The Busan Ferry

The Manic American Season 6 mega-trip to Asia, a.k.a Manic Asia 2010, is coming together as we speak. One of the key features of it will be the ferry from Japan to Busan, Korea. The Busan ferry will save us from airfare, give us a chance to recoup from the first phase of the trip and let us collect our thoughts over its 8 hour journey... much as the ferry to Vancouver Island did during X-Can.

The Vancouver ferry was fantastic, you pick it up from one of three or four ports on the outskirts of Vancouver, hop on board for a 2-3 hour trip through the Pacific to lonely and wacky Vancouver Island, home of a tropical rainforest, The Beach At The End Of The Continent, as well as Nanaimo and Victoria -- one a former logger-town, the other a Victorian retro-fit.

The ferry ride itself was nothing but calming and relaxing, and short enough that it carried a bit of a festive air -- no one was complaining, people were just enjoying the ocean breeze, the odd whale/dolphin sighting and the sun. People brought instruments to play, gear to party with during Canada Day, and no bad attitudes. It was also a good chance for a quick nap.

So that's what we're looking forward to on the Busan ferry, only for thrice as long. If we can take it overnight, fantastic, if not, it’ll still be worth it. A day at sea, alone with out thoughts, photos and a few hundred Koreans, all paying Japanese prices for snacks and meals in the international waters of Asia. As long as no North Korean subs menace us, it'll probably be just what we need after a 5-day blitzkrieg through Japan.