Farewell Korea

May 12 - a rest day in Busan before tomorrow's travel day to Japan.

Highlight in Busan for us was this Gamcheon Cultural Village - recognized for social, cultural, and economic regeneration of an underprivileged area. 






It was a leisurely start that morning and midafternoon return to the hotel to get things ready for tomorrow and an early dinner for tomorrow's early start.

Saturday May 13 - alarm set for 0230 for travel to Japan

0300, raining and foggy, and we're all in front of the hotel loading the cube van with the bike boxes and ready to get on the 0315 bus for the ride to Busan airport.

We're at the airport at 0400 for the 0705 flight. We have to fly first up to Seoul so logically that's a domestic flight. This is what it looks like at that hour. Nothing happening because the flight goes from the international terminal. Fortunately it's within walking distance since the bus and truck have both left.
Check-in was quite the chore, mainly for the TDA support staff and Max, our Korean translator/facilitator. About thirty boxed bicycles many of which needed to be opened for manual inspection at security. Not much time to spare for the last one through, but the flight departed on time and shortly before 0800 we were descending into Seoul.  
Looking at this photo of a town someplace south of Seoul, we noted that the apartment buildings are clustered outside the lower-rise older parts of town. Maybe densification is best accomplished outside of existing lower-density neighbourhoods rather than trying to densify existing areas with a hodge-podge of duplexes, town houses, and apartments against the objection of existing residents.

Six hours layover in Seoul and we were on the flight to Fukuoka, Japan. almost an hour into that flight, we back where we'd come from this morning, almost directly overhead Busan... the joys of post-covid flight schedules with the added challenge of the size of our group with all the bikes.

So farewell Korea, we leave you with enormously positive memories of your country and people, the bike paths, good food, cleanliness.

Next post... Japan

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