We're all gunna DIE!
The 2012 Busan Fireworks Festival went on last weekend in the port city on Sunday night. They were originally scehduled for Saturday night but, unfortunately, were cancelled due to rain. I suddenly had a bit of Saint John nostalgia and remembered many a New Year's and Canada Day firework display cancelled due to fog.
Glorious! Simply glorious! It's like a mood ring!
I later found out through a co-teacher that the amount of rain we had (something like 40mm in one day) was a 73-year record! It would figure that it would happen the day of the 1.4 million dollar (USD) fireworks display! We had originally planned to camp out at a seaside park on Saturday, but we are VERY happy that we did not!
So, thankfully we were able to watch the fireworks from a spot relatively close to our apartments: Dongnae. From there we were able to overlook the Gwangali bridge (also known as the "Diamond Bridge") from which many of the fireworks were launched. I've included some videos below that I attempted to take with my camera. I can safely say, following the inspection of these videos, that I do not have much of a future in the field of cinematography.
Fairly early on, there was an impressive volley of fireballs launched from the bridge. The show started strong, I will say that!
A section of the big finale. The artist apologizes for being a generally terrible person.
A legitimately good photo taken by me! See?! The sasquatch DOES exist!
The show went on for a good 50 minutes with all manner of dazzling displays! I can only imagine the scene at Gwangali beach, where many boats all along the bay shot fireworks off into the night, arcing over the water. As this year's theme was "love", there were ample shades of red and heart-shapes hovering momentarily over the city. I have heard rumours that some people camp out on the beach as early as 10 hours before the show, only to be sat on by old women and generally beaten up. I'm unsure if the fireworks would be worth 10 hours of boredom and punishment, but I'm very sure that Hannah and I were wise to approach from the other side of the bay. MUCH smaller crowds at the cost of a less-dramatic viewing angle.
Both Hannah and I are very happy we decided to give the fireworks another go after the cancellation. The night was perfect: clear and windless.
I hope all is well back home! And don't be shy about leaving comments! We LOVE to know if people actually read our banter!
-Garrett
PS: I am ashamed and shocked to mention that, of the 600 students I have, only about 10 saw the fireworks. I am starting to think that by the end of this year I will have seen more of the city than they have their entire lives! Poor buggers probably study all the time :(.
That's one thing I don't miss about Saint John is the fog.
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