Day 26, Leg 21

Another day done, and I did indeed encounter that second mean hill today. The total walk was only 19K, but it felt longer, and my feet were hurtin' by the end. My poor feet. They probably remember how light I was in 2021 after losing 28 kg (62 lbs.) and are wishing I was back to that.

Commenter Paul (Daegu Owl) had mentioned that there would be a famous tree along my route at some point. The tree featured in a Korean lawyer drama called "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." I did see the tree today, but not from the preferred angle: I was "behind" it, if trees can be said to have behinds. (Did you hear about the old tree in Northumberland, England, that got cruelly cut down by a vandal? It had stood at Sycamore Gap by Hadrian's Wall for centuries and was even featured in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." A 16-year-old was eventually arrested for the crime. He should be slowly gutted as far as I'm concerned.)

Last night's rest was interrupted by insistent knocking. I don't mean to sexually excite my readers, but once I've showered for the evening, I tend to lie around naked in my room. With all the knocking, I had to heave myself out of bed and get dressed before answering the door. A pair of men stood outside. They were apparently looking for some gentleman, and they showed me his photo on a cell phone. I said I didn't know who that was, and they left. I recall receiving one of those broadcast warnings on my own cell phone about a missing person earlier in the day; I briefly wondered whether there could be any connection between the missing-person warning and the search for the guy in the photo. Irritated by the interruption, I closed the door, shed my clothes, and tried to get some sleep. The guy under my bed, meanwhile, thanked me for not ratting him out.

Today's walk was gloriously fog-free and cold: about 2°C (36°F). I broke out my ski mask and gloves, and I layered up with my poncho and windbreaker. Most of the walk was on level ground; I didn't encounter the nasty hill until I was about 7 km from my destination for the day: Nakdong-jang Yeogwan/Motel (it doesn't know what to call itself, so it uses both terms).

At one point, I saw a huge bull in a field. It stood there, a living wall of beef, staring at me and judging me in that judge-y way that bulls judge things. I hope he ends up as somebody's Hanu Solo.

With the arrival of the morning sun, things warmed up, and I was down to my tee shirt by 10 a.m. or so. After I finished the nasty hill, I saw two Korean guys walking along, dressed in black and wearing wide-brimmed, sun-blocking hats. Their backpacks had two flags each jutting out of them—one being the Korean national flag. I intuited that these two were also walking across the country, probably also following the Four Rivers route. They weren't that interested in photographing things, so they walked along at their businesslike pace and soon left me in the dust. Not that I'd wanted to talk to them or anything, but it might have been nice just to exchange greetings. Too late now: they looked to be moving about 1.5 times faster than yours truly. 

The area where I am now, eastern Miryang, has a ton of bridges. There's one visible out the window of my W40,000-a-night yeogwan. Nakdong-jang is under new management, as I found out immediately when I got to the place's front desk. Instead of the dour old crone from past visits, a younger-but-middle-aged woman was there to greet me. She was perfunctory but not unfriendly. The yeogwan itself shows the improvements that come when younger people manage it: I've got great WiFi; the bathroom has no plumbing problems; there are electric sockets next to the bed; there's a fan (great for accelerating the drying of hand-washed clothing); the fridge is (was) stocked with juice cans, and the main table has those "sticks" of coffee. There are also plenty of hooks for hanging clothing (I'm airing out my poncho and windbreaker).

Tomorrow's walk is 20K, so it'll also be comparatively short. I'll be in Yangsan, the final city before Busan, by tomorrow afternoon. No more big hills to worry about. I'll stay in Yangsan an extra night, giving my feet a chance to rest, then I'll walk the 30K to my goal in Busan on Saturday. 

The forecast is still for rain on Friday, the day I'll be resting in Yangsan. Even on that day, the rain is supposed to be over by 10 a.m. Saturday still looks to be awesome, so I ought to enjoy my final push to my goal.

Okay, some info and images:

two bridge crossings despite the "교량 1" (1 bridge) notation

not too many calories burned today

gotta go up and turn left here

dawn's early light

For once, the urge to shit coincided with the presence of a restroom.

the famous tree: Sodeok-dong Hackberry, Bukbu-ri

light and shadow

rhino on unicycle—gets me every time

that bull

view from halfway up the mean hill

I etched a "Kim, '23" here. It'll be gone in 3 years.

pine looking like a giant bonsai

Tomorrow morning won't be quite as cold as today. I might not even need my gloves. We shall see.

I still don't need to punch another hole in my belt, but I might do so when I get back to Seoul. I might also try to see whether I can now use the belt that came with the Gregory Baltoro backpack. Normally, the Gregory belts are too small for my protruding gut, which is why I always have to buy my own belt and feed it through the Gregory hip-belt assembly harness. But I've shrunk at least three inches around the waist, so I might just be able to snap the Gregory belt shut now.

PHOTO ESSAY

leaving Hanam-eup

moon and Venus, as always, at 5:47 a.m.

plenty of electric light

public restroom

exercise equipment, mainly for old people

Gotta go right to go to Busan.

up the ramp to the bridge

also toward Changweon

dawn approaches

The river had been on my right, but now it needs to be on my left, so a U-turn is in order after this ramp.

A look at the 수산대교/Su-san Bridge, which I just crossed.

This sign was confusing, and I ignored it. Left to Gimhae, and right/U-turn to Busan and Miryang, where I just was.

Just keep the river on the left.

Churches from afar. Christian country.

It's well past 6 a.m. now. The sun is up and ready for business. Note the lack of a morning mist.

Inside a public toilet, this sign:

"After using the toilet, please step hard on the pedal!" (The flush lever is a pedal.)

Restroom seen from outside—one of the few times one appeared when I actually needed it.

Note the litter, despite the presence of garbage bags. Some people are barbarians.

parkland

on the stone: Daesan Dream Park-golf Course

bike path—swing right

the famous tree: Sodeok-dong Hackberry, Bukbu-ri

the famous tree: Sodeok-dong Hackberry, Bukbu-ri, closeup

the tree's location (wish I knew how to bring up GPS coordinates)

burd asshole

Frost. It's cold.

I think that's another ggachi (magpie) nest.

farmland, neighborhood, and solar panels all in one shot

Nice and peaceful... life is simple when you're on this kind of walk. Just get from A to B.

big solar

entering a neighborhood and greeted by the local sentry

There are so many different flowers with these petals, but with differently colored centers.

I might like a house like this if it came wth way more land.

Yucheong Village

Choong-hyo (忠孝): 충/忠/choong/loyalty + 효/hyo/filial piety = loyalty to country, filial piety to parents

more chryssies

This reminds me of some old buildings in France.

church spire

big font: Yudong Village

하/ha/河/water + 촌/chōn/村/village + 당/dang/堂/hall

nice, prim property

This is a village of murals. There are a lot of these.

rhino on bike

Looks like rich, loamy soil to me.

Cheongdo cows in a "bullfight" (i.e., bulls fighting each other)

I think the townspeople are proud of their way of life.

Another sign saying I'm on the right track, but it's overgrown.

about to hit the river and turn right

modern shwimteo

The sign at the left says this is the road back into the village (the way I came). It also says to go slowly and quietly. The sign underneath says, bizarrely, "No traffic," as in "There is no traffic." What's the road for, then?

out by the Nakdong again

a tributary, maybe a manmade canal

The bull stands alone. I hope he's enjoying his solitude.

I wouldn't want to wrestle that.

masked girl on horse

Gyeongnam Equestrian Club (Gyeongnam may mean Gyeongsang-namdo, i.e., South Gyeongnam Province)

girl goes around and around

now entering the city of Gimhae

trivial hill

rare traffic

Maybe the traffic isn't so rare. Truck ahead.

tree-clearing project?

more park golf

As always, farms on one side, parkland or wetlands on the other.

I'm going to have to look into this chair thing.

See what I mean?

swinging left

I'm a sucker for shapes and colors when I photograph things.

more old-school Korean architecture

toad on its way to becoming jerky

Solmoe Ecological Park

ladies

Old man kicks my ass.

heading off and down

Here we go.

blue & green banners: Hallim Tennis Club, looking for new employees

Very soon, we've got a nasty hill coming.

Hallim Drainage Gate

Mojeong Bridge

cross over...

uniwheel couple and the start of the nasty hill

another noisy one

Up we go.

I later learned from commenter Paul that there's a tunnel I could have gone through (one whose exit I've seen on the other side of the mountain), thus saving myself some climbing. Then again, I've always done this hill, so not doing it would lead to guilt feelings.

It's official: we're going up.

looking down from partway up

"Nakdong River bike trail"

Steep enough to make me stop a few times.

false summit, false hope

sand for snowy weather

I do not stop here.

approaching the top

843 m = the length of the hill I just did

the real summit

starting down

I know it'll fade, but I left my mark anyway.

Kim, '23

mini-shrine (or maybe a grave for a squirrel)

tossed-away office chair

downward slope, 12% grade

This reminds me of a cookie I like.

It occurred to me that I missed my chance to photograph the tunnel's exit, which was right around this spot where I'd rested for a bit and snacked on beef jerky.

Weird place to sprout your genitals.

almost at the bottom

I got a bit curious about this church.

Two friends, probably going to Busan, and a lot faster than I'm going. I never caught up.

one of many roads not taken

giant bonsai?

historical figures and, maybe, local personalities

What's the story?

chemistry lesson... or a clown's spinal column

The yellow letters say Masa.

another nifty property

stereotypical Westerner, with his over-packed bike

a bus stop for the Nakdong River Rail Park

I've often been tempted to stop and eat here. Maybe one day.

Masa Bridge

There's a whole mess of bridges here.

Cat seductively raises its butt.

...then gets bored.

I took these steps to get down to the lower bike path. I couldn't find the regular way to get to the path.

Here we are. Keep the river to the right.

The sign expresses concern about casualties from torrential currents.

Danger Guy! Don't get swept away!

the two crazy people, especially the woman on the left

Bike motif much?

This is the final stretch into town. I'm staying at Nakdong-jang yeogwan (inn).

confused animal assholes

The Chinese place where I'd eaten before was closed, but a Korean restaurant was open.

Soup broth was good, but the meat was crunchy with sinew. Ick.

How to enjoy life when you're waiting at the convenience store.

downtown and almost at my destination

Oh. Nakdong-jang Motel, it says.

But the top of the building says yeogwan (inn).

The entrance also says yeogwan.

In my room, with my cruciform ceiling light reflected in the window.

That yellow thing is nifty: a toothpaste-tube squeezer so you don't waste toothpaste.

Remember the sculpture that reminded me of a cookie? Here's the cookie in question.