This just in…(quick notes from Seoul)

It is this time of year that I usually take a long trip to Japan. Of course, due to Covid 19, this has been impossible for the last couple of years. I had a brief glimmer of hope that I might be able to visit Japan this year, but thanks to the conservative nature of the Japanese government, that didn’t happen. I was supposed to walk the Kumano Kodo in Wakayama Prefecture with my brother and sister-in-law, but it was not to be. I was disappointed, but on the scale of problems to have in this world, not being able to travel internationally seems like a very minor problem to have so I won’t complain.

Korea had been on my list of places to go for a long time. As a student of Japanese history, I was somewhat familiar with Korean history. It’s difficult to know one without the other. Most importantly, Korea was open to travel. I would have to jump through some Covid hoops, which would influence where and how long I would stay in certain places, but the hoops seemed relatively easy to navigate.

Recently, I have been exploring the possibility of giving up my car and go all in on bicycles and ride sharing. I have not given up my car as of yet, but it looks more and more like that will happen. I soon realized that if I got a folding touring bicycle with electric assist I could not only use it for daily life, but that it would open up a world of possibilities with my travel in Japan and elsewhere.

If you have been reading my blog then you would know that I prefer exploring the Japanese countryside. These places are often not well-served by trains and/or buses, which leaves me with little choice but to drive. That would be fine except that I abhor driving. Cycling would open up the countryside to me and I would be able to see another aspect of travel in Japan.

After some research and several conversations with a former coworker, Scott Gilbert I bought a Bike Friday folding bicycle, the New World Tourist. I had it tricked out with electric pedal assist and a carrying case, which is basically a Macgyvered Samsonite suitcase, I would use for Costco runs at home and bike-packing here and anywhere else I fancied.

I hadn’t originally thought to travel by bicycle in Korea. It never dawned on me that Korea would be a good place to cycle, but as I was researching the trip I found that Korea was very cycling friendly. The country had gone to great lengths to put in cycling infrastructure all over the country. I started keying in on the 4 Rivers Cycling Road, which ran from the Northwest, Seoul, to the Southeast, Busan. It basically splits the country in half roughly following, wait for it….. 4 rivers. That’s right. It’s not just a clever name.

What’s more, it was said to be very doable for even relatively untrained cyclists. Because it roughly follows rivers, the terrain is supposed to be relatively flat. I looked at the iteneraries of cycling tours and it seemed that most of them did 100 kilometers a day, about 60-70 miles for you Philistines still using the imperial system. At that pace, most tours finished the route in about 6 days.

Although I am not a trained cyclist, I am pretty fit. I had recently dropped about 18-20 kilograms, about 40 pounds for you Philistines, by modifying my nutrition plan and workouts. I dare say that I was not only fit for a man my age, but pretty fit in general. My main concern was not the distance so much as being able to tolerate sitting on a bicycle seat for 6-8 hours a day. I had done training rides of 30-40 miles and 2 a day training days where I got pretty close to 100km without much trouble as far as endurance. The saddle took some getting used to, but it never became a real issue.

The logistics of navigating the Covid requirements did not make for easy planning. I needed to be tested prior to leaving Hawaii and then once more within a day of arriving in Korea. That was relatively easy to do. The problem was I also needed to be tested on the 6th or 7th day after arrival. My plan was for 2 weeks in Korea and that put the testing smack dab in the middle.

Compounding the problem was my testing days landed on the weekend. Many of the places that did testing for tourists, I had read, were not open on the weekend. I had found a place that was open on the weekend, an otolaryngology clinic. Apparently, many of these private otolarynology clinics did Covid testing aside from their regular medical stuff. Probably an easy way to make money.

In any case, I messaged the clinic through an app called, “Naver,” from the same people who made the messaging app, “Line.” I had read that they were quick to respond and that they responded in English. Perfect. I made arrangements to get tested the day after I arrived and on the 6th day. Even better, the clinic was in Gangnam, the place made famous by the song, “Gangnam Style.” I could make a day of it. I could get tested and then tour Gangnam.

For those of you who do not know WTF I am talking about, for your benefit I have posted the video that made the area famous. Personally, K-Pop doesn’t appeal to me, which makes me bilingual in my dislike of popular music.

After hemming and hawing about how to make it work, I decided to spend a week in Seoul and then spend the second week riding to Busan. I would arrive on the 23rd of May, get tested on the 24th, then get my next test on the 28th (a Saturday), then leave for Busan on the morning of the 29th. I would arrive in Busan on the 3rd of June, spend a couple of days there, catch the train back to Seoul on the 5th, and then fly out that evening. Simple, right?

To be continued…