May 7, 2023
Our first riding day started with a lavish hotel breakfast buffet. Just about anything you might want to eat for breakfast and a few that you might not were part of the fare. Aside from the breakfast staples that all North Americans know and love there were things with names I could not pronounce and an appearance that I could not convince myself to ingest. Still, plenty of fuel for the ride.
The ride today was nearly 100% on dedicated bike paths; however, it being a Sunday and a holiday weekend those paths were quite busy. South Korea is home to nearly 54 million people and 10 million of them live in Seoul. Nearly every space is utilized with the area along the river devoted to recreations of all sorts. In a country the size of Oregon with a population 10 million higher than Canada you can expect it to be a busy place. As we moved away from Seoul the paths became less traveled and the concrete jungle opened up into a pleasant river valley surrounded by rugged hills and mountains.
Along the bike path you can see some traces of the Korean War in the form of concrete pill boxes used for gun emplacement to defend against attacks by river. Today they are painted not so much to blend in but as a form of artistic expression.
The further I rode from Seoul the more signs I saw of agriculture on a micro scale. Green houses, rice paddies and small vegetable gardens. The river itself is fully utilized for flood control, irrigation and power generation. The photo shown here is of a unique design that seems to combine architectural flare with function. A little further down the path an ingenious property owner created a retaining wall and flower garden out of earthen pots.
We ended our ride of just over 100 kilometers in the city of Yeoju an area that has been farming rice since 13,000 BC. It is also know for its fine white porcelain and sweet round pears. The Japanese invaded the area in the 16th century destroying most of the porcelain kilns and kidnapping the artisans to bring their skills and knowledge to Japan.
Tonight I had my first true Korean dinner served family style and featuring an amazing assortment of dishes to be sampled along with generous helpings of sticky rice. I found the dishes interesting and some even edible. This is no critique of the food but of me and my picky North American tastes. I did try many of the dishes, even the highly spiced soup which I enjoyed until I bit into the chili.