Welcome to the second largest city in South Korea, population three and a half million. We are docked at the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula where we spent the day exploring this clean, modern, bustling port city. Each person getting off the ship had to go through immigration which was a super smooth process. A small sticker with a QR code was put on the back of our passports.

Once organized we headed to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple complex which is perched on a rock formation beside the sea, an unusual location since most Buddhist temples in Korea are located in the mountains. The disputed date of 1376 is used for its founding with the undisputed date of 1970 as the date the main sanctuary of the temple was reconstructed, with careful attention paid to the bright, cheerful colors that were traditionally used. The complex is gorgeous and an odd combination of ornate religious structures, whimsical and colorful plastic lanterns, stone sculptures of the Chinese zodiac animals, a large gold Buddha, two huge gold pigs, amazing views of the sea, and opportunities to buy blessings. We strolled downhill along a path to get there and climbed the 108 steps along the shore to come back. Both routes had their charm.

The ultra modern, award winning Busan Cinema Center, home to the Busan International Film Festival, holds the Guinness World Record for largest free-standing cantilevered roof. We had a chance to walk around the outside and admire this huge stainless steel colored structure. If the city’s intent was to impress the celebrities, film makers, and judges alike, they surely exceeded their mark.

For an introduction to traditional Korean jeongja architecture we went to Dongbaekseom Island (actually a man made peninsula) to visit the Nurimaru APEC House, built to host the 2005 APEC Summit. Jeongja are traditional Korean pavilions built entirely of wood and stone using traditional (no nails or screws) joinery methods. They are often hand-painted with colorful floral designs. Jeongja are often used for social occasions and are usually situated to take full advantage of beautiful landscapes, but they can also be located at the entrance to a village.

The three-story Nurimaru APEC House is a modernistic expression of jeongja with a roof shaped to symbolizes the ridge line of Dongbaekseom Island. The APEC House is not made of wood and stone, is not colorful, and from the sheer scope of the project I dare say screws, nails, and modern joinery methods were used in its construction. It is a beautiful building inside and out, nonetheless, in a gorgeous park setting with azaleas in full bloom. We toured the interior and marveled at the specially made lacquer artwork in the entrance, the round room where the APEC conference delegates sat in session, photos of the event, and hanbok* worn by a couple of the delegates.

Before our last two stops we enjoyed (possibly an overstatement) a traditional Korean lunch. As is the custom here, four people shared condiments and main dishes placed in the middle of the table. Stainless steel chopsticks (not wood) are common as well as spoons for soup. I liked the fish, sticky rice with little beans, pancakes with scallions, and translucent noodles. Dan ate all of that, shared a big bowl of stewed beef with a guy from England, and ate the rice on offer from the Englishman’s wife. He did us proud.

Spanning just under two miles ( ! ) it is not difficult to believe that the bustling Jagalchi Fish Market is Korea’s largest seafood market. We took a quick spin through a small section of the area dedicated to dried fish of all sorts before moving on to the live fish section. Wow! There is an area of bright yellow booths in the live fish section for folks who want to select fish and eat it on site. Presumably raw. For those dining in rice and condiments are priced into the sale.

A stop at the largest department store in the world, with a Guinness plaque to prove it, rounded out our tour. Centum Shinsegae Department Store is designed to please with its ice rink, dinosaur park, golf, spas, restaurants of all kinds, and every high-end store imaginable. It is ultra modern, beautiful, and overwhelming. We spent our time in the Korean goods section which is actually quite small.

Our guide for the day was very good and filled our heads with all topics Korean. She said she is part of the third of her countrymen who now live alone. Her point being that the culture has slowly moved away from the traditional multigenerational living arrangement. She explained that her country is essentially an island since it is bordered by communist North Korea with no access by road to the rest of Asia.

Back at the port, immigration was a breeze since it only involved scanning the QR code we got on our way into the city. Another delicious dinner, another fun show, and off to bed we went after a good day with the bonus of unseasonably warm weather.

… Fun Memories …

My dad was the maintenance officer for the 730^th Bomb Squadron during the Korean War.
He arrived in Puson, now Buson, in July of 1951 and headed back to Colorado in July of 1952.
Mother was 29 when he left; Cyd was four; I was two-and-a-half; Si was not on the scene yet.

We thought of our old friends Walter, Pat, and Larry as we ventured off the ship this morning.
We all met shortly after they returned to the U.S. from living in Korea
and we returned from living in Japan.

This is our first time back to Korea since we vacationed in Seoul in the early 1970s.
On that trip we tasted kimchi for the first time, crammed in as many sites as we could, and shopped for bargains. We still have an antique Korean clock in the guest room
that never ticked a day since we bought it.

… Korea Trivia …

South Korea is one quarter the size of Japan.
Just like Japan, 70% of the country is mountainous and there are no garbage cans.

Koreans drive on the right side of the road, love coffee,
and have made unprecedented progress since the Korean War ended in 1953.

South Korea has the distinction of being the nation with the lowest birth rate, fastest internet,
highest percent of college grads, most plastic surgery (mostly men),
best selling liquor (soju), and a 50-53 hour work week.

*Hanbok is the native dress; Buddhism is the primary religion in a predominately non-religious society; men unashamedly wear makeup; and smog, blown in from China,
is a major issue with the right (or wrong?) weather conditions.

1,200 KRW (won) = $1.00