15th May 2018
Suanbo Saipan Hot Spring Hotel
20c, raining
WON 1500 = £1
The overnight ferry from Shimonoseki to Busan was interesting to say the least. We had spent a couple of weeks in Japan where the people are incredibly polite and reserved. We didn't hear a raised voice (apart from some children) the whole time we were there. Lots of South Koreans were returning after a shopping trip (judging by the number of bags they all had) and seemed determined to enjoy the last night of their holiday. The noise levels increased in line with the number of bottles of Soju (local hooch) they drank and that was before we left the ferry terminal. On board we found our 2nd class 'cabin', to be shared with three others. We introduced ourselves, rolled out our mats and set off to explore the ferry.
After a couple of beers (from several vending machines on the ship) I decided to visit The Grand Bath while Dave decided to forgo the experience. I was rescued by a Korean woman who, noticing I was barefoot, furnished me with slippers and showed me where to put my clothes before going into the bathing area. The baths are for soaking NOT washing, so having showered first I got into the hotter of the two baths. There's no room for shyness in these places, everyone just gets naked and does their thing. While soaking I realised that I hadn't washed very well at all. What I should have done was brought a number of scrubs and a selection of beauty products with me, and washed myself until my skin almost fell off. Next time I'll know.
Later that night we found out just how unreserved the Koreans can be specially when they imbibe alcohol. We were woken by a commotion in the next 'cabin' where someone was clearly drunk and causing a nuisance. I'm glad he wasn't in ours.
In our experience the Korean people are curious, outgoing, generous and very sociable. Not many people speak English but that doesn't stop them chatting and trying to help us out. Everywhere we go people give us food, pay for our coffee, ask where we are from (at least we think that's what they are asking) and want to take a photograph to mark the occasion. They have definitely made us feel at home.
We are heading north towards Seoul on the 4Rivers Cycle Route, we have a passport and are collecting stamps at Certification Stations along the way. Most of the route is flat cycleway, along the river but every now and again the steep, sugar-loaf mountains, come right to the river and we have to go over them. Oh boy, some of them are STEEP, so much so there's no option but to push. Even going DOWN is pretty scary on a loaded bike. But all in all it is a lovely route and very easy.
We are meandering really, wild camping most of the time waking up early, starting late and finishing early afternoon. The longest day was 90kms but most days it's been 50 or so kms. We're enjoying the wildlife, Deer wandering into our camp most days, Otters gambling in the river, Snakes (yikes) sunbathing on the path, Voles and Mice scampering around in the undergrowth and sometimes the fish are a jumpin'. We have camped in the wooden pagodas along the way if it looked like rain and today it's rained all day so we decided to take a day off the bikes and stay put.
The cycle touring community is a tight knit one and with social media the world seems even smaller. This week we 'bumped' into Ross and Alessia (Rolling East) who are heading south, so our paths literally crossed. Only to discover that they had 'bumped' into Daniel and Antonia from Germany (we met them at Tree in Lodge in Singapore) in the Pamirs last year. It turns out that Ross's family live in Melbourne, which is where we will end up after the wedding in August. Apart from our friends being in Melbourne there's also Therese and Nick, cyclists we met in Greece last year, and, Diane (who wouldn't get on a bike if you paid her) who we met in Singapore.
We haven't been eating much Korean food as we are catering for ourselves much of the time. The Ramen noodles we had in Busan were lovely but at W18000 for a bowl of noodles and a beer (the beer was 9000) it was expensive. The best meal we've had so far was in Busan, near the station, a set meal for 5000. There were only 3 choices, there was a photo of each and a price beside the photo, easy. Not so easy in places where everything is in Korean and there are no photos. Yesterday we ended up eating a shed load of chicken because it was the only place in town with 'proper' tables and chairs, the kind you pull a chair up to and sit at. Everywhere else would involve two people with very creaky knees, trying to wriggle themselves under a table less than 12 inches off the floor and sit cross-legged. I would have felt the need to show them the scar on my knee to explain why I was wriggling around like a 3 year old having a sugar rush.
Confession time, I'm missing Europe and I'm missing friends. While we've been travelling life goes on for friends and family. One of my besties has been diagnosed with cancer, another has lost her mother, another has lost his brother and while most of the time I'm happy to be doing what we're doing, every now and again I want to be 'home' and be able to give someone a hug, or go out for dinner, or just 'be'. This isn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last, and I'm sure it will pass. We've got a wedding and a whole load of catching up to do in Australia, and we have to visit Luisa, Dave's cousin, in Japan. I'm so looking forward to all that.
Tomorrow we hit the path again and if the past is anything to go by you won't be hearing from me again until we go back to Japan!
Laters
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