We had a single day for South Korea, arriving in Busan at 11am and departing at 8pm. Our excursion here involved an elegant Korean tea ceremony, followed by a relaxing stroll through an urban park and a glimpse into daily life at a bustling fish market.
The tea ceremony, also known as a “darye,” meaning “etiquette for tea,” has been practiced for thousands of years. During the ceremony, we learned of many of the ritual’s nuances, which involve visual beauty, the aroma of the tea, and its flavor. The experience is intended to heighten the senses and provide a path to spiritual enlightenment.
For the ceremony, we sat on the floor as is traditionally done on such occasions. This was a tad difficult for inflexible John, but he persevered!
For the ceremony, one person was the ‘host’, and the other was the ‘guest’, with the host serving the guest as instructed. Ryan and I were paired up, Rook and Audrey were together, and John sat with a fellow ship guest, Craig.
It was an in-depth experience, with the guide telling us how to pour the water, when to sniff the aroma from the lid, how to present the cups, etc. Ryan, Audrey, and John were the hosts and did a great job.
After we finished the ceremony, they had us switch roles and do an abbreviated version of the ceremony so that each person (if we wanted) could serve in the host role. The green tea smelled amazing, tasted fine (the aftertaste was better than the actual taste, in my opinion), and the treats were tasty. After the ceremony, we all meditated as a group briefly and then had an opportunity to take some photos with the guide and helpers.
After some quick photos, we were given time to explore the shrine that was a couple floors above where we had our tea ceremony. The shrine and the Buddha statues within it were beautiful.
After the ceremony, we hopped in the coach and headed off for our next stop, a shopping center where we purchased some Korean treats to share back on the ship. One of the treats was an assortment of chocolates (with mandarin, tangerine, cactus, and green tea inside). Our tour guide assured us they were safe for Matthew. Rook found some K-Pop merchandise as well, a necessary purchase on a trip to Korea! Outside the shopping area was a park and we were able to explore that area very briefly.
Our final stop was Jagalchi Fish Market, a bustling energetic venue that offered a wonderful glimpse into daily life and the bounty of the sea.
Unlike some fish markets, this one was unique in that all the fish were alive and swimming in tanks. We saw so many different creatures, from sea worms to crabs and beyond! In all honesty, the smell wasn’t nearly as bad as I would have thought it would be! It was a mesmerizing sight to see in a short amount of time.
After the fish market, we regrouped outside and did a quick group photo before heading back to the shuttle and therefore back to the ship.
A random street view no our way back to the shuttle:
Back on the ship, we relaxed a bit before taking off, enjoying the night views of Busan as we sailed away.
