South Korea in Fast Forward Mode

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I got to Seoul and it rained and it rained. My first impressions of South Korea will always be against a soundtrack of cars driving through puddles. I was jetlagged and keen to get on to Japan, the weight of the pilgrimage plan heavy on my shoulders. I want to find out if i can do it or not, and get started. So, i had enough time in Seoul to get totally drenched, and try snails (chewy) as well as delicious Korean kebabs. They love bbq beef here - my kind of place! - but to indulge you have to be in a group. I can't tell you how lonely that makes me feel! Me, the carnivore queen, dragging my heels as i skulk past these bbq restaurants with the sounds of families and friends laughing inside and the smell of meat wafting out into the street... ugh!... so, i had to get out ASAP. Rode a bus south to Busan then took an overnight ferry to Shimonoseki, Japan. To see the port of Busan disappearing behind us that night and the sun come up over Japanese islands the next morning, was brilliant. I slept on a mattress in a room with about thirty other people and enjoyed a typically Asian travel breakfast in the morning; mass consumption of instant ramen. If i manage the pilgrimage, i hope to have enough time to see more of South Korea. I'll be in the mood for it then, and not distracted.

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