Blog 1 – Day 9 15/11/24

Before I jump into our first day in Sth Korea, I wish to somehow portray how magnificent Japan was for most of us on the tour the previous week on Blogs 1 – 4 (7 – 14/11/24). We were blessed with I’d say perfect Autumn weather over the 7 days with no rain & as much sun Autumn could provide. We received the best guide in Trend & certainly, the bus driver, Takanashi-son .. (spelling?) with their attention to detail, full professionalism & overall skill in dealing with so many personalities and safe driving.

Japan is a country that prides itself on the above personal traits without question as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs. Their culture is wonderful & most pleasing where we are warmly embraced. Criminal actions, like theft is extremely rare and the consequences of monumental shame, etc would be very harsh for the offender plus their family. As I walked the streets of Tokyo & Osaka, etc hundreds of bicycles are stored along the footpaths overnight & not one was locked. Going to a phone shop & the phones on display are not cabled locked like in Australia. Some of our passengers accidentally left their phones on tables & park benches & were still there when we searched for them quite some time after. Travellers were quickly advised at the checkout if they left money in machines or forgot their change. So honest.

The townships & cities are so clean, and every vehicle we saw was spotless to a fault and there are so many other examples that reflect the examples of the world’s crown jewel of Japan. I found Tokyo slightly cleaner than Osaka for some reason. I dread, the tourists & the increasing world influences might divert the teaching of their youth and their culture, professional & morals become compromised. P.s. Upon my return to Australia Japan had released a bulletin stating they are concerned now of the massive increase of say, Australian visitors, breaking records. So that confirmed my original thoughts when arriving in Busan, Sth Korea.

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From the horrors of the day prior in Japan from my last blog I hardly slept and constantly thought how I would confront our passenger from hell, .. DS that morning, for his actions and behaviours to date were beyond belief. I was happy we are staying in the Asti Hotel in Busan for a few nights, so I had no push to repack my bags, etc & get somewhat more settled.

The next day, a big touring day was planned with a bus departure for 9.30am but brekky first. Being somewhat early I found myself the only person in the brekky room apart from another couple on our tour, but I respected their privacy as they had paperwork on their table, etc & eating their breakfast & found another table some distance away.

Some minutes later, DS came from behind & put his hand on my shoulder & makes a joke “have you got my brekky ready”? I immediately stood up & faced him & said “you’re fkn kidding, unacceptable & inexcusable DS. Very poor form” in reference to his selfish stupidity act of yesterday & possibly I’m still venting from his past demeanours. Before I could say another word to continue my venting, he responded “I wanted to do it & I did it”!!! & he immediately walked away & forced a seat at the other couple’s table which again confirms his arrogance. What a vile piece he is!! I made sure he never entered my circle again or even sat in the bus seat next to me from that moment on. I later found a great seat at the rear left of the bus, close to my favourite travellers Ted & Maria & that’s where I stayed the entire Sth Korea bus journeys. From my last blog, DS had left the hotel in Osaka after breakfast on his own accord, flew to Busan, Sth Korea & checked into our nominated hotel without notifying anyone or Trend, our guide which enforced a formal missing person police report. A despicable act & not his first on this tour that involved the police & severe stress to us all on our bus.

Back to the tour @ 9.30am, where we headed off to the East, to Yongdusan Dragonhead Park but first we are in awe of Busan’s infrastructure for 3mil people, such as the elevated road highway network over a very large port moving 20+mil containers/ year & the sheer volume of residential apartment skyscrapers. 65% of residents of Busan live in these apartment setups. We pass over the amazing 7.2klm Gwangandaegyo Bridge (Diamond Bridge) which is the longest bi-level Bridge in Korea. What a structure!! Traffic flows one way South under & North on top. To get to the bridge from the North the traffic spirals up a corkscrew of elevated roadway. I can’t type what one traveller said when he noticed the window view .. & the height we were to travel. LOL!!! Much of the seaport, etc is on reclaimed land. We are so far behind in Australia regarding infrastructure. Obviously, these photos below were taken from the side bus windows.

Yongdusan means Dragon head emerging from the sea which is the shape of the peninsula. The temple is China influenced so you are met with 12 stone statues of the year you were born. My year was of the monkey. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple on the coastline. Most temples are in the mountain areas where in historical times was far safer from intruders & foes. The bell is used here for special occasions, like ringing in the new year. There is not much to write about this location so it really is basically a viewing one.

On the bus we head to the 120m high Busan Tower for a 360° view of the vast city but not the rest of the city hidden behind the mountains. I took the photos in a clockwise sequence hoping you will get some idea of the city layout that is in view. The last photo is from the ground looking up to the tower.

From there we venture into Korea’s largest fish market. From the photos off the tower, you can see a roof line like the Sydney Opera House (white shells). That is the fish market & is full of tanks with all kinds of fish & sea creatures and a massive market to scale. Only 1 couple stayed for a fish lunch where you can arrange for the vendor to organise the cooking of your purchase, the rest of us found cafes, etc for our hour break. No-one seemed keen to do the fish cuisine today.

Back on the bus, we headed towards the ancient village of Gamcheon Cultural Village set into a mountain face. This area was formed straight after the Korean War ending in 1953 by shanties (poor people, refugees, etc) being a safer place to be, away from the open plains. Over the years, the shanties were replaced by brick & concrete & then painted in whatever colour was available. This new area is nicknamed ‘Machu Picchu of Busan’. You can get lost in the mazes of alleys in this precinct & Ed (a favourite traveller) almost did. I would love to provide a photo of the site map but unfortunately, it is copyright, therefore I can’t. The site map was purchased for around $2AUD at the Village Information Centre & was a real help & if you do the designated safer circuits (to prevent getting lost) you can apply certain location stickers. The full circuit can take around 2hrs. We are constantly reminded we are entering private areas, therefore to be extra quiet & respectful of their privacy when taking photos, etc. Looking from the Little Prince viewpoint you get the best view of the village like my photo looking south. There is so much art & photo zones to enjoy. Of course, when we are all done & on the bus, the same lady I spoke about in previous blogs was again very late or lost finally came to the bus escorted by fellow searchers, making us very late to our hotel, arriving quite late in the afternoon. Arghh!!!

The below photos are more of Gamcheon Cultural Village looking firstly, South & the North showing the expansive size & vibrant colours.

Today I encountered 10,577 steps or 7.61klms so I was keen for some energy food … & a beer or two but first I took a photo of the Busan Main Railway Station adjacent to our Asti Hotel & the street of Chinatown for the best takes on a good meal. Several streets have different themes, like Texas Street, etc.

Another big day tomorrow with a 9.30am start for the optional sightseeing tour I paid in advance back in Australia. Stay happy, healthy & safe for my next blog & thank you immensely for reading & hope you like the photos. I trust the stories and photos will get better.