2 weeks of half term. Most of the staff seem to have flown off to the Philippines for sun, sand and hot weather. For various reasons, mostly financial, but also with a touch of can't-be-arsedness, I opted for a cycle tour of the mainland. It was a good challenge. The last time I spent 3 days on a bicycle, cycling around Jeju, I got back home knackered and with a gammy knee. And now here I was 6 months later, proposing to do something three times as long in terms of both time and distance.
At least it was going to be on a new bicycle built for such follies... and the source of one of the financial reasons I spoke about before! |
The plan of the day was to blitz along the shortest road to Jeju and to sleep in a jimjilbang overnight. Jimjilbangs are great: They cost around 8 dollars and for that you spend as much time as you wish in saunas and spas... and then you can literally crash out on the (heated) floor overnight.
Those that know Jeju, hozever, know that there is a deceptively long hill up the flank of a volcano; I soon regretted my decision as its a 380m climb over 15km. This, it turns out, was to be the longest climb of the whole trip. Not bad to start out on; The downhill bits were marred with intersections, but it never was going to be the ride of the century; I got to the closed spa, swore, and cycled on to Tapdong, spitting distance away from the ferry the next morning. The highlight was a nice little temple just up from the closed spa - in Oedoil. Some of the artwork on the walls is amongst the best I have seen and the setting sun cast shadows on the clean, polished floor. Thats probably why the temple was even fitted with glass doors, something I haven't seen done before.
45 km cycled, mostly boring dual carriageway. And hill. Lots of hill. |
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