About 5 minutes after I boarded the bus to Seoul, I realized I had left my camera at my apartment. In typical fashion, I was already running late and going back for my camera would have made me miss the train, so, not an option. Strike one. After arriving in Busan, I realized that the weather report had been wrong, since the rain hitting my face belied the promise of sunny skies. Strike two. But there’s always tomorrow, I think… except… next morning… more rain. Strike three. So, as usual–and not at all deterred by the fact that they are happily installed half a world away–I call my parents to complain about my situation. Unfortunately, my annoyingly chipper and creative sister also happens to be on the call. “You should just sketch everything,” she suggests. Now, mind you, my sister actually could sketch everything. Actually, both of my sisters could sketch everything. I, on the other hand, missed that gift basket as it was being handed out prior to arrival on this little planet, so naturally I scoffed at the suggestion. “No, seriously,” she said, before moving on to ask if the weather was actually bad or just “Maggie bad” (i.e. is it really something normal people would complain about or just me…). At about that moment I realized that I had a couple of options: 1) Be miserable that I couldn’t do what I wanted since God decided to let it rain, as the old song goes or 2) Resolve to have a good time regardless of weather, failed plans, or lack of travel companion. Well, folks, challenge accepted.
My equipment
Yep, that’s me.
I even made it myself. #beimpressed
And yes, if you read my previous post, you have seen that bakery before.
Ajummas=middle-aged Korean women (who are, evidently, way overly concerned with sun exposure).
Gotta love a good visor.
Gives me hope that my sketches might be acceptable to the art community.
The houses do practically declare themselves as cute and adorable. True story.
Just imagine a lot of pretty hues and you’ll get the picture.
There was a random wing sculpture on the beach… I didn’t forget the guy’s head.
This belongs on instagram.
Side-street market by the beach… lined with creepy-crawly sea creatures.
Told you they were creepy…
Tasty & Delicious
It’s a top bunk. I consider that an accomplishment.
Avert your eyes, all ye innocents!
As my nieces learned long ago, I do not excel at images of transportation.
Haedong Yonggusa Temple
My own little act of defiance.
There should actually be more than one of these sketches to accurately portray how much ice cream I consumed.
It’s the historian in me.
Thanks to my new knowledge of flags, I was actually able to sketch out India and New Zealand pretty well, even if you can’t tell.
Don’t judge me.
True story.
She was so cute. And it made me feel good that I probably didn’t smell as I had earlier suspected that I might.
It was vacation.
Yes, she’s fatter on purpose. #truthhurts #pastriesmakeyoufat
TheTravelingFlamingo 
I love this, Maggie! You’ll always remember those details from your time in Busan. Sometimes cameras can hinder our present experience, and while that might not have been the case for you, I think sketching still perhaps changed how you otherwise would have experienced Busan. Too bad it was so rainy, glad you still got to enjoy the city.
I might use this idea and keep a small sketch book for one of my next travels. Thanks for sharing here!
It was so much fun! There was even a little old man watching me sketch one of the sculptures, so I showed him my “art”… he’s probably still laughing about it now 🙂 I definitely recommend it.