DAY 62 - BUSAN, KOREA - MARCH 30, 2010

THE SHIP ARRIVED EARLY IN BUSAN, ALSO KNOWN AS PUSAN, AND WAS CLEARED FOR PASSENGER DEPARTURES AT 7:20. OUR EXCURSION GROUP WAS NOT SCHEDULED TO MEET UNTIL 8:45, IN THE LOUNGE. FOR REASONS UNKNOWN TO US WE WERE NOT CALLED DOWN TO THE BUS UNTIL AFTER 9:00. THE TOUR DIRECTOR AND OUR GUIDE REALIZED THE SCHEDULE WAS GOING TO BE VERY TIGHT. THE SHIP IS SCHEDULED TO PULL AWAY AT 1:00.

IN AS MUCH AS THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE WE WERE VISITING WAS AN HOUR FROM THE PIER A QUICK CALCULATION TELLS YOU ONLY AN HOUR IS LEFT FOR TOURING AND THE KOREAN TEA CEREMONY. AS WE DROVE TO THE TEMPLE OUR GUIDE FILLED US IN ON MUCH OF KOREA’S HISTORY GOING BACK SOME 5000 YEARS AND CONTINUING UP TO THE PRESENT. THERE SEEMS TO STILL BE A GREAT AMOUNT OF ANIMOSITY TOWARD THE JAPANESE FOR TRANSGRESSION OF LONG AGO PERIODS AND THE MORE RECENT OCCUPATION FROM 1910 THROUGH WWII AND ENDING IN 1945.

ALTHOUGH THE DIVISION BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA MAY NEVER BE RESOLVED IN OUR LIFETIME THE HOPE STILL REMAINS THAT BROKEN FAMILIES WILL SOMEDAY BE REUNITED. THE CHANCES GROW DIM AS THE YEARS PASS AND THE ELDER MEMBERS BEGIN TO DIE OFF.

THE TEMPLE WE VISITED WAS CALL T’ONGDOSA AND IS ONE OF THREE MAIN BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN SOUTH KOREA. THE GROUNDS ARE QUITE SECLUDED, AND MOST BUILDINGS AND PAGODAS ARE VERY COLORFUL. UNLIKE MANY OF THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE VISITED IN CHINA, TO’NGDOSA WAS FILLED WITH MORE THAN JUST SIGHTSEERS. SEVERAL OF THE SMALLER BUILDINGS, ALL HAVE SOME SORT OF SPECIFIC CALLING, WERE CROWDED. THE MAIN TEMPLE, LOCATED AT THE VERY END OF THE COMPOUND, WAS COMPLETELY FILLED WITH PEOPLE PRAYING. IN THE REAR OF THE TEMPLE WAS A LARGE COURTYARD, SEVERAL PEOPLE WALKED THE PERIMETER CHANTING OR PRAYING WHILE OTHERS KNELT QUIETLY IN PRAYER.

AS WE FINISHED OUR TOUR WE WERE LED TO THE MEETING HALL UNDER THE TEMPLE. WE ALL TOOK PART IN THE KOREAN TEA CEREMONY. THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS FUNCTION BUT INSTEAD OUTLINED THE PROPER WAY TO MAKE AND SERVE TEA TO GUEST. IN ADDITION TO THE TEA WE WERE SERVED RICE CAKES FILLED WITH A MIXTURE OF SESAME SEEDS AND SUGAR. ALTHOUGH PLAIN, EVEN BLAND IN APPEARANCE, THEY WERE TASTY.

THE TEA CEREMONY ENDED AT 11:50, WE STILL HAD A 15 MINUTE WALK BACK TO THE BUS AND THE HOUR RIDE TO THE SHIP. THINGS WERE NOT LOOKING PROMISING FOR AN ON TIME DEPARTURE FROM THE PIER. FORTUNATELY WE DID NOT HAVE TO FIGHT RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AS WE HEADED BACK TO THE CITY.

ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW WERE TO BE BACK ON THE SHIP AT 12:30. IT WAS VERY MUCH LATER THAT THE CELL PHONE CALLS TO THE GUIDE BEGAN. IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY 5 MINUTE THE PHONE WOULD RING AND AN UPDATE WAS RELAYED TO THE SHIP BRIDGE THROUGH THE EXCURSION DIRECTOR STANDING AT THE DOCK.

THE BUS PULLED INTO THE PIER AREA AND PASSED THROUGH SECURITY WITH LITTLE DELAY STOPPING AT THE FOOT OF THE GANGWAY. AS WE EXITED THE BUS WE WERE HURRIED UP THE GANGWAY AND INTO THE SHIP. AS THE LAST PASSENGER REACHED THE TOP OF THE GANGWAY IT WAS HOISTED TO ITS STATIONARY POSITION, THE DOOR WAS CLOSED AND THE ENGINES, ALREADY WARMED UP AND READY TO GO, BEGAN IN EARNEST PUSHING US FROM THE PIER.

WE HEADED FOR THE ROOM TO DROP OFF OUR STUFF. I WENT FOR A BITE TO EAT AND GEORGIA HEADED FOR THE LOUNGE TO GET GOOD SEATS FOR THE SHOWING OF THE MOIVE “THE SOUND OF MUSIC.” WE SWITCHED PLACES AND WERE READY FOR ACTION WHEN THE MOVIE STARTED.

THE MOVIE LASTED FOR THREE HOURS AND UPON RETURNING TO THE CABIN WE DOWNLOADED OUR EMAILS. COLETTE GAVE US AN UPDATE ON CHRIS’ JOB SITUATION AND HIS NEW OPPORTUNITY WITH AT&T IN JACKSON KENTUCKY. MORE DETAILS WILL BE FORTHCOMING. WE HAVE BEEN PRAYING FOR SOME SORT OF BREAKTHROUGH IN THE SITUATION. THIS IS IT.

AT THE LAST MINUTE WE DECIDED TO ATTEND THE EVENING SHOW. TONI STEVENS, BILLED AS A ONE WOMEN SHOW, SANG AND TOLD JOKES. AT ONE POINT SHE PICKED A GUY IN THE AUDIENCE TO SING TO, HIS NAME WAS HERMAN. SHE ASKED HIM TO STAND AND HE WAS MUCH SHORTER THAN SHE. SHE RUBBED HER HANDS THROUGH HIS HAIR, PULLED HIM CLOSE AND PLACED HIS HEAD AGAINST HER LARGE CHEST. EVERYONE HAD A GOOD LAUGH.

WHEN SHE CONCLUDED HER PERFORMANCE, JJ KING, THE ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR, CAME TO THE STAGE. THE HOUSE LIGHTS WERE RAISED AND HE HAD HERMAN STAND. GEORGIA AND I WONDERED WHY EVERYONE AROUND HERMAN WAS GETTING A LARGER CHARGE OUT OF THE SITUATION THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS IN THE CROWD. AS IT TURNS OUT HERMAN IS REALLY RABBI HERMAN.