Results tagged “Busan” from East Asia 2017

Some time overnight the phone moved forward an hour. Possibly late yesterday afternoon when we got in mobile range of Korea. Moved the Canon forward an hour. But turns out Stu's random camera had been an hour out for the Hong Kong and Shanghai part of the trip. Because it automatically changed itself in Busan to be another hour forward. Had to turn summertime off, but need to remember that the times on it may need adjusting.

We arrived in Busan at a container terminal out of town, and it was on our port side, so I was able to watch the arrival from our balcony.

Coaches lined up waiting to take tourists on their tours

ATM van at Gamman container terminal

Finally got eggs benedict for breakfast, but felt too stressed to enjoy it (we had to get ready for our tour shortly afterwards).

Due to arriving at a container terminal, there's nothing setup for customs and immigration, so officials came onto the ship and setup in the Queens Room. But after queuing for ages, all we did was walk from one side of the room to the other and get a port card on the way out. All very odd, don't know what that was about. Unless they had temperature sensors setup that I didn't notice (I was trying to catch up with our group, as we'd got from second last to last when another couple pushed in to go in front of us, and another group merged with us and also had people get in front of us. I really really didn't want the last seats in the coach as they're a lot harder to see out of). Then it was down to deck 1 and we walked straight off the ship onto the wharf. Pretty cool. They had a small welcoming troupe there which was also pretty cool. We managed to catch up with the group and even get ahead, as some others delayed in figuring out where to go to get to deck 1, and some then had to wander all the way up the wharf to go to the bathroom, so we actually got reasonable seats on the coach.

The coach ride for the morning was a one and a half hour drive to the Gyeongju area.

Trump World tower

Our first stop was the Bulguksa Temple complex which was quite a nice place. The structure on the 10 won coin is at this temple which is cool. I was worried leaving this place that we'd be last back to the bus but we were actually first back on the bus. (I had to find a bathroom - this one had toilet paper on a roll as you go in, but I had to use half of it to wipe down the seat :( Seriously, what is it with Asian women who feel the need to pee all over the seats?? If you're going to piss all over the seat, why don't you lift the damned lid and piss all over the rim, and not where I have to sit next?!?! It was like that in Shanghai the other day too. I did have an extra roll of toilet paper with me, but was able to make do, but was very unimpressed).

Map of Bulguksa Temple area

Lake and bridge at Bulguksa Temple

Gwangmok Cheonwang inside the gate

Cherry blossoms at Bulguksa - really the only cherry blossoms we saw the whole trip

Bulguksa Temple

Paper flowers in Bulguksa Temple

Decorated temple roof

Dabotap Pagoda as featured on the 10 won coin

Dabotap Pagoda

One of the lions at Dabotap Pagoda. Another is in the British Museum, the other two are missing

Daeungjeon Hall

Seokgatap (Sakyamuni Pagoda)

Museoljeon Hall at Bulguksa Temple

Paper flowers leading to Birojeon Hall at Bulguksa Temple

Vairocana Buddha in Birojeon Hall, National Treasure No.26

Magnolias at Bulguksa Temple

Gwaneumjeon Hall

Stone Garden at Bulguksa

Stone Garden at Bulguksa

Sakyamuni Buddha and his sixteen disciples in Nahanjeon Hall

Lanterns at beophwajeon - site of stone foundation

Wooden carved pig at Geuknakjeon

Good luck pig at Geuknakjeon

Large bell pavilion

Sadly we're a little too early for all the cherry blossoms in this part of the world, but the magnolias are in full bloom at the moment and they're very pretty.

We stopped for lunch at the nearby Commodore Hotel. Three coachfulls of people in one of their function rooms. So was a little chaotic. Meal was decent enough though. And it wasn't seated on the floor like it said it would be in the guide heh. After lunch there was a performance by local Korean girls - with fans, drums etc. That was quite nice. The table we sat at was pretty odd though. There was a single guy, a couple from possibly Germany, a single lady, and two Japanese ladies. And noone talked to each other. Very odd.

Gyeongju Tower

Joongdo Tower

Korean dancers who performed for us after lunch at the Commodore Hotel

Korean dancers who performed for us after lunch at the Commodore Hotel

Korean dancers who performed for us after lunch at the Commodore Hotel

Korean dancers who performed for us after lunch at the Commodore Hotel

It was around this point that I knew I was getting sick. That telltale throat feeling and start of a cough. This made me very grunty with all the hundreds of other sick people on this cruise.

After lunch we went to Cheonmachong tomb (the flying horse tomb), in a park containing many royal tombs from the Silla dynasty. That was quite cool (although the artifacts are all replicas as the originals are kept in storage). What's amazing is that they've found any in tact tombs in recent times at all. I'd have thought they'd have all long been raided over the last millennium.

Magnolias

Royal burial mounds

Inside Cheonmachong tomb

Cheonmachong tomb

Cheonmachong tomb exterior

Finally we went to the Gyeongju National Museum to see the Divine Bell of King Songdok and quite a few "national treasures" including some of the artifacts found in the royal tombs.

Bell of King Seongdeok

Crown ornament, one of Korea's National Treasures

Gold mounted dish, National treasure No. 626

Crown and belt, National treasures No. 188-190

Model of the Gyeongju area

And then the hour and a half long trip back to the container terminal.

Me and the Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2 at Gamman container terminal

Queen Mary 2 at Gamman container terminal

Looking aft along the Queen Mary 2

Overall quite a good tour, and we quite enjoyed the day. Except for getting sick of course.

I went up to the top deck for a bit, but then watched the departure from our balcony (18:44 pushback from the wharf). The lights of Busan were all on by this point and the Busan Harbor Bridge is lit up with multi-coloured LEDs which cycle through the rainbow which made the bridge look amazing.

Busan Harbour Bridge lit up

Before dinner we ordered a copy of one of the photos we'd had taken before the previous night's formal dinner. For dinner we both had deep fried brie for entree. Stu had a seafood spaghetti and rum cake, and I had chicken cordon bleu (a tad dry) and a white chocolate panna cotta (a repeat! gasp!).

Then collapsed into bed.