Day 4, Leg 4

35K from Baro Hotel in Hanam to "Paresse" Motel in Yangpyeong

The Korean name for this motel (W50,000 a night) is 파레스, or "pa-reh-seu." How that's really supposed to be romanized, I don't know. Maybe the person who named the motel was going for "palace," but in hangeul, that would more likely be 팔레스 or 팰러스, with two Korean "L"s. Paresse, by the way, is French for "laziness" (paresseux/-euse = lazy).

It occurred to me that I might get a truer reflection of my caloric burn if I used my encumbered weight.

I think the initial injuries to my feet have pre-inured them to the hardships that have come after. Today's walk was overall quite good, albeit slow, and I have no new blisters or irritations. I'm ashamed to say it took me 12 hours to go 35K (that's including several rest breaks plus a long break to charge the phone). Compare that to my recent feat as chronicled over at my main blog: Yangpyeong to Yeoju (33K) in only 8.5 hours. The biggest difference is undoubtedly the presence of an 11 or 12-kilo backpack.

Before I continue, though, I need to talk about a thought that occurred to me yesterday. I failed to blog this in the previous entry, and it bugged me all day today. When I arrived in Hanam proper, I randomly ran across three twenty-something women, all walking their yippy little toy dogs. This made me wonder whether women owning toy dogs was some sort of fashion statement. At the very least, it felt almost as if I'd run into some kind of new cultural trope. Toy dog breeds are popular in Korea because so many people live in apartments. A golden retriever might go crazy cramped up in one of those (I did, however, see a golden today). Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that, if you're a twenty-something chick who's already trying to look cute by wearing baseball caps and other twee shit for no good reason, then owning a tiny dog would only up your cuteness quotient.

I've also come to the conclusion that my wide-brimmed hat might have to go. It bumps my backpack too much, and I ended up thinking I'd rather have the lesser protection of my other hat than have to deal with the nonsense that comes with all the bumping and scraping I've had to put up with. Tomorrow, I'm going to go shopping for a few things since I'm in Yangpyeong for another whole day, and one of those things will be a new hat with a narrower brim. I'll keep the current hat for when it rains. Other things to buy include a new charger cord, some light-duty gloves, and something to protect my face from the morning cold.

Yes, it was cold this morning when I started out at 5:40 a.m. AccuWeather said 43°F (6.1°C), and my face and fingertips said it was cold. Not cold enough to make me shiver, but cold enough to make my extremities uncomfortable. The sun took a while to break through the morning cloudiness, and the heat, when it arrived, was a bit of a relief. I generally prefer cooler/colder weather, but I also like to be prepared for it, hence tomorrow's shopping trip to acquire a bit of protection from the elements. It's only going to get colder from here.

The walk from Hanam to Yangpyeong doesn't take one through hardcore farmland: that's coming up after Yeoju. But I still got a glimpse, as I passed some small patches of arable land, of how far along the harvest is. Conclusion: not as far along as I'd originally thought it would be. Some of the mini-paddies I saw today were half-harvested; others were completely untouched because the rice was still just a tad too green. So I expect to see something of a mixed bag as I leave cities like Seoul, Hanam, and Yangpyeong behind and find myself in the Korean hinterlands.

More people nodding and bowing (always hard to do while biking) as I greeted them today. As I said, once you're out of the big city, people are friendlier.

I also had two interesting encounters. The first happened when I was just entering one of the day's many tunnels (the route to Yangpyeong takes you through around ten eight tunnels). I heard a woman yelp behind me, then crash. I turned around and saw that a lady had taken a spill from her bike. It didn't appear to be anything serious; the lady was laughing in embarrassment as I ran back to her. Her male companion (husband? boyfriend? secret paramour?) also ran back, even telling me as he ran that he'd take care of things. I helped the lady get her bike off the ground; her man looked her over. I walked away, and after a bit, the couple got on their bikes and rode for a bit... until the lady almost ran into me while yelling a warning. I turned and saw her coming; she managed to steer away from me, but it was close. She stopped and caught her breath. I took the chance to ask all the questions I should've asked earlier: Any injuries? Any bleeding or wounds? Did you have balance problems before entering the tunnel? The guy answered for the lady, but his answers didn't quite make sense. At first, he said she'd had no balance problems before this tunnel. But then, he said, "She hasn't been on a bike in ten years, so she's not used to riding." To my mind, that means she would have been listing crazily before this tunnel, but according to the guy, she'd had no problems until that moment. Something didn't add up, but I didn't say anything. The lady tried biking again and gently crashed into a tunnel wall, still laughing in embarrassment. But the third crash was a charm: the lady determinedly started biking again, and this time, she kept on an even keel.

My other encounter happened much later on. I was taking a rest while my phone recharged. I had adopted my usual blissful position on a flat bench: legs draped over my backpack, fingers laced across my chest, my hat over my face, and an empty drinking bottle underneath my skull to act as a pillow—my preferred position when napping on the trail. Around twenty minutes into my siesta, I heard a voice say, in hesitant English, "You can sleep on a bench." The tone was flat; the English was slightly broken. I couldn't tell, at first, whether the person was asking a question or declaring that I shouldn't be sleeping on a bench ("can" and "can't" can be hard for Koreans to pronounce clearly). I roused myself from my slumber prepared to argue. As it turned out, the question had been posed by a friendly old man who'd sat on the bench next to mine. I guess he was incredulous that someone could nap so easily on a bench. He spoke functional but broken English; I replied to his queries in Korean, and we ended up speaking to each other in a mixture of English and Korean—a thing that often happens, in my experience, when two people who speak each other's languages have a chance to meet and talk, with neither knowing which language to settle on. We talked about how I got started with this sort of distance walking; I talked about doing the Four Rivers trail, and how this was my fourth time on it. It occurred to me that I may have been talking too much. Later on, as I reflected on the conversation, I realized the poor guy hadn't had the chance to say much about himself. Still, we parted on friendly enough terms, and I think he later passed me while riding in a truck. From the passenger's seat, he waved out the window and called out "Kevin!" as he rolled by.

So it was a good, slow day that started cold and ended in warmth and sun. I risked sunburn by leaving my hat off for the final third of the walk. I'm probably going to pay for this bravado with nasty, peeling skin in a few days. I'll do a bit of shopping tomorrow but will otherwise rest and recuperate. I've elected to brave the rain on Thursday because it's happening around 3 in the afternoon (according to AccuWeather). The motel I'm in is close to Yangpyeong Station; for whatever bizarre reason, all the riverside motels were booked up (and the first Yangpyeong motel I ever stayed at has apparently just gone out of business), so I had to move inland a bit. My hotel room's electric socket was hard to find, and it's not letting my electronic equipment charge very fast ("slow charging: 9 hours" says my phone).

That's all I've got for the moment; I'll probably write something tomorrow whether I have something to say or not. Right now, I have to hunt down a mosquito in my room.

5:40 a.m. departure from Hanam

Paldang Bridge, which must be crossed on the way to Yangpyeong.

Paldang Dam, another big landmark early in the day's walk.

Neungnae Station, where I usually stop, rest, and often get vending-machine refreshments.

Madame Six-legger

old rail bridge converted to footbridge

cosmos flower

a gentleman I met and talked with for a bit

the state of the harvest

Yangpyeong's downtown in the distance (Yangpyeong Station is a block from that tall building)

PHOTO ESSAY

5:40 a.m.

moving out of Hanam City proper

The bridge that I'm once again not crossing, all lit up for nighttime.

It's called the Shinpyeong Bridge. Shinpyeong = New Peace?

the ramp down to the Four Rivers path

Technically, I'm supposed to be on the walking path off to the right, but I hate the pebbles.

Benches always present the temptation to stop and rest.

Paldang Bridge ahead. I'll pass under it, then take a jug-handle ramp (right turn) up to the bridge.

crossing a creek

small sign: confirms I'm on the Four Rivers route
big sign: direction of Yangpyeong (toward Chuncheon)

I'm guessing this will be a biker/walker bridge. Once built, there'll be no more need to go up to Paldang Bridge.

Up the ramp I go. It swerves left, then right.

The sign says this is a construction site, so slow down.

That smaller bridge again, still under construction.

As always: up the ramp.

A future vehicle bridge next to the biker/walker bridge?

almost up to Paldang Bridge

On the big bridge, looking down at the little bridge.

Paldang Bridge is almost exactly 1 km across.

And it's windy. Always windy.

Down we go.

The sign on the path says, "Slowly."

plastic flowers

One flower got bashed open.

The angel-wing spot. Boyfriends take pics of "angelic" girlfriends standing by the wings.

sprouting from my head

another romantic-photo zone

I cross the street here, and we're about to leave this part of town for a quieter path.

claiming a victim

The morning fog is lifting.

Spiders, spiders everywhere.

Paldang Dam

I don't think it's possible for walkers or bikers to access the dam from this side. had I stayed on the other side of the river, it might've been possible.

I think the dam's big sign says Korean water power is nuclear power.

The first of many tunnels.

Walking over a bridge and looking down to a compound I'll never visit.

Ah, serenity.

This is a sign for a restaurant called "Bonjour." Korean is a horrible alphabet for rendering French, though, so the sign takes the 2-syllable Bonjour and makes it into the 3-syllable Bong-joo-reu. The Korea "j" is pronounced like the English "j."

This sign adds a bit of information: the top line says "Bonjour," and the bottom says "New building."

Bonjour has indeed built itself out since I was last here.

There's even a separate building serving as a lounge.

Inside a restroom, the sign literally says, "Don't throw toilet paper in the toilet! This is the cause of breakdowns (failures)." The smaller writing warns not to use the facility due to insufficient water. I used it anyway.

the weirdly foamy toilet

the restroom's modesty panel

overgrown water

the old Bonjour resto

Roughly: "Artisanal bread, natural ingredients."

There used to be a wooden sculpture of a goofy family here. (See this old pic.)

My buddy Charles's wife is named Hyunjin, so I always joke with him about this "Hyunjin Bike" place.

I'm starting to realize how rare it is to see fully eight-legged Joro spiders.

approaching Neungnae Station

50 m to the certification center

I usually sit down and take a rest around here.

Unwontedly chill arfers... Jindo dogs are usually high-strung and territorial.

asters

"Bird Peace First Village" or something like that.

I need to look at my phone's map and figure out what these places are.

Dasan Mulberry Farm

A vehicle bridge in the distance. I'll be crossing the old rail bridge beyond it.

photo op in the middle of nowhere

one of many random pelotons

kautious kitty

Paldang Bridge is almost 10K behind me; the old rail bridge is 200 m ahead.

I'm following the vertical arrow toward Ipo Dam. I'll hit the dam during the next segment.

The sign says this is the Four Rivers path in the direction of Yangpyeong, so I'm on course.

a coffee shop that's rarely open when I pass by

Rango, probably violating copyright, or maybe a legitimately purchased tchotchke.

looking back at that vehicle bridge

about to cross the old rail bridge

a modern rail bridge for trains, including the KTX bullet train

Some people freak out about these glass panels.

A train rolls by.

A sign welcoming us to Yangpyeong. Are we at the city limits?

informational map

Yet another corny photo zone.

A dedication stone with President Lee Myung-bak's signature.

I think Yangsu station is roughly the 20K mark on a 35K trek.

Yangsu Footbridge

Trains leap out and plunge in here. Very Freudian.

See?

These shacks fascinate me.

The second of many tunnels I'll be walking through.

The tunnel's total length is 441 m (add 421 + 20).

Truck's been here a long time.

The tunnels come fast and furious now.

unorthodox parking for a taxi

digitally zoomed dragons

Buddha lantern, probably a holdover from the Buddha's birthday.

a raised shwimteo

This is new to me.

Yeoju Dam is 40 km off. Paldang Bridge is 16 km back (that doesn't seem accurate).

I now know these huge, leafy plants are cabbages.

Shinweon Station

"Please throw used tissue into the toilet." The instructions vary from location to location.

Shinweon First Village.

Electricity for trains, I presume.

another plump travel companion

Dogok Tunnel. There's a Dogok Station near where I live.

Ye olde abstract sculpture.

The sign says not to throw your trash away here. In Korea, the logic is that, if there's no trash can, people can't throw away their trash and have to carry it out. Ha ha. This is not how the world works.

This gentleman woke me up, and we talked a bit.

a tiny patch of suburbia in the midst of nature

Note the hangari (clay pots).

demi-harvest

squash flower

I'm obsessed with farm equipment, I think.

scattered sheaves

The infamous Guksu Station, which normally means I have about 10K to go.

I don't know which Chinese characters are pronounced Guksu in this case, but there's a Korean word, guksu/국수, that means "noodles," so this is always Noodle Station to me.

Shinweon Station is now 4K back.

the mysterious handkerchief

drying in the sun

Something religiously significant happening here?

The dog image intrigues me.

We're approaching downtown Yangpyeong. Civilization will henceforth be more concentrated.

Go right, old man!

A sign for Okcheon Naengmyeon (Jade Spring Cold Noodles).

There's the resto: Jade Spring Cold Noodles. I should go there sometime. I always pass this place.

Kev shadow

Sa-tan Creek, or as I like to think of it, Satan's Creek

Chinese characters for "Jade Spring" on the rock.

There's always an amusing little vehicle parked here.

Praying mantis! Your story ends here.

moving with conviction into the downtown area

crossing over to be by the riverside

SsangYong (Twin Dragons) Water Leisure

The burly bear is probably wondering whether he's been roped into doing something woke.

giant squirrel

No fishing, no cooking, and no camping.

My destination is close to that tall building. We're close.

Yang-geun Seongji. See this post for an explanation. Scroll way down.

the Catholic church

what remains of a turtle-on-the-roof

dinner