We were awake at five thirty hoping for an early start. The plan for today was to cycle through Busan to the start of the Four Rivers Route at the mouth of the Nackdonggang River. Then start the trail but turn off towards the historic town of Gyeongju after about sixteen kilometers.

Rain had started the previous evening but the prediction was that it should start abating at about seven. Well, by seven o'clock it was coming down even harder and didn't look like letting up. So with the clock ticking towards eight o'clock we set off into the rain and Busan's rush hour traffic.

Getting to the start of the route in the pouring rain through Busan's traffic and clogged sidewalks was one of the less pleasant things I have done in my life. The rain kept bucketing down for the next two hours After quite a few poor navigation decisions and a long and expensive coffee break, we eventually found ourselves back near the ferry port, taking more than five kilometers longer to get there than we did getting from there to the hotel in the dark a few days previously. Soon afterwards we made a few more wrong turns and after one of the toughest hills I have ridden (actually I pushed quite a lot - the first time ever for me) we found ourselves on the downhill to the start of the route.

We had lunch at the official start before setting off up the lovely cycle path alongside the river. After about sixteen kilometers we turned off towards Gyeongju, heading for the town of Ulsan where we had a motel room booked. The route 35 was everything we expected it to be. It was at times quite empty and had occasional bits of cycling path running next to it but mostly it was a horrid, shoulder-free multi-lane highway with trucks and cars screaming past our ears.

Eventually at around six o'clock we found our motel (The K Motel - not sure if it is a business hotel, which is what it labels itself, or a love motel, which is what the room looks like) before setting off for a few extra kilometers to find some supper. We eventually ended up one K short of a ton for the day.

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