Welcome back to the motorcycle diaries. For those of you who have just joined us, these are a set of posts that aim to show you our view of Korea on two wheels. If you missed the first half, you can catch up here.
Day 1 was a tiring one, and as a result we went to sleep early in our crab themed hotel (complete with a psychedelic pirate ship view).
We rose early, and head to the port’s pier to catch the sunrise that no adventure should be without. I time-lapsed the whole thing (video to come in future weeks) and we enjoyed a coffee whilst watching the boats come in. The pacific winds soon chilled us to our bones, so we decided to head in and check out the day’s catch.
- The town was bustling – fishing towns rise early,
and there was plenty of mackerel for sale (and squid!)
We hung out back at our crabby hotel, and a couple of hours later pointed the compass north to begin weaving our way up the coast. The views were magical, and the sleepy fishing villages we passed through gave the day that essence of adventure that we’d been searching for since our arrival in Korea. On our way we came across
We also found a bunch of crab themed memorabilia, like this crab themed statue,
a crabbed up lighthouse,
and of course, more squid.
The coastal road wound up in a small town called Chungsan, and our legs needed a stretch. We parked up next to the wave breakers, and walked up to the lighthouse at the top of the hill. The coffee shop at the top was a lovely surprise. Their snacks were delicious, and we finally tried some of the dried squid we’d seen hanging up everywhere. Served up with hot sauce and mayonnaise, whilst looking out to sea, our snack was pretty awesome!
Check out its cute little face…
Then it was time for our first (minor) drama, as we begun to scour the area for an open gas station. A little word to those of you out there who find yourself somewhere remote on a Sunday with no gas… Good luck (and keep on the larger roads, as the petrol stations there are 24 hours).
Anyhow, by the time we found some juice it was time to get back, so we backtracked past Gangu-myeon and hit the 914, which then joins the 69 and becomes the 68. It’s a beautiful mountain road that goes through many a pass and meanders all the way through the valleys into central Gyeongbuk province (and eventually hits the 55 expressway for Daegu or Seoul).
This last stretch was probably my favourite actually, and takes you right up into the mountains as you move West. For any riders out there, I couldn’t recommend the mountain roads more highly.
I challenge you to find the waterfall (Follow signs for the 2013 Ice climbing world cup)
So the excursion came to an end as we watched the sun set from my balcony. Jade and I felt truly overwhelmed by what we’d seen, and were in awe of this country’s beautiful scenery. Unfortunately it looks like the riding season may soon be coming to an end, as my cold rides to school in the mornings constantly remind me. But we’ll certainly be back in the spring time for more exploring, and are very excited to keep seeing what Korea has on offer.
Tune in later this week for an update on our second trip to Busan, as we take you through its temples, beaches and bars.
Much Love
Journey Count 
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