Busan: Around Town

I was awake by at least 4:30. It was dark outside, and I couldn't keep the sandman around.

5:30 am I went for a mile walk on the Haeundae beach to the lighthouse, watching the waves come in and out, and later passing the rocks along a wooden walkway. I ran up to a small buddhist temple on the point before returning. Joggers were about, as well as groups of people, a few of which, at least were exercising, but others may have been performing some sort of early morning Buddist ritual.

6:30 am. Back to shower and get ready for the day. Mom is awake, and I soak in the little tub for a while. The lump in the bottom is well placed as a seat.

7:30 am. Breakfast. The buffet has a variety of korean foods, since a typical korean breakfast is kimchi, rice, etc. I tried the bulgogi, and I don't think that it goes very well with ketchup. There was also eggs made to order & scrambled, potatoes in chips and tots, sausage & bacon, which tasted steamed, bread, muffins, croissants, juice--grape, orange, and apple--and other morning drinks, cereal and milk, drinkable yogurt and fresh cut pineapple. We called the other kids, who tarried until 8 to come down.

The news of the morning was that England had a major parlimentary upset, and the CNN feed was shown on one wall of the restaurant. At breakfast I explained parlimentary government to people, about how the parties in power had to achieve a majority--in most cases--to seat a government. It turns out that England's constitutional monarch has the authority to appoint a prime minister when no coalition can be reached, and that is called a minority government.

9:00 am. After breakfast we left for Busan. It took us a while to leave, since along the way we stopped for a drop-in clinic visit to an ENT, and had mom's ear examined. I stayed out, but Mom and Jesse said it was fascinating. The cost of the visit & prescription was about 20000 won.