Guest Blogger - Tours and Fireworks

At 3:30 AM, a series of three knocks (not Sheldon knocking on Penny's door.), a chorus of "I'm sorry"s and Plan B took effect (I was supposed to sleep in the extra bed in Bernie's room, but in my drunken state I couldn't work the key to unlock the door!!  Biggest fail. Ever!). Meagan got three hours sleep, and felt worse for wear but she did get her hotel breakfast.

We were off and running to her apartment for clean clothes (I did their laundry - I'm a good daughter) and to feed Cow and all was good. Although Meagan has had better mornings (I was dying!!!!), she never complained and soldiered on!

First stop, Busan City Culture and History Bus Tour. Initial impression; massive fail as our guide talked endlessly in Korean and briefly in English. Lost in translation? The Bokcheon Museum had displays of the 4th and 5th Centuries of a warrior culture that buried their dead in tombs. The museum is on the site of the tombs but our tour did not include them.

Next stop Geumgang Mountain and the cable cars to the top. The views on the way up were great but the ones from the top were blocked by the trees. Still very impressive.

Our last stop was Beomeosa Temple and our guide made up for everything here by devoting herself to us.

The pictures tell the story better than I can.

                         

We had lunch at Meagan's 'home' restaurant (my kimbap/bibimbap weekly stop - Cham's) and then went back to our hotel for a nap and church. Church was a fail as mass was at 7 PM, not 4 PM as advertised but Bernie said it counted.

Meagan and Debbie were successful at their naps however, and fully charged for the evening's activities. 

The monsoon on Saturday had washed out the Fireworks Festival and it was conveniently rescheduled for today, Sunday, so we got on the subway with every other person in Busan and went to Gwangali Beach for the  Busan International Fireworks Festival; 80 minutes of incredible explosions which we watched from her friend, Mallory's apartment.

Back on the subway with everybody from Busan, a quick meal at a Korean BBQ restaurant, and it was time for the hardest part of the trip. No dry eyes here.

I do have to say that we had every parent's fears about their child being fourteen time zones away, literally half way around the world BUT, having visited Meagan, and seen her in her environment and element, our fears have been allayed. She is happy, she is safe, and she is good at what she does. In real time, not her father looking back, she signed for a third year on 10 December 2012. And we are okay with that, really.