In the Deep South

So we left our dream island and flew across the sea to Pusan. We used to see our children in and out of Japan here too! And there to meet us was Tae Hee. We'd never met but she rapidly became our next "Onesimus." Note the merry way she was handling one of my many phone calls!

Note too that the summer has ended here in Korea. No matter that it was 37C in the car when we got into it! I'd never been to Haeundae Beach but I well remember the Korean TV pictures each summer of people packed to deep into every inch of water and every year people died unnoticed in the crush. That's what happens when the whole nation goes to the beach for the official one week of summer!

In 2005 APEC met in Korea and this jogging track was laid for the world's presidents to have their morning workout!

Sorry we didn't get a picture of the magnificent exterior but here's the debating chamber where they all sat. UK wasn't there otherwise we might have taken a picture of the seat!

Ah, more food and this time Shabu Shabu in a Vietnamese restaurant. Now this place, the Green Hanoi, happens to be in the building owned by Tae Hee's church (which we looked round before partaking). She got some extra things in the soup because she was a church member and therefore, by proxy, the landlord - a large prawn and a crab's leg!

Before heading for the bus to Masan, Tae Hee and her husband Isaac took us to the UN cemetery. The last combat army of the UN played its part in securing a future for South Korea during the Korean War and thousands of foreign soldiers died on Korean soil. This lion has just been put in the British section to commemorate our brave lads.

Pusan, goodbye, but we shall be back tomorrow. I was spellbound at just what a dynamic city it had become.

And so to Masan, on a bus, where we were joyfully met by Mr. Lee and Mr. Gee. These two marvellous men worked for years with Dr. Peter Pattisson at a small Save the Children hospital. We came to live in Masan in 1979 (for four years) and the two of them became our guides, right-hand men, and dear friends.

This time round Mr. Lee had managed to find us a sumptuous guest-apartment, the property of a Holiness church, which we somehow managed to qualify to use! The pastor was there to greet us when we arrived and promptly gatecrashed us into a Bible's class's graduation party.

Mr. Gee, Miss Oo (a nurse at Peter's hospital), Mr. Lee

Night-time view of Masan from our plush apartment

The next morning we were taken on a pre-church sight-seeing, down-memory-lane tour of Masan. Our once dowdy little town had flourished and has become a thriving metropolis. The change is hard to take in.

We went to take a picture of our old church (the one where Tim was baptised, as a one year old, in all his Korean finery - there is photographic evidence), only to find the church, like the rest of the city, had moved on - new unknown building, so no need for a photograph). We did, however, find the apartment where we used to live. Back in the day, Mr. Gee helped us move in to the apartment (on the 9th floor) and out again four years later - he never did think much of our motley missionary furniture, and was disgusted that we were taking it to Seoul.

Here we are outside the door of no. 907 Yongma ('Dragon-Horse') Mansion.

Oddly enough, this view from the walkway outside of our flat seemed just the same.

In 1979 a young Anglican deacon entered our lives and helped Terry with Chinese characters. This same man, Solomon, is now Bishop of Pusan. He and his wife, Basilea, came to Masan to meet us, and we joined them in visiting the city's very small Anglican church - only a handful of worshippers in this country of mega-churches. Solomon's sermon was sandwiched between the familiar Anglican communion service, which, although in Korean, even Tim could follow - hooray for our shared liturgy!

Bishop Solomon, Rev. Michael (part-time 'vicar' of Masan)

We had lunch together with the congregation - the usual amazingly generous Korean hospitality - before being waved on our way back to Pusan with Solomon and Basilea.

After a wonderful hour at the Bishop's Residence in Pusan - a giddy twelfth-floor apartment on the side of a mountain with views over the harbour (sorry no picture, but I tried to take it through the mosquito screening resulting in a strange gridded effect!) - we set off for a pre-train department store experience in the city's latest, glamorous shopping paradise. Tim spotted this sign on the way - four days later we still don't know the real name of the fish called Crotch - only that it is apparently big and very ugly!

We took some pictures of possible Chusok gifts, arranged beautifully in the department store.

Korean ricecakes (aka Dok)

Steamed buns

Those apples again

A presentation case of spam!

While the Bishop and his wife were heatedly discussing which dim-sum to have, I wandered off on an expedition of my own and to take the above pictures. 

The spectacular water show accompanied by great music was worth getting into trouble for when finally found by an embarassed son, who was wondering why his mother had sauntered off just as we were about to have some food. Had it been twenty years earlier and the other way round Tim reckons he would have got a smack!

Who says bishops can't be fun? Solomon was great company and very funny - he reminded me of Terry. Here we are waiting to catch the KTX, Korea's answer to the TGV, or the Bullet Train, or Britain's Intercity (perhaps not!). Back to Seoul then, for week two.