StrangerSpirited: Peddle Down to Busan

It's been about a year since I wrote the last posts here on my trip to the Philippines, and ever since I haven't had much to write about, or much time either. Finally after our last adventure I have an experience to talk about. Biking down to Busan!

As you can see, the level of maturity on this trip wasn't high... actually on the first day of riding, after only a couple hours, we had to stop because Keat started giving birth...

But anyway, I'll first list the days and our approximate km distance, plus the name of the towns we stayed at:

Day 1: Seoul--> ChungJu 176km

Day 2: ChungJu-->MunGyeong 80km

Day 3: MunGyeong-->Gumi 120km

Day 4: Gumi-->Daegu 55km

Day 5: Hang out in Daegu (Keat had a wedding there to attend)

Day 6: Daegu-->NamJin 120km

Day 7: Namjin--> Busan! 80km

Total: Aprox 630km.

So we started the trip thinking we'd be doing 400km but it ended up being that the government cycling road isn't very direct so we did much more, plus around 40 of those kilometers were just us getting lost. However in Daegu we were told Busan was 100km away so we left thinking we'd make it that day, but the total distance ended up being around 200km.

Day 1 was the most intense. We got up early not knowing how far we'd go, nor if we'd be able to make it. We calculated we'd do around 80km per day. At 6:30 am we were already on the road and moving way faster than expected. By midday we had already covered our predicted amount for the whole day so after stopping for lunch we rewarded ourselves with an ice cream and a rest to charge phone batteries. We had gone through a lot of tunnels that first half of the ride which were awesome and refreshing.

More maturity.

We ended up taking an hour power nap because the coffee shop we stopped at was on a dam with an observatory with couches.

At 3:30pm we took off again but it soon started raining. We found a little shop to wait through the worst of it and took off again once it lightened up a bit. We got wet but it wasn't enough to be a problem. By around 4:30pm we were by a town where we thought we'd sleep, but it was too early to call it a day, however, the next town was 75km away. Well we decided to go beast and continue but once it got dark we were feeling pretty tired. When we finally found somewhere for dinner we pigged out with glee, and I was so tired my head was hurting. After another 10-15km we finally found somewhere to spend the night. A nice Jjimjilbang for 7,000W (just under 7$) the night. The hot tub felt amazing. Time to sleep like an exhausted baby.

Ok so their floor mats aren't too comfortable, plus someone stole my pillow...

Day 2 we decided to take it easy, (and 80km now counted as taking it easy) had a good ride, stocked up on fatty snacks for energy. That day we hit the largest mountain of the trip. 5.7km up at 12% (I think) inclination, we decided to walk that one. It took us an hour or so to get up, and 6 minutes to get down. It was fast and fun. By sundown we were crossing the town of ChungJu. We actually intended to go farther but as we were biking through the town saying hi to everyone, we caught the attention of a cop. He was keeping up with our speed, and we were going fast at that time, so we were kind of surprised. Finally he stopped us and asked where we were going, said it would be better to call it a night in their town because the next one was far and it was late. By night there are tons of insects flying around and you gotta keep your mouth closed or you'd be taking protein supplements. He was really kind and showed us where we could find a good Jjimjilbang, and then took us for a beer across the street.

(He didn't really wear his hat like that...)

The next morning we had a filling Korean buffet and then headed to the police office because he wanted to give us a coffee and see us off. We ended up chatting with one of his superiors for a while. They gave us ice water and what the cop called "juice" but was really red ginseng mix. It was really nice of him but man that stuff tastes like an old man's sweetened sweat!

That day we intended to reach Daegu but we got a little lost and made it to a town 50km away. At the Jjimjilbang there we were relaxing in the hottub when this Korean Ajeossi (middle aged man) comes in drunk and starts talking to us. It was awkward but ok until he started calling me a handsome boy and hissing through his teeth. We got out of that hot tub real fast!

4th day we arrived at Busan. The next day Keat had a wedding to attend there so we just hung around town. It's like a smaller Seoul, though a bit more laid back. The second day there we hung out with some people of the Ultimate Frisbee community there since Keat plays, and then hiked up a mountain for a bit with Phil while Keat was at the wedding. (Hiking was painful.) That night we were able to stay at the home of one of Phil's friends from his school who was back for vacation. His family was very nice, they fed us really well, we had a good chat and the next day they gave us some sandwiches, boiled eggs and sneaker bars for the road. (I couldn't eat those last ones...) The experience was a little unnerving for me though, because they had a cat that lives in their apartment. Fortunately they had just cleaned and done an amazing job of it because even though I slept on the floor I had almost no trouble at all. I did avoid touching things and my face though.

Deagu's own amusement park!

We took off the next day with lifted spirits after that pleasant experience, but our supposed 100km trip ended up being one with 5 mountains on the way. I don't know why the goverment road didn't go around, and the views weren't too amazing either. The 5th mountain was at night, and going down was very dark since there were trees and bicycle lights don't do much. It was quite an experience. On 1 of the mountains, though, we came across some plum trees and were able to eat a few of the ripe ones right off the tree. They tasted amazing.

We kicked back that night in the strange little town of Namjin. It had tons of foreigners, most from SE Asia, probably laborers. Though the town itself didn't seem too friendly, (we encountered some drunk people, and were ignored by others when asking directions) the owners of the restaurants we ate at were nice.

There were no Jjimjilbangs in that town, just an area with an unusual amount of Motels for such a small town (there were about 10 smudged together). We found a place for 30,000W a night for all 3 of us, so the price wasn't bad. We were able to sleep in beds and didn't have to be around naked old men. The counter lady was very nice and offered us ice water in the morning, plus let us store our bikes in the entrance to her house (which was inside the motel).

Finally on the road to Busan! We were exhausted, tanned, (except for Phil, who didn't need an ounce of sunscreen the whole trip!) and with pain in the knees.

(Busan starts from this point)

We stayed 2 nights in Busan and left the next afternoon. It was a hard trip, and very different than what we expected, but fun and way worth it. Some stretches went on as far as you could see, in full-on summer sun. It's really better to go with company you can chat with and keep your mind off the knee pain, but at times I was just quiet from concentration.

We learned quite a few things about Korea, like how much friendlier people are outside of Seoul. While in Seoul most people would not answer our hello's biking down the road, while outside most people did. We also learned that all the food is the same, from top to bottom. They have a few claimed "specialties" in different towns but instead of being cheaper because that's where they produce them, they were very expensive and we mostly ended up eating the same cheap regular Kfood we eat in Seoul.

A disturbing thing I learned is the openness of prostitution in Korea. Every town had a thriving motel area surrounded by fishy Karaokes and massage parlors. As you approach a town the first thing you always see are the apartment buildings and flashy motels.

I learned that I can bike 175km even though I'm way out of shape simply because I enjoy it, I learned that small towns in Korea have very little youth. I learned that on a regular day a chocolate bar does nothing other than give you zits, but when you are pushing yourself it goes a long way. I learned that the Ultimate Frisbee community is big and tight. I learned that kindness flourishes in smaller cities...

Here are some more photos of the trip: