8. Busan, South Korea

As Saturday afternoon progressed and typhoon Lan approached the skies became ominously black and the waves became higher, but it was certainly not uncomfortable onboard the ship. By the time we were ready for bed the lights of the South Korean coast were not far off the starboard side and indeed, by the early hours we were safely in Busan harbour and secured alongside.

By the time we were ready to go ashore after breakfast the clouds were parting and there was warm sunshine breaking through. The only fly in the ointment was a very strong wind but we could put up with that easily enough. Once through immigration the shuttle bus dropped us in the downtown markets area and we set off to explore.

There was much to stimulate the senses in terms of street food and it seemed as if every narrow alley was crammed with market traders selling every kinds of wares imaginable. We sought sanctuary for a few moments in the courtyard of a Buddhist temple before stopping for coffee. Then pressing onwards we entered Yongdusan Park and bought tickets to get to the top of Busan Tower. The views of the city from over 100m up were incredible; tower blocks to the east and west, the Busan Bay bridge to the south and the UN memorial to the Korean War fallen to the north. What is more, the tower was noticeably swaying in the high wind.

Moving on we made our way to what must be the city's biggest shopping mall. Thronging the entrance were hundreds of teenagers waiting to meet what must have been Korea's answer to East 17 who looked like they were about to launch their new album. Also, there seems to be almost as much of the city below ground as there is above as all the metro stations double up as shelters should Kim Fat Wun decide to lob a few fireworks over the border (which isn't all that far away.)

As the ship was unexpectedly in port overnight we had an opportunity to see all the bright city lights once the sun had set. In particular the Bay bridge was lit up in every colour of the rainbow and looked very picturesque.

The next day we had the morning free before the ship was due to sail and so we decided to have a look at what is described as the "world famous" fish market. Well, if it came out of the sea, it was in there, either large or small, dead or alive or trying to escape. It was fascinating and yet slightly repulsive all at the same time. Then, with our last few Won spent on a couple of souvenirs it was time to say goodbye to Korea's second biggest city.

It has been interesting to compare the Japanese city culture to that of Korea. Busan certainly has a much more "westernised" feeling and it has been a hugely enjoyable couple of days.