tried to find their respective seats. Until a minute before departure, bus seats were not full. The driver came and started checking each passenger with a manifest sheet in his left hand. After marking all lists in the manifest,then driver got off, reported to terminal’s officer, then began to sit behind the wheel. The bus was ready to start its long journey with more than half of its seats left empty.

Then bus was slowly moving away from Busan Central Bus Terminal and starting to show off new areas which I’ve never explored before. Bus entered a toll road by showing the silhouette of South Korea’s beautiful hills. Not infrequently bus entered tunnels which splitting the hill. The streets looked deserted at night, only showing night lights along the contours of Korean hills. Unbelievably beautiful.

Passengers have been asleep for a long time, while I, as a foreigner, prefered to enjoy evening shows while enjoying a few slices of bread which I bought from a minimarket in Busan Central Bus Terminal. Yup, I didn’t have time to have dinner properly, because I was being chased by time to catching bus departure since afternoon.

I didn’t realize I had been enjoying street scenery for so long, until finally driver took a break at Sunsan Service Area near Gumi City, precisely in Gyeongsangbuk Province. All passengers got off to just enjoying a cup of hot coffee or at least go for a moment into toilet. Meanwhile, I just decided to walk around rest area while waiting for driver to finishing their dinner.

Sunsan Service Area, where buses did break time.

Bus which I took (photo taken upon arrival at Seoul Express Bus Terminal).

Then that madness came….

Twenty minutes later, bus was ready to leave, and all passengers returned to their respective seats. I rushed to bus and sat back in my seat. After driver counted passengers, then bus headed again to Seoul.

I remembered that in my backpack there were still two t-shirts and a pair of socks which weren’t completely dry. Seeing a quiet situation in bus with all passengers were sleeping with their dream, I took out that t-shirt and socks and then spread them at headrest of seat in front of me, I deliberately did this to dry them out. “Ah, while all passangers are sleeping, it will be Okay …”, I thought while laughing amused.

Then I started to close my eyes to rest, because when I arrived in Seoul, I would stay overnight and have to stay awake at Seoul Express Bus Terminal to then immediately exploring Seoul City in the morning. I had to save energy for that….

I started to close my eyes, the bus would still arrive in next two hours….

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Jeda tipis antara ketibaanku dan keberangkatan bus berbuah manis, menjadikanku tak terlalu lama menunggunya berangkat. Beberapa menit lalu, aku telah menanyakan demi mencari bus yang akan kunaiki kepada salah seorang pengemudi di Busan Central Bus Terminal. Telunjuk jarinya jelas mengarah pada armada berwarna putih dengan kelir merah. Aku pun bergegas menuju bus itu dan bertanya pada pengemudinya yang duduk di depan bus yang terparkir.

“Yes, this bus”, ungkapnya ketika aku menunjukkan tiket.

Tiket yang sudah kubeli sedari pagi seharga 23.000 Won.

Dia mengizinkanku untuk lebih awal menaiki bus yang mesinnya menyala langsam tetapi masih terparkir rapi di platform. Bangku bus itu berformasi dua kolom di setiap sisi dan aku mengakuisisi bangku sedikit di belakang. Dengan berada di dalam bus, selain mendapatkan ketenangan karena tak bakal tertinggal, aku juga mendapatkan udara hangat yang membuat nyaman.

Satu demi satu penumpang lokal berdatangan dan berusaha mencari tempat duduknya masing-masing. Hingga satu menit menjelang kebarangkatan, kursi bus itu tak kunjung penuh. Pengemudi datang dan mulai memeriksa setiap penumpang dengan lembar manifest di tangan kirinya. Setelah menandai semua list dalam manifest, maka pengemudi itupun turun, melapor kepada petugas di terminal, lalu mulai menempati posisi duduk di belakang kemudi. Bus itu siap memulai perjalanan jauh dengan kondisi lebih dari separuh bangku dibiarkan kosong.

Kini bus perlahan menjauh dari Busan Central Bus Terminal dan mulai memamerkan area-area baru yang belum pernah kujelajah sebelumnya. Bus itu memasuki jalur bebas hambatan dengan memamerkan siluet perbukitan-perbukitan indah Korea Selatan. Tak jarang bus memasuki terowongan-terowongan pembelah bukit. Jalanan tampak lengang di malam hari, hanya menampilkan pelita-pelita malam di sepanjang kontur perbukitan Korea. Luar biasa indah.

Para penumpang telah tertidur sedari tadi, sementara aku sebagai orang asing, lebih memilih menikmati pertunjukan malam sembari menikmati beberapa potong roti yang kubeli dari sebuah minimarket di Busan Central Bus Terminal. Yups, aku tak sempat menimati makan malam dengan layak, karena dikejar waktu demi menangkap keberangkatan bus sedari sore tadi.

Tak terasa aku telah begitu lama menikmati pemandangan jalanan, hingga akhirnya pengemudi melakukan break time di Sunsan Service Area di dekat Kota Gumi, Provinsi Gyeongsangbuk. Segenap penumpang turun untuk sekedar menikmati secangkir kopi panas atau paling tidak pergi sejenak menuju toilet. Sedangkan aku hanya memutuskan berkeliling di sekitar rest area sembari menunggu pengemudi menuntaskan makan malam.

Sunsan Service Area, tempat bus melakukan *break time*.

Bus yang kunaiki (foto diambil setiba di Seoul Express Bus Terminal).

Kegilaan itu datang….

Dua puluh menit kemudian bus siap berangkat, segenap penumpang kembali menempati posisi duduknya masing-masing. Aku segera menuju bus dan kembali duduk di bangkuku. Usai pengemudi menghitung penumpang, bus kembali melaju menuju Seoul.

Aku teringat bahwa di dalam backpack masih terdapat dua t-shirt dan sepasang kaos kaki yang belum sempurna kering. Melihat suasana sepi dalam bus dengan penumpang yang terlelap dalam mimpi, aku mengeluarkan t-shirt dan kaos kaki itu untuk kemudian membentangkannya di sandaran jok depan, aku sengaja melakukannya untuk membuatnya kering. “Ah, mumpung yang lain sedang tidur…”, batinku tertawa geli.

Selanjutnya akupun mulai memejamkan mata untuk beristirahat, karena setiba di Seoul, aku akan menginap dan harus terjaga di Seoul Express Bus Terminal untuk kemudian langsung melakukan eksplorasi Seoul di pagi harinya. Aku harus menghemat energi untuk itu….

Mata mulai kupejamkan, bus masih akan tiba dua jam lagi….

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Sunsan Service Area

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