Vagabonds Korea: September 2011

Riding Through Chuncheon, Gangwon-Do

After having a blast on my previous Korea bicycle tours, I didn't have a difficult time deciding what to do with my summer vacation. Riding up to the world's most heavily guarded border had always been on the agenda and this time I was excited to have it become a reality.

I departed from my Officetel in Yangpyeong Dong and started my journey along the Seoul's Han River to NamYangJu. Here the river splits into the North and South Han River's, one year ago we traveled south to Busan and this time I would take the route along the North Han River into Gangwon-Do, Korea's most mountainous provence. On my previous bike trips I had ridden on my third hand, problem ridden bike "The Alton" which I had set into retirement a few months prior. This time around I was excited to take my most prized possession, my one year old Scott hybrid bike through mountain ranges and country roads.

The minbak I stayed at in Chuncheon

I earned my way into Gangwon-Do the first day by scaling the first treachorous mountain and immediately decided I would sleep in one of the many minbaks that were set right in the heart of some of the lushest scenery I have seen in Korea. After eating some country style kim-chi-ji-gae I had a good time chatting with the minbak owners. The man working at the minbak said he made his living by climbing up trees in the nearby forested mountains, collecting acorns and selling the rare nuts inside. He said he only works for three months out of the year but makes a nice living by earning 500,000won per day. Sounds like a great alternative to the high pressure lifestyle of Seoul. Also, he said his minbak was nearly demolished by landslides in the mountain ranges caused by the record setting rainfall the previous week as mountain soil missed his minbak by only several meters. Others in the area were not so lucky.

These roadside structures were built to store dynamite. If a war were to break out, South Korean soldiers could easily detonate their explosive devises while watching from their mountain posts.

I was refreshed the following morning after falling asleep to the sound of the nearby river water crashing along the rocks. The next day took me up through Hwa-Cheon, in what used to be North Korea through some amazing scenery. Although the mountains and summer heat put my endurance to the test, I had an amazing time taking in all the raw nature. I found a minbak around 평화댐 (Peace Dam) right beside a waterfall where there were several people camping. After cooling off a bit in river water flowing down south from North Korea, little did I know that perhaps the funniest moment of my trip was about to take place. After watching Korea get defeated by Japan on the soccer field with a few guys on a business trip studying Gangwon-Do insects, we all decided to go for a night swim. I grabbed my bathing suit and was ready to jump in the water. However, one of the biologists had a different idea. "Back in the good old days in Korea everyone used to strip naked and swim outside" he said as he stripped naked and jumped in the water. One of his coworkers was shining a flashlight for him and exposing him to others around in the darkness. Suddenly a woman started yelling "아이고" (Korean for "oh my god") as she pulled her fishing rod out of the water and ran away as soon as she could. My (ajjeoshi) 아저씨 buddy didn't seem to care and was telling his coworker that getting into the water butt naked is the "Korean way" and he should do it too. Good times!

Riding in 강릉

The next day I said goodbye to my biologist buddies and was headed towards the North Korean border as I entered 양구. After checking out the Korea Reunification Museum in 해안 I went to the nearby governmental office to obtain permission to visit the DMZ. Originally I intended to ride my bike up to the border but I was informed by one of the workers that I would be stopped at one of the military posts and would not be able to make it up there. The only way to go was by car. I explained to him how I road my bike from Seoul to see the DMZ and had been riding across mountains for days to get here. He then offered to take me up there in his car, which was an offer I couldn't refuse. In his vehicle, we passed all the military posts until we reached the barbed wire fence which marked the world's most heavily guarded border. I had a great time talking to all the military soldiers and got to see their living quarters. The scenery there was so great and I have never met friendlier people, I hope to go back to the small border town of 해안 someday.

I decided to hike up a mountain as I was riding along the East Sea around 강릉. This guy gave me food at the top.

Retired South Korean Battleship 강릉

The next day I made it to the East Sea and rode through 속초 and 강릉. I had the most amazing 순두부찌개 and was impressed with all that the coastal town of 강릉 has to offer. As I was riding along the sea, suddenly a huge was ship appeared practically out of nowhere and I stopped to explore a bit. Perhaps the hugest ship I've ever stepped foot on, one could spend an entire day checking out the retired battleship that was used for over fifty years and had seen many war days. Adjacent to the ship was a North Korean submarine that was sent to spy on South Korean military posts in 1996. It accidently crashed into the shallow shores of 강릉. The North Koreans attempted to set fire to it in order to destroy any military intelligence information. There were 20 soldiers aboard who were either shot by their own crew, captured and killed by South Korean soldiers. Crazy!

Shooting some seagulls for dinner.

North Korean submarine

As I continued along the East Sea on my bike I met several other people vagabonding either by foot or bicycle. One guy said he had been walking around Korea for one month and kept telling me how hard it is to walk all day everyday like that. A lightbulb flashed in my head as one day I'd like to try a walking trip, perhaps next time around. I also met a fellow cyclist named 수형 from 양평 in 경기도 and we road together for two days until it was time for me to make my way back up north to Seoul after one week of unforgettable experiences. We hung out in Pohang's fish market and head some fresh seafood on my last night to celebrate the end of my summer vacation vagabonding tour.