Land of the Morning Calm

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Mark Twain has given me ample reason to pack my bike again and head off for another exciting solo adventure, so I have decided to explore the “Land of the Morning Calm”.

In 1934 A.D. an emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, the Celestial Empire of the East, gave Korea the title of ‘Chaohsien’ meaning morning freshness. Translated from Hanja (the Korean name for Chinese characters) into English we get “morning calm/sun”, which led to Korea’s English nickname “Land of the Morning Calm” being coined by Percival Lowell in his book Choson, the Land of the Morning Calm published in 1885. The title is most appropriate for South Korea because of the spell-binding natural beauty of its mountains, clear waters and calming tranquillity.

Apart from “Land of the Morning Calm” having a nice ring about it, there are many other reasons why a touring cyclist would be attracted to South Korea:

• As part of its low-carbon, green growth strategy the government has been promoting cycling and has constructed hundreds of kilometres of bicycle tracks across the country. South Korea now has some of the best cycling infrastructure in the world … except in the big cities like Seoul where bike paths are still very limited and riding on the roads is fraught with danger.

• September to November is autumn in South Korea, when skies can be expected to be blue, the weather is usually sunny and warm and the forested mountainsides are ablaze with astonishing autumnal colours.

• South Korea has a very interesting history and culture.

• South Korea has a lot of advanced electronics and gadgetry, irresistible to a geek like me.

• For a developed country, South Korea can be a remarkably inexpensive place in which to travel.

• One Australian dollar buys about 820 South Korean Won (KRW), so for about A$1,200 one can be an instant millionaire!

But I am not expecting my journey to be all beer and skittles. Navigation will be a challenge because Google mapping of South Korea is incomplete and the local Google equivalents Naver and Daum are written only in South Korean. Hopefully my Garmin navigator will not misdirect me north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into that other part of Korea! Communication will also be interesting, with my vocabulary being limited to the two phrases annyeong haseyo (hello) and annyeong-hi gaseyo (goodbye).

When I visit a new country I like to immerse myself in the local culture, so my accommodation includes a couple of hanoks (home stays) where I can experience life in a traditional Korean house and learn more about the Korean culture, like sleeping on the bare floor and eating fermented cabbage (kimchi), which is supposed to be one of the healthiest foods in the world. However, I have definitely drawn the line at temple stays because I can’t imagine myself in a burnt orange robe, chanting mantras at 4 am in the morning with the monks!

My research led me to some useful advice in the Lonely Planet guide:

• Learn to read the 24 hangeul characters so you can figure out business signs, menus and bus destinations.
• Check your socks have no holes in them as you must remove your shoes to enter Buddhist shrines, traditional restaurants and private homes.
• Improve your skill at charades and gestures as not many Koreans understand English.
• Practise being naked in front of strangers so you can enjoy Korea’s many excellent and reasonably priced hot-spring spas.

The first bullet point above has proven to be quite beyond a septuagenarian like me, so I will be carrying with me at all times a printed copy of the Hanguel Alphabet. I also had a problem with the last bullet point, so I have packed my Aussie boardies in the hope that they will be accepted as suitable bathing attire.

So on Wednesday I fly to Seoul where I will spend 4 days alone as a stranger getting lost in a city of about 25 million people (about half the population of South Korea), before setting off with anticipation on a 12 day ride to Busan about 660 Km south of Seoul. My aim is to follow part of the 4 Rivers Bike Trail, a newly constructed bicycle route that runs along Korea’s four major rivers – Hangang River, Nakdonggang River, Geumgang River, Yeongsangang River. But where I end up might be another matter!

A special thanks goes to my GGG riding friends Col & Pam (who have just returned from riding in South Korea) and Sue (who has also done a tour there) for their tips and suggestions about riding in this amazing country. In particular Pam’s very comprehensive survival guide will be invaluable.

I would love you to share my adventure by following my daily blog. My bike has been packed, camera charged, pannier bags loaded and GPX files uploaded to my Garmin GPS navigator, so I am all set to start rolling. Check out the route maps now at Maps – South Korea and watch this space.