Riders: Gareth Morgan, Jo Morgan, Dave Wallance, Brendan Keogh,
Motorcycles: Hyosungs
Distance: 3,500km
Countries: South Korea
Trip description: Starting off in the hurly burly of Downtown Seoul and out to Kapyong where New Zealand’s K-Force was stationed during the Korean War. Then along the DMZ and out east before riding southwards along the coast of the Sea of Japan and inland to Taedansan National Park and on to Namhae island at the bottom of the peninsula, back up to Soraksan National Park and into Seoul to drop the bikes off. This will be a visual, sensory and culinary delight.
Gonjiu and Buyo, two cities in the west of South Korea are capitals of the Baekje Dynasty, one of the dynasties along with Shilla and Goguryeo during the Three Kingdoms Period. Visiting tombs and fortresses of this period – from 50BC to 700 AD – one gets an appreciation of how revered this period is […]
Weather here has been great. No rain yet, but air pollution is pretty awful near major towns. Major public holiday here. The Koreans will all be in the hills bowing at burial mounds on the hill-sides tomorrow morning, should be spectacular as they all dress in traditional gear. My knees feel stuffed after the hill climbs. Some […]
I know we have told you this. In a moment of weakness I said I’d show him the way to Seoul from Taejon (Daejon), its only about 160 km. Brendan said I couldn’t get back on my own so the three of us went. Took us 5 hours one way, and we didn’t get lost […]
We’ve managed to get to one of the more iconic and spectacular National Parks today – Taedasan, just outside of Daejon, the sixth largest city in the ROK. For climbing in this park you take a gondola to the foot of the mountainm. And then things get spectacular – up rock steps and steel ladders […]
We’re down on Namhae Island, at the very bottom of South Korea. Its claim to fame is that this is where Admiral Yi, the country’s greatest ever mariner, scored his unexpected victory over the Japanese invaders in 1598 and brought to end their occupation of the peninsula. Against all odds his fleet of 12 ships […]
We left Gyeongju (previously spelt Kyongju) early and followed back roads across rice paddies and through spectacular valleys. at the junction of some small roads we found a farmers market and a breakfast restaurant where Dave managed through sign language to get fried eggs. They were served with kimchi, tofu soup,whole pickled garlic, squid in […]
We’re in Gyeongju doing a day on pushbikes checking out the relics from the 1st Century’s Shilla Kingdom. From the massive burial mounds that are the tombs of their gentry, to the bits and bobs in the Museum to the ancient observatory, this town is an important location in Korean history. Indeed as we cycle […]
We rode a tiny train through the 1.5 meter high tunnel that the North Koreans dug under the DMZ for the invasion of the south in 1990, after they had started peace talks. Being way under a mountain range, under the DMZ, in the 4th Tunnel was really a thrill as was the foot-peg scraping […]
We swoop and lean around the mountain roads. Tight corners make me crave the Ducati from home and then we come across a battalion of tanks and soldiers across the road and I’m glad to be doing 80 rather than 150 km/hour, so I can stop in time. Brendan has found lines on the map […]
We’re headed to Kapyong where NZ’s K-Force fought its big battle of the Korean War. First night is spent in the town and we find a yogwan (motel) for $25 per room – our kind of prices. Having had 3 meals of Kimchi and assorted pickles the boys have tongues a little scorched so we […]
