arrived

And that's it for another trans-ROK walk!  Frustratingly, my battery power dropped under 5% right at the final kilometer, so I had to pause a few minutes at a very distinguished-looking shwimteo to recharge up to about 12% so I could document the last one thousand meters of this adventure.

I've decided on how I plan to spend the rest of today.  It's still early, so I'll cab over to Busan Station, get a room at the Busaninn yeogwan, then go get a KTX train ticket for tomorrow, preferably in the morning.  After that, I'll cab way out to Haeundae Beach to eat a pizza at Gino's, since I now know, thanks to John Mac, that Eugene has opened a Busan branch.  Will walk out to the beach after that and touch the ocean, more for shits and giggles than because the gesture has any symbolic significance. 

In 2017, the walk's endpoint had a large and bustling convenience store.  Last year, the site was little more than a closet run by a surly guy.  This year:  nada.  So no celebratory Coke until later, alas.  Ah, well.

I'll give a full write-up for the day later this evening, after I'm back from my triumphal meal.

UPDATE:  the Busaninn is temporarily out of operation because of the virus.  I walked over to the motel after purchasing my train ticket and saw the following sign:

So!  No business, I guess, until the pandemic blows over.  I skipped right over to the Plaza Tour Hotel, which charged me W50,000 for a decent room.

I'm at Gino's now, getting ready to chow down on garlic knots and a large Butcher pie (Gino's version of a meat-lover's pizza).  The cabbie who drove me here was friendly but scatterbrained:  he realized partway through the route that he hasn't turned on his meter.  I asked him to quote a fair price, and when he dropped me off, I tipped him generously.  The cab ride back ought to be more straightforward:  everyone knows where Busan Station is.