May 12

Yeongdeok - Gyeongju


A decent-looking day out there.  It was supposed to rain overnight, but I don't think it did.  Some rain in the forecast later today.


In all the hotels we've stayed in to date, we have this safety gear.  Apparently they are mandatory in order to help people self-rescue in case of fires or if all other exits become blocked for some reason.



We were off at the usual time this morning (about 8:30).  It was a shorter and easier day than some, but I found it a bit of a struggle; still body-weary from the previous day(s) I suppose.  Most of the day was along the coast and the rest was along a river.  A mixture of conditions on both bike paths, bike routes, and roads.  Early in the ride we were on a bike path facing traffic on a fairly busy road; different, but it seems to work.


Other conditions throughout the day....

Follow the blue line for the bike route.





It started to rain at lunch.  I had the rain jacket on for about 5km (thank goodness the temp dropped by about 10 degrees when the rain started).  Then drizzle for a bit, so not many pictures until coming into our destination city.



It seems that there is artistic merit in just about everything - here even the fences along the road have a little bit of flair.



Fishermen repairing their nets.


Coastal views.





At about 10km this ship came into view.


The entire complex is a monument to the Jangsa Landing Operation of the Korean War in 1950.  The story is too long to recount here, but the museum in the ship is amazing and the monument outside is very well done.  Definitely worth the stop.















Back on the bikes, and off we went down the coast.



Not nearly as much agriculture today, but when we did see some it was of the lowland variety - rice paddies and crops growing in the rows of mounded soil.  


The waterfront gradually transitioned from fishing activities to heavy industrial; probably near a big port.





We made our way into Pohang and its 'burbs.  The population is about 500,000.  Our route followed the waterfront and was really pretty - lots of gardens and public art.  Pohang is also where we left the ocean and started to follow the river.















And of course........... park golf...........



Then - off to lunch - which I didn't get to until about 2 pm.  I'm definitely on the slower end of the riders.  I can blame it on the fact that I take lots of pics (but so do others), but I'm just slow.......  The rain started during lunch, so the camera went away.  Not much to report along that stretch.  We were on a path beside the Hyeongsan River.  It was dead flat with not a lot to look at.  We went from pedalling beside wild areas to suddenly seeing towering high-rises on the horizon.  


An easy pedal to end the day.  Our accommodation tonight is at the Hwangnamgwan Hanok Hotel - a traditional Korean structure.  It's beautiful.  




The rooms open into a courtyard, and the beds are futons on the floor.  

A bunch of us went for Korean BBQ for dinner.  Oh so good!  


We're eating so much that I sometimes feel like this after a meal.  But then - I'm hungry again a few hours later.


The main walking street just around the corner from us comes alive at night.  Lots of shops from ice cream to fuzzy toys.  A few souvenir shops as well.




Another good day in the books...............  Rest day tomorrow.  Weather looks good for the rest of the week.  Challenging day coming up on our way to Busan.

Stats for the Day:

Garmin:  88.02 km.  1804 feet up.  1685 feet down.

RWGPS:  89.7 km.  978m up.  945m down. 



Gyeongju

Population:  260,000

AI summary:  Gyeongju, known as Korea's "museum without walls", is a coastal city in North Gyeongsang Province.  As the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (1st century BCE), it features UNESCO World Heritage sites, royal tombs, and temples.  Key attractions include Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Daereungwon Tomb Complex, and Cheomseongdae observatory.  






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

Image
Here I go again.  After taking last year off from big bike trips, I thought this one looked interesting.  A totally new part of the world for me.  A new (to me) company, although I know a few people who have been repeat guests with them.   The company is TDA Global Cycling.  It's a Canadian company but they do epic tours all over the world.  Their flagship ride is the Tour d'Afrique.  The trip I'm doing is called "Journey to the East", and is one of their easier trips.     We cycle the length of South Korea from north to south and then fly over to Japan to cycle south to north through that country.  Big miles and lots of climbing, although a few more rest/tourist days than I've had on some tours.  I'm looking forward to being able to experience some of the culture along the way.  I'm always a bit nervous about whether I've bitten off too much, but so far I always manage.  I think I've reached the point in life wh...
Read more

May 2 & 3

Woke up to a notification that my flight was delayed until 5:30 pm.  No problem - time for a long walk, laundry, and a few last minute things. Thanks to Ursula for the ride to the airport. I was there really early, as planned, and beat any rush. The check-in agent hadn’t processed a bike before but with a bit of help I think it got through ok. As the boarding is about to begin, the AirTag shows it in close proximity to the plane. I ate my fill in the lounge and probably don’t need to eat again until sometime tomorrow. Next up - nearly 12 hours on a plane - ugh!  Last I looked, the seat beside me was empty. Fingers crossed….. Once on the flight, they were clear to announce that the flight would be 11 hours and 59 minutes.  Maybe some different regulations are required for a 12 hours flight?  In any case, it was all good.  Well, except for the screaming child directly behind me.  Couldn't listen to audiobooks/podcasts for a few hours at the start of the fligh...
Read more

May 4

Image
Seoul Seoul (according to Wikipedia):  Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea.  The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind New York, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population.  The population of the metropolitan area is over 25 million. Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC.  In the early 20th century, Seoul was occupied by the Empire of Japan.  The city was liberated by U.S. forces at the end of WWII.  The Korean War (1950-1953) brought fierce battles, with Seoul changing hands four times and leaving the city mostly in ruins.  One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins.  Nevertheless, the city has since undergone significant reconstruction and rapid urbanization.  After a numb...
Read more