South Korea! Best to explore the country by bike. There are 5 major Riverside
bike trails in Korea namely Namhangang, Nakdonggang, Geumgang, Yeongsangang
& Bukhangang. Along with Saejae bicycle path(mountain path) & Ara
bicycle path in Seoul, the whole trails is about 2000km. Beside the river
trails, cyclist can explore much more places, and I will highly recommend
making a way to Andong- a city that famous for it ancient mask making, classic
way of life, andong is surely awesome for everyone. There are tons of scenic
views and attractions along the paths and the villages, name it- rivers, dam,
temple, hills, parks, museum, peoples, party, camping. Resting/chillax/washroom
are available on each direction between every 5-20km.
Navigating with a paper map is best, get away from the phone or digital map for a while. As South Korea is using Naval map , and it is only available in Korean language, i decided to go with classy way- Paper map! for the whole journey. and guess what! it is also all in Korean. Lost the way most of the time, but dudes, thats how it worked out for bikepacking- always take it as new excitements:)
Busan-Seoul-Andong
|
|
A short tryout
 |
|
Where i park
 |
|
Andong Dam's sunset
 |
|
Snow!
 |
|
A brief
|
|
   |
Where to stay
Camping Available along the riverside trails, a registration at the trail's office(K-water management) will be highly recommended Hostel There are many budget hostel in the bigger city such as Seoul, Busan & Andong. smaller town come with many motels Motel Well known as the love motel by local, as it name prevail, it is designed for the happy hour, but honestly it was nothing bad as what people's thought, it was actually clean, everywhere and cheap, all owners/staff that i've meet are friendly, they even asked me to bring/carry my bike to keep in the room Other Temple is best place to ask for an overnight sleep, the temples in Korea were nice to me where the caretakers actually provide me with a room with heater (i was cycling in Korea during the winter- dec/Jan) & provide me with the nice foods. They would not charge you anything, a voluntary-donation would be great. |
 |
What to eat
Eating places are easy to find along the journey during the cycling. If you would like to eat like the local, just head to any small town or village, even along the riverside you might find a place to fill your stomach, adding to the conveniences, there are plenty of 24h convenience store available in most places, 25, 7-E, Family mart not just serving as a store but also meals and resting area. The frozen foods includes local and western instant. Korean foods and drinks Kimchi Rich dishes Barbeque Noddle Soups and stews Soju drink |
 |
Places to go
South Korea is a beautiful country with 4season of beauties. Cycling during the winter and passing through along the riverside and countryside itself taken me to most of Korean cultures and beauty. so, i will say, if you really love to explore Korea, do it with your bike and you will get to see more. My best place Mt. Hallasam (Jeju) |
 |
Language
Korean language is important here, not so many prefer to speak english, mostly because of pride to the national language. The youngster are also shy to speak it out sometimes, but just no worry, most of the times, i managed to communicate with all of them, Korean are helpful, they will do everything that they can to help. I've met some villages that only speak Korean, and big surprises, some of them will look for other for translation, and a girl even call a friend(by phone) to assist me in finding the route. English are widely understandable, but not widely use here. |
 |
Weather
South korea is having 4season country, plan your cycling trip accordingly. I've been here during the winter Dec/Jan which is among the coldest months, but hey, sunny winter! it is another awesome experience, as i am Malaysian, cycling on snow's country side road, with 4layers of winter clothes, although it looked weird, but i enjoyed it so much. My experience: overnight in the public washroom, sorry guys, i really couldnt find any town or village to sleep, and it was too late/dark and cold to continue:) Overnight at the buddhist temple, ya, they provide me with the nice room with heater, Korean foods and the hot soups! Thank you. |
 |
Navigation
This is modern country, navigation around the country is easy. The road sign mostly are in Korean, with a little bit help from the map, Korean wording are easy to understand, added with the helpful locals, it is really easy place to be. Most of the tourist attractions areas come with english/chinese translation too. |
 |
Repair / spare
I usually bring along my gear just to dissemble an assemble, no spare required here if you would like to save the weights, bicycle chop are plenty even at the small village, just make sure that you use common sizes for your rim which is 26". Service your bike and gear systems before head-off to any country, it will help reducing the problem. If you have problem with the bike that you unable to fix, no worry, just hitch with the big vehicle to the closest town. They locals got all the bike shop info and will drop you at the right place. |
 |
Transportation
Accessible by any mode of transportation. the country having good road condition, great rails system, and among the best buses systems and punctuality in Asia. bike are allowed to be taken to the local light train(LRT/MRT) during the off-peak hour(peak hour only 7-9am, 5-7pm), but you will have to be on the end's of the coach(last or first) because the train here could be crowded most of the time, the staff at the station are helpful, who will keep showing you the way to go with bike(inside station, with smiles on all the way) |
No comments:
Post a Comment