We say farewell to a place where he have spent 3 nights while travelling in S Korea. On our first stay riding north, we booked for 1 night. But having overdone it the first day with a 75+ km ride, we extended our stay to have a rest day. Both of us were feeling it. And then, on our return ride south, it was an easy choice to stay here as we really liked the hotel. It stands out as a well run hotel in a sea of love hotels in Namji.
We really like this family run hotel in Namji, close to the route.
As we are leaving Namji, we liked this artistic representation of Namji and its surroundings featuring the bridge across the Nakdong River, farming and flowers.
We have been very impressed by the magnificent Nakdong River which we have ridden alongside for days and crossed on various types of bridges. It is massive in scale.
This is a Buddhist burial memorial. Note the turtle at the base. Turtles have significance and they represent benevolence, are wise annd are often represented in stone carvings at temples and at the base of this monument.
Barry and I have a true aversion to snakes. However, when they plant themselves in front of you, and you have the advantage of being on a bike, it is good to actually take the opportunity and check it out.
I know that snakes have a right to move, but that is when I lose it. Nonetheless, it was interesting to check out. There are venomous snakes in S Korea, with the most dangerous being the short tailed Mamishi, a venomous pit viper. We think from our research, that this is Steppe Rat Snake as they are active day and night.
And then we were joined by this magnificent praying mantis. As well as seeing snakes and praying mantis in this area, we are often bombarded by grasshoppers as we ride. They fly straight at us and land on our clothing or face. It can be startling as we don’t see them coming.
Praying mantises are interesting creatures. There are over 2000 different kinds. They live for about a year. Their mating practices work out well for the females, but not so well for males. After the sex act is completed the female sometimes devours the male. Scientists call this “sexual cannibalism.” Actually, if the male is a better lover, the female bites his head off. You would think that getting partially devoured would be a turn-off for a male mantis. About half of the males that are killed while attempting to mate are decapitated, but continue to finish the job without their heads. Now, that’s commitment.
Fitness and daily exercise is a big deal in Korea. People of all ages, especially older folk, are exercising while walking and using the provided exercise equipment along the route.
We have talked about the incredible infrastructure that is in place for cyclists on these routes. That includes frequent toilets like this along the route. They are well maintained and you can count on them being there.
There are so many types of people using this route…cyclists, walkers, locals out for a stroll and many people with disabilities on scooters, with canes, etc. We are very impressed when we see these bathrooms which include a dedicated stall with a lift for access.
This portion of the route had a series of wooden carved pieces. We really enjoyed this one. From what we can translate, it is of General Dong with his grandchild.
In this massive area of greenhouses with modern equipment, it is a nice touch to see the traditional handmade broom with a bamboo handle still being used.
KT water is a large company in South Korea and we owe them much gratitude and respect. They have funded the development and maintenance of the route we are riding, the Nakdong Route. A job well done.
We have learned that the majority of Koreans have no religion. Those that do are equally divided between Christianity and Buddhism. This explains why we see few places like this.
We have made it to Buc-Myeon where we will stay tonight. In the spirit of riding shorter distances daily on our return to Busan, we have studied the maps for areas where we can go off the route. Buc-Myeon appealed to us. It is a spa town, meaning that there are natural hot springs in the area and this small town has a crazy number of hotels to cater to locals seeking out this therapeutic experience.
When we stopped, I discovered that my regular glasses were not in my bag. Oh no, but I am lucky to have prescription sunglasses. The last time we saw them was at a Paris Baguette in Namji. We dropped by the local Paris Baguette and asked them for help. They phoned for us, and sure enough they had my glasses. There was no solution for getting them sent on, so Barry offered to ride there and back tomorrow, which would require a second night’s stay here, or we would continue on when he returned. This would add up to 95 km which is too much.
When we told the young man at our hotel our dilemma, he quickly offered to drive there tomorrow and bring them back for us. He couldn’t imagine Barry doing this in one day. Thank goodness he took it upon himself to call Paris Baguette. He asked for a photo of the glasses and they were not mine😿. Oh dear, sunglasses it will be.
We had a wonderful room at the Brown Dot Hotel in Buck-Myeon. A sitting area with two couches, a huge tv with Netflix…able to finish the new season of The Diplomat, plus a huge bathroom with a wonderful 2 person tub.
And this appliance was ours to use as well. It performs a number of functions…it has steam which releases wrinkles in clothing, there is a pant press, and it can dry clothing that is wet.
After all our worry and time spent on my lost glasses, we will simply move on and deal with getting new ones when we are in Japan or perhaps in Korea if we can.
We have read about prescription glasses being very inexpensive and made up in 30 minutes including an eye exam in Japan. It sounds too good to be true, but we will look into it. As a result, we lost our appetite for going to a Korean onsen. We were just happy to have a big soak in our own tub and relax in our room.
Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles) Total: 807 km (501 miles)
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Rich FrasierOn our last bike trip, I managed to break the frame of my glasses. It's incredibly difficult to function without them! We managed to piece mine back together with toothpicks and band-aids, but they were still really fragile and threatened to fall off at any time. So I've added "backup pair of glasses" to my bike trip packing list. I feel for you! I hope you find a way to get some new specs made! Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
Ron SeguinGood luck replacing the glasses. Hopefully it will be like most almost everything medical in Japan, quick, efficient, and half the cost of here in Canada. Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
Barry BartlettThanks for your message. I was going to wait until Japan but I discovered that Korea has a quick process as well. Complete with eye exam, I had new glasses in 30 min. The only downside is that I need progressives and that would take 5 days, so I got two pair and that came to $80 Cdn. They even had a lounge to wait for your glasses with free coffee, etc. I will try for a single pair of glasses in Japan as well. Unbelievable..it is almost worth the airfare just to buy glasses! Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
Barry BartlettTo Rich FrasierGood morning Rich. Wow, what a story. It sounds a bit like the book, The House that Jack Built! It’s funny, I always bring a 2nd pair. I agree, functioning without them is a bit of a nightmare. We discovered that Korea is like Japan in offering new glasses in 30 min, including eye exam. I had to get two pair as I need progressives and that takes 5 days. I am so grateful to be able to function again.so my 2 pair of glasses cost a total of $80 Cdn, no tax and free coffee and beverages while I waited in their lounge. An incredible experience. I will try for progressives in Japan. Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
Rich FrasierTo Barry BartlettWow, that was a quick and efficient resolution of the problem! The tour goes on!! Great - I'm really enjoying your journal! Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
