Making my way past the undersea tunnel to Yangsan

Today would be a very interesting day as I was attempting to make my way to Yangsan. I had heard that only vehicles were allowed in the undersea tunnel connecting the way to Busan but was determined to try my luck nonetheless. There was no way of getting my bike over otherwise so it was an early start, following the expressway that led to my one known path over.

I had met Andy during my last trip and it was the perfect time to meet him at Yangsan. The weather was clear and the ride rather uneventful. This was a slightly longer ride compared to my usual 50 km or so a day. Andy had been kind enough to invite me over to stay with him for a few days and I had to make my way to his address.

The ride down covered some greenery and I stopped by a little before proceeding on. Towards the entrance to the undersea tunnel, I came across a female officer blocking the path and waving her hands to say I could not proceed. Naturally I knew this would happen and was amazed when they led me in and allowed me to sit and relax as another officer came by to chat with me. I had covered some distance already and it didn't make sense to cycle back to find another way through the tunnel. The officer understood this and asked me if we could try for a cab. I agreed but after some time we both realized that the cabs charged a large fare for going past the tunnel.

To my surprise even the officer felt that the fare was too high and asked me to wait awhile. Coffee and some warmth definitely felt good while I waited. Some time later the officer returned and led me to a large lorry. He had spoken to the driver and they had agreed to ferry me over ! I was really impressed with the kindness shown and placing my bike at the back of the huge truck, headed off into the undersea tunnel, hitch-hiking a ride.

The driver who had agreed to drive me across was very nice and explained about the route and some of the things that we were seeing. Along the way, he also inquired on my destination and being familiar with the area, said he would drop me someplace convenient. We had to part ways shortly as he dropped me off but I was much more closer to my destination and naturally well rested and energetic. Life had once more shown me an easy way out and all I had to do was trust.


Following the path down towards Yangsan, I found it not too difficult to make my down to Andy's place. He had been sweet enough to share his entrance codes with me earlier and I decided to wait for him while he returned home after work. Walking into Andy's apartment felt like a breath of fresh air considering that I had been on a road some time. Walking in felt almost like I was messing up the place just doing so.

Having close to more then an hour, I showered and waited. It was truly a happy reunion meeting a friend I had met a year ago. Definitely felt amazing inviting someone to his own home !

After some time catching up and a proper introduction to his delightful home, Andy brought me down to a nearby restaurant and it was a beautiful end to a somewhat questionable day as it had begun.After a delicious meal, it was time to call it a night.

What I had learned that day would stick around for an entire lifetime, that when someone says a path is closed, it makes perfect sense to ride it to the last kilometer before agreeing.

Cycling past the scenic road of Korea, visiting (Windy Hill) Sinseondae and Haegeumgang island

It was to be a long day today though when I got up, I had absolutely no idea it would be so. After wandering around by myself this long, I had somewhat forgotten planning and it seemed to me that each day seemed to pack itself with lots of beautiful happenings, movement and experiences. All I had to do was trust this and be present.

View from the Geoje art centre

Having a room to keep my pannier set meant that now I was able to move much faster on wheels and as I cycled out, I came across a signboard detailing several places to visit. The eventual destination would be Windy Hill ( Sinseondae) and it helped that there were so many places to visit along the way. First up on the ride was the Geoje art centre. The center itself was closed since I was there so early but this didn't stop me from cycling around to the back and seeing the view from the back, really beautiful in the morning.

Since Geoje was a coastal town, my cycle route today was very scenic, always within viewing distance of the sea and clean roads made the ride so memorable. It was a breeze that the day was clear as well.

Turning in to the shipbuilding marine cultural centre, an old ship replica caught my attention as well as a few other ship artefacts placed around the building. What caught my eye was the attention paid to detail. The ship also had rather nasty metal spikes along the sides.

A picture perfect view

After some time cycling around the place, I hit the road once more, this time stopping by the O'Neill Dive centre for a well deserved cuppa coffee. Someone I met along the way had mentioned about this place and it offered rooms to stay as well as dirt riding and paint ball in addition to diving packages.

 Rather tempted to dive, I realised that I could not meet any of the timings so that had to be shelved however just sitting there having coffee and unwinding for a short bit felt so relaxing due to the view at the window. Finishing my coffee, it was back to road once more and this time round the day was beginning to heat up.

Cycling past the scenic road of Korea, named for its beautiful views as you travel past, I had a chance to visit the ranger office of the Hallyeohaesang National Marine park located just by the road. The marine park is huge and covering all of it would be close to impossible with the limited time I had.

Popping in to talk to the rangers, I was given cold water to top up my Camelbak and more directions and places to visit on the way down.

Along the scenic road of Korea

Stopping by the side walk to relax for abit, I sipped on my cold water while taking in the scene by the road. Smooth rounded pebbles dotted the coastline and the water was very calm. Definitely a place to spend the weekend or just go for a walk in the evening. This stretch was rather busy, with many couples walking hand in hand and families playing by the water.

Haegumgang was now a mere 5 km away and the rangers had told me this was a must see place. Cycling up, the elevation went up and now I got a high view of the entire place, with the blue sea and greenery surrounding it. Windy hill as the name suggested was exceedingly windy and quite an interesting ride as my wheels caught the wind.

The jagged rocks at Sinseondae.

The little windmill at the end was rather pretty but my interest was more towards Sinseondae, with its jagged rock faces due to years of exposure to the elements. I hardly ever locked up my bike and carried it down, cycling where possible. The rough  texture of the rock and numerous potholes and shapes spoke of the years of erosion, adding so much character to the rock faces that characterised Sinseondae.

Moving around Haegeumgang

Stopping by for a quick drink at the drink shop, I moved on to see if I could visit Haegumgang island, the island that the rangers had told me to head to. To my luck, the next trip was in 30 minutes time and I had some waiting time. The staff at the booking office were kind enough to keep my bike under watch as I went for the island tour. I had signed up for a boat ride around Haegumgang island and a ride down to Oedo Botania.

We would not be alighting at Haegumgang island, since it was primarily an island made up of jagged rocks but rather just go one full round before heading off towards Oedo Botania, another island made up of a multitude of carefully created gardens.

I had only been to the botanical gardens before and alighting at Oedo was a delight. It could be seen that so much care had been taken to craft the plants into the shapes and sizes they were at and sculptures placed throughout the park only served to accentuate this.

The walk around the park was not too long but spell binding as every little detail had been looked into in terms of aesthetics and beauty. Trees trimmed into all sorts of shapes and sizes and carefully arranged to bring out the combined effect of a garden was just astounding.

I walked around certain parts more then once and a particular sign on one of the sections caught my eye. Another feature was a water feature that seemed really nice to photograph and before I knew it, it was time to head down to the boats which would be ferrying us out. Since this was an island, the boats were the only way out and to miss it would be to have to stay on the island. It definitely seemed sad to leave such a beautiful place within the short time we were allocated.

Oedo Botania had food places but unfortunately most were closed by the time the day was ending. As such all we could do was to sit by where the coffee places were before heading down to the pier. The ride back was fast and allowed us to see the sunset along the way back, beautifully set against the islands as we went past.

It would be a slightly harder ride for me on the way back as I did not usually ride in the dark and had been totally unprepared for it. Luckily the staff at the office were kind enough to wait for me as I returned before locking up the office and I had to cover ground fast to prevent too much night riding. The distance however seemed to go by really fast and I reached the motel just around 8 pm or so, still within my own predicted timing.

It had been a tiring day but the sights of Geoje had simply amazed me and I went to sleep truly happy with how the day had gone.

Heading down to Geoje

Got up early today as my next location, Geoje was within 30 km and that would mean that I had an entire day to explore the place. Geoje was a place that my friend Sally had said I should visit, primarily due to its proximity to the coast. Cycling past a Tom Tom's coffee place, I realised that it was excellent weather to bike down, clear skies and such a short distance to my end point. Cycling past a bridge, I realised I was looking at the mountain I had been up the day before at TongYeong, as shown on a display board along the way.

Cycling along, I reached Geoje is a very short while, perhaps an hour plus and cycled in to a place that I had learnt offered the best options to view, the tourist information centre. Collecting my brochures and getting some advice, it was time to explore.

Entering the city area, I chanced up the historic park of Geoje POW camp and this definitely interested me. This place had many exhibits and images taken during the way, including even where the prisoners were kept. I had learnt a little of the historic battles fought in Jinju thanks to my two friends and that piqued my interest to visit this park.

Usually I would find a place to stay and then leave my bike in the room but this time was a change of plans. Luckily, the staff were kind to me and locked up my bike and belongings in a plastic box meant to store prams and other items. There was quite a crowd on that day and I definitely got the occasional stare walking in wearing cycling shorts and a camelbak.

The camp had been build to hold prisoners during the Korean war and had held inmates from China and Korea. Upon the end of the war, the camp had not been destroyed but converted to a park so as to remember the 170,000 prisoners held there as well as let us see the remains of the war, including tanks, trucks and relics. It was definitely an eye opening walk through.

Leaving the place, it was time to find a place to stay for the night. Visiting increasingly populated areas meant that it was difficult to find a place to pitch a tent and stay and I realised that many motels afforded decent stay rates of about 30,000 won. Checking in to such a motel, it was time to relax and unwind. Having been at Jinju for a few days, I had rested well and it was time to slowly pick up the pace. Walking around after a shower, it was time to walk around a little and grab a bite before heading back for an early night.

Time to explore Geoje a bit more tomorrow.