May 3, 2022
Two days in two hours: 삼랑진[Samnangjin]-부산[Busan]
We did it! We rode from 인천[Incheon] to 부산[Busan] on the 국토종주[guktongjongju] (cross-country path)! All in seven and a half days. Not too shabby.
The theme of today's abbreviated ride was the inevitable transition from nature and countryside to the sprawling outskirts of 부산[Busan]. We could feel the cold air and see the fog on the river from our 여관[yeogwan] (old-school motel) window. Our cool-weather gear worked well enough for these conditions. Let's get going!
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A railway ran parallel to the trail, so it wasn't exactly peaceful all the time, but it was still a great start to the day.
The fog started to lift little by little as we entered a very long suburban greenbelt.
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Time slowed as we approached 부산[Busan]. There's that feeling you get, that isn't bittersweetness but something close to it, in which you just want to finish the ride but you also don't want the fun to end. We finally reached the second-to-last stamp booth. My heart wasn't in it any more. All I could think about was the destination. Not very zen of me, but what can you do?
One thing I should have mentioned days ago, was that when you approach a town, the 뽕짝 아저씨 [bbong-jjak ajeosshi] start to appear in force. Hmm, how do I explain this? Bbong-jjak is the rhythm of the old-time Korean pop music genre known as 트로트 ("trot"), which I assume is named after the foxtrot. It has some traditional Korean elements such as wailing vocals and minor pentatonic scales, but it's more Neil Diamond than 판소리[pansori] (traditional music style). Anyway, these retired or unemployed older guys ride around on flat-bar bikes blasting this music, and as they pass, the Doppler effect lowers the pitch and creates a lovely sonic experience. While I'm generally against noise pollution, I appreciate the opportunity to witness this dying cultural phenomenon.
Trail traffic increased to the point that it slowed us down, and we now found ourselves riding next to a very noisy boulevard, but we still found beauty in our surroundings.
Eventually, even auto traffic became a factor in our ability to move forward.
But move forward we did, and we breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the bridge to the island of 을숙도[eulsukdo] and the end of the path. A lion greeted us.
The finish line looks a lot like the starting line, as it should. However, once we passed it, we were greeted with an unexpected party atmosphere! Lots of bikers were here. Some arrived weary from a long journey, like us, while others used this as a meeting point for rides with friends.
Stamping the final stamp of this route!
We got our official stuff from this building. The whole thing was staged as a bureaucratic process, with a form to fill out, clerks checking the passport for completeness, etc. It was at this point that Sunyoung started to lament not playing the stamp game herself. We decided to buy the medal so that she would have a souvenir, too!
A curious local biker asked us a lot of questions about our trip. He also gave us some options for riding to the bus station. We took his advice to loop around on the west side of the river. It was super quiet, and we enjoyed a tailwind!
To head east again, we had to cross a bumpy bridge.
We reached the bus terminal, confirmed with the driver to 대구[Daegu] that we could load our bikes, bought tickets, and had lunch at a nearby 식당[shikdang] (diner).
We like to load the bikes with the panniers on, to cushion the bikes from the cargo bay floor. It's hard on our backs lifting all that weight at once, and my bike barely fit under the door. We may have to reconsider this strategy for future trips.
We were smart to ride at this time of day. No traffic delays, and our fellow passengers were very mellow. Even better, the driver chose not to crank up the 뽕짝[bbongjjak] music! Ah, sweet silence. We crossed the 낙동강[Nakdonggang] (Nakdong River) at 남지[Namji], where we had lunched the previous day. It was fun to see it again.
The hotel we had chosen near the bus terminal was easy to find. We normally don't ask to view a room before making a decision, but since we are going to be staying here a total of five days, we figured it would be a good idea. Nice place, decent rate, good location.
We were able to rest briefly before family started calling to make plans with us for the evening. Unbeknownst to us, Sunyoung's father's eldest brother's 제사[jaesa] (memorial ceremony) was taking place tonight. We were conflicted. On one hand, this gave us the opportunity to pay our respects. I met him twice. He and his wife were kind to me. It also meant that we could see other relatives, including another uncle who we hadn't seen in almost 25 years. On the other hand, we were super tired from the tour. It would be difficult to stay up late socializing, but it wasn't as though we had a choice. One thing I learned long ago is that you have to go with the flow here. It's not about the individual. It can be difficult at times, but you also receive a lot of support from others. I feel very grateful to be accepted as a member of the family, considering how little time I've spent here and how little I can communicate.
I like to keep our journals focused on bike touring. I'll add a post or two about our preparation for the 동해안자전거길[Donghae-an jajeongeo-gil] (East Sea bike path), and if I have time, I'll add romanization to all the place names and whatnot from this and previous entries. Other than that, we'll pick things up next week with a new adventure and more stamps!
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 656 km (407 miles)
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1 year ago
Thanks for reading! We will continue to do our best to describe the experience.
1 year ago