Kim's
Guesthouse [website] Seoul, Korea, 14-07-08
This has to take the gradient cake
Sinlim to Seoul (7 cycle days; 1 rest day; 574km; 6373m)
Sinlim to near Seoseok (94 km; 981 m)
near Seoseok to Seorakdong (65 km; 1257 m)
Seorakdong to
near Yomi (95 km; 1362 m)
near Yomi to near Woncheon (62 km; 850 m)
near Woncheon to Dongmak (84 km; 1161 m)
Dongmak to Munsan (117 km; 505 m)
Munsan to Seoul (58 km; 257 m)
It's raining as the alarm goes off and like a couple
of lazy bums, we just turn over in our sleeping bags.
By 8.30am it has nearly stopped, though mist covers
everything in sight. Not too promising, but we take
off anyway. It's hot and sticky and we are immediately
going up to the top of a small pass. A coffee vending
machine is conveniently waiting for us to put our money
in the slot at the top and we recuperate over a delicious
cup of strong milk coffee. A curious shop owner comes
out to chat. He speaks pretty good English and after
finding out about what the dickens we are doing on bikes
in Korea, he bids us farewell with "Take Care"...
Tip of the month: A FlatOut Tupperware Treat
The Tupperware FlatOut™ 3-Cup Container
has come in so handy during our travels,
that we thought we had better share the
secret with everyone. They are expandable
airtight containers that flatten to a disc
for easy lightweight transport when not
in use. There are different sizes but we
found the 3-cup (700ml) variety to be the
best for us. Being expandable, also means
it has three different sizes for storing
the left over rice dinner or salad that
can be enjoyed the next day while on the
road.
Just take a look at the storage section
on the Tupperware site for more details.
Shouldn't be too difficult finding a Tupperware
supplier near you.
Sinlim (South Korea) - Hope (BC, Canada)
Kilometres: 1288 kilometers and 90 meters
Riding days: 15 in total
Alti meters: 11424 meters up!
Weather: hot in Korea, chilly in Canada
Best accommodation: We are in split minds on
this one:
Sombrio Beach; Our Victorian Basement Abode
and The Vancouver Suite.
Special thanks to:
The Korean Police force who allowed Ali to use
their telephone and internet. Also
for pointing us in the right direction of a camp
spot on more than one
occasion • Never thought we'd be saying this: but Sony
for their great customer service in Seoul
and Busan • Mary at Air Canada for allowing our bikes on
free of handling charges • Jeremy at HK's Bicycleitis in Victoria for finally
doing a decent spoke
job on Ali's back
wheel • In no particular order: Marty, Anthony, James
and Jonathan for the
Victorian basement
abode, warm showers, use of their washing machine, kitchen
and above all showing us what it's like to really party! • James for just being a truly genuine guy! • Wayne for the escort along Marine Drive and
into the heart of Vancouver • Nathan and Tina from Cascade designs for organising
a swap-over Therm-a-Rest mattress without any hassles at all • Shannon for being a truly genuine gal, taking
us out and around Vancouver and letting
us bed up in her apartment. A big and special
thanks to Jill too for giving up her bedroom space
for us to sleep in • Lincoln at bicycles for repacking the bearings in my front wheel
for nicks and the
great discount on the parts we purchased.
Breakdowns:
01: tent pole snapped
02: broken spoke (Ali)
03: 2 broken spokes (Ali)
08: broken spoke (Ali)
23: rear wheel respoked (Ali)
27: new tyre (Ali)
