From Seoul to Busan by Bike!

The Challenge

In October, I embarked on a new adventure/challenge/crazy-person-thing called the Seoul-to-Busan bike tour.

The goal was to ride a bike from Yeouido, Seoul, in the NW of South Korea, to the estuary where the Nakdonggang River meets the East Sea in Busan, in the SE of the country.

The trail was roughly 572 kilometers (355 miles) from start to finish. I combated a constant, unrelenting headwind on very hilly, sometimes mountainous, roads.

Please join me in a visual retelling of this insane but awesome adventure!

How It Works

Much of Korea is interconnected by designated bike paths. This cross-country trail occurs mostly on dedicated bike lines that weave through and around farms, mountains and hills, cities, towns, and everything in-between.

By my unprofessional estimate, 70% of the trail is a bike path dedicated specifically to bikes. The rest of the trail puts you on shared roads, boardwalks, or gravel.

Before you begin, you pick up a bike passport because along the cross-country course are several British-style red phone booths converted into stamp centers. Along the way, you collect stamps at each location so that you can submit it later for a nice, shiny medal!

What I Packed

What's in the Bag?!

Long-sleeved shirt

Thermal, light-weight jacket

Waterproof jacket

Tank top

Long pants

3socks

Toothbrush & toothpaste

Bike trail map

Glasses & contact lenses

Hairbrush

Deodorant

Massage ball

Chargers

2waterbottles

ID, credit card, transportation card

Ink pad

Snacks

Journal & pen

Aftershokz headset

Daily Life on a Bike

Here’s what my schedule looked like pretty much every day:

Between 5 and 6:30 AM – Wake-up time!

Pack, change, stretch, eat a bit, get on the bike

Between 6 and 7:30 AM – Go go go!

Eat some snacks every two hours or so

Between 4 and 5 PM (depending on energy level) – Check the next stamp location via GPS and determine a stopping point. Keep going or nah?

Between 5 and 6 PM – Check into a motel.Inadvertently but inevitably fall asleep for an hour or two. Shower. Wash clothes. Find dinner and tomorrow’s snacks. Go to sleep.

Wake up and repeat x 5 days!

Day 1: Seoul to Yeoju (105km)

Journal Excerpt:

I don’t know where to even start. It was a wondrous day and so challenging. I can ride 25-ish miles comfortable on flat land, but I hadn’t predicted how not-flat Korea is. And the inclines today aren’t the ones cyclists moan about it in the blogs, so I’m morbidly curious and rationally terrified of what lies ahead…

Highlights

● Started from Yeouido (Seoul) after my 5 AM wake-up and 6 AM subway ride. Got 4 hours of sleep, at most. How am I alive?

● Biking the Han River was fun. That’s always been on my bucket list. The stamps there (for the bike passport) were the worst. So watery!

● Going into Hannam City was one large, long incline, and just ow and wow. So many cyclists charge up like it’s just a small challenge, while I’m huffing and puffing and grinding gears on the lowest gear settings. I need to work my gear shift game.

● Hannam was where it started to feel a little less Seoul. It turned into country real quick.

● The signage is good everywhere (almost!!!)! Except for the places where the path points in a direction and just assumes you know where the bike path is. I had to ask for directions at a bike shop in one city between stamps because I thought, ”Surely, the course doesn’t go to that stream below the road,” but lo and behold…

● Yangpyeong was my favorite area (so far). The old railroad tunnels were converted into bike tunnels, and it’s just so cool!

● The way music speeds up when a biker is coming at you and then immediately warps and slows and distorts like some trippy, indie, psychological horror film when they pass you is just unsettling. The first time it happened, I definitely got that scary-movie dip-in-the-tummy feeling. And it was in a tunnel, so the way it echoed…Nope!

● Yangpyeong was my favorite area (so far). The old railroad tunnels were converted into bike tunnels, and it’s just so cool!

● It’s so cool how many pop-up shops there are! Conglomerations of restaurants, bike repair spots (and bike repair spots at restaurants), bike gear stores, cafes, and whatever else there was is so awesome! They’re all along the paths. It’s so convenient and genius.

● I saw a couple people riding with dogs. One guy put the dog in his bike’s front basket. Another guy was pulling the dog in a wagon attached to his bike rear. Love it!

● Went the wrong way for about 3 minutes. That’s how you know the signage is so good; when you get turned around, you immediately know it.

● The last 14 km were brutal. I wanted to make it to Yeoju. And I did! (Spoiler alert!) The last stretch was mostly flat, thankfully.

● During that final stretch of the day, a girl (in probably her 30s) passed me and yelled in the firmest and most inspiring voice, “화이팅!!!” (In Korean, this means “fighting” and is used as a supportive of encouraging word, like, “You can do it!” or ”Good luck!”) And her words infused into the fibers of my soul because I felt seen, and I wondered if she knew what was happening to me or if it was just a thing people yell at each other on the path, or maybe she knew how long that particular stretch was and realized how long I’d been on it, but I seriously felt that, like a command, like a mantra, and it pushed me to the end.

● That final certification center (that’s what the bike passport stamp locations are called) was so sweet and so painful. It was almost sunset, and I had to force myself to get to a motel.

● I found the Yeoju Motel on Naver (which is like Google Maps for Korea). It was close but still almost 2 km away. The ajumma (a middle-aged woman) there was so nice. I spoke a little Korean with her throughout the night. She showed me a room and kept trying to sell me on how pretty it was lol. To be fair, it was, but I would’ve been happy with a pillow in a closet, if that had been what she had available! She told me where the convenience stores were just as a few other bikers pulled up to the hotel. Then, she let us all store our bikes in a locked room downstairs. She told me to shower first and then go to the convenience store.

● That was the most refreshing shower I’ve ever had. My clothes enjoyed the wash in the shower, too!

● After the shower, I lied in bed and fell asleep for an hour, at least. When I woke up, I felt a little sicky, like maybe a fever or something. I knew I needed energy, calories, nutrition, something, anything. I snacked a bit before raiding a couple convenience stores and stocking up for the next couple days. I probably felt sick because I hadn’t eaten enough that day.

Day 2: Yeoju to Suanbo (96.7km)

Journal Excerpt:

Everything passed in a blur today. There were some long stretches of road and some not-fun uphill climbs, followed by very fun downhill speed-demon happiness.

Highlights

● Really pretty river views all day.

● The change in color and scenery from the big, blue Hangang river to the foresty-green Saejae River was striking.

● A cyclist behind me after the first stamp was blaring Korean ballads, which took away from the nature but felt like a personal soundtrack.

● In the morning, a big bug absolutely smashed into my face and kinda lodged between my mask – which I was wearing like a chin strap – and my helmet strap. We both freaked out. I wiped it away. No idea what it was. Maybe a fly? I was afraid I’d been stung/bit because it hurt so much, but I guess it just left an impact welt. No superpowers to report, yet…

● When the bug crash happened, I screamed and pulled over. These two Korean guys pulled over, too, asking, “Picture? Picture”? I told them what happened. One of them looked at my face, but I saw no change in his expression, so I figured I was fine. (I was!) Then, he asked if I’d take a picture for them. lol? I did. They were very grateful. I dug in my bag for ointment. They continued along. I saw them twice later: once when they were having a smoke break (yes, really), and again when they passed me. One guy asked if my face was OK. :)

● On a long stretch to Binaeseom, an ajusshi (my dad’s age, actually) rode up next to me, and we started talking. He rides a lot! He’s 62 and has two boys around my age. He told me he’s gone walking in several cities around Europe and Asia. So cool! He cycles all the time, so he’s able to ride all the way up the different climbs along the bike paths. Anyway, we rode to the Binaeseom certification center together and then parted ways.

● In Tangeumdae, I saw lots of foreigners! Two guys passed by me while riding. I thought they were Korean, so I greeted them in Korean. Then, we did a double-take and laughed as we greeted each other in English.

● I got my stamp and then rested and snacked. Two other foreigners came up, and I shared bananas with them while we got to talking. Tom is from Colorado. James is from the Netherlands. They invited me to lunch with them in the city/town at a brunch place. I had half a pancake (lol), scrambled eggs, and half a hash brown.

● Then, we parted ways. I had wished I’d followed them for a while because, although the GPS showed me a route to the next stop, Suanbo (my last planned stop of the day!), I wasn’t sure I was on the right path. I hadn’t seen any bike signs. And then, I found them, and just like that, my anxiety was cured.

● The variety of toilets along the bike paths makes you realize how much of a variety of toilets really exists in the world.

● Stayed at the Milano Motel, which also had a sign about bicycles out front. Paid ₩50,000 for the night (which was pretty standard for the motels along the way).

● The room was much bigger than yesterday’s! They also gave me a free toothbrush and a razor (which I got every night in every hotel thereafter).

● Weirdest thing I saw today: A fishing place (like…just a little bay area connected to the river) with car seats (yes) all around it, and people just sitting in the seats with their lines in the water.

● Passed lots and lots of farmland today. LOTS. Heard cows, goats, chickens. I’m sure I’ve passed dog farms yesterday and today. Tom asked if I’d noticed the dogs barking today at one particular stretch. I’d had my music on, so I must’ve missed it. I’m glad I didn’t hear.

● When I got in the motel, I took a nap. Then, I realized the bathroom had a bath!! (Uncommon in Korea!) I filled it with hot water and soaked.

● I am so sunburnt. Yikes! And whoops! I wore a sleeveless shirt today. I didn’t realize the sun would be out in full force. It’s been so cloudy and rainy.

● Walked to CU (a convenience store). Got an egg & jam sandwich (sounds weird. Tastes delicious) and Chapagetti (ramen noodles and black beans. If you’ve seen Parasite, you saw them eat it – kinda). My hands were shaking so much before eating, although I didn’t feel hungry until I took a bite.

Day 3: Suanbo to Nakdanbo (101km)

Journal Excerpt:

Today was the day I had been awaiting and dreading – the day I’d climb a 5km mountain by bike. All day, it was cold and rainy. I started off immediately with two mountain climbs.

Highlights

● The first mountain was difficult, and I had to walk it. However, at the time, I didn’t realize it was the first mountain. I thought it was just a hard hill, especially because yesterday, there were some hilly climbs – just shorter ones. So, when I reached the second mountain, Ihwaryeong (이화령), I thought it was the first mountain! What a nice problem.

● Along Ihwaryeong, the ground was marked with the distance remaining to the top, and I just kept telling myself to hang in there because the next climb would be harder. Of course, it turned out that that was the hard climb! The fog was rolling in the entire time I walked up, and the view from the top was beautiful. From the top, you could see the way the clouds rushed up the mountain, like they were chasing you. That was pretty cool.

● The Ihwaryeong certification center was located at a rest stop at the top of the mountain. I met a dad and his two sons. The dad gave me a protein bar. He called it a gift. It was a great gift! The moment was touching, and it also reminded me of a video game. We’re all just NPCs in the grand scheme of things, right?

● The way downhill was glorious. I love downhills!

● I hate inclines!

● Most of the way after those two mountains was flat. There were many long stretches of road. Lots of shared roads today, too.

● I hate writing this, but I did hear a dog farm today. Just several dogs barking -- scared barks. I heard one dog cry like I haven’t heard before. It was heartbreaking. It made the day feel wetter and colder. (I’d like to add for any of my readers who don’t know: Dog farming in Korea is indeed real, but it is also controversial. Many people keep dogs as pets and treat them just as preciously as children. Finding dog meat is uncommon. I understand this is a touchy subject for many and ask you to check your prejudice before you consider passing judgment. And this is coming from a vegetarian. If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them. I encourage you to do research, as well, as my intent here is not to perpetuate stereotypes but to simply speak truth.)

● I also saw puppies on the bike path today. They must’ve been strays/wild. One looked scared. I felt so bad for them, but I knew there was nothing I could do, short of finding an animal shelter, which may not even exist. Plus, I was on a bike, far away from any civilization, and there’s, of course, the language barrier. Those dog moments made me feel helpless.

● I know I said it was mostly flat, but there were some ridiculous inclines today. They were 20 to 80 meters of 8% to 18% inclines. Why?! I yelled at myself a lot on those as I walked it (of course), giving myself encouragement. “Come on! You can do this! Let’s gooooo!” I was my best coach, but I really hope no one heard me! Haha.

● But that moment when you conquer a tough feat, like pedaling or pushing a bike up a hill, really makes you go feral. HAAHHH!!

● I had thought about ending in Gumibo today, but when I reached Nakdan, I felt tired and cold. Maybe I could’ve pushed the next 17km if I knew it would be flat ground all the way, but that risk of there being more inclines kept me here. I found a drive-in motel (definitely a love motel; the room came with condoms and feminine cleanser lol). I ended the ride earlier than previous days, but it was a tough day, and although I lost an hour or so with that hike this morning, I still covered 100km!

● The squat toilet in the Ihwaryeong rest stop had maggots! Ew!!

● Took a shower AND a bath in today’s motel!

● Legs feel fine. Lots of new muscles. (Hello. Welcome to the team.) Didn’t know they could develop that fast. Butt soreness went away today. For the most part. Left hand feels weak. Fingers tingle. Hard to move them and coordinate them. I figure it’s because of the blood flow rushing to other body parts? But my right hand is fine. Seems concerning. I’ll keep an eye on it. (UPDATE FROM LATER: Cubital tunnel syndrome, AKA nerve compression in the elbow. I saw a doctor about it in Busan. Got physical therapy and electro-shock therapy. One month later, I’m taking anti-inflammatory medicine for it. It’s helping. It’s healing. I just won’t be able to ride or do anything to irritate my nerve for several months. The body is crazy.)

Day 4: Nakdanbo to somewhere in Hapcheon (139km!!!)

Journal Excerpt:

Today was rainy and cold until around lunchtime, and then it was just cold! I wore three upper layers. My poor legs suffered in my ¾ running pants. :(

Highlights

● Flat for 98% of the day, so I was able to push onward fairly easily.

● You learn to get excited about seeing cleaning equipment outside bathrooms lol

● Lots of farms along the way. Some plant farms have speakers hooked up with radio talk shows playing loudly over the greens. I don’t know why. Is it for the plants? Or for the farmers? Wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier to just walk around with headphones or a radio? Is it to help the plants grow? Why?!

● At Dalseong-bo, I was one stop away from my end-of-day destination, so I just chilled for a bit. A cyclist came to talk. I told him I would end in Hapcheon, and he warned me there were three mountains ahead. I was very surprised and concerned because I’d finished all my snacks today. He asked if I had lots of water. Yes. Did I have any chocolate? No L He came back a few minutes later, unexpectedly, with an energy bar! ”For power,” he said. Power chocolate. I called it “화이팅 chocolate!”

● The way to Hapcheon was mostly fine. There were a few ridiculous switch-backs, which I walked, but overall, all good!

● The Hapcheon certification center was in the middle of nowhere. I had to bike 7km to the nearest motel!

● The way to the motel ended with an upward climb, and something in me just broke. I was so hungry and tired and just wanted to rest, and even though I knew the motel was in reach. At that same time that this exhaustion hit me, a guy around my age, driving a car on the opposite side of the road, slowed “alongside” me. His bike was attached to the back of his car. He was telling me something, and even now, I still have no idea what. He kept making an “X” sign with his arms. I guess he was telling me that something wasn’t ahead? On a good day, I can navigate language barriers, but because I was too exhausted to think, I dismissed the man and continued pushing my bike up the hill. The motel was just a couple kilometers away.

● The man continued following me. He stopped his car at one point ahead as I biked down the hill, and he yelled something at me. He continued following me in his vehicle, all the way to my motel. He stopped ahead me at the entrance of the motel. An ajumma was standing outside. Turns out she ran the hotel. She was very kind when I told her I wanted to sleep and didn’t know the man. She had a conversation with him, in which she completely dismissed him while he tried to explain why he had followed me. The left with a sheepish look on his face. It was very strange that he pursued me for so long, when it must have been clear to him that I didn’t understand what he was saying. Meanwhile, the ajumma who helped me was very kind and spoke very gently to me. Thank goodness for her.

● The ajumma was very kind, but her motel is very dirty! The whole place feels like a grandma’s house, but perhaps a grandma who really hates cleaning. The bed is hard. Water is leaking onto the bedroom floor from some mysterious place. It has pooled around the electrical outlets. That seems unsafe. There are stains on the towels. The wallpaper is creased and cracked. The bathroom sink doesn’t drain properly. I’m 100% sure this motel is haunted, and I’m pretty sure the ghosts are looking for friends…or rather, roommates. Dun dun dunnn…

● I have the option tomorrow to push through to Busan or to stop somewhere before Busan and rest, leaving a final leisurely ride for Thursday. I’ll play it by ear and see how I feel tomorrow!

● I am SO hungry. I want pizza and veggie burgers so badly!!

Day 5: Hapcheon to Busan!!! (130km!!!)

Journal Excerpt:

I DID IT!!!!

Highlights

● Started the day with breakfast at a little gazebo outside eMart 24. Watched the sunrise.

● After a bit of a stretch along farms, I encountered a mountain. This must’ve been the mountain yesterday’s ajusshi was referring to. The first mountain was a heck of a climb. It actually felt worse to me than Ihwaryeong. Was it steeper? It wasn’t 5km up, but it did feel like forever. That’s when my mind started to break a bit.

● The view at the top was amazing, though. There was an almost-passport stamp location up there! A red phone booth. I wonder if it was ever used and/or why it was discontinued.

● Snapped some photos of the beautiful view. Three guys came up. One of them spoke English perfectly! He’s a P.E. teacher in Seoul. He said he hadn’t ridden in two years. We talked for a bit and took a picture all together with the great view. Then, I flew downhill. Whee!

● The guys caught up to me in the valley and said I was fast! I don’t know about that! We rode together for a while. Came to the second mountain. Climbed a little bit together. While they rested, I went ahead. It felt like hiking with a bike.

● There was only one more small mountain after that. I had a feeling it was coming, since the ajusshi yesterday had undoubtedly been talking about the way between Hapcheon to Changnyeong.

● At the first stamp location of today, there was a hal-abeoji (a grandpa-aged man) who was booking it. We ended up crossing paths several times today. We got excited to see each other, too! He would always pass me and show me the way to go next.

● The rest of the path was pretty flat after the 2.5 mountains. But the headwind was a real killer. How can there be any wind left in the world? It felt like it was trying to blow me back to Seoul. It was relentless and strong, like riding into a typhoon. Normally, I would call this a nice day, but not on a bike!!

● I hit a major wall about halfway through. I knew I had to keep going, but I was so tired. I was burning calories faster than I could eat my snacks. I was so exhausted by the wind, too. And I felt indecisive about the stopping point today. Plus, my GPS was acting very strangely, showing me the wrong paths? Or maybe I just read it wrong? (UPDATE FROM LATER: Some of the paths had been changed, due to construction, so the GPS didn’t always match the signage.) Either way, that did not help. I got turned around and straight-up lost (which is dumb because there’s signage, but there were also so many bike trails around the city.) The signage and Naver Maps was all fine until today! But navigating these problems further broke my spirit.

● I finally reached the final push to Busan. It was weird being around so many people again.

● In the cities, people don’t greet you as much. I yelled “hello” and “fighting!” to folks, but in return, I got strange looks. Haha.

● About 10km out from the last stamp, I saw the halabeoji. He saw me and waved like crazy. He smiled a huge smile, flashing his gold tooth at me. I was so proud of him, and vice versa, I think!

● The last stamp. Reaching it was such a glorious moment.

● Ten minutes later, my English-speaking friend, Han, and his two friends biked in!!! It was so good to see them! We did a photo shoot together. Han and I made plans to do some sightseeing tomorrow. It’s his first time to Busan, but he only has one day to explore! We’re going to the seaside temple, Haedong Yonggungsa. I think that’s the perfect site to visit!

● I biked to the sister bike shop in Busan and returned everything. They charged ₩50,000 to ship my bike and all its equipment back to the rental shop in Seoul, which freed me up from lugging the bike around Busan, let alone onto the train back to Seoul.

● Before getting on the subway, I found a Lotteria. (It’s a popular burger place.) I ordered three Sweet Earth burgers (the BEST veggie burger in Korea), but they only had two left, so you can say I ate literally all the veggie burgers they had. And it was amazing!!

● Hopped on the subway to Jungang, which is nice and central in Busan. Found a hotel. It’s actually (somehow) worse than last night’s motel. The room is a bit dirty, but this room smells awful. But hey, it’s a place to rest. (UPDATE FROM LATER: I changed rooms the second night and booked an Airbnb with reviews that specifically called out the spotless cleanliness for the rest of my stay in Busan. MUCH better!)

Final Thoughts

I’m writing this a month later, and I’m still on an emotional high from the experience.

It’s hard to believe I did it, and there’s such a sense of accomplishment to be able to mark this incredible feat off my bucket list, when I had previously thought of giving it up because I wasn’t sure if it would be feasible.

Someone recently asked me what the most surprising part of the trip was. It was absolutely the amazing ability of my body to not only do the darn thing, but to thrive in it. Before the trip, I was most concerned about butt soreness, but that truly fades away when your body realizes, “OK, I guess this is just my life now.”

During the week after reaching the finish line, I had to condition myself to sleep past sunrise and eat only three times a day. Those five days of hard exercise and routine became my new normal surprisingly quickly.

My bike trip morning mantra had been, “Get up and get on the bike.”

My post-trip mantra is…

If I could do that, I can do anything! (And so can you!)