Today we’re in Busan, Korea. Busan, formerly known as Pusan, is now officially Busan Metropolitan City and is South Korea’s largest city after Seoul. It has a population of 3.5 million people and is the economic, cultural and educational centre of southeastern Korea, with its port being Korea’s busiest and the 9th busiest in the world! Busan is a centre for international conventions and sporting events and is also home to the world’s largest department store, the ‘Shinsegae Centum City’. Sadly we didn’t get to go there!!!! Busan is known as the place to be in summer, there are six beaches, luxury hotels and resorts, bars, cafes and shopping for the tourist.
Was really cold and windy on arrival with an expected top temperature of 15C. Had face to face immigration again but it was a quick process and as usual we were first on the bus! Our tour was 8 hours and we saw so much in that time. After an hour & a half we arrived at Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju. The drive there was interesting, Busan is quite beautiful once you get past the shipping containers and the ship building and industrial area. Our guide was lovely but she did not draw breath for the whole day. The Temple surrounds were lovely, have never seen anything like the cherry blossom, all over!!! As it only lasts for 7 days we were very lucky today as it was sensational. As it’s Buddha’s birthday this month the grounds were decorated with all kinds of lotus flower lanterns in beautiful colours. The problem for some of us was there are no handrails on any of the steps and so I had to ask several men to take my arm 🤣🤣 George was sensible and didn’t venture too far. Next stop was at the Flying Horse Tomb then on to lunch at the Hyundai Hotel. The massive ballroom was filled with Regent people, they had four food stations with delicious food, salads, sushimi, octopus, kimchi, sushi, etc etc plus desserts. After that there was a folkloric show. Back in Busan we visited the fish market -wow! have never seen such a variety of fish, beautifully presented and not at all smelly. Then on to a park and back to the ship by 5 pm, weary!!! Still can’t believe how beautiful and how extensive the cherry blossom was. Hope we see more as we move on. Heard yesterday it has been snowing in Tokyo so maybe spring hasn’t sprung there yet!
Went to Sette Marie Italian restaurant tonight & shared with 6 others. We usually avoid large tables due to hearing issues but tonight was
OK & good company. I went to the show, stayed 10 mins then left - the singer was from the Phillipines & was the winner of ‘The Voice’ there but her songs didn’t do it for me!! Might suit an audience with a lower average age than around 65/70 LOL! Speaking of age, did I mention the cutest couple on board? We were with them on the pre-cruise in Beijing, same bus etc. One lady asked Sam about travelling with his Mom. Wiped the smile off her face when he said ‘she’s my wife’. Well, Sheila is 75, we’re not sure about Sam but he looks about 40. Could be younger. They are from Manhattan, so in love 💕💕😱... !
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