The Motorcycle Diaries – First trip, day 1/2

Inspired by Che we’ve decided to begin a new series of posts termed the motorcycle diaries. As Jade has told you all, I recently bought a bike, and it’s the best decision I’ve made since arriving in Korea. We want these to show you just how much you can do in a weekend in this country if you are able to move around a bit more freely. The amount of things waiting to be explored right on our doorstep is one of our favourite things about living in Korea actually, and it’s precisely the reason that since being here we’ve spent a grand total of two weekends in our home town.

The weekend before last, as many of you might have guessed from last week’s journey update, was simply spectacular. Day one of our adventure took us through Juwangsan national park (one of Korea’s twenty something parks) and North along the Eastern Coast.

We set off mid morning on Saturday along  beautiful mountain roads, and a couple of rather cold hours  later, found ourselves among hordes of other people.  Despite feeling a little like an amusement park at times, Juwangsan was simply stunning. We were there right on the brink of autumn, and the colours were sensational.

There were hues of red,

yellow and green,

temples to be explored,

and dried up river beds to wander along.

We were in awe, as neither of us had experienced that kind of contrast before. We trekked through gorges and back, and even came across a dark and mysterious cave.

Although aside from that there were more leaves,

another beautiful temple

and postcard-perfect scenery (minus the crowds).

It was so beautiful that we even bought a house!

So with the hustle and bustle, and the sun getting lower in the sky, it was time to keep moving east to the coast. We hit the road and climbed uphill to the mountain pass, before weaving down the other side – it massively felt like we were living the real life motorcycle diaries, and life was fantastic!

My Daelim 125VF, our trusty steed

which took us through these kind of roads. It’s worth noting that mountains make up 78% of the country

Before long  were in Yeongdeok, alike to many a seaside resort in England, which welcomed us with a giant neon crab. Bet you can’t guess what we had for dinner?

The town was a world away from the national park, although in typical Korean style was only a handful of kilometres in terms of distance. Its main industry was crab and squid fishing, and telling signs were everywhere.

The pier around the dock was lined with the stuff,

and the washing lines of death, if I’m honest, were a little eerie.

Jade and I sat on the wave break and enjoyed a cold super-d beer (the only beer we’ve found that’s a little drier than usual), and watched the fishing boats go out as day 1 of our adventure came to our close. The photos below show a lit up horizon, and one might think this was a result of the setting sun.  In reality this glow was purely the result of the endless fishing trawlers out at sea. It had been an incredible introduction to what life on the road could be like here, and had us longing for more.

The only thing left to report was our crab dinner, which due to a lost in translation kind of moment, ended up actually being lobster – oh Korea. Regardless, it was a deliciously expensive mistake and a fantastic end to the day.

Our delicious and confused crab(ster).

Tune in next time for more tales of motorcycle diaries on the East coast, as I recount the second half of our road trip that led to empty gas stations and ever magnificent viewpoints over the sea, valleys and unexpected waterfalls.

Thank you all so much for reading and, as always, any feedback or sharing would be greatly appreciated.

Much love