Day 25, Leg 24

I'm at the Westin Josun (that's how they spell "Chosun" or "Choseon" or "Joseon"), happily digesting a buffet lunch. Some stats:

Distance: about 18 km

Time: 281 minutes (about 3.84 kph)

Steps: 27,171

Calories Burned: 4,210

Calories Consumed: 2,322 (deficit = 1,888)

It was a 17K walk to get here, but I walked a bit more after checking in and having lunch. That was, in fact, the order of events, contrary to what I usually do: the Westin Josun proved to be remarkably flexible about check-in time, and this despite the fact that I arrived ridiculously early, at 10:50 a.m. (Restless, I left the Comma Motel earlier than expected, too, at 6 a.m.) So I arrived, checked in, asked about the buffet (their restaurant is called the Camellia), waited until noon to eat lunch, finished lunch, washed my clothes, and had a thoroughly American-style shower, large towels and all. My room is fully stocked with overpriced munchies, but I went out after lunch, found a local mart, and bought my own munchies there.

While it didn't exactly rain in the usual sense, there was a misty, drizzly rain (which Koreans call 이슬비/iseul-bi), and it left me a little bit damp. But the day was also cloudy and cool, and the walk was short, so I didn't sweat quite as much as I usually do. After so many warm, summer-like days, today felt almost like actual fall. I've said before that, in Korea, a switch flips right around mid-October, and temperatures suddenly drop as Korea moves into autumn. So maybe fall has arrived in the Korean south, just as I'm about to leave it and go back north to Seoul.

As a result of these pleasant conditions, once I arrived and checked in, I decided to risk having brunch just as I was, in an unwashed state. I probably stank, anyway, but I don't think I reeked too badly. Or maybe I did: the restaurant staff seated me in a far corner, as if to keep me away from the general public. I was placed at a table close to that of a young couple who, up until I arrived at the Camellia, had had the space to themselves. I felt a bit bad about intruding and possibly smelling up the place. More about the buffet in a bit. Back to the walk itself.

Most of today's walk took place inside the city. I was often within a few hundred meters of the coast, but with Busan's tall buildings in the way, I may as well have been far inland. Lots of traffic for most of the walk, almost as bad as how I imagine tomorrow will be. But there was one very pleasant stretch, the Dalmaji-gil (달맞이길, Moonrise Street?), that wound through a forested region. It reminded me of the George Washington Parkway back home in Northern Virginia. Most of that stretch took place with me safely on a wide, wooden boardwalk next to the road. There was moderate traffic, but not an annoying amount. This was easily my favorite part of today's walk. That path eventually took me to the Haeundae Beach area, one of Busan's more famous downtowns, and then it was a matter of following the water all the way to the Westin. 

I was prepared for some sticker shock once I got here, given that the Westin Josun is often billed as a "five-star hotel." But the room, which has a view of the sea, is only about $300, and the buffet came in at a little over $80 after a 10% discount. All in all, not nearly as bad as I thought things would be. So here I am, guts full, enjoying a day of luxury. There's still a niggling feeling that this is all wretched excess, but I've dealt with a troubled conscience before, and I won't let it keep me from sleeping comfortably tonight. 

The buffet was, overall, not nearly as spectacular as some of the hotel buffets I've seen on YouTube, but it wasn't bad, either. You'll see, in my photo essay below, a parade of plates as I tried food from various stations, each with its own theme. My absolute favorite would have to be some cuts of grilled beef that were tender and succulent. They reminded me of the beef you get at a good Brazilian rodizio. That was the only dish for which I got seconds. Everything else I ate was very nice, but that beef was memorable. Hat tip to the chef. The dessert I chose, frozen yogurt with toppings, was a bit of a letdown, and as I was lining up to pay for my meal, I saw to my dismay that I had completely missed a whole section of dessert items at the very front of the restaurant. I'm pondering whether to have the breakfast buffet tomorrow before heading out, but I don't like walking on a full stomach, and tomorrow's trek is 24K. 

I did suffer a personal tragedy today, and it happened too quickly for me to do anything about it: at one point when I was downtown, I didn't watch where I put my trekking pole, and it sank into a grate. When I instinctively yanked my pole free, the rubber goat's foot popped off the pole and fell into whatever Lovecraftian netherworld exists in the bowels of Busan. I had been so careful, for most of this trip, about where I placed my pole when I walked, and in a single moment of inattention, I lost a treasured friend. Damn. I had been looking forward to inspecting the goat's foot after the walk to see how much wear and tear it had endured. I guess it won't feature in my equipment review now. As for tomorrow, I'm thinking of walking pole-less, just strapping my pole to the side of my backpack and walking the final segment hands-free. Alas. To lose a close companion this late in the game really hurts.

So, all in all, a pretty good, if often noisy and occasionally tragic, walk today. It's probably a preview of tomorrow's walk, which cuts across town. Oh, yeah: Busan has its charms, but the city seems to be pretty deadly serious about masking up. Signs threatening penalties for being unmasked are everywhere. I began to feel a little self-conscious. However, two patrol cars passed by me and didn't stop, so maybe things aren't as bad as all that. But judging by the urban populace, everyone in this region takes the mask mandate seriously. Once I hit downtown Busan, I didn't see a single fellow unmasked traveler. The World Health Organization itself has recommended against using masks while outside, but Busan apparently hasn't gotten that message. Sad! as a certain former president might say.

All that's left of this walk is tomorrow, then. I most likely won't enjoy the schlep across town, but once I hit the final kilometer to the Nakdong River Estuary Barrage Certification Center, things will finally feel right, and the walk will end on a good note (as for my trekking pole, I have extra goat's feet at home). I'm disappointed that I never found any other cert centers after Pohang, and I still don't know where the official endpoint for the east-coast walk is supposed to be, but these mysteries may turn out to be fuel for next year's périple, which I've already decided will only take place during a two-week period. This walk has left me with much to ponder, so after I'm back in Seoul, please hang around to read the postmortem I write. I'll have plenty to say. 

PHOTO ESSAY

one last look in the Comma Motel

outskirts of Busan

but rapidly moving inward

lots of morning traffic

abandoned

a sports center

the first of several such screwed-up images

and again

through the fence

slipping the camera through the links of the fence to get a clearer shot

a whole side of a building devoted to warning you to wear a mask when outside, or else

We soothe ourselves with some dewy, rain-soaked flowers.

beauty and threats, juxtaposed

Does that say 갈맷길? Can't find 갈맷 in the dictionary. Assuming the "ㅅ" is a 사이 시옷, it could be a dialectal version of 갈매기, or "seagull."
Seagull Street? Steven Seagal Street?

creekside paths I'll never explore

the address of where I am now

it's the Gijang-gun office

urban sprawl swallows me

not sure I'd want to own property on Daebyeon Street (daebyeon/대변 = feces, but to be fair, this is undoubtedly a different set of Chinese characters also pronounced daebyeon)

the shittiness continues with Daebyeon Port/Harbor

This may be the only glove of the day.

Every time a car rolled past, it would kick up a wind, causing the spider to bounce crazily in its web, keeping me from getting my desired shot.

railway

I was distracted by the plastic lid and straw.

Didn't expect to see more palm trees.

the village of Seoksan-li, also part of greater Busan, I guess

a funky church, with silo-like structures and an obnoxious gold exterior

It's called Our Church.

These poor flowers look as if they're begging for someone to come and kill them. They've had about enough, I think. 

What happened to the man's lower half?

international school

Osiria Station

I had a severe urge to go to the bathroom by this point, so I was happy to stumble upon this station, which had a men's room just inside its entrance, thank Jeebus. This was also a good point at which to cross over to the other side of the street.

Had I not crossed over, I'd have missed this sign for the Gukto Jongju.

about to break off from the main artery to walk along the quieter Dalmaji-gil

exit ramp, uphill a ways

looking down at tunnel, shuddering

much nicer here

"Winter Love"

after a long uphill, now going downhill

whoops—up again

mark your maps

I'm basically heading west.

dropping into downtown Haeundae

digital zoom, but you can make out this lighthouse in the previous pic

vaguely reminded of the Exorcist stairs in Georgetown

Haeundae has an impressive skyline.

oddly shaped church

Grand Josun—not where I'm staying

beach dead ahead (I was never far away)

café stacked upon café

the teeth on that shark

Who names their place "Uh Suite"?

pijinz

ze beach

out in the water

first view of the Westin Josun

apparently still on the right track

a monument about protecting nature—and let me note that I passed a lot of pollution-covered beaches on this trip, but Haeundae Beach is nearly immaculate by comparison

insert juvenile comment about nipples

"Haeundae Elegy"

da rulez

Cute, or monument to tackiness? Both?

The kids in their rain gear were too cute not to photograph. They saw me and started chanting, "Waeguk ajeossi! Waeguk ajeossi!" (literally, "foreign uncle," but ajeossi is a generic term used for unfamiliar adult males)

lots of dragon heads at the hotel entrance

the view from Room 513, which is actually on the fourth floor, but because 4 is a bad-luck number, the floors here go 1, 2, 3, 5

candid shot, sans bandanna, allowing you to see my pale-white forehead

From my window, I saw the kids had moved as a group to the beach. A few minutes later, they were all gone, so I can only assume the adult chaperones sacrificed all the children to the local sea god.

the tragedy of being tipless

see? look!

I'm at the Camellia buffet now. Here's Round 1: the veggies. Bean salad, caprese (excellent pesto), olives, beets, mushrooms.

Round 2: white rice, fried rice, chicken curry, tangsuyuk with sauce

Round 3: chorizo pizza, battered/sauced shrimp, that lovely beef, and some other beef preparation that didn't really register

Round 4: cold stuff. Cheese, shrimp, smoked salmon with capers and horseradish, fig with prosciutto, and a different beef dish.

Round 5: back for more succulent beef, Szechuan chicken with cashews (tasted Middle Eastern), nicely slow-cooked marinated pork belly, and dumplings (mostly veg, but with some shrimp thrown in)

Round 6: bread, butter, and jam. I took this picture after eating half the bread.

Round 7: my disappointing dessert: frozen yogurt (very sour), various toppings ranging from chocolate chips to nuts to Oreos to little cracker tubes filled with chocolate

the Camellia's front, with a tantalizing look at the desserts I missed

dragons, now spewing

don't light any fires

One thing I really came to appreciate during this walk was the number of pine groves there are along the coast.

one of two bridge guardians; the other is male

mark your maps

See that, McCrarey? No more horse-and-buggy nonsense! You and your 1800s fetish. Disgusting.

What'd I tell you? Those "Let's live right" stones are everywhere.

took this pic not knowing what it says

free-spirited Snoopy does not represent the repressive Busan government and its mask fixation

one last view out my hotel window