Sparrow

This Eurasian Tree Sparrow (if I’ve identified it correctly) held relatively still long enough for me to get a look at it from 10 ft. or so.

Egrets

Tuesday the 19th, a train trip (KTX; very nice) from Busan to Dong Daegu and then a drive further along the Andong River provided lots of opportunities to see egrets in the rice fields. I got no photos nor could we identified which egrets we saw (Jane? Sammy?), but there were many. There’ll be reports about the sights and such once I can stop long enough to record them.

Beomeosa Temple

Nestled into a large draw between fingers of Geumjeong Mountain near the north side of Busan, Beomeosa Temple (AKA “Pomosa”) is a marvelous little treasure spot. It’s architecture reflects the influence of different of monks for over 1000 years, each of whom used different techniques, some that seem to slight variations and others that seem to be innovations. The grounds also include memorial markers for historical figures, each borne by a tortise that has a different countenance (many looking rather fierce).

Getting about Busan

Monday the 18th we used public transportation to get from our lodging to Beomeosa Temple. It was about an hour-long trip. We had to find the right bus to get to the subway, take the right train to the correct exit for Beomeosa, and then take a bus to the site. It was a bit of an adventure, but we made our way through the maze.

Of course, not reading the language is one problem and that it takes time to match road signs with labels on maps because the characters are not familiar is another. Still, the public transportation system is quite good. There a many busses, which makes ror a bit of potential confusion but also makes it relatively easy to get from one place to another on surface streets. The subway is quite clean, quick, and timely.

Thanks to the Lonely Planet guide, some help from a couple of natives, and friendly bus drivers, we made the round trip with relative ease. Our only slip was when I got us off the first bus a few blocks early (I had to stand and couldn’t see, then I misunderstood something Pat said about the location), so we had to walk those few blocks.

Magpies

While we were walking through a park in the Yeong-do part of Busan, Pat spotted these Magpies (P. pica sericea). She’d seen some earlier near our lodging, but this time we both got to see them and I snagged pictures.

Although we’ve seen a few other birds, we’ve only been able to identify them in general terms (e.g., rock dove, gull). We don’t have a book with us nor do we have the benefit of a guide. But, it’s still good to see a few birds.

Wikipedia has an multi-paragraph entry on these birds.

Ordering food

Food’s been a challenge so far. Koreans have a unique cuisine that I’m learning rapidly, but being a foreigner with no coach, it’s pretty much discovery learning. Last year, Li-yu was so good in helping us that we’re pretty spoiled. Still, we press onward. We will not, I am sure, go hungry.

What’s been challenging? Here are some notes.

Jagalchi Market

The Jagalchi Market in Pusan is an enormous open-air fish market that is fascinating. Pat and I walked through the neighborhood surrounding it and part of the market itself on Friday the 15th. I failed to pull the camera out of the bag, though, so I don’t have any personal photos. I’ve included here references to a couple that are used in travel promotions.