I wasn’t sure what to expect of South Korea. What I wasn’t expecting was the organization, the transportation system, the cleanliness, the infrastructure, the industry, the agriculture, the density of the cities and the beauty of the countryside. Basically I had no idea about this country.

South Korea has a population of 51 million people with a land mass of 97,235 square kms (37,543 sq. miles), 2.5 times smaller than the U.K. The average age is 41.

We cycled from the north (Incheon) to the south (Busan) on a dedicated 633 kms cycle route. This is called the cross-country route, which comprises of the Ara bicycle path (21 kms), Namhangang bicycle path (136 kms), Saejae Bicycle Path (100 kms), (Nakdonggang Bicycle Path (389 kms),

If the route wasn’t separated from traffic with a dedicated cycle path, it was on rural routes, with signs painted on the road and/or a dedicated lane for cyclists. This is not the only cycle route in South Korea the Ocheon Bike Path (105 kms), the Geumgang bicycle path (146 kms), the Yeongsangang bicycle path (133 kms), Seomjingang Bicycle Path (149 kms), the East Coast route (242 kms), and the Jeju Island route (234 kms).

There is also a few out and backs, Bukhangang Bicycle Path (70 kms).

Some of the population complained about the money that was spent creating and maintaining cycle routes. The government initiative started in 1993.  I found this information on-line about the cycling infrastructure.  Of course this in not just about the long routes, also the infrastructure when new towns were being built to ensure there were cycle routes and bicycle parking within new communities.

I only wish Canada would spend this money on encouraging safe cycling.

The routes are well used by long distance and local cyclists and hikers and walkers.

As a cyclist or a hiker, you can walk or ride from your city and take a bus or train back to your city or town. If you wanted to complete the Cross-Country path in sections for example, it is very easy to do that. You cycle one section and hop on a train or bus home, the next section you hop on a train and cycle, then hop on a train home. An amazing network of buses and trains run throughout the country that are inexpensive. We travelled from Busan to Seoul a distance of about 401 kms for $25.00 each. The bus had extra wide seats, and lots of leg room. The trains only accept bikes on the week-ends, although we were allowed to get our bikes on the train from Incheon during the week but outside of the rush-hour period.

We only saw six other non-Koreans cycling the whole route, two other Canadians, two Russians, a Kuwaiti and a Chinese man. This is South Korea’s best kept secret.

The only disadvantage for non-Koreans is most of the signage was in Korean and there was opportunity to get misplaced or take one of the side routes when you didn’t want to. There were days when we got very frustrated at the signage, because we had taken the city route instead of the river route, or taken the out and back or got to an intersection and didn’t know which way to go.

Another problem for us, was that google maps did not work, we could not estimate the distances each day or find hotels. Google maps only showed us the transportation routes and no distance. Apparently google and the government had a falling out. Maps.me worked reasonably well in a city to find us a hotel, but often we were cycling and had no clue where we were going for the day or where we would be spending the night. Fortunately, there were lots of love motels and small guesthouses. Again, if you know the characters of motel, guesthouse or hotel that helps.

Food was readily available and later in the season smaller food stands are open along the route for additional food options.

The density of the cities and Towns is unbelievable. Most people live in high-rise apartments that are the size of small Towns. Within a short distance of their apartments are exercise parks, parkland, bike paths, anything to keep the population active. The population is active, every day we saw women walking in small groups, people using the exercise parks and cyclists and not many chubby people. The population spend a lot of money on their clothes and gear, top of the line bikes and gear, matching jackets for the walking groups.

As you come into a city, the first thing you see are the apartment blocks. Most of the industry is located within a few kilometres of these blocks.

They were very interested in our bikes and panniers, why were we carrying so much? We often asked ourselves the same question, especially as we didn’t have any camping or cooking gear, on this trip. I know I carried one full pannier of gear that I never used.  The people are very friendly. If only we spoke Korean, we would have had a lot of interesting conversations. Even though we spoke no Korean, we were able to communicate with hand gestures and we often guessed at what people were asking us. Most of the questions are the same, where did you come from, where are you going, what country do you come from and surprisingly how old are you. I was expecting a very reserved people and although they were a little reserved due to the language barrier, I found them to be very nice and helpful, if I asked for directions.

Most people know that education is highly thought of in Korea. Unfortunately the pressure on young people to get into the best universities and perform well is very hard on them. We saw a documentary on the school system, the kids go to school from 8:00 until 4:00 and then often will go to private tutors until 9.00 p.m. The parents work harder to be able to afford the extra tuition, which in turn puts more pressure on the child. Unfortunately, there is also a high suicide rate among teens.

Ralf and I are used to giving a wave to other cyclists, most of the time you get a wave back. In South Korea it is a nod or a bow, I perfected bowing on my bike. You stop pedaling, raise your bum of your seat, and bow from the waist down, then sit back down on your seat.

The cleanliness of this country is amazing, there was some garbage as we went further south, but nothing compared to other countries we have cycled through (including Canada). Of course that could be due to the fact that there is very few fast food restaurants like McDonalds etc. There is a comprehensive recycling system throughout the country. In Seoul the recycling is highly regulated, fines are laid if you do not recycle properly.

South Korea has two mountain ranges running through the centre of the country, with the River running through the valley. The scenery is beautiful. The country was waking up from its winter grey drab colour to its spring colour of bright green leaves, yellow forsythia and of course cherry blossoms. After the cherry blossoms, the azaleas brighten the roads and the cities. Within the cities and towns, the parks departments were out beautifying the spaces with stunning flower arrangements.

Koreans are very orderly, they line-up at attractions, train stations, bus stations and even at cross-walks where they stand on their side of the street to make the mad dash across the road.

Within cities on city roads, the cars, taxis and buses do not expect cyclists to be there and tend to squeeze you a little bit. Taxis and buses will make a bee-line for their passengers without taking note of cyclists.

In closing South Korea is now my favorite country to cycle in, (Ralf still favours New Zealand). I hope that we will be able to come back and that Trump and the North behave themselves to allow us to come and cycle in this great country again.

Next time I will definitely learn the alphabet and learn to speak a little Korean.

April 23 and 24, 2017

We spent Sunday packing up the bikes and updating the blog. O.k. Ralf packed the bikes and I updated the blog. In my opinion Ralf does a better job at packing the bikes than any bike shop. This time, Ralf hardly swore at all I probably only heard two bad words in the four hours that he took to put the bikes in the boxes, a record.

I spent time going through almost 200 pictures to choose the few that I put on the blog. Now that I am taking photos with the phone and getting some good shots, I have to go through Ralf’s photos and my photos, it takes time.

Heading Home – Monday April 24, 2017

I read a book once about air travel and it said that the chances of you dying in an aircraft are one in a million. Pretty good odds of me surviving this flight, however, the more I fly the higher the risk. That is what I told Ralf over breakfast. He just shook his head, amazed that I still hate flying after all these years.

We had to check out of the hotel by noon as that was the latest time for the free-shuttle to the airport. We were at the airport at 12:30 – five and a half hours ahead of the flight time!!

We hoped that there would be early check-in but there wasn’t. Air Canada was checking in a flight to Vancouver and we didn’t want Mrs. Sweetcheeks heading to Vancouver instead of Toronto. We checked-in at 2:45 and headed through the gates to the terminal.

Incheon/Seoul airport is huge, we had to take a train to our gate. We could have wandered around on the classy side of the airport where all the designer brand names are, but with only 30,000 Won ($36.00) in our pocket and not much left in the bank, it wasn’t really worth it.

We took the train to the cheaper side where we had a coffee and sandwich at Dunkin Donuts.

We had booked extra leg-room seats on our return in the hopes that we would be able to get some sleep.

Not very successful, I tossed and turned trying to get comfy and Ralf binged on movies and games. The flight was smooth, of course every-time the food was served we hit turbulence, but that is par for the course.

We arrived on time at Toronto (6:00 p.m.) and cleared passport control really quickly. They have a new system where you scan your passport and customs declaration and walk through. The customs guard has a quick check of your passport and declaration and you are free to go to pick up your luggage.

Which as usual, at Pearson, takes forever. The bikes were ready first and then the bags eventually rolled of the carousel.

We headed to our waiting ride, oops sorry that should read we waited for our ride. When I called the Limo Service, he hadn’t got our booking. He tried to cover it up and told me that the Town Car was on its way. I politely told him that I had ordered a Suburban or equivalent as we have two bicycles, which was I had requested. I had sent an email to confirm that the flight was on time from Seoul but hadn’t received a response from them by the time we arrived in Toronto, that should have given me a heads up.

“I have to recall the driver and we will switch out the vehicles”, it will be about half an hour. I was tired and just wanted to get home. We waited for another vehicle to arrive, eventually at 8:00 he arrived. Nice guy and a smooth journey home.

Arrived home at 9:15 p.m. and I went straight to bed. Ralf needed time to unwind, I have no idea when he came to bed.

I hope you have enjoyed the Grand Adventure Part Two and the photos that Ralf has taken.

We will be thinking about where to go on Grand Adventure Part Three, stay tuned for our thoughts on South Korea.

April 22, 2017

We checked out of the JBis hotel at 9:30 and headed towards the river and the cycleway towards the Ara Waterway. Seoul has some great street art, we don’t think this is one of them.

What a difference two weeks makes. When we cycled towards Seoul, it was raining and cold, the cherry blossoms were only just budding and the spring flowers were only just poking their heads through the cold ground. Just over two weeks later and the cherry blossoms have almost finished, the tulips are in full bloom and the pansies are planted in their boxes and look lovely.

Today is Saturday and there were lots of people on their bikes and walking. There were people on rental bikes and others on high-end road bikes weaving their way through the slower riders. The speed limit is 20 kph and we broke the rules on a couple of occasions. Some of the roadies in teams were definitely going faster than 20, but everyone was staying to their side of the line including the walkers who had their own area to walk.

There was even mobile bike shops set up along the route.

It was a beautiful day and a great ride to finish our time in South Korea, we both agreed that we will miss this amazing country. Ralf suggested we get our visa extended and carry-on cycling, I was tempted. However, I have already emailed the greenhouse to let them know we are heading home and I can start work again. Our budget would allow us to stay out longer, even with the extra cost of a new camera and phone, we are under budget and have money left over. Well that can go towards the next trip, I am not sure where that is going to be. Chris, my colleague suggested Central America, but I think it will probably be back to Europe for a late summer, early fall ride along the rivers – Rhine and Danube. We will see and so will you.

We arrived at the Ara Waterway and took photos of the Start line. I bought a new map of the routes, as the one we were given with the passport has disintegrated. I am going to get it laminated, ready for the next time we come to Korea and do another of their amazing cycle routes.

On our first time passed the Big Blue cyclist we noticed the 3-D painting it was raining, and we couldn’t sit in the boat. Passing by it today, we were able to “sit” in the boat.

We had a quick lunch and then headed back to the Big blue cyclist to get back on the train to Incheon and our hotel for the next two days.

We got of the train at what we thought was our station and didn’t recognize anything! Yep we had screwed up again. We had got on the right train going in the right direction but got off one stop earlier than we should have. We were going to cycle to the hotel, but most of the roads are major highways and do not have shoulders or allow cyclists on the road!

Back on the train and one more stop, yes we recognize everything. The receptionist at the hotel recognized us and we are in the same room as before. The boxes are waiting for Ralf to break down the bikes and pack them (tomorrow).

I have been craving a pizza for about a week now. While we were in Seoul we noticed that the Lotte Market sold giant sized hot-pizzas, we were hoping that the Lotte market near our hotel did the same and it did. If you have ever been really really craving for something and then you get the chance to eat it, you have to be very careful not to inhale the food. The pizza was huge, 45 cms (18 inches) around. We managed to eat most of it, we left two large slices for lunch tomorrow.

Apart from one minor screw-up with the train – Note to self if you are going to come back to the same hotel make sure you know the name of the station. Not that it was the first stop after the bridge, because that first stop might change on a week-end. On a week-end the train stops at every stop on the route.

April 21, 2017

 Happy birthday Dawn, have a lovely day.

Our last day in Seoul being tourists. Another great day. We headed out to the Namsangol Hanok Village which is a free museum.

There are five traditional houses that have been relocated to this site.

This was cheaper than renting the costumes for 10,000 K-won ($12.00) for an hour.

The houses were relocated and restored. The houses have been recreated with traditional furniture and landscaping. Each house stands within its own courtyard and walls. There are different areas to each house, for example there is the main house, (Sarangchae) the outer quarters for the men with reception rooms, the second building (Anchae) the inner quarters are for the women who also have seating areas and sleeping areas, the kitchen was sometimes outside or in a smaller area depending on the person living in the house.

All the buildings are raised off the ground, which allows for the under-floor heating. The under-floor heating is used almost everywhere in Korea to this day. It is very efficient an you have toasty warm feet as an added benefit. The museum was a really nice way to spend the morning and explore traditional housing.

In the larger houses they have \”walls\” suspended from the ceiling.  These \”walls\” can be lowered to divide the space into smaller areas (Pictures 1-3).

We spent a few hours wandering around the houses.  There were school groups and kindergarten groups enjoying the buildings as well.

Traditional dress and modern communications.

The gardens have been restored as well, using native plants and trees and creating waterfalls and ponds, it was very peaceful.

In 1994 to mark Seoul’s 600^th Anniversary they created a time capsule which will be opened in 2394 to celebrate the 1,000^th year Anniversary. The square is built in the shape of a meteorite crater. The time capsule has 600 items inside ranging from maps of the City of Seoul to plastic household items.

We walked through the gardens to a small café where we had lunch and realized we were fairly close to the North Seoul Tower

The weather was good, so we headed up towards the Tower. There are mixed reviews (online) as to whether it is worth paying the extra money to go to the top of the tower.

We both like towers and the views that they afford of the city we are visiting.

As we walked up the hill to the tower, we were amazed at the amount of greenspace. There were a lot of people enjoying the area and the exercise park half way up the hill.

The park reminded me a little of Mount Royal in Montreal.

I discovered how to use the camera on the phone and was really surprised at the quality of the photos. I even managed to take a selfie!!

When we got to the top it was obviously a very popular tourist area. Then we spotted the love locks, everywhere you looked there was a lock with a couples name on it. We have seen this in other places but were amazed at the amount of locks located here. We decided to buy one and attach it to the fence, the idea is to put the key into a box to lock your love. Ralf noticed that there were some locks with combination locks. His theory was that, obviously these were a temporary thing. Remember the combination and you can replace it for the next love of your life!

We decided not to go to the top of the tower as the sun had gone and the view was overcast.

There was lots to see at the top of the mountain, including traditional performance of  martial arts.

When we headed back down we thought about taking the cable car, as I find it hard on my knees negotiating the steps. We decided that we should walk down a different way to see another area of the parkland.

This tree was carved to represent a Korean smile.

The 75 year-old Mulberry tree was destroyed in a strong wind in 2014. It’s funny that they would carve a Korean smile, as we do not see the Korean’s smile a lot. They are a very serious nation, until you get a group of middle-aged women together and they giggle like school girls.

We came out by the South Gate and the market.

The City of Seoul used to be a walled city in the 1300’s. Some of the gates and walls were destroyed by invasion. The city are rebuilding the gates and some of the walls.

The bell installed in the gatehouse rang to indicate the opening and closing of the gate at 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. respectively. During flood and drought the king would come to the gate to preside over prayer rituals invoking fair weather and rainfall respectively. During 2008 the gate was set fire to by an arsonist to the horror of the nation. From 2008 to 2013 the gate was restored and the walls to left and right of the gate were rebuilt.

After walking through the market, I was hungry and we opted to eat in a local restaurant, before heading back to our hotel on the Metro.

We spotted one restaurant that had English and pictures on the outside, bonus. However, when we went inside there was a list of the menu that you had to make a tick mark next to what you wanted to order! It was all in Korean. This was something that should be on the Amazing Race. If you match the Korean alphabet with the menu and what you want to eat you win and you get to eat what you ordered. If you don’t manage it you still have to eat what you ordered. Which could have been squid ink Bibimibap!. Ralf and I managed to pass the test and get what we ordered!

As we entered the metro we noticed a line of men, some with cardboard.  The metro is used as a bomb-shelter in the case of emergency.  Sadly, it is also used as a place to sleep for the homeless.  

Tomorrow we cycle the bike route back to start of the Ara waterway (the section that we didn’t cycle at the beginning of this ride) and then take the train to Incheon.

April 20, 2017

I desperately needed to clean the bikes. I have been very negligent in keeping the bikes cleaned on this trip. Poor Mrs Sweetcheeks has a dreadful squeak, now she is cleaned I hope she will be happier for our last ride to Incheon on Saturday.

After cleaning the bikes, today was another tourist day. The plan was to visit the City Hall and the Market.

When we arrived at the City Hall we noticed a camp site. Apparently there are some people who do not agree with the impeachment of President Park.

The new City Hall was one of the reasons that the old administration (pre-Parks) was ousted. The populace complained that money was being wasted and the new City Hall represented a lot of wasted money.

However, one of the things that we liked was this ear-shaped structure. You can talk into it for 30 seconds and tell the City hall what you have on your mind. The question is do they listen?

My home city, Barrie, had a copy of Rodin’s “Thinker” facing the City Hall, the theory was that they will think before they make decisions. Maybe after they relocate the thinker they should put in the ear – so that they can listen to what the people want.

While Ralf was taking photos I was asked once again, if I needed help. Amazing people in Seoul.

We found the Namdaemun market, where you can buy everything you could possibly need, from food to household items.  Namdaemun market is situated next to the Namdaemun Gate.

The market is very large and has approximately 10,000 stalls and shops. The market is very popular with tourists and locals.

Of course this number (10,000) includes the hundreds of little jewellery stalls, where they are making costume jewellery,  inside one of the large indoor market areas.

Ralf noticed this collection of clocks, almost all of them have the correct time.  South Koreans, could give Germany a run for their money as far as organization goes.

Within the larger market area, there are little alleyways where you can buy food and traditional medicines.

Of course,  there were tourist information staff wandering around the market to help lost tourists.

Many years ago Di, my sister-in-law, bought me a pen with my name on it. It was a very simple pink pen, but she had my name engraved on it. My name was spelt correctly with a Y not an ie (Jacky) and I had kept it for years. Well, I lost it on this trip! While wandering around the market I decided to see if I could find a replacement pen. There is a section in the market for stationery and I found a small blue pen – Pierre Cardin no less, it doesn’t have my name on it, but it writes nicely. Sorry Di for losing the pen you bought me.

One of the funniest signs we saw was Porky Kids clothing, something lost in translation maybe?

We caught the subway and was asked by a young man why we were wearing the same jacket! Yep the Boppsy twins. We explained we were cyclists, and had cycled from Incheon to Busan. We had a limited amount of clothes with us, only two jackets and that is why we had matching jackets for cycling – very bright and visible. He assumed we were in a race and on the same team. He said that considering our age we must be very fit!! Ralf held me down so I didn’t smack him on the nose – “considering our age”!!  He was a Phd Student and we think he was keen to practise his English.

Another good day being tourists.

April 19, 2017

Today we attended a demonstration. I sat down on the sidewalk with women, students and a few men.

What were we demonstrating and why did I take part?

The demonstration has been occurring every Wednesday at noon for the past 25 years, opposite the Japanese Embassy.  The  aim is to obtain justice from the Japanese government regarding the large-scale sexual slavery of the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan during World War 2. The women were euphemistically referred to as “Comfort Women”.

There is a statue of a young girl facing the Japanese embassy.

We didn’t see the statue in Busan which created an international incident. The Japanese didn’t want the new statue (December 2016) installed across from their consulate in Busan and withdrew their staff and closed the consulate and Embassy in Seoul for a short period of time. They stated that there was an agreement between the two governments signed in 2015, the organization for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery, disputes that the agreement helped the surviving women or acknowledged remorse or an apology to those women who had to endure rape on a daily basis.

There are few survivors left, but there was one lady who was sitting there who was a comfort woman, she was sitting behind this little doll.

An older lady next to me gave me a sign to hold up and someone else gave me something to sit on. The demonstration lasted an hour and had a few speeches, a couple of musical interludes and students reciting something they had written.  Not knowing Korean, I had no idea what they were saying.

One of the organizers asked me to sign a petition, they have received over one million signatures. After I had signed it she gave me a pin that represented women against sexual slavery.

My first demonstration.

After we left the demonstration, we headed to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and spent about three hours wandering around the various buildings and gardens.

The entrance fee was about $3.50 each.

I wasn’t expecting the Gyekongbokgung Palace to be as big as it was. We kept going through a door or gateway and into another courtyard with more buildings and structures.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1395 by King Taejo (Yi-Seong-gue).  the palace was destroyed by fire furing the Japanese invasion of 1592 and was reconstructed in 1867.  During the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945 most of the palace was torn down.  Only a few buildings were left standing.  The restorations have been ongoing since 1990 and the Gwanhwamun Gate (the main entrance) was fully restored in 2010. 

The palace is surrounded by office buildings and mountains, inside the grounds is peaceful (apart from all the students on school trips!)

One of the buildings was a library, it was the only quiet spot in the whole grounds.

The gardens were lovely and there was a large pond with very large koi, the natural stream that flows into the pond, is diverted so that it does not flow directly into the stream to allow for reflections in the pond.

In one area there were stone statues that guarded tombs of important people.  Next to these statues were phallic symbols.  Phallicism handed down in Korea, venerates natural stones to geographical features shaped like female-male sexual organs as objects of praying for the birth of a male baby, the protection of villages, productiveness, and complementary measures against geomantic problems. 

As we wandered around the grounds, we saw a lot of people dressed in traditional dress.  Apparently, if you wear traditional clothes you get into the palaces for free.

As we were leaving for the day, we stopped to listen to traditional music.

We also spotted the guards who were practising for the changing of the guard performance.

The royal princess sat on her throne – very regal.

A lovely day being tourists.

Monday April 17, 2017

We decided to spend an extra day in Busan because we knew that Monday was going to be a rainy day and would be a better day to travel to Seoul. It rained from the time we left our looooove motel in Busan to arriving at our Tourist Hotel in Seoul.

The bus cost approximately $22.00 for a 4.5 hour trip, we stopped for a 15 minute break and arrived on time in Seoul.

We loaded our bikes and headed out towards our hotel in Gangnam. We stayed on the sidewalk, which doubled as a bike lane, although most of the pedestrian didn’t know that it was a bike lane. They were obviously not accustomed to seeing loaded touring bikes cycling on the sidewalk.

We found the hotel relatively easily and after settling in investigated the neighbourhood. It is going to be expensive eating in this area. A beer is about $5-10 per bottle, we will stick to the “happy water” from the convenience store at $1.30 to $1.80 per bottle

Tuesday April 18, 2018

We headed out to downtown Seoul and the Namdaemun Market, on the subway. We stopped for a second to orientate the map and a gentleman stopped to give us directions on getting to the subway. We were in the subway looking for the ticket machine and another person stopped to help us. Is this a capital city? Surely people should be going about their business and not helping lost looking tourists. Not in Seoul, every time we stopped to check out our map someone stopped and gave us directions, even if they didn’t speak English they would check out the subway map and tell us which way to go to catch the right train by pointing on the map and the signs in the station! I have never experienced this anywhere else in the world. Even in friendly New Zealand, Seoul is currently beating them hands-down. While I was sitting on the train a gentleman asked where we were from and chatted to me about Canada and South Korea – his English was very good and he had visited Toronto and Montreal.

We got to the downtown and it started to rain. We spotted a buddy bear outside of the German Embassy. I hope you remember the fun time we had in Havana, Cuba with the Buddy Bears. This bear is a new bear created for the relocated German embassy in Seoul.

We had planned on visiting the City Hall and the market, but with the rain and the cooler temperatures we didn’t want to spend any time outside.

I suggested heading back on the train to the Codex or Lotte indoor mall. Ralf wasn’t keen on window shopping, but he wasn’t keen on getting wet either.

The Lotte Mall is a huge mall with an indoor skating rink, a “traditional village” and other activities for kids and a huge shopping area. When we got there Ralf perked up as it wasn’t a complete waste of time window shopping.

The traditional village had four statues, called Devas.  It is believed in Buddhism that there are four guardians, that guard the four cardinal directions. 

On the top floor was an area set aside to celebrate the life of \”Geum-A\” Chyun-Deuk Pi.  He was a celebrated Korean essayist and poet.  I love having my photo taken with these statues, I have lost count of the amount of photos that I have had taken like this.

We did spend quite a bit of time looking at electronics, cameras and fun stuff.  As we were looking at the 4 D chair and glasses, an assistance asked if we would like to try the ride.  Ralf jumped in the chair, fastened the seatbelt and he was away. He looked really silly, but with a big grin on his face. 

There were a lot of restaurants including one that sold a hangover cure!

I think it is designed to make you barf!

Although it was a cold and rainy day, we still enjoyed the day.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day.

April 15 and 16, 2017

We have decided to take two rest days In Busan, not because it is a particularly beautiful city as it is not, because it is easier for us to organize ourselves in a smaller city.

Yesterday we got started a little late (10:30) before heading out into downtown Busan and taking the Hop on Hop off City Tour.

We took the subway from Saosang, where we are staying, into the downtown. At first we stood looking at the subway map like deers in headlights. A very nice lady came to us and asked if we needed help. She showed us how to use the map, how to buy the tickets and where the platforms were. Of course she asked where we were from and then asked if we knew about Jehovah’s Witness. We said we knew about them and we were leaving for Seoul shortly. She smiled and wished us a safe journey and we were on our way.

We found the area where we took the Hop on Hop off and noticed a display with photographs of school children and yellow ribbons. Surely, all of these children could not have died from cancer. There was a small performance area, where a young woman was doing an interpretive dance. Obviously representing death or dying.

I asked a young man what the displays were all about. He struggled a little with his English, but indicated that it was a ferry disaster.

I recalled hearing something about a ferry disaster a few years ago, and more recently the raising of the ferry. I recalled it being a ferry from Busan to Japan, but later when I checked it out, it was a ferry going to Jeju Island – a school trip. The Sewol Ferry sank on April 16, 2014 with a loss of 304 lives. Most of the deaths were the school children from one school. They were told to stay in their cabins.

Charges were laid against the Captain and some of the crew; homicide for fleeing and abandoning the ship and negligence. The owner of the ship was found dead in a field three months after the sinking. The Vice-Principle of the school committed suicide one year later, he blamed himself for organizing the school trip and the loss of so many of the students.

In the eyes of many of the citizens, the President, who was finally impeached earlier this year, mishandled the disaster. Her unexplained disappearance for seven hours while the tragedy unfolded ultimately contributed to her downfall.

When we returned from our hop on hop off tour, there was a quiet demonstration happening in the square.

I asked a young policewoman what the demonstration was about, again it related to the ferry disaster and that the people are not happy with the compensation and retribution for the negligence of the shipping company and government including the Coast Guard and the agencies who permitted the ferry to sail, when it was overloaded with cargo and without sufficient ballast. The ferry was raised from the ocean on March 23, 2017.

We have never taken one of these hop on tours before as they are usually too expensive. This was less than $20.00 each, and well worth the money.

The tour took you through all the districts of Busan including the huge container terminal, some very scenic lookout spots and walking areas, and of course the markets and shopping areas.

We hopped off at Oryukdo lslands, a very nice area to walk and see the surrounding coastline. One of the walking paths linked with the coastal walking paths, a long distance path.  The Koreans certainly want to encourage fitness, whether it be walking, cycling or using the various exercise equipment available in most parks.

There was one glass bottomed outlook, where everyone lined up to walk out over the rocks.  We were all given booties to put on, to keep the glass clean!

We stopped at Pyeonghwa Park – United Nations Memorial, a beautiful park commemorating the assistance of all the Nations during the Korean War. It was very popular with families having picnics and the gardens were well laid out.

It was getting late, and we had enough time to stop at the Jagalchi Market – the largest fish market in South Korea. You can get any kind of seafood that you can possibly buy and all of it live. You can get the fish gutted and then take it to the restaurants across the road who will cook it up for you.

Celeste scroll by the next few pictures.

We have no idea what these strange things were.  I tried to up load a movie but it didn\’t work.  The expanded as they appeared to be drawing in air and then deflated again.  I have no idea how you eat them, nor do I want to find out!

We arrived back in Saseong at 7:15 and ate dinner, then back to the looooove motel.

April 16, 2017

Today we are doing the boring stuff, washing, booking a hotel in Seoul and planning what we want to see when we get there. Unless of course the balloon goes up and we have to get out of the country fast!!

The hotel is booked, the bus to Seoul is booked and we spent the rest of the day wandering around the neighbourhood. 

The city are in the process of beautifying the area.  I wanted to give them a helping hand.  They must have a huge greenhouse to produce all these plants.

Today is Easter Sunday, I think maybe this lady decided to have Happy Water instead of Easter Eggs. 

April 14, 2017

We did it we arrived in Busan, 643 kms.

If you look at the route today it looks as though we took another wrong turn, but no, the route actually took us in the big U shape to cross the river. If we had stayed on the opposite side of the river we could have missed this whole area. Of course that would have meant we would have missed the only tail-wind of the day!

A flat ride but head winds almost all the way.

We met Iru, a Spanish cyclist, who joined us for the last 40 kms. We lost her a couple of times but fortunately she caught up with us and I think we helped her.

Iru works in the Phillipines for Habitat for Humanity, she was struggling with the wind so we told her to sit on my back wheel and Ralf pulled us both all the way to Busan. At one stop she commented on how well Ralf and I cycle together, we were like one bike. Yep, when I draft Ralf I sit about a foot away from his back wheel. Even with me drafting Ralf it was a tough ride. As we arrived on the outskirts of Busan, a lot of cyclists were teasing us saying we should be cycling the other way.

Iru said to one group, \”Incheon to Busan\”, their teasing stopped and we got thumbs up from all of them.

The infrastructure for this bike route has been amazing. 

Even when they are putting in a new road or overpass, they ensure the bike path is passable.  At this point they put in a temporary floating bridge.

We entered the outskirts of Busan 20kms away from the end of the ride.  The City is huge, it is the second largest City in South Korea and has a population of 3.417 million.

At the end of the ride we took photos of each other and then Iru and I went into the Cultural centre to get the certificate and medal.

Iru had not bought the Passbook but had stamped a notebook. She was pleased to be able buy a passbook and get all of the stamps transferred into the book. They also stamped Ralf’s book with the missing stamps and gave us the three stamps at the end of the passbook to show that we had completed the Cross-country route, the Saejae route (mountain route) and the Namhangang River.

While we were getting the passbook certified, Ralf was chatting to another cyclist outside who was from Kuwait.  Mohammad had cycled the 4 Rivers and was planning to cycle the East Coast Route.  He said that cycling in Kuwait was not nice, but Oman and Jordan were good countries to cycle.

Iru was going to catch a bus today but after the windy ride she decided to stay at the same hotel as we had booked, then head up to Seoul tomorrow.

After we got to the hotel that Rick and Julia had recommended to us, we were a little surprised at the hotel – it was a love motel!! With lovely flashing hearts!

The owner was a little confused about our relationship. Ralf and Iru had gone in to the hotel together, then when Iru and I were checking out the rooms he was confused as to whether we wanted a two bed-room or a room with an extra room. We explained to him that we weren’t together, but just cycling together, he smiled and gave us the choice of rooms.

Iru and I had decided that we were going to eat as soon as we got our bags in the room. Again I slipped into my skirt and Ralf changed into his trousers and we found a restaurant close by. I had picked a vegetable and mushroom noodle dish, but it came with fake crab, so I was a little concerned that it might have more seafood, but it didn’t. The food was good and so was the company.

We are in a suburb of Busan that is surrounded by shops and outlet malls. We are also close to the bus station and a train station. Tomorrow we will find out about the bus or train back to Seoul, and have a tour around Busan.

April 13, 2017

What a difference a day makes. Today was a great day of cycling, although we did wonder on a couple of occasions why the route took us up two beejesus hills. They were so steep even Ralf had to push his bike.

The weather was warm to start with a little chill in the air. The reflections on the river were amazing and Ralf captured some good shots as we cycled along the top of the dyke.

Once again we passed many poly-houses in the valley. Most of these were filled with corn – we had to laugh as we passed rows and rows of corn “fields”.

The hills we had to climb were very steep.  However, you get the reward of the views and if you are lucky a lovely rest place at the top.

As we came down the second hill we saw two touring cyclists on Bike Fridays. Wouldn’t you know it they were Canadian from Vancouver. Julia and Rick are cycling from Busan to Seoul. They told us about a couple of hotels where they had stayed. We have booked the one in Busan for tomorrow night it is called the Sense Motel.

We cycled in to Namji where we were hoping to get to last night. Thank heavens we hadn’t tried to push it to this Town. With the two beejesus hills, we would have been really cursing. Fortunately for us we had fresh legs to carry us over the hills and when we came in to Namji there was a Spring Flower festival. There were a lot of people wandering along the path so we slowly made our way through the crowds. The tulips were blooming and so were the rape seed plants.

We stopped at the first food stand we saw and had a pita style bread with cinnamon, eat dessert first. As we continued along the route we spotted another food stand with sausages on a stick, fake crab in tempura batter and sausages dipped in batter with potato chips stuck on them. Sausage and chips on a stick – lovely!! It sat like a lead balloon in my stomach for a while then it was o.k.

We crossed over the bridge and spotted a small temple.  It had a Buddha and a Confucian temple – confusing?

At one point on the route we had a decision to make which way to go. We stopped an older cyclist, again the guy directed us in the right direction and then told us to follow him until the next certification centre. He had done the Korean Triangle 7 times, we think he was in his 70’s. After the certification centre, he had a cigarette and then headed off leaving us in his dust!

We arrived on the outskirts of Hanam and decided to cross the river to look for a motel, it was only 2:30 but the next stop was possibly another 40 kms away. We found the Princess Motel, another love motel but a very new fancy place. After we had checked in we discovered that Julia and Rick had stayed here last night.

This love motel was very nice, it could have passed as any good hotel in North America, except for the extra goody pack and the auto-check-in machine.  The rooms available are lit, you choose the room, pay your money and the key is dispensed in the machine.

After our shower we headed out to explore the Town. There was a lovely market and we found our dinner. A mixed bean salad, we thought we had bought some savory pastries but it turns out they were sweet. Oh well it is an adventure.