Friday Favourite V4 : Beach Naps

The concept is easy; at the end of every week I'm going to write down one thing I love about Korea. Last week it was the cosmetic store Etude House and here is this week's...

Perfect after big nights out. Or walks across bridges. Or just after the ordeal of getting to the beach. Or just to cure pure laziness. Nothing makes me happier than a good nap on the beach, especially when the sun is shining.

We've become seasoned pros at these naps and have got the method down to a tee. First of all you evaluate how you feel and how much you need a nap. If you really need one you need to get as far away from the mass of people as possible. Secondly, you need to avoid wet sand so stay away from the sea, but don't get too close to the walkway as the people walking past will keep you awake. Once you've laid down you need to do a bit of a wriggle to ensure maximum comfort. Finally, if you're wearing a dress, before falling to sleep place your bag on the hem of your skirt to avoid embarrassing exposure caused by the sea breezes every now and then. Taking a towel is optional because you might not want to lug it around with you all day, noone will notice the mass of sand in your hair. Honest. Of course, if you're lucky enough to have a bag carrying man around, they might also not mind carrying your towel around all day too. In that case I would always take a towel.

Normally these beach naps are brought to an abrupt end, either by a white rat dog who's been dyed neon and forced to wear a coat, or by the giggles of some Korean girls near by taking a million self photos - but it doesn't matter because it's 20 minutes of sleep that I wouldn't have had anyway. I always wake up feeling 100% better and ready for our next adventure.

Natasha commented that although we have visited alot of Busan's beaches, she doesn't feel as though it can be crossed off the list until we've tested its napping credentials.

My favourite is Haeundae. I like it because it's generally hot when we go there, it's big enough to avoid people if you want a hardcore nap, and it's also busy enough to be interesting to people watch if you find that you're suffering from a bit of nap insomnia. Whenever we have visited Gwangali beach, it's always been far too blustery to have a good solid nap, so this is a no for naps in my eyes.

Be warned, some people have no grasp of the concept of personal space, so you may wake up with someone's feet right next to your head, which makes you feel like they've been watching you sleep.

Pretending to nap can also be a tool to avoid Korean boys who're soaking wet from frolicking fully clothed in the sea who then like to ask to have their picture taken with you.

So in conclusion, once you've nailed the technique beach naps are definitely one of the best things about Korea.