My First Visa Run

Recently I went on my first visa run. Dec 7th marked my 90th day in Korea. The consequence for overstaying a visa is a fine, jail time and/or deportation, and since I'm not too keen on taking high risks I chose to go to Japan (the closest country) and by ferry (the cheapest travel method) to renew my visa. The original plan:

• Sun Dec 5th, AM: from Seoul, take 3-hour train to Busan (southern port city of South Korea)
• Sun Dec 5th, PM: book a hotel in Busan; visit Busan International Ferry Terminal to familiarize myself with it; do some light sightseeing
• Mon Dec 6th, AM: take 3-hour ferry ride across Korea Strait to Fukuoka, Japan; tap my fingers, twiddle my thumbs; wait a while; take 3-hour ferry ride back to Busan, Korea (This leg of the journey is most important b/c this is where I go though immigration and get the necessary departure/arrival stamps on my visa showing my compliance)
• Mon Dec 6th, PM: from Busan, take train back to Seoul

Okay ... so there were a few snags and many noteworthy events. I did a lot of writing while I traveled. Here's what I said:

The train has departed Seoul Station and my nerves are still jumping. I arrived 15 minutes before departure, which turned out to be just enough time to buy a ticket, find the platform, board the train, find my seat and get situated. It's quiet and the ride is very smooth though not nearly as fast as I had hoped, but we are still in the city; outside the city limits I want this thing to fly! [The train would reach speeds up to 292 km/h (181 m/h).] These things always make me nervous and these things always go just fine but I continue to be nervous at every new adventure. There is never a negative consequence of my worrying so the behavior continues, reinforcing itself into a stressful self-perpetuating habit. It serves no purpose so I wonder why I keep doing it!?I'm riding backwards. I hate that! I suppose I could move – not all seats are taken but I'm comfortable right now. Some people are sleeping – I feel tired too but I don't think I could fall asleep. I'd like to take some photos of the countryside as we are flying through, but we'll see. I'm going to Busan today, staying the night then taking the ferry to Fukuoka Japan and back in the same day so that I can meet the requirements of my tourist visa which states I cannot stay in Korea for more than 90 days at a time. Oh ... I just saw cows. The countryside reminds me of West Virginia.

When I got to Busan I checked into the Plaza Hotel, which was listed on a tourist map of Busan that I picked up from the Korea National Tourist Organization in Seoul the week prior to my trip. However, that hotel turned out to be sketchy in terms of safety and class. I was happy to check out the next morning (alive) and headed to the ferry terminal. I knew something was amiss when I passed the automatic glass doors at the entrance; there was a piece of paper taped to the door that had the current day's date along with a message in Korean printed on letter head belonging to Miraejet Co. Kobee – the company I was using for ferry travel service. Turns out my instincts were on the right track. All ferries were canceled that day due to high waters.shit! well, luckily I have an extra day to spare and won't be caught leaving the country on an overstayed visa, but shit! this means another night's worth of hotel expenses and shit! I can't stay at the Plaza Hotel again, and shit! what's wrong with the water? what if it is high waters tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and OMG what if they are sick of canceling due to high waters b/c of all the money they are loosing so they decided not to cancel even when there are high waters, and what about Titanic, and sharks, shit! I didn't do any research so I have no idea what kinds of marine dwellers I'd be fighting for my life with if I went overboard, shit! now what do I do? is it food, water then shelter or shelter, water then food, or water, food then shelter or what? ahhhh! ... this continues, ad nauseam, but happens in like a matter of seconds. I give myself a good smack and decide to hang out at the terminal for a while and just think, what's the rush? I have nowhere else to go and it was too damn cold outside to start heading out without a plan. Found coin-operated internet stations (only in Korea!); five hundred Won ($.50) for 25 minutes.

Eventually I decided shelter came first, knowing food and water was easy to come by. I called another hotel listed on the tourist map to find out if I could check in early (it was about 9am after all) and when I got the green light I high tailed it out of the ferry terminal and checked myself into this MUCH nicer hotel, called the Busan Arirang Tourist Hotel, that had in every room a computer (also only in Korea!) with free internet access, for only about 8$ more than the sleazy Plaza Hotel! The room was already nice and cozy and warm; had a large screen TV with several English channels including CNN World. I got into bed and caught up on the latest world news, including the weather reports of the low levels of pressure over the East Sea and then took an hour's nap.

Snap to the following day. Ferries not canceled. I stepped one foot on the ferry and bam! motion sickness, nausea and dizziness. I hadn't even made it to my seat. All the slow rocking and bobbing back and forth had me more than worried whether I'd get through it. Why hasn't that Dramamine kicked in yet, I wondered. But I was able to snap some wonderful pics of seaside Korea as we left the port while sitting amidst the casual and comfortable ramblings-on of Koreans and Japanese - these people clearly have done this before, I told myself. Then things took a turn for the worse.Forty-five minutes into the trip we encountered high waters, and by 'encountered high waters' I mean, crashed into a big ass wave, and by 'crashed' I mean KABOOM!, and by 'big ass wave' I mean BIG ASS WAVE! Though we were belted to our seats, we were jerked forward; the curtain to the luggage closet jumped open; people simultaneously gasped; the engine was immediately cut out (on purpose? on impact?) and we just sat there and bobbed around in high waters in the middle of the Korea Strait, while I wondered if this was a disaster unfolding or a usual happenstance. No announcements, no reassurance, no crew member in sight. I just stared, wide-eyed, watching the horizon in my window disappear into another high wall of deep blue water; waves, just waves, for as long as the eye could see. The waves were like a huge window shade being pulled up from the bottom, covering the entire view, than retracting down, revealing the view of the horizon again.

Five minutes later the engines cranked back up and some relief settled into my core; however, I remained on edge, I knew that this was an uncommon occurrence because for the rest of the trip the yappy passengers remained silent. Halfway through the 3 hour boat ride the white girl sitting in front of me (there were 4 whites total onboard by my visual census account) well she says to her boyfriend, 'my nausea has completely gone away' and I'm thinking that she must be some mutant; part marine animal for sure.

We all arrived without further incident at the Port of Hakata in Fukuoka, Japan. Having only 1.5 hours before the return ferry departed I chose to spend the little time I had wandering about in and around the terminal. I wrote this in my journal:

Well I'm here now (in Fukuoka) which means half of my journey is complete. Since I made it I decided to go back to Busan the same way - I purchased round trip tickets after all. At some point exhaustion from the stress took over and I slept through some of it, thinking I was riding in a car on a bumpy road until my side of the boat would drop down into another valley.I realized why I'm doing this ... so I can write about it. Every new adventure creates this energy in me that compels me to write. ... It's for bragging rights, who am I kidding? I mean ... I'm in Japan!! and I've crossed the Korea Strait!! How many people do you know have been to Korea and Japan and crossed the Korea Strait by water ... 1 - ME!! They read backwards and drive on the wrong side of the road ... and I've been here! (Well maybe being holed up in a ferry terminal for 1.5 hours doesn't qualify as having 'been' in Japan but technically I can say I've been to Japan. Short visits, even a port of call or a plane fuel stop qualify as a stay in the Travelers' Century Club.)

For the most part I cannot tell a Korean person from a Japanese. I thought having lived in Korea for 3 months would give me a clue but nope. Though I can tell the difference between Korean and Japanese speech. Korean speech contains a lot of "...nidda" and "...seo" at the end of phrases.

I boarded my ferry for the return trip to Korea. Here's what I wrote:

If you've ever been on the Body Wars ride at the Epcot Center in Disney World, FL -- you know the one, equal in fun to a flight simulator that pilot interns have to endure to test their ability to withstand G forces -- yeah, it's like that with respect to the Fun Factor: NOT, as in not fun unless you like having your breakfast twice in the same morning. You know something is up when the crew announces that they opened the onboard duty free shop, then 5 minutes later announce that they've closed it, then ask you to return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt, and remind you that the motion sickness bags are right there in the seat pocket in front of you! At least 2 people hurled on this ride based on my observation of one of the crew members twice retrieving a black bag (b/c no one wants to see your stuffed barf bag) and moist towelettes (b/c no one wants to see dried barf in the corner of your mouth) from the First Aid supply cabinet next to my seat. I'm doing well since I decided to OD on Dramamine. The recommend dose is for lightweights.
...
So now I'm back on the train headed to Seoul. Glad to be back on stable ground and riding on rails. Should be at Seoul Station at 9pm where I plan to have dinner a the Vietnamese restaurant, on mind? Beef Pho. I'm sure all the snow has melted in Seoul. I can't wait to get back home. I have another 90 days before I have to leave again.See all my photos from this Visa Run.