Jul 10
Greg BooneKorea Stories 30daysofbiking, biking, Goyang, Korea, livestrong, recreation, Seoul
This was originally posted as part of 30 Days of Biking, a group dedicated to riding their bikes “every, friggin’, day.” Since it was a few months ago now, and I promised to cross post it here, I decided it was time for this post to be cemented in the memory of Schoolhouse ROK readers everywhere. It’s worth noting that about a month following this post, the air pollution and heavy traffic got to be a little exhausting and I stuck to riding to school and back only. With that caveat, I stand by my words that Korea is a great place to explore by bike.
I had that dream again, the one where Lance Armstrong visits my little city in the Seoul suburbs as part of a new tour for LIVESTRONG, and for some reason, the powers that be put me in charge of giving him the bike tour of the city. It’s a strange dream for a few reasons, chiefly among them being that I’m not Korean but in fact a temporary resident of this town, here to teach English for the year and then be on my way. It starts at my tiny office-tel apartment wheeling my Surly out of the oversized walk-in closet of a living space I call home.
“We’ll go out on the main road right in front of the apartment here, take a left and head toward Lake Park, then loop around Daehwa-dong, and follow the Gyeonggui railroad line around the north end of town,” I tell Lance on the elevator ride down, “it’s one of my favorite rides.” Lance, of course, does not need to cram his bike into the elevator because his bike is waiting with some team hands from his crew. We strap on the helmets, and then head out.
Someone who has won the Tour de France as many times as Lance might not find this route incredibly thrilling, but the options are limited in this city, and this really is one of my favorite rides around the Ilsan district of Goyang, and it probably is the one I would take Lance on if I were so fortunate. The trickiest part of the whole loop is fending off the traffic.
In Korea, especially in the bigger cities, traffic can be a bit intimidating. Drivers on the mean streets of Ilsan are erratic at best and inattentive at their worst. Because biking is so popular here and traffic laws are a bit looser, drivers are used to sharing the road with smaller, slow-moving, non-motorized vehicles, which sometimes makes biking on the streets easy. The problems then, tend to be more with regard to people parking on corners, stopping in the middle of intersections, and being impatient at stoplights. It could be worse, but it’s the best option available.
Goyang prides itself on being a city of fitness. The tagline “Let’s Goyang” is plastered all over the city, and there are wide sidewalks and bike lanes along most major roads. A network of parks, parkways, and pedestrian zones make this town surprisingly easy to navigate on foot or by bike, despite its lack of street names or real addresses—as long as you have a good mental map. Most of the parkways stem from one central point, Lake Park. Here, a 5km bike/jogging loop winds its way around the largest artificial body of water in the peninsula. It’s a fine ride around the lake, and generally the earlier you can get out the better, particularly on the weekends. Since it is the only real place for sustained, outdoor recreation in Ilsan, it gets a bit crowded.
The off-street bike lanes in Korea suffer from the same problems that off-street lanes elsewhere face. They are rarely separate from the walker-only sidewalks, and if they are, it is even less likely to see a physical barrier between the two or see those barriers respected by cars, busses, and delivery scooters. Usually a white stripe painted down the center of the sidewalk, or a strip of the same stone the curbs are made from, marks the lanes. If the sidewalk narrows, the bike lane is the first to go, and regardless of how clearly marked the bike lane is, pedestrians will meander on over to the smoother, less crowded pavement on your side. The other problem with riding on the sidewalk is that sidewalks have curbs, and curbs hurt when you take them at 30kph (18mph) (if you can ever get going that fast on the sidewalk). These are curbs are not your run-of-the-mill, rounded-concrete corners, these are a little under a foot tall, mini-walls of granite meant to deter cars; just imagine what it would do to a road bike tire.
Riding on the streets may be dangerous, but it is definitely my preferred method. The ride I dream of taking Lance on is one of the longer rides I’ve managed to map out around Ilsan, and it was supposed to be longer, but to my surprise, half of the road on the far end of the trip was under construction. The only thing harder than biking around cars is biking around construction sites. This may be a universal truth, but in Korea, where as little of the road is closed as possible, it’s particularly prudent to wear a helmet, ride defensively, and react quickly to the unexpected.
My ultimate goal is to figure out how to get to Seoul from Goyang on my bike, but for the month of April, I’m determined to map a new route each day. Who knows, maybe Lance will show up some day.
LIVESTRONG!
Apr 11
Danielle HarmsKorea Stories, Photo Blog biking, gyeongju, Korea, spring
After a record-setting winter proved just how cold the month of April can be in Korea, there's nothing better than seeing a tree, or a street brimming with them, blooming with the signs of spring. If a passerby wasn't approaching a walk on this street with enough grandeur, the speakers blaring melodramatic classical music were sure to push anyone in that direction.
The timing of our trip to Gyeongju couldn’t have been better. We left on the tail end of the first week of April and a cycling challenge I am participating in called 30 Days of Biking. It was also smack in the middle of cherry blossom season.
Gyeongju's cherry blossoms aren't a very well kept secret: the area was packed with tourists. Still, the crowds rarely proved so pervasive as to spoil the views or the ability to enjoy the day.
Gyeongju is a city several hours southeast of Seoul and was the Capitol of the Shilla Dynasty back in the day. In recent years the city has developed upon its historic notoriety and along with it made itself into a booming tourist hub, particularly in the early spring when the cherry blossoms that line the streets are in full bloom. As our trips’s organizer told us, it is a city best seen on two wheels.
Tall guy on a little bike. Apparently 6 foot 3 1/2 is not the typical dimension of the bike rental shop's clientele.
My bike was a little on the small side, which was fine because we weren’t riding very fast anyway. The traffic, both human and motorized, was heavy and densely packed, all of us with the same mission: to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of a budding springtime season.
Cherry Blossoms don't steal the whole show of the spring premiere here. Magnolias make a notable appearance too.
The best route to take for cherry blossom vistas is to go around the lake. A longer track runs around the lake-front park following the road, and a shorter yet more scenic route follows the shore and surprisingly high floodwalls encircling the lake. From the moment I entered the lake path my vision field turned to a pink, blue, and green hue, the cool colors of spring are here, and temperate weather to boot.
Members of our biking gang.
History and heritage fans should stick close to the area around the tower—the oldest astronomical observatory in all of Asia—as this is where the many tombs of Shilla era royalty are easily accessible. It’s about impossible to miss the tombs, enormous mounds of Earth rising out of the ground as if to remind posterity of the Shilla Kingdom’s prominence in shaping the Korea of today.
With Asia's oldest observatory on your left and a hillsides dappled with entombed royalty on your right, a tourist can't ask for more accessible heritage and history. And if you thought ancient royalty was just a bunch of stuffy aristocrats, those cherry blossomed hillsides hold a few surprises. A short walk brings you to the esteemed ancient site for royal drinking games and the centuries old natural refrigerator.
The Shilla was the dynasty that unified the three kingdoms ruling over the Korean peninsula. They were promptly overtaken by the Koreyo kingdom which ruled the land until the beginning of Choseon. Most of the buildings of note in Gyoengju were constructed in the 700s.
The air was absolutely aromatic with the sweet smell of magnolias, cherry blossoms, and of course, sappy love. A country with a surprising commitment to most things nauseatingly cute, it's little surprise that couples young and old were out in droves to giggle on tandem bikes and the like. But in a country that enjoys Valentines Day so much they created a holiday for the 14th day of every month, what can you expect?
The area immediately around the tower is one hotbed of historical landmarks—including the stone refrigerator built into the fortress which looks over more than 30 tombs—and just across the road is a park where 25 Shilla kings and queens are buried. This park is also home to a replica mound where one of the kings’s burial affects, coffin, and tomb are on display.
Cheomseongdae Astronomical Tower is one of the oldest observatories in Asia. If the ratio of bricks to days was plaguing you, rest assured knowing that the 361 and a half stone slabs used to build this monument are equal to the number of days in a lunar year.
For a truly enchanting experience combining both cherry blossoms and history, a trip to Bulguksa Temple is a must. The temple is a sprawling complex of pagodas, pavillions, living quarters, and various structures for teaching and practicing Buddhism. The entire complex was torched by the Japanese during their ruthless invasion of Korea, and much of it has since been rebuilt.
Constructed in 751 AD and restored in 1973, Bulguksa Temple is a truly distinctive site. In Korea temples are as common as gothic churches in Europe, and as grand as they often are, they can start to feel as bland and predictable. This temple compound, with expansive views of pagodas and mountains, is far from stale. Structure after structure unfolded one after another, each impressive and distinctive.
The lookouts from various parts of the Bulguksa reveal serenely gorgeous landscapes of mountains and forest. For just under $4 one can scale the temple and gaze into the expansive nature surrounding it, pondering the lives of the kings and monks who practiced Shilla Buddhism from this same summit during ancient times.
Bulguksa Temple is steeped in history. There's much to see and learn here, although lacking a personal guide and Korean fluency, I'm sure most of it went over my head.
The local culinary specialty seemed to be Ssambap, a one course meal made up of 30 separate and unique side dishes, or banchan. The place we ate at was nothing to write home about, but there were many places to try the finger-food meal and if banchan is your thing, it’s worth giving it a go. Usually cold and uncooked, banchan often include different varieties of pickled vegetables, raw seafood, and other salty items. If side dishes, aren’t your thing—and you don’t mind paying the premium—there are barbecue beef places in the quaint food village outside the lake.
Pedal on, brave soldier!
If the scenery doesn’t entice you to stop and take it all in over refreshments, then the smells of meat cooking on an open fire might seal the deal. Barbeque is a hallmark of Korean cuisine and hardly hard to find. The samgyeopsal, a pork dish that is basically uncured bacon, was among the best we have had in Korea thus far. The place we ate at had an amazing side salad along with three other delectable varieties of banchan.
Bomunho Lake offers cyclists and walkers a perfect place to appreciate the spring colors lining the water. But cyclists beware, the closer you get to the resorts and theme park, the more densely packed the crowds. Young children on mini motorized four wheelers may appear cute, but should also be considered dangerous.
A trip anywhere outside of Seoul makes for a relaxing weekend, but Gyeongju was a unique blend of history, culture, and natual beauty rarely found so perfectly balanced and preserved.
A worn doorway in Bulguksa Temple.
Apr 08
Greg BooneKorea Stories, Shorts biking, Goyang, Ilsan, Korea, News
I recently began participating in a great online group called 30 Days of Biking. The goal, to ride your bike every day during the month of April. So far I’ve only missed one day, and it was because I was at a wedding in Incheon all day and had no time to get out on the bike. Sad, I know. I’ve been doing well so far though, and contacted the folks running the blog to see about being a guest writer and they were thrilled. This morning, Seoul time, my piece was published. I talk about my recurring dream of showing Lance Armstrong around Ilsan, and try to give readers some idea of what it’s like to be on the road out here.
In Korea, especially in the bigger cities, traffic can be a bit intimidating. Drivers on the mean streets of Ilsan are erratic at best and inattentive at their worst. Because biking is so popular here and traffic laws are a bit looser, drivers are used to sharing the road with smaller, slow-moving, non-motorized vehicles, which sometimes makes biking on the streets easy. The problems then, tend to be more with regard to people parking on corners, stopping in the middle of intersections, and being impatient at stoplights. It could be worse, but it’s the best option available.
You can read the whole thing on the 30 Days of Biking website. The group has gotten quite a bit of media attention, and they are welcoming riders from around the world. They are tracking miles on DailyMile, and keeping up a healthy conversation on Twitter. I’ll be writing more about biking in Ilsan for this blog soon.
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