From the Brown Dot Motel to Yangsan - Six Wheels Through Japan and South Korea Part 3 - CycleBlaze

From the Brown Dot Motel to Yangsan - Six Wheels Through Japan and South Korea Part 3 - CycleBlaze

From Six Wheels Through Japan and South Korea Part 3

By Barry Bartlett

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From the Brown Dot Motel to Yangsan

We had a wonderful time here, but alas, without my glasses. Our motto shall now be: “have sunglasses, will travel!”

Persimmons are in season and are available everywhere…in stores, markets and on the sidewalks. The woman selling these was here until dark last night and back first thing today. She has a van packed full of boxes of persimmons.

Having a second coffee and picking up lunch for our ride at Paris Baguette across the road from our hotel. The Hot Spring Bath is in this building as well. These are the Mageumsan Hot Springs. They date back centuries. These hot springs boast slightly alkaline enriched water with temperatures exceeding 55 degrees Celsius. The water contains 20 mineral substances providing numerous health benefits.

We have now both converted to drinking lattes instead of black coffee. It is so good. We also got some almond buns to have on the ride. Loved the play on words on the coffee cup caddy…Would you carry me? 💕

Fall is a wonderful time of year. The market is bustling with farmers and their produce.

Another Hot Spring bath you can always identify by the blue symbol at the top. There are several Hot Spring baths throughout the city.

Persimmons aplenty…

Traditional Korean home, particularly in the countryside.

Initially we thought that most farms in Korea were for growing vegetables, fruit, rice etc. However, as we have travelled further, we can see that cattle farming is a big enterprise as well.

We will miss this incredible infrastructure when we leave Korea. Thank goodness that it is in place as cars rule on the road here. It can be scary as they are unpredictable, fast and often whiz through red lights. Bikers beware as I had a very close call the other day at an intersection.

We are seeing so many areas converted into ground ball courses. Unlike golf courses, these are quite simple to create. We see so many people doing this, we think of it as a national sport for South Korea.

This tractor and trailer truly tells a story of years of service, and many more to come. Fascinating.

This bush is called Snow on the Mountain. Thank you Bill…what would we do without your knowledge.

Loved this chicken farmer’s take on cycling.

A creative dissembling of bike parts on this mural.

This woman and her wee dog are out for a stroll.

Loved this drawing of a rhino on a unicycle. People have genuinely welcomed us, as cyclists, to their neighbourhoods.

Hello you wild beauties. They are curious but this is close enough.

A ground ball tournament.We finally have a tailwind.

Ground ball fields are good for two things for us…we love watching them play and there are always bathrooms onsite.

Most cyclists and ground ball players wear full face masks.

Korean people work hard. We often see groups of women working in the fields enjoying the company of each other. The areas with the bags neatly lined up are completed.

Beware of hitting barriers. We like that these pagodas are regular sights along the trail and used for taking a break out of the sun or having lunch. We have met cyclists who camp in their tent in the pagoda at night

Apparatus like this are common sights along the route. They are used by locals…a great idea.

Okay, another hill is starting. It starts at 10% and gets steeper.

What a view…the payoff for climbing.

We stopped for a breather. This fellow and his wife also stopped and he kindly shared some mandarins with us. When they arrived I could see that the wife was pushing as hard as she could but she was not moving forward. Time for a break.

This is interesting. You can cross this old railway bridge on a 4 seater carriage that you pedal for 3 km along the river and then on the railway track. It is called the Gimhae Nakdong River Rail Park.

You can make out the rail bikes equipped with canopies through the fencing that people use to cross the bridge. At the time this rail bridge was built, it was the second longest rail bridge in Korea when built in 1962. However, construction began during the early 20th century during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

We road over the green bridge which is behind the rail bridge in the foreground.

We really liked this mural of roadies on their beautiful, lightweight road bikes. The Italian road bikes made by Wilier are very familiar to us as we have toured in Italy and visited their stores.

More persimmons on the move going to market.

This friendly group immediately stretched out in a straight line to make room for us. This is typical of our experience in Korea as cyclists. Strangers…cyclists or walkers, give us a thumbs up or a wave, a big smile and call out a greeting.

The man made surface used for these routes built over the water are a dream to ride on.

We have arrived at Yangsan, our destination for today and our last stop before Busan. We will check out the bike shops. Barry has struggled to find a degreaser that we can carry easily. Earlier he gave up and had to buy a large, heavy spray can. It works but we are still looking for a small bottle.

We ventured out for a proper Korean dinner. Each table has its own barbecue and you choose the meat you want to make grill. We chose beef ribs and pork belly. The side dishes are replenished as often as you like. Kimchi, noodles, pickled cabbage, kimchi, a very spicy solid noodle in sauce, onions to grill…..

Loved the beef ribs…the flavour was incredible. You are also given a small bowl with a tasty broth that you dip the cooked meat into.

The kimchi is delicious.

The area where you can go and replenish any items you want.

Soup with noodles is also included. We were too full to try it.

A refill of kimchee for Barry

We did it…we ate it all. A fabulous experience that is beloved by Koreans.

This group were eating when we arrived and they are still going strong. It is a very sociable way of eating.

The selection of meat you can order for grilling.

Barry translated the meat selections that are available.

We had a great evening at the restaurant. The staff went out of their way to help us and guide us through the process.

Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 861 km (535 miles)

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