My Journey to KOREA
Yummy buckwheat noodles
Punch Bowl is well worth a visit for the stunning scenery: snow-capped mountains surrounded us on all sides as we made our way down the valley to settle in for the night at Punch Bowl Pension.
Heading south The next morning, still in gorgeous sunshine, we pedalled
our way out of Punch Bowl, following a frisky, frolicking river that’s a great place for white-water rafting. Road biking felt quite different from the previous day’s riverside paths, but traffi c was hardly an issue – we saw just three vehicles, one of which was our own minibus. That bus whisked us further south after a good morning’s
cycling and by lunchtime we had reached the start of the South Han at Yongseo-ri. After the quiet rural charm along the North Han, its southern counterpart, rural in places, had some surprises in store. Seemingly out of nowhere, a vast futuristic structure appeared before my eyes, looking rather like a bridge with large silver eggs on top. This was the weir at Ipobo, the ‘eggs’ were engines which open and close the weir, thus regulating the river. To my surprise, we could actually cycle over it.
Full circle My cycling adventure was coming to an end and after one
more morning’s cycling along the South Han I began the journey back to Seoul and spent two more days exploring the capital. After my somewhat shaky beginnings, cycling in South Korea had turned out to be a joy and a wonderfully environmentally-friendly way of seeing the country to boot. All in all a very worthwhile adventure!
Kimchi pickles
Colourful cherry blossom
www.sellinglonghaul.com
September 2013 45
Lanterns at Jogyesa Temple
Drying anchovies
Mangwolsa Temple
Scenic view of Punch Bowl
THE ITINERARY DAY One
Seoul has a myriad of things
to offer the curious visitor – ancient palaces and temples, modern shopping, fantastic food and much more. Cycling is also possible along the Han River, right through the centre.
DAY Two The riverside cycle paths
opened in 2012 and follow four of South Korea’s main rivers. The route from Seoul to Chuncheon and onto Punch Bowl (road biking the last 40-odd km) takes three days by bike. Local operator Exodus DMC can make all the arrangements.
exodusdmc.com
DAY Three Cycling the South Han can take in many highlights including the Ipobo and Yeojubo weirs, the scenic Silleuksa Buddhist temple at Yeoju and King Sejong’s tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
DAY Four-Five Seoul deserves
several days’ exploration, with or without a bike. Take time to visit Bukchon Hanok village with traditional style Korean houses and don’t miss the imperial dinner and a
show at Korea House.
koreahouse.co.kr
WHERE TO BOOK IT EXPLORE
The 13-day South Korea Explorer takes in Seoul, the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju, the Demilitarized Zone and Jeju Island. Costing from £2,755pp, the tour includes return fl ights; eight nights’ hotel and one night boat, homestay and monastery accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis; some meals; transport and the services of a tour leader.
www.explore.co.uk
Korean Tourism Organisation
www.gokorea.co.uk and
www.visitkorea.or.kr
Royal Palace pagoda
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