Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bushell1212]

Hi all,

This October myself and a friend will be undertaking a trip to cycle around the Korean peninsula, starting and finishing from Seoul City Hall. The rough route planned so far comes in at a little over 3000km.

We will begin by heading north up past Paju and then east along the DMZ as best as possible, then down the east coast to Busan. Taking a days rest in Busan to see some sights, then heading west via Geoje-do (Koje island) and in to Mokpo. From there we will then head back up the west coast until once again reaching Seoul City Hall.

The trip is scheduled to last 22 days, with 2 rest days included because my legs will be about ready to fall off.

The reason for the post is three-fold.....

1st, I'm interested in showing my friend as many places as possible during our ride as he will be coming over from the UK purely for the occasion. If you live in any of the outlying areas of the country and have suggestions for places we should visit, I would love to hear about them.

2nd, We are hoping to raise a lot of money for two orphanages here in Korea (one in Seoul and one in Busan). As way of increasing our exposure I am looking at getting media involved but don't have any contacts for media outlets. If any of you have any ideas of where to start I would greatly appreciate it.

Finally, we will be looking for people to join us on our rides for a short time, wherever you may be. I will be starting a blog and will post information on here. If you find we are in your area and you fancy an afternoon riding, then feel free to come along. More details to follow.

Many thanks

Martin

[cassimira]

Tean national park, along the west coast, is a really nice area, but can be a bit deserted in October. We went to mallipo beach around that time last year, and I highly recommend it... The beach is beautiful, and sparsely populated, and there are many interesting places to explore., including an abandoned an stripped down military outpost on a nearby peninsula with an almost 360 degree view of the ocean.

[n�fara]

Would you be visiting Jeju?

[minos]

Beware eastern gangwon-do

The mountains can be chilly in falll(higher elevation) and the roads are VERY tiny, thin, with lots of blind sports and pin cushion turns. Towns and rest points are very sporadic in some places.

Cars regular cross the line accidently....also, the roads usually go on and over mountains, not through them...increasing travel time dramatically.....cliffs are VERY common.

I'm done the penisula twice(coast line and busan-to Seoul) by motorcycle....

Gangwon-do is easily the most dangerous....I've had two accidents in the span of 3 months out there.

[bushell1212]

Cassimira - Cheers for the idea on mallipo, will certainly give that a once over.

Nifara - Really wanted to include Jeju in the plan, but time constraints meant it was impossible. I am already taking extra time off from school in order to complete the trip, pushing it to include Jeju was a step too far.

Minos - I hear you with regards to Gangwando and the roads out there, it is something I am already slightly worried about and we are still 8 months away. I plan on getting some rides in out there before we commence so that I can get the lay of the land first and earmark danger points. We did some rides from Pohang to Busan last year and the were some tough climbs there, not looking forward to them again.

Cheers for the replies so far, any one else with information please don't hesitate to get involved.

Many thanks

[exit86]

Cool idea, but I'm wondering if the ride plan is a bit too ambitious.
22 days really is a short time to cover so many kms. The mountain factor would be a BIG concern if I were going. The SW flats should be sweet, as well as the west coast sea-side ride; but I would still add more recovery days, b/c you will be exhausted physically, plus riding all day for days gets a bit monotonous after a while--might be good to chill on the beach or in the mountains or in a hotel for whole days several times.
(For me, my arse and back have had it after three days solid and I gotta
do something else lest my whole trip be more of a total drag.)

Keep us updated!

[bushell1212]

Exit86 - Yeah, I am aware of the fact that the planned journey is going to be more of a killer than a pleasure, but due to the amount of time I can take off from school and the time available to my friend coming from the UK, we are penned in to the 22 day time frame.

The hills will be a nightmare for sure, but hoping that with enough training between now and October I will be in enough shape and be accustomed to the time in the saddle to cope. Fingers crossed.

[Shauneyz]

Last summer me and a couple of friends did the length of the eastern coast (Busan --> Sokcho)...I found riding great through the mountainous part of the country. Have fun, I wish I could do it myself!

[minos]

For the record:

Motorycle trip(no interstate or inter country roads):

Busan to Seoul: 2-3 days.

Coastline(most of it): about 1 week...probaly 3-4 weeks by bike.