Having completed some epic rides on three different continents I was unsure where to go next. Now that the pandemic was behind us a number of possibilities presented themselves but the one that stood out was Asia. Asia was pretty far out of my comfort zone but having done my Tour de Med Deluxe with TDA Global Cycling in 2021 I had confidence in their ability to make me feel welcome in any location they did tours. They had a tour that was originally set to go before the pandemic called Journey to the East but when I checked, it was filled. However, a later check revealed a second tour across the same route and better still, two people that I already knew from the Trans Europa tour were signed up as well. It was decision time and my decision was a big GO! The following posts will track my journey across South Korea and Japan. Once again, it should be epic.

Winter and spring training is iffy at best. I hate using my indoor trainer so it is a good thing that my fat-bike gets me out and riding on snow packed paths. Spring rains turn those paths to mud but on a frosty morning I can still get in a ride. Once the snow is mostly gone I can alternate between fat, mountain and road bikes depending upon weather and road conditions. However, the week leading up to departure was wet. Very wet!

Tuesday the rains let up and the sun came out just long enough for me to gather up my faithful riding companion, Rascal for one last ride on some mountain trails. The sunshine was short in duration and rain began to fall as I started down the mountain. Turns out, getting wet with rain was not that bad so I decided to do for myself what mother nature had missed by getting a soaker at a stream crossing. While I cross this stream frequently throughout the year, the spring freshet must have moved some rocks around and left one big one in just the right place to stop my bike cold in the middle of the ice cold water. Luckily the sun returned a short time later and I was able to finish the ride without hypothermia setting in.

Tomorrow I head for my overnight airport hotel and an early fist leg on my flights to South Korea. Seoul long for now. (I promise, that’s the last time for that.)

May 5 and 6, 2023

I knew that getting to South Korea from rural Ontario was not going to be easy but combine that with a miscalculation on my part and a typical Air Canada experience and it adds up to a very long commute. Since I live a two hour drive from the Ottawa airport and my flight was scheduled to leave at 9:00 am, I decided to leave home the afternoon before and get a hotel room for the night. The plan was to try to make the long air travel day a bit more relaxing than having to leave my home by 5:00 am in order to be at the airport the required two hours ahead of departure. This part worked great and even allowed Chris to come along for a kiss and goodbye at the airport and a drive by visit with my son James and his family the evening before. However, my plan for a shorter day of air travel was not to be realized.

A smart person would have added an extra day in Seoul to allow for travel delays and I thought I was doing that by leaving early Thursday for the Sunday start of the ride and the mandatory briefing meeting on Saturday morning. An extra day would give me plenty of time to reassemble my bike and deal with any problems. However, I forgot about the International Date Line. Leaving Thursday morning would put me in Seoul late Friday afternoon instead of late Thursday night. Still, arriving 5:30 pm on Friday was not all that bad. Figuring two hours to get through customs and from the airport to the hotel still put me in my room before eight. I might have time to get my bike unpacked and put together and if not, I should be relaxed and rested to get up early the next day and do the job then.

Ottawa to Toronto went off smoothly and right on time. However, before we even landed, we were advised that the Toronto to Seoul flight was being delayed. It was only an hour delay but as my time was already tight, I was less than thrilled. As the afternoon ticked away and the original 2:00 pm departure time approached we were updated that the delay was now two hours. It seemed odd as I could look right out the airport window and see our plane already at the skyway. Seems that Air Canada needed the extra time for some maintenance. Good news came a few minutes later when they started to call for boarding well before the new departure time. This luck only held until I was in my seat and the plane about a third loaded. Loading was suddenly stopped and we were told that the plane needed a new tire on the front landing gear. Normally I would have expected such a thing to be something that might have been notice during the three to four hours the plane was already sitting at the gate but no, the ways of Air Canada maintenance are strange and mysterious. A new tire was sent for and in a mere ninety minutes it was delivered, installed and loading resumed.

The flight itself was uneventful but did have one interesting feature. Fly east to west we were basically moving against the Earth’s rotation and this kept us in daylight throughout the entire flight. Landing in Seoul would have been accompanied by a stunning sunset had the city not been completely covered by low clouds and a patchy fog. The gloomy evening was a perfect match for my travel weary mood as I collected by boxed bike and luggage and was treated to an additional screening before hitting customs and immigration. Two hours or so after landing I finally sat down on my bed and fought my way to sleep.

Today is much better. I am rested, my bike reassembled with only one minor issue that I was able to repair. The weather is still humid and wet and that gives me the perfect excuse to stay in my room, write this short blog post and veg-out the rest of the day. Tomorrow we ride!

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.

Yeoju to Suanbo>

May 8, 2023

Another day and another astounding breakfast and we were wheels away. The sun was out and while chilly, the day promised to be spectacular and it was. The ride through the small hills connecting river valley bike paths and routes took us through some of South Korea’s most beautiful countrysides.

Population in South Korea is concentrated in urban areas and suburban sprawl does not seem to exist. Rural areas are given over to intense agriculture that utilizes every scrap of land as well as recreational areas for the people living in high density accommodations. The typical North American single family dwelling or even duplex with a third of an acre yard is a very rare bird here in Korea. Your will find some but they are almost always attached to some form of agriculture and that third of an acre is not growing grass. Instead you see vast developments of many unit high rise apartments and condos. Green space is valued and protected with an almost religious like reverence.

They have even found a less land intensive way to practice a form of golf. I saw it as a mash up of golf, pickle ball and croquette. On a chip and putt sized fairway the golfer uses a driver style golf club with an over sized head to hit a pickle ball sized ball made of wood that sounds like a croquette ball when it is struck. The ball stays mostly on the ground aiming for the green where it is putted into the hole. An ingenious way to fit an eighteen hole course into a small area. On the Monday afternoon when I rode by such a course it was packed with what I shall call neo-golfers.

Two interesting things along the way. First was a building being built with a traditional pitched roof made of concrete. Maybe I am not up on the latest trends in construction but I have never seen a roof of this style made of concrete. The second was a business called Fishy Aroma. Not a large place but interesting enough that a few of us stopped in for some iced coffee. The hostess and owner did not speak English but she had an abundance of hospitality. Charging us for only the coffee she brought out roasted sweet potatoes and fresh fruit to go along with it. Then is a move that surprised everyone she proceeded to produce colourful buffs and presented one to each of us. She refuse payment and even a tip for all the goodness she provided, Just a proud business owner wanting to show foreign visitors the finest of Korean hospitality. Never found out why it was called Fishy Aroma. It did not smell fishy to us.

There were a few gentle hills today and some perfect views. Even the bridges were stylish. For a mostly industrial nation they certainly have made the best use of what nature they have.

Suanbo to Andong City

May 9, 2023

After two days of fairly flat riding we were off into more vertical country today. Our first climb was steep but not too challenging just after leaving the hotel. Coming from an area with some long and steep climbs, I have usually considered myself a good climber and I guess I am compared with the general population of bicycle riders. However, when compared with people who are seasoned bicycle tourists I rate average at best. I still make it up every hill without having to walk my bike but I take my own time and that time seems to be less than many other riders. I’m just glad it is not a race.

The view from the top of our longest climb of the day was quite nice and I was glad to use the excuse of taking a selfie as an opportunity to let the lactic acid drain from my leg muscles. The down hill afterwards was a blast. There was also a very large rock carving along side of the road. It did not look like most Budda carvings that I have seen and I could not translate the sign nearby or find anything on line about it. However, given that the make figure looks younger than most Budda carvings I am guessing they represent Princess Yaśodharā, the wife of Siddhartha and Siddhartha himself, who later became Gautama Buddha

Buying food or drink in small Korean shops and restaurants can be challenging and expensive. Since our hotel only had instant coffee at breakfast and since most of us don’t consider that sludge to be drinkable, quite a few of us stopped at this little roadside shop for our daily caffeine hit. Making the coffee was a slow, one cup at a time, process and the shop owner became confused and nervous about keeping us waiting and determining who was paying for what. I came in near the end of the process and just wanted a simple Coffee Amerciano. I wound up paying 17,000 Won or about $17.00 (Canadian) for it. It appears I involuntarily paid for a number of coffees for some of my fellow riders. At least I got a “free” cookie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of interesting scenery in these more rural and small town sections of South Korea. Duck boats for rent, rice paddies, sculpted sections of bicycle trails and cherry blossoms framing kilometers of the pathway made the kilometers fly by. It was a tiring but satisfying day. Tomorrow is a rest day and time to do some laundry and see some sights in Andong City.

May 10, 2023

Today was our first rest day and time to take care of some chores and later explore. I started my day before breakfast doing a walkabout before the city was completely awake. It is nice to just experience the cool morning air and quiet of a city not yet ready to bustle. I quickly learned that the lack of street signs, a foreign language and alphabet coupled with streets that followed no discernible pattern can easily lead one astray. Fortunately I remembered my Boy Scout lessons and admitted I was lost and retraced my steps to the last landmark that I recognized. From there it was just a matter of returning the way I came. I was back in plenty of time for breakfast.

After cleaning and adjusting my bike and visiting a bike shop to replace a water bottle that did not survive being dropped, I had some time to explore, this time with a better sense of where I was going and with a map and plan. Andong has a population of just a bit over 160,000 and by the looks of the stores, they must shop like it was an Olympic competition. Nearly every street, avenue and alleyway is crammed with stores offering to sell you whatever you could possible need. Frequently the stores are so crammed with goods that they spill out onto and over the sidewalk. There are also a number of older style market streets filled with vendors who rent or lease the space.

In the afternoon I took a short bike ride to the Historic Andong Village, a reconstruction of building ranging from just over a hundred to many hundreds of years old. These building were relocated in 1976 when the thirsty and expanding city of Andong built a new dam that would have covered them with its backwaters. It has become a major tourist attraction and beautiful riverside park that is a favourite of young lovers.

The buildings, while similar at first glance represent an evolution of lifestyles and construction techniques ranging from ancient thatched roofs to more recent clay tiles. Most of the village reflects a mostly agrarian lifestyle with families and livestock living close together. The rooms are small and the ceilings low by today’s standards but they reflect the practicality of efficient design and use of hand labour. After visiting the village I made my way back crossing the longest pedestrian bridge in South Korea.

Tomorrow we are off on yet another day of long distance riding and frequent, steep climbs. However, the scenery promises to be inspiring.

It’s not as bad as it sounds

May 11, 2023

Riders enjoying a gentler portion of the the route[/caption]

Leaving a city is always problematic. Many people can equal many cars. Oddly enough, if the city is large enough this is not a problem. Big cities often have bike paths or at least bike lanes. Andong did as well but they did not go far enough. Just outside of the city the bike path ended and we were forced onto a road with narrow shoulders that we shared with large trucks and commuter traffic. The shoulder itself was less than great with frequent piles of dirt, overgrowing vegetation, glass and other roadside debris. Add to this construction and a system of center line dividers that prevented impatient truck drivers from allowing a safe distance between their many tons and my far lesser mass. I took one tree branch in my face while staying as far over as I could and watching the close pass of a dump truck in my rear view mirror. At times we were sandwiched between a narrow road with a center line barrier and guard rails or walls that made the edge of the shoulder the end of the world as far as we were concerned. I was almost giddy with joy to get off that road and into the hills and the eleven big climbs on today’s route.

There were eleven climbs today totaling just over 2300 meters according to Ride With GPS and around around 1600 meters according to Garmin. The route guide said they totaled 1751 meters so who knows why the wide discrepancy? My legs say go with the higher number. There was also a headwind much of the way but it was a plus on those long climbs keeping us cool. Regardless of the elevations climbed the ride was spectacular once we were free of Satan’s Speedway. Our first point of interest was the Turtle Temple. The turtle is a common image in the Buddhist faith. The turtle stands as a prayer, wish, and hope that life’s meaning will endure. It also may means that life finds expression in what a monk gives to others. Turtle monuments often commemorate a monk’s life.

We are still in farming country with the primary crop being apples. There is also the inevitable rice, beans and and other crops suited to smaller acreage. I have yet to see any livestock though I assume there are such operations just in other areas. While some farm homes are of current design I occasionally came across one that was from a past century, although still being actively used.

 

It is also common to see shrines and memorials along our routes. Sometimes they form a place of worship, particularly for the Buddhist faith or commemorate the life of a departed loved one. These latter memorials usually have some connection with an environment or location special to the deceased. Of course any ride seems to bring the unexpected into view such as a dinosaur themed park that I passed just after lunch.

The next to the last climb was followed by a long swooping descent through the Ice Valley, home to rock climbing schools and a host site for the World Ice Climbing Championships. Rugged rock canyon walls bracket a cold, clear mountain stream that our road followed for many kilometers. It was a sometimes swift, sometimes gentle glide through a slice of heaven.

The Ice Valley is the gateway to Yeongdeok a coastal city on what most maps call the Sea of Japan but which the Koreans insist is the East Sea. Yeongdeok has branded itself as the King Crab Capital of Korea. Let me emphasize this: They have branded themselves King Crab Capital and made a point of it in as strong a way imaginable. They own it, have nailed it to the wall, set it in stone and challenge anyone to out do them. Baltimore take note, you slackers. Of course, our dinner this evening was a crab feast, South Korean style. We were stuffed.

Yeongdeok to Gyeongju

May 12, 2023

A traditional breakfast started us off with dishes that most North American would not associate with their morning meal. Rice and a crab based soup rounded out with various side dishes such as dried seaweed and cam chi took a bit to get used to but were mostly enjoyable. Once on our bikes we were away along the coast with salt spray and fishy odors in the air.

We were just coasting today in two ways. With less than 90 kilometers to ride and a fairly flat course along Korea’s East Sea coast it was a day to take it easy and to take pictures. These coastal towns seem to really enjoy making an artistic statement. As if the sea view were not enough, they indulge in creating beautiful floral displays and original works of art.

As we moved along the coast the towns seemed to move from recreational oriented to a more industrial economic model. However, even in the most industrial of towns a large portion of the waterfront was preserved for recreational use. It was in one of these towns that we experienced the best displays of artistic works.

One was a large sculpture garden on the beach with concrete creations made to look like elaborate sand sculptures. Each one was a unique work of art. Floral displays were also an important part of this town’s identity with frequent elaborate displays.

 

 

 

 

Our day ended after a pleasant 90 kilometers at a hotel designed as a traditional Korean guest house. Shoes are left outside and your sleeping pad is on the floor. Chairs? Were we are we don’t need chairs.

May 13, 2023

Today was an exploration day in what can best be described as a tourist town or at least the tourist area of Gyeongju. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and the families were out in full force. The same was true on Saturday when the above photo was taken. The area is historically significant featuring a UNESCO World Heritage Site but most folks seem to be here for the food, shopping and tourist experience. Some even rent period costumes and stroll the sites in ancient style.

Our evening began with another traditional Korean feast, this time hosted the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism. I lost count of how many different dishes and the food just kept coming. Surprising to those who know me, I tried most dishes, even the spicy one and survived the experience.

The following day I was off to explore. Near to where we are staying is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing ancient burial mounds containing the tombs of past note-worthies from centuries ago. There are dozens of these mounds of various sizes that may indicate the importance of the potentate or maybe the availability of dirt at that particular moment in history.

My next stop was at the Cheomseongdae Observatory, the oldest surviving observatory in Asia and possible the world. It was constructed during the 7^th century kingdom of Silla and modeled on an even older observatory that is only know through historical records. Like many observatories before the invention of telescopes it was used to define and map the night sky by providing a fixed reference point on the ground to plot the movement of objects in the sky.

Nearby is the archaeological excavation of the palace and fortress of King Pasa of the Silla dynasty. Sited on the high ground above the city it commanded a large area. The excavation is still in its early stages with most of its secrets still to be uncovered.

A much later palace has been excavated and reconstructed within sight of it more ancient cousin. The Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond have been beautifully recreated near the exact site where they originally stood. This palace was also part of the Silla era but much later than the one above. It was constructed during the reign of King Munmu in 674 CE. The palace featured an ornate roof, carefully carved and painted in much the same way as the photo shows. It is sited at the edge of an artificial pond designed to reflect its beauty.

I finished my adventure with a walk down the tourist gauntlet. It reminded me of just about every other tourist mecca that I have visited with the usual assortment of shops designed to get between the visitor and their wallet as quickly as possible. I am immune to such influences, especially as I have absolutely no room for so much as a flat calendar in my luggage. However, I did decide to try some street food. It looked like a pastry on a stick and is appeared to have a delicious looking chocolate swirl. My mouth was thinking Beaver Tail, a Canadian deep fried confection so I ponied up the 4,000 WON price (about $4.00) and waited. My first clue that I had misjudged my meal was when the vendor put the concoction on a grill. He then sprayed it with cooking oil and basted it with various sauces, none of which were chocolate. It was handed to be steaming hot of a cardboard plate and it tasted like chicken. Another of life’s adventures.