June 20, 2017
Chungju to Yeoju: A decision has been made.
After the standard stop at a convenience store to pick up first, second and third breakfasts to eat on the road, we wet off for Yeongju where we knew there was a campsite. Breakfasts here are normally a combination of riceballs (called bimbaps in Korea) and packaged sandwiches and are normally eaten in ten to fifteen kilometer intervals.
The route was mainly on public roads and after about twenty kilometers we stopped at a roadside cafe where I bought a cup of coffee and we finished off a long running conversation (it has been on the go since we got to Korea) about where we should go next. To cut a long story short, we have decided to gve China a miss and instead fly down to Singapore and start cycling northwards via Thailand and Cambodia to Vietnam from where we will fly back to Hong Kong to catch our flight back to South Africa in November. I guess I am going to have to change the title of this journal because we will be spending more time in South-East Asia than in the Far East.
It was also a day for passing other cycle tourists of which there have been fewer than I was expecting. Of course the route has been full of local cyclists, all travelling very lightly and rushing down the trail faster than we can dream of but I haven't seen any that I would describe as a "cycle tourist". First of we were passed by an American girl (Robin Peters) on a study break (she is studying architecture) in South Korea. We had a long chat with her - she was feeling quite lonely and was homesick and she needed someone to talk to. Sometime later, while resting at the top of one of the small climbs, we were passed by Chris Buchman, an American who lives in South Korea (see his profile on CGOAB here). While we were talking we were joined by Rodrigo Suaro from Spain on a hired bicycle on his first bicycle trip (travelling light as in the local style).
We passed two thousand kilometers on this trip today - I'm not sure where it was and we weren't aware of it at the time.
Although the Four Rivers Route , in general, offers a great cycling experience, it isn't necessarily suited to cycle touring. Some of the short climbs are steep enough to be a real nuisance for a cyclist with a loaded touring bike. I have managed to cycle all but two. Often we see the unloaded or very lightly loaded local cyclists pushing them as well. What doesn't make sense is when a climb (21% gradient, about 40 meters long) that I could (just) manage is blocked off by planks across the path to prevent one from cycling that section. I weight about 57 kilograms and my bike with its load weighs about 42-43 kilograms, so these short steep climbs are at my limit.
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 2,042 km (1,268 miles)
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