August 11- Rainy ride to Woraksan National Park

Woke up to a day with the forecast of rain. Had a nice chat and coffee at the visitor's office before setting off. The ranger on duty was nice enough to call the next national park I would be visiting and telling them that there was a visitor coming on a bike. Made my way past the bridge leading to the tourist helpdesk and the rain started. I quickly made my way to the nearest shelter, a petrol kiosk and was pleasantly surprised when the lady rushed out with a hot cup of coffee on seeing I was partially wet.

Sat on the sofa having the coffee for a bit before deciding that I would try changing to wet attire. The pannier set I bought had a rain cover which I had not used till now. This would be the perfect opportunity.

View along the way

Interestingly it felt rather good cycling in the rain. My rain gear would let in water after some time but thanks to wearing a few layers, i did not feel too cold.  Fell totally in love with my continental tires as I never slipped once.

The distance towards Woraksan National Park is less then 50 km and it was a good experience cycling in the rain. The roads here were relatively more steep and there were parts where I did stop to push my bike up.

First glimpse of the park office

The pictures taken during these moments were naturally smeared with drops of rainwater. I carried 2 cameras, a Canon D550 as well as a canon Ixus for this trip and swear by their ruggedness, ( After all the abuse I put them through). The canon Ixus was always hung at the side of my bike for easy access and documenting my journey and the DSLR taken out whenever I trekked up a mountain. I also used one memory card, interchanging between the two cameras.

I was given a warm welcome at the park office and naturally the park ranger who spoke the best english was chosen to show me around. Woraksan did not have a visitor's centre and I was at the office building itself but  they were really hospitable, allowing me to keep my bike inside the office by the side of a table that was not used. After an introduction, I decided to pitch my tent just near the office, at the auto campsite. The weather seemed to have cleared up and the ground dry as I set up my tent.

Dinner !

 Being a sucker for scenery, I HAD to face the scenic mountain view. Little did I know that it was going to pour once again. Walked around the auto campsite and was invited to join a family for dinner again. Promised to come by after a shower. The ranger at Woraksan invited me to the park's kitchen for a sumptous dinner.

Makkoli in a bowl

This was also the first time I would be trying makkoli, or traditional rice wine. This drink has a lower alcohol content then soju and tastes a little sour but was refreshing all the same. Seemed more like a drink to unwind after a tiring day.



Dining with the rangers at Woraksan seemed more like a family affair and I enjoyed the sitting on the floor on low tables concept. After a good dinner I proceeded back to the auto campsite where my friend was waiting to introduce me to his family members for a SECOND dinner. My tent was flooded by this time and I just decided to forget about it for the time being.

Had a second meal of Samgyupsa ( Which tasted really good in the rainy weather) and answered lots of questions by my host and family. Halfway through, the rangers came looking for me due to the rain and said I could sleep in their office !

Thanking my lucky stars ( I could swim in my tent at this point of time), I made my way back to the office where I took a shower and changed up before going to sleep.

I was allowed to sleep in the changing room and even had a power point to charge my phone. Such was the kindness of the staff at Woraksan National Park :)

A space on the floor- all I ever need