Something to talk about when I am old and grey.

Time is cruel! © DKLA

At the pinnacle of their career, the Beatles must have had an existential crisis. McCartney and Lennon must have wondered how they would be at 64. Their vision of a 64-year old man, from the lenses of a person in the 1960s, must have been quite depressing. With bad teeth, bad eyesight and bald, it must be a picture of melancholy.
 Luckily, growing old in the 21st century is bearable. The 60s is the new 40s. One can still lead a productive life in the senior citizen / geriatric age group provided the bus does not come to pick you up prematurely.

After completing 633 km of cycling from Seoul to Pusan in 5 days, we had a couple days to unwind in Pusan. Immersed in the euphoria of completing our gargantuan task, we thought that our feat must be something that we, the seven of us, would be talking for a long time including reminiscing about it in our twilight years. We would probably be savouring each photo that we took along the way, trying to remember each story attached with it; trying to tell it to anyone who would listen.

At the end of their voyage, if life had been kind, people would have many accomplishments to ponder as their moments in time.

I know a few who talk about a time when they were stoned drunk as their memorable bits to justify their existence. They would brag about their inborn ability to hold their drink and drive home safely with their alcohol levels hitting the ceiling many times over. Or perhaps boast in the glee of a lost weekend of intoxication.
There was once a lady's man who had the charm that would put James Bond to shame. He allegedly had bedded so many women in the prime of his youth. This, he told me unashamedly with pride with a gusto of a record-breaking marathon runner. He even boasted of having two dates on a single night in the same town. Living in the fast lane, walking on eggshells, he ended his night bedding both of them, separately. That must be the zenith of his raison d'être.

Others may find pride in satisfying their gustatory cravings. They claim pride in knowing the tastiest of dishes and culinary servings. They may narrate with passion, their food trails, their exotic spread of palatal teasers and perhaps some unusual delicacies. Well, whatever makes them happy.

I bet these photos may one day carve a smile at the angle of my mouth if ever I were comatose or unarousable.

Serenity max ©FG

Another bridge ©FG

Nature's palette ©FG

Peaceful easy feeling ©FG

Misty taste of Korea ©FG

Shades of blue ©FG

Sunset in Korea ©FG

Picture perfect ©FG

A bike motel ©FG

Busan finishing line ©FG

Our hideout in Busan ©FG

I see you ©FG

Korean garden ©FG

Atop Busan Tower ©FG

Jagalchi Fish Market - can see the original features of the Koreans.©FG

Songdo Beach ©FG

Sunset over at Sangdo ©FG

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Time flies when you are having fun!

S2B: Seoul to Busan

It is not a race. Ep #1
Meet the P-stars. Ep #2
Fighting the demons! Ep #3

Bare necessities that we need! Ep #4

7 Samurais set to go! ©Bob

The day is here! Ep #5

The time is now! Ep #6

Time is a river of passing events. Ep #7

Episode 8: Day 5 S2B (10.10.19)

Resolved to end the tour today, we made an early start, at the first sign of daylight. At least, that is what we thought. By the time we saddled up and tightened up a few loose ends, it was 0630 by the time we left our bike motel. 

It was a chilly morning, slightly windy and foggy at 7C. Everything was going on fine for the first half of the day. 

Korea decided to save the best for the last. She took us through multiple hills, some as steep as 13%. We managed most of the hills except for a few which proved too long too strenuous.

The world of Maya. The cloud-like fluffy structure in the bottom half of the picture is the early morning condensation of water above the river surface. ©HS

The struggle between Nature and Man started to prove a yo-yo. The hills at Changnyeong-gun was a sight to behold. The view of the light of the rising sun against a backdrop of mist-covered mountains and river gave the illusion as we were in high heavens. 

Born to be free in the meadows but creepy crawlies. ©FG.

The Duel between Man and Nature: Sometimes Nature wins! ©MM

After giving a bit, she tested us. One, but all us, took a wrong turn. With 3 punctures to repair, because of the wrong turn that took us through a gravel-filled path that took us through farms, we were delayed by two hours flat. 

Even our designated high priest thought he had lost his mojo when we found everything going the wrong way. With the patchy GPS signals in Korean language, by a twist of fate we somehow finally managed to get to the next certification centre. 

A breath of fresh air. Second last certification centre in the pipeline. ©FG

The body was aching and the muscles were fatigued but one resolve in each of minds to complete the course pulled us through. We pedalled through the gruelling heat and the mid-afternoon sun at about 20C.

Finally, at about 5.30pm, the Gods took pitied us and finally landed us at Nakdong River Culture Pavilion, the final destination. 

I am still standing, on the ground. ©Bob.

Three months of planning, weeks of training and many man-hours in research, we finally completed our mission. Shaken but not stirred, we were already planning our next trip, perhaps next year. 

We did it! ©RS

End of Day 5.
Completed about 140km. (Total ~ 675.15km) due to detours and off-course tracks, to and from accommodation and meals.

I cycled 675km and all I got is a gold-plated medal plus a piece of paper bearing my name and I had to pay for it! But it comes with bragging rights and something to talk about for a long long time.©FG.

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Time is a river of passing events.

S2B: Seoul to Busan

It is not a race. Ep #1

Meet the P-stars. Ep #2
Fighting the demons! Ep #3

Bare necessities that we need! Ep #4

The day is here! Ep #5

The time is now! Ep #6

Time and tide. Ep #7

Episode 8: Day 4 S2B (9.10.2019)

After knocking ourselves out in slumberland at Zone Hotel in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, in what we call a ‘love motel’, we hit the saddle again. The love motel was the closest that came by when we hit Gumi all weary yesterday evening. Yet a sumptuous simple Korean dinner came in front of us when we entered a restaurant, told the chef to surprise us in rudimentary caveman sign language and grunts. 

0830, back to the grinding mill. 

Weather was generally beautiful today with the sun was out by 7am. The temperature was cool at 7ºC and slightly windy. We were fine, and we had a feeling that something good was on our way. Hence, we set to do 120km for the day. 

The sun peacocking around with nature's palette of colours. ©FG

Just to burst that feel-good bubble, one hour into the journey, one of our cyclists busted his back tyre. That misadventure set us back by an hour, but after sorting out the tubes, we were back on the roads again. The landscape was forgiving. The terrain was mostly flat with occasional sharps climbs, some as steep as 13%.

We came across a few mammoth structures along the way. 

Lunch was ramen mee with the usual Korean accompaniments, kimchi, bean sprouts, spiced kangkung, pickled radish etcetera in a shop off Dalseon-bo. 

When in Korea, eat what Koreans eat.
 - kimchi noodle! ©FG

All through our expedition, with the luxury of time and a plethora of visual stimulations, we had the pleasure in indulging in the art of people watching. Mind you, this did not include stalking or voyeurism. It just involved astute observations. On the outset, it was evident that the typical Korean’s choice of colours would make a fashion designer cringe. On the roads, we rarely saw cars with colours other than the sobering white, grey, black or anything appearing near-black. The vehicles were mostly Korean made with an occasional glimpse of Audi and Mercedes. 

In the towns, the people are mostly dressed up (as compared to most metropolitan cities where denizens are dressed down or are seen in different stages of being undressed). Maybe because it was autumn, the colours of choice were white, black and shades of thereof. And they were plain - no screaming flowers motifs or ‘in your face’ loud T-shirts with profanity. The most provocative ‘T’ that came to my attention was one which read ‘anti-social social club’. Go figure. 

Another ambitious artwork by K-water at a dam in Cheongnyeong-gun. ©FG

Generally, they were friendly, and despite the handicap of language, they go beyond the call of duty to help the visitors of their country to their level best. Very interesting. They manufacture things that make the West squirm and have developed so rapidly economically mimicking and even surpassing the West, but they give a damn about the lingua Franca of the modern world, English. Paradoxically they yearn to be in sync with the latest trends in dressing. But then, the K-pop groups are their role model, and the K-pops cater to the world. Deep inside, they must be telling the rest of the world, “you need us more than we need you! Live with it.” 

We had a bizarre thought that everyone in Korea had the same plastic surgeon. Almost everybody had the same eyelid appearance and the same perfectly contoured nose with the similarly coloured lips. If you want to see the original Korean facies, run down to Jagilchi Fish Market to see the local fishmongers. 

Apparently, the demand for plastic surgery is so high and well developed that many a time we saw people in restaurants eating their meals with plaster on the face, presumably the first post-surgical meal. Just guessing! 

When the sun goes down in Hapcheon-gun. ©FG.

A few stops at the certification centres, we reached a small town named Hapcheon-gun. It is a town where its folks were more than eager to usher in into the numerous bike motels. It appears like they survive on tourists. 

Plenty a room at a Bike Motel in Hapcheon-gun. No nice surprise. ©FG

Again another surprise from a non-English speaking restauranteur. This time it was Busan Fried Chicken and spicy fried chicken.

So it was decreed, after much deliberation, that tomorrow would be our last day and tomorrow’s journey would be the last league. Another ambitious plan of 120km was in the pipeline. Let us see what happens.

End of Day 4.

Completed about 120km. (Total ~ 533km)

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Time and tide...

S2B: Seoul to Busan

It is not a race. Ep #1

Meet the P-stars. Ep #2
Fighting the demons! Ep #3

Bare necessities that we need! Ep #4

The day is here! Ep #5

The time is now! Ep #6

Episode 7: Day 3 S2B (8.10.2019)

Back on the road again... ©RS

The much deserved good night’s sleep proved lifesaving. After the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, we were back on the roads again. We were pleasantly surprised that we were doing centurion rides on a daily basis without even a flinch. It does not mean that we are Centaurians or some kind of superbeings, but it shows the level the human spirit can go when the will is there. Our civilisation would not be here if not for the sheer grit of our ancestors.

In Cloud Nine. ©FG

It was a chilly morning at 12ºC. Draped with extra clothing, our first destination was the Ihwaryeong Rest Area which involved a good five kilometres of an upward climb. It was funny interplay being clammy in the inside (as we were fighting against the inclination with our machines, our baggage and ourselves) and the cold winds that were blowing on the outside. Off our tunics, we could shiver but inside we were drenched with sweat as adrenaline did its work.

I was down there but  Such a feeling is coming over me. There is a wonder in everything I see. The clouds in the sky and the sun that gets in my eye, I know it is not a dream. ©FG

You raised me up so I can stand on mountains. ©Bob

What goes up must go down. That is what we told ourselves as we were cursing ourselves and pedalling uphill. Sure enough, it was almost freewheeling afterwards.

Next it a long ride to the Korean Bike Museum. Our navigator was all excited to visit their museum but, unfortunately, it was the exhibition was solely in the Korean language. Hence, we had to give it a miss.

A stop at the Bike museum ©Bob

Yeah, cycling is eco-friendly. ©FG

A view outside the Bike Museum in Sangju-si. Promoting cycling culture from young. Weather is also helpful. Here, one can cycle all day without stinking as some would say, without the odour of the working class. ©FG

Many of the rides took us through the countryside. It opened our eyes to the advanced level of agriculture and the amount of the country had invested in sports. All along our path, we witnessed so many greenhouses, exercise equipment, football fields, baseball pitches and even Astro turfs. It is sad to see a country which was way below us in the 60s as far as development was concerned, to have advanced by leaps and bounds while we, Malaysians, are just going in a retrograde manner. We are losing what we had and the sad thing is that our leaders, whom we elected, fail to see that others have overtaken first. We may have missed the bus but we think it is noble to crawl.

It was a long day today. We went through farms, fields, multiple picturesque bridges and passed through highways.

You serve the land, land serves you back! © FG

Another common landscape ©HS

 Still water runs deep. ©FG

The River of Life ©Bob

The Korean Sunset in Gumi-si. A symbolic reminder of life. Twilight does not denote the absence of light but rather a need for an increase in visual acuity. ©FG

End of Day 3.
Completed about 137km. (Total ~ 413km)

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Now or never!

S2B: Seoul to Busan

It is not a race. Ep #1

Meet the P-stars. Ep #2
Fighting the demons! Ep #3

Bare necessities that we need! Ep #4

The day is here! Ep #5

The time is now! Ep #6

Episode 7: Day 2 S2B (7.10.2019)

Going Korean? ©FG

With a good night rest after the ever-smiling hostess’ simple Korean dinner that she dished out in a jiffy when we arrived at her doorstep all sweaty and hungry, we started grinding for the day. 

Here in the northern part of South Korea, our observation was that Korean food comprises the main dish which could be pork or beef accompanied with little carbohydrate in the form of a small bowl of rice or noodle with their standard accompaniments - kimchi, cabbage pickled with spice, radish in vinegar and leafy vegetable which tastes like water hyacinth (kangkung) sauteed with spiced chilled and pickled little chilly. In Busan, being a coastal city, seafood is favoured.

We had another ambitious plan to cover at least 100km today. 

The day greeted us with cold showers with the temperature hovering at around 19 ºC. In fact, it accompanied us all through the way to our next destination, North Chungcheong, the hot springs town. 

The mountains, trees and rivers must be screaming with stories to tell ©FG

The rivers and mountains which accompanied our journey must have witnessed empires and kingdoms rise and fall. It must be sneering to Seven Samurais (@jokers) who hail from to thrash her boys in football and how her sons have risen. The ride took us through the picturesque, still standing Korean countryside. The hills are still green with no signs of being flattened. The only sign of industrialisation seems to be the numerous massive bridges that span over the wide rivers. 

A typical certification centre ©FG

We had to make detours here and there to get our ‘passports’ stamped.  Completion of the stamping would entitle us for a completion medal. The trails were purposely paved in such as to showcase all the different landscapes of the Korean countryside. At the same time, there were many areas with scanty directions for non-Korean natives. On top of Google map does not work well, and their Naver map is wanting of a thorough overhaul. Perhaps, it was done on purpose. On a different note, when we read about the evolution of GPS technology, we are told that there was a concerted effort to make it inaccurate to prevent abuse. With North Korea's Rocket Man hot on their trail, are we surprised? 

As true mature Malaysians who had spent time in the pre-Iranian revolution inspired new-Malaysia, we could help but compare our country to Korea. The Koreans are very industrious people. Everyone seems to be engaged in some kind of economic activity. They do not rely on foreign labour. They do not sit around like a lump of protoplasm, feeling grandiose like a special selected God-chosen breed barking orders down on their slaves. They work.

Many Greenhouses are seen in the interior. No Bangladeshis, Indonesians or Myanmarese were needed in the plantation sector. ©FG

Thanks to our Chief Navigator and input from members of the FB group Seoul to Busan and Beyond (SBB), the directions made more sense. ©Bob

Another sight for sore eyes. Signboards announcing the arrival of a certification centre usually shows up about 2km before the booth. After cycling for kilometres on end, the centres are our resting points, albeit for a quick drink, stamping and leg stretch. ©FG

Another familiar icon that sustained our caloric needs.

It was indeed nice to see 'Nice to CU'-CVS (Convenience Stores).

Spread sporadically in bigger townships, it carries many essential basic items, instant noodles, beverages and bread. 

The Hotspring Town - Chungju-si

It took us almost 7 hours to complete the treacherous journey.  Riding in the rain, against the wind, and sometimes perpendicular to the direction of the blow just bogs one down. Suddenly, out of nowhere, emerged a town, known for its hot springs.

The Chosun Tourist Hotel was our chosen place to unwind. They were willing to use a conference room to park our vehicles!

Ad pix - Chosun Tourist Hotel in Chungji-us.

Comfortable, cosy with breakfast and a free spa. Gave the spa a miss as it was customary to bathe in the nude from a shared bathing pool. The Koreans, like the Japanese, treated cleansing a divine duty to the body.

End of Day 2.

Completed about 105km. (Total ~ 276.3km)

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