This is Haeundae Beach in South Korea. It’s ridiculously popular with up to a million visitors per day. But the funny thing is, it’s not the open sunny beach we know. Instead, it’s lined with umbrellas to block out the sun.
Seriously, can you even be considered a beach when there’s nearly 8000 umbrellas lined up one by one, side by side and all next to each other? It’s like one giant sun-hating canopy. According to the LA Times, one South Korean woman said:
“I love the water, but not the sun,” said Kim Su-min, 29, who huddled under her umbrella wearing sunglasses, long shorts and a hooded sweat shirt, her ankles covered with a towel.
What the hell is the point of going to the beach without soaking up too much Vitamin D? And what the point when you have no where to play and frolick around? Where do people play catch? Build sand castles? Bonfire? Hit on hot girls? It looks more like being stuck in traffic than being on the beach.
It get’s weirder too. There’s green Astroturf walkways so women can still wear their high heels, pre-paid plastic bracelets so beachgoers can buy fried chicken without having to carry cash (I love that), security bracelets to keep track of kids and get this, even a Beach Zamboni to clean up the beach mess at the end of the day. Are you a beach Haeundae? I’m not really sure. [LA Times]