The Tale of the Runaway Octopus: And other short stories of Busan

The first thing we did was go the fish market. Indoors and outdoors people filled the area with stands of creatures of the deep, some dead and some alive. My favorite part was a small tub of octopus in the middle of the walkway. We just happened to see one escape over the edge and start to make a run for it. Megan and I stood in awe / in the way of the man in charge of the little guy. He was very accommodating in that he did not yell or push us out of his way. He reached over to pick it up, and after a few tugs (the octopus was clinging to the pavement and tubs around him like his life depended on it) he gave us the added thrill of shoving the suction cup end of this creature in our faces. Naturally we both jumped back with a little scream. I realized that this was just his attempt to give us a good photo op. just a little too late. I got off one clumsy shot which shows the octopus being held up, but not the same view of the tentacles coming at me that will forever be burned into my mind. The other disappointing thing about it is that the man's face is cut off. It's a shame, because he went through this entire ordeal with the exact same look of total and utter boredom that I really wish I could have captured. We also eat some wonderful fried fish while we were there.

We also rode a cable car up a mountain, found some beautiful rocks to sit and read on, took the cable car down the mountain and rode a kiddie amusement ride on our way out of the park. We spent quite a lot of time deciding if it was worth making a spectacle of ourselves, and it was. We were the only people on the ride, and each time our cars passed the operator he gave us a push for a few extra spins. We were both pretty nauseous.

Headed to the beach to see what all the fuss was about. Watch the sunset and the sunrise out there. Not continuously though...the worst night of sleep I have ever had was sandwiched in between those two events. At least the insomnia / bad bed / noisy neighbors made it easy to get out on the beach at 5 am.

Spent the morning on the beach and then headed home after lunch in China town. I personally felt we conquered all that needed to be conquered in the 27 hours we were there.

Photos to be posted soon.

Oh, and Happy Children's Day / Cinco de Mayo! No school today so everyone can celebrate their children. I celebrated with a margarita and steak fajita for $30,ooo won at On the Board followed by an outdoor orchestra concert inside Deoksugung Palace walls. A lovely little day.