Ibike Korea People-to-People Program
   
 

   

Photo essay: Seoul to Geumsa
   

Seoul to Geumsa (50mi, 80km)  Start with a flat trail along the Han River, there are hills later.
Points of Interest: Olympic Sports Complex, Han River Valley, Paldang Dam
  Bicycling in Gangnam, Seoul Bicycling in downtown SeoulCycling out of the concrete jungle.  Seoul generally has heavy traffic so it is unpleasant to cycle on the major arterials, but if you know your way on the back streets and some of the lesser arterials, a bicycle can be a practical mode of transportation.
  Bicycling on the Han Rive bike trail Hangang bike trail, Seoul, KoreaOne of the nicest features of Korea's bicycle infrastructure are paths along rivers.  In Seoul, along the Han River, and several of its tributaries have wide, flat, car-free bicycle and pedestrian facilities.  You certainly don't realize that you are in a greater metropolitan area of more than twenty million people.  Around the country, there are hundreds of miles of non-motorized facilities along rivers.  For more discussion of non-motorized facilities in Seoul and Korea see Korean: Non-motorized transportations.
  Han River and Seoul in the mist Pallang Dam, Hangang, Seoul, KoreaLeaving the city in the distance mist, with Han River and Olympic Bridge.  Though is was overcast and grey in the morning, the clouds burned off and gave way to a sunny afternoon.

Through Seoul, from Inchon on the west to Pallang Dam (right) on the east, there is 70 km bike and pedestrian trail along the Han River.
  Korean sign show hiking trails in the vicinity. Signs like this start to be regular roadside features soon after you leave urban Seoul.  The show hiking trails in the area.  Around Seoul, many of them are accessible by bus.  In more remote areas many are still accessible by bus because of the countries extensive bus system, but often there is a parking area near-by -- almost always with a few vehicles parked at it.
  Beyond Seoul's urban footprint most of the flat land is rural agricultural and any land with much of a slope is forested.  Every now and again we came to a cluster of business, often near aLandscaped road junction, Korea junction or a small town.  The roads are in excellent conditions and generally have paved shoulders.

Out in the country side it was not unusual to find elaborate landscaping at a junction pointing to a small hamlet or neighborhood.  The one to the right is for Geumsa-ri.
  "So-tae," wooden birds on poles.  Traditionally these marked the boundaries of a village and were for good luck.  Contemporarily the are used more as decorative art. I saw these in a couple locations.
  One thing that breaks the forest on the hills is family burial sites.  They are distinguished by their terraces, mounded earth (the grave) and flat, thick stone tables for offerings.  It is a tradition to maintain the grave site at Chusok (several weeks earlier) so most of the mini-cemeteries were well manicured as we passed.
  Our lunch stop was a family-run mandu (dumpling) restaurant.  The mandu was being hand-made on the premises by 'grandpa'.
  Onggi: Traditional thick stoneware pots used for storing grains, kimchi, soy sauce and bean paste. There are glazed and unglazed versions. The glaze is made from ash. It is very common to see these outside of houses, sometimes half buried for additional temperature control.
  decorated train engine sculpture decorated train sculptureThis route has a plethora of gallery and small museums along it.  Many have elegant ceramics, fine painting and / or crafts executed by masters, but this establishment was packed with bright, playful, quirky sculptures and decorations, including buildings dressed to look like a train engine and an old railroad car decorated with flowers. 

Other objects looked like they were inspired by science-fiction aliens or the desire to communicate with extraterrestrial beings.
  Yeogwan architecture The architecture of rural motels, that cater almost exclusively to Koreans, has a trend that is interesting.  It might be described as a cross between the most un-Korean French Provincial and Queen Anne styles.  Each building is unique so it is hard to generalize but it is common to find a mixture of arches and square doors, steep, high, hipped roofs, balconies, towers, and vertical windows, coquettish detailing and eclectic materials. The desired result seems to be to create an adventurous and romantic atmosphere. So how and when was this symbolism implanted into Korean cultural associations?
    First Asian Organic Rice ConferenceThe is a banner for the "First Asian Organic Rice Conference", Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2011.  It is connected with the 17th International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) Conference that was being held in Namyangju, across the river.  Anecdotally it would seem that Koreans prioritize blemish-free produce over organic, but this might be changing..
  Ipobo (wier), Namhangang (river), Korea

Of Ipobo, the National Tourism website says, "Seeking to reflect the harmony of man and nature through water, the weir was built in the shape of an egret rising up into the sky."

Ipo-bo (weir) was new in 2011, a part of the Four Rivers Project. The project includes the Han River (Korea), Nakdong River, Geum River and Yeongsan River. The primary goal of the "restoration" project is to provide or improve water security, flood control and the ecosystem's vitality. The primary activities was building dams and levies. (If restoration conjures up images of a natural, free-flowing river this was the antithesis, but we digress.)

The Four Rivers Project was first announced as part of the “Green New Deal” policy launched in January 2009. Most of the work is suppose to be completed by 2012. Of the landscape-heavy projects; dam construction, river bottom shoveling and dredging, channelization of the river banks, it is debatable whether the initiative is more destructive or constructive for the environment, but the upland non-motorized trail facility opens up some beautiful opportunities for walkers, bladers and bicyclists.
   
 

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