And on to Busan

Traditional Korean breakfast again set up the morning for a "mountain" walk. Beef again and plenty of hot spicy things, and I thought I heard dog, but on enquiring further it was duck! The man of the house goes up the local mountain every morning before going out to work. His alarm goes around 4.45! We made up a party of 7 setting out from the flats, and heading up what was a pretty steep path, coming down a wilder way. Pastor Kim who was immaculately turned out in modish hiking kit, as was my host, takes the church up there regularly apart from in the summer, and indeed he strode ahead at all times. He was concerned for me and had a walking pole to lend me - even though I'd shown him my Helvellyn pictures and this was about half the height. However a very nice mountain and forests to have on your doorstep - reminded me of parts of Germany and the lower hills of Switzerland near urban areas. Back down there was of course a restaurant immediately on hand, for eating again seated on the floor. Along with now familiar things, the main feature this time was putting a piece of pork on a lettuce leaf in your hand adding some hot chilli and hotter chilli paste, wrapping it up and eating it in one pretty large mouthful. Dongsik says if I'm missing Korean food when I get back she'll take me to New Malden - can't quite imagine sitting on the floor to eat in New Malden though.

Back for a shower, then over to pick up the Busan KTX train, a TGV lookalike which gve a pretty good window on going down the Korean peninsula, even though I had one of those stupid seats without proper window, and what I could see was largely blotted out from time to time by Koreans pulling down the blind because there was a risk of a few autumnal sun's rays reaching them. Pastor Kim was concerned I hadn't put on sunblock before going round the Folk Village yesterday, even though we immediately went into a shop, to a restaurant and were then wandering about under trees.

Took a taxi from the station and watched the Won clock up alarmingly, thousands of them, which probably translates to £12.50, then have paid a truly massive amount of money for staying in the Seacloud Hotel (I asked for the lowest level of hotel accommodation, and I think it is in the right band). Anyhow I'm now unpacked and moved into this aptly named hotel. I'm on the 21st floor with a view over the sea which I can also hear, so no complaints on that front. Not sure I'm going to be willing to pay for too any extras - so wifi access may have to wait for the conference centre tomorrow. Had a quick walk on the beach, got £1.50 worth of the equivalent of fish and chips, bits of all sorts. Also found Chai Latte sachets just near the hotel entrance (and a snickers), so have had a very satisfying, simple to eat meal for a very nice change.

The meals have been amazing, but quite hard work as I've largely insisted on using chopsticks. Another fascinating area of experience here has been taking your shoes off at the door and connected issues. Shoes with laces are a bit of a bind when you're popping in and out a fair bit, but if you're carrying a bag and you place it down on the wrong bit of floor in the entrance area you have to be rescued, or at least the bag does. My feet don't fit in the kind of flip flops they have, so it's best not to have socks with holes - a pair I was wearing just about held out. Yet when it comes to food, implements seem readily shared, communal serving dishes are revisited with spoons that they've used for soup. I'm sure they have ways of doing it that preserve good hygiene, but compared with the fastidiousness over shoes, when the soles of my shoes will often be cleaner, than socks I've been walking in for half a day, the eating habits seem positively liberal.

Don't seem to be able to get the heat down at present from the default 26 in the room, but it's time to try sleep.