Somehow we are already halfway through our time in South Korea, having arrived here ten days ago from Bali.
Saying our goodbyes at the airport in Bali definitely felt like another wrench – suddenly, after a few weeks of being around people we know and love we were just the two of us again, embarking again on a whole new ball game of cycling somewhere completely unfamiliar. Gulps.
However, after some soul searching we remembered that we really like kimchi (a lot) so shook off the lonely feelings and found ourselves getting excited for hitting the road again and exploring somewhere new.
We arrived into Seoul Incheon Airport at the sociable time of 9am, and despite a couple of challenges (1 – nearly not being allowed into the country as we didn’t have an onward ticket booked, 2 – not being allowed to cycle out of the airport) we soon found ourselves riding our bikes again from the official start of South Korea’s long distance cycle route network, the Ara Sea Lock.
Since we planned to be here three weeks (now official given the ferry tickets purchased to Japan in a hurry in order to enter the country) we thought it worth investing in a Korean Bike Passport. Not essential for the trip in any way but we anticipated it would be lots of fun collecting stamps at various ‘certification centres’ along the long distance routes. This hasn’t disappointed (apart from when finding the centre proves impossible and we give up in sweaty frustration!)
Our plan for the first day was always simple – get to the bike path, cycle it until we get to Seoul and then check-in to a guesthouse which we had booked in advance for three nights, enabling us to explore the city properly before continuing our ride. Being a Sunday, this first day of cycling proved absolutely bonkers as we shared the path with lots (and lots) of Koreans out for a day ride which seems to involve lots of expensive kit, some cycling (not a lot), quite a bit of standing about with the bike in the shade, tinkering with the bike, washing the bike etc etc.
We must have seen more cyclists on this first day than we had seen, in total, since we left Vienna (or even earlier). It felt good to be part of a crowd again although with our touring set-ups and obviously being foreign we were also stopped a few times (which we’re getting more used to now) for the standard ‘where are you from?’ question, and sometimes ‘how old are you?’ (they’re a nosy bunch).
Once settled into our guesthouse we proceeded to enjoy an action packed and really fun two days in Seoul which we would highly recommend to anyone.
Some highlights:
We left Seoul with the aim of exploring as much of the bike routes as possible – setting our sights on heading to Chuncheon, a city inland and surrounded by mountains as a first goal.
Leaving the (very) big city we continued to be super impressed with the cycling infrastructure and enjoyed cruising along for a day and a half enjoying the riverside pedalling.
Our first night back in the tent was a little warm (OK, very hot and sticky) but we were happy that after not too much looking we found a good spot to wild camp on the trail.
From Chuncheon we caught a bus over to the East Coast to avoid what looked like a very mountainous two days of cycling. If the heat and humidity weren’t such a factor we would have given it a go but were amazed at the ease of catching a bus by just turning up, buying tickets for the next departure, putting the bikes in the hold and jumping on to air conditioned luxury!
The sea breeze on arrival on the coast was definitely welcome despite the sun being just as sizzling. Our bus terminated about 50km from the border with North Korea so we decided to head north to a beach side campsite for a couple of nights and do an out and back trip the next day to the border, leaving our gear at the site.
This plan worked really well, until we got to a big car park near the border and discovered that the only way to get to the DMZ (de-militarised zone) itself, and the Unification Observatory and DMZ museum, was with a car. No bikes (or pedestrians) allowed. After Google Translate coming to the rescue again we found out that the best advice from the staff at the ticket booth was to effectively hitch hike with some other ‘guests’.
Amazingly, this worked! We accosted a few people arriving at the car park to buy their entry ticket to see if they could help (many of whom looked terrified at the thought of driving two slightly dishevelled and sweaty foreigners to one of the most militarised borders on the planet). Eventually we struck lucky and a couple took pity on us, agreeing to welcome us into their very nice Hyundai saloon. As it turned out, Areum spoke very good English (having lived in San Francisco for four years twenty years ago) and Lee was incredibly generous welcoming us into his very comfortable car and even buying us a refreshing corn tea at the museum and a fridge magnet each as a souvenir!
Just going to the observatory (and doing so with a Korean couple) brought home to us how long this conflict has gone on, and how far apart the two Koreas now are. It felt sad and rather strange at the same time – a real life after-effect of history which is enduring well into the 21st century. It will certainly be the closest we ever get to North Korea, unless history takes a new turn at some point soon, which to us sadly felt very unlikely.
Onwards the next day and we were heading south again following the East Coast route. We ended up cycling for four days more, following the coastline and enjoying some beach front camping, a bit of sea time (when not being told off for not having life vests on!), a lot of headwind, a lot of sunshine and some really steep climbing.
Not the speediest of routes as a result but we were treated to stunning views (despite the occasional industrial grimness), a park dedicated to phallic sculptures linked to fishing (yes really) and lots (and lots) of noisy Korean holidaymakers camping with all of the newest gear, setting off fireworks and drinking a lot of soju (Korean spirit which is a bit like vodka, made from rice).
Our last night on the coast was spent in a love motel as the wheels felt like they were coming off after a stormy wet night leaving everything wetter and stinkier than we find enjoyable and a longing for a break from the intense humidity. The motel didn’t disappoint (except for more noisy neighbours) and meant we could get some washing dry finally!
A couple of days later and after (nearly) completing the East Coast route (collecting lots of stamps en route) we have had a fun day sightseeing by bike in Andong, inland again.
A bus brought us here yesterday (again avoiding some steep and humid climbing), hilariously with a rather grumpy bus driver who told us off for talking too loudly and distracting him from driving! Unbelievable as I famously speak very quietly (apart from when on Teams calls in the office) and in our experience, apart from Australians, Koreans are the noisiest of any of the earth’s varied peoples, fact.
So far so good then in South Korea – looking forward to the next ten days and more cruising and hopefully some lowering temperatures/humidity as we head into September 🙂
PS – Thank yous
Having noted the noisiness of our hosts – it would be unfair of me not to also mention how incredibly generous (and friendly) Koreans are (and not just when being asked for a lift to the DMZ). We have been given more things here by strangers in a few short days than probably the whole rest of our lives. The generosity has included:
A solar charger pack, sweetcorn tea and fridge magnets (thanks Lee!), cake, noodles, ice creams, tent pegs, a soju glass, biscuits, sweets and cold bottled water. Yum.
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