Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. J.F.Kennedy

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Seoul

In 2014, I was drawn to Asia. China did not feel like the right place and Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia did not have the right weather in the Fall. So I chose Korea. Obviously the southern one, the northern one did not attract me in the least. I had already spent more than 40 years of my life in the totalitarian Bolshevik regime and I am truly happy that it has vanished from the Czech Republic. At least for the time being. Korea has five times more inhabitants than the Czech Republic, but its area is relatively small, only one-fourth bigger than this country. This is why I also included Taiwan. I intended to leave Taipei on the November 26th. And as usual, I still had no idea how and when I would get myself to Taiwan (not by bike, obviously). I would have to figure this out during the trip.

I chose Emirates Airlines for my flight, they were the cheapest and even offered a 30 kg weight limit on two items of luggage. In previous years, I'd had to pay an extra fee for my bike – usually 100 Euro. I planned to pack my 40 kg of equipment in such a way as to avoid any costly fees. It was not an easy task. The box for the bike alone weighed 3 kg and the equipment box half of that. Heavy objects like tools and spare parts cannot be taken in hand luggage, they would throw me out with it at the check-in. I did what I could. The box with the bike and my things weighed a total of 33 kg. The hand luggage weighed the permitted 7 kg. I would have squeezed more into It, but the pannier has a limited volume. I even packed a half-kilo heavy bicycle lock and cycling boots with metal toe plates into it. I was curious to see what Security would say about it.

During the 40-minute line to the check-in, I found out that lithium batteries were not allowed in checked-in luggage and had to be carried on board in hand luggage. Luckily I had only packed NiHm rechargeable cells, so I did not need to re-pack anything. But I took this seriously, I could imagine that they had detectors to reveal lithium batteries. The friendly clerk at the check-in, on seeing my boxes, immediately asked if I was within the weight limit. I honestly answered that I had tried to be. I also informed her that this was my 11th flight of this kind, so I knew the routine. She asked what places I'd visited by bike and seemed quite interested in the subject. I asked where I should take my bike, whether I should take it to the extensive luggage check-in. However, she instructed me to place it beside the boxes nearby. So I immediately did that and consequently the weighing of the bike was kind of forgotten and my worries disappeared.

Fight for the Lock
The flight to Dubai in a Boeing 777 was rather pleasant. I sat next to a Czech student of the Chinese language, who was going to China for a 5-month study period. We spoke for almost the whole flight. In Dubai, the Security officer went through my hand luggage, took out the bicycle lock and resolutely announced that it was not allowed. I quickly demonstrated how I open and close the combination lock, but even this did not soften him. "No locks!" he declared. I asked him to call the boss and the first thing the boss asked me was the price of the lock ($50). He then shook his head and pronounced his verdict: "not allowed!" I asked to see another boss, was guided to him and he gave the same verdict, even though I argued that at Prague Airport they'd said it was allowed. The resolution of this situation was rather unexpected. The top boss had his office behind the Security control. A young Security guy, who was taking me from one boss to the other like a trained monkey, with a sly smile suggested that I go to the toilet, put the lock in my bag and go up the stairs over there to the flight gates. The lock was saved.

After a 4-hour wait, we boarded the massive A380 Airbus. Once again, I got a great seat, this time the aisle seat of four middle seats (I always want to sit on the aisle), right behind the galley. I could stretch out my legs and support them against the wall of the galley. I slept through half of the 8-hour flight. Even then, I felt tired at my destination of Incheon Airport. The Airport is on an island, connected to Seoul center, which is 45 km from the Airport, by two highways on which cyclists are not permitted. If the flight had landed during the morning hours, I could have already assembled the bike at the Airport and crossed the water by ferry to reach Seoul by bike. Another option was to take the airport bus, which would probably accept my box with the bike, but I had no idea how to transport my two boxes the 2 km from the station to the hostel where I'd booked accommodation. Another option was to assemble the bike and take the Metro, which had a goods elevator on every station. I would easily fit in there together with my bike. But this would mean that I would arrive at the hostel sometime around midnight. Finally, I took a cab. I drew some cash, found a big enough cab in which to fit the box with the bike and one hour later I was already in the hostel.

Seoul: Current exchange rate, approx. 1 USD to 1000 Won

I already gave an intelligent impression on entering the hostel, as I immediately removed my shoes. I can still remember the scream I received five years previously after entering a hostel in Fukuoka in my shoes straight on to their tatami. There was nothing worse that one could do in Japan, so I avoided the same mistake in Korea. I received a room with a bathroom, which turned out to be a big cupboard fitted with a toilet, sink and shower. The room was tiny. Although I did manage to fit myself and all my boxes in, I returned to negotiate at the Reception. Finally, I was given an extra room free of charge where I could store my boxes and bike. The location of the hostel was great. Only 10 minutes on foot to the center of Seoul. I went shopping in the nearest supermarket at Seoul station. An interesting note: without a doubt the cheapest beer was Gambrinus Premium Lager in Korean packing, half a liter can for 32 CZK ($1,5). I ate something and drank one beer and around midnight local time went to bed. I woke up 14 hours later and thus missed my breakfast which was included in the accommodation. However, this resolved the 7-hour difference in time zones.

Seoul: Sungnyemun – the southern gate – always led me to the place where I was staying

Seoul: There are plenty of Catholic churches in the city

First Impressions
It looked good, plenty of food choices everywhere, they sold my favorite ramen and udon soups in the food halls, as well as diverse filled dumplings. Cold water free of charge was the norm and food prices were reasonable. The city was not very spectacular, but there was always something happening – striking workers, a religious group singing on the corner and well-built drummers on a bridge trying to make money. The public bathrooms everywhere in the center were free of charge. Public transport was well developed. I found the Tourist Information office, where I received a pack of maps, several of which were for cyclists. English seemed to be usable there. So far so good...

Seoul: I found the facade of the Korean Tourist Center appealing

Seoul: One of the local stars

Seoul: Fans of the singing star were not that young

Seoul: Drummers and their show

Seoul: Drummers

Seoul: Cycling Club presentation

Seoul: Music festival — youth ensembles playing classical music

The City
Seoul is enormous, with 11 million inhabitants, yet it is possible to get around the city center on foot. There are many stores and pubs and the pedestrian sidewalks are used by loaded motorbikes. Instead of pedestrian crossings, busy crossroads are crossed by underpasses, which are often hundreds of meters long and once again filled with stores. At night these underpasses are taken over by homeless people, who build cartons around themselves on which to sleep and to separate themselves from passers by. There were dozens of them in each underpass, yet the majority of them did not seem to smell, possibly thanks to the availability of free public bathrooms. Right around the corner of the hostel was a huge market — Namdeamun — which extended over several city blocks and one could find everything possible there – with the exception of maps. I bought a gas canister there for my stove, but had to purchase a road map of Korea in a bookstore in a shopping mall.

Seoul: Namdaemun Market – dominated by food

Seoul: Namdaemun Market – frontman

Seoul: The motorcycle — main means of transportation

Seoul: City Hall with cheerful poster facade

Seoul: Umbrellas in front of the City Hall resourcefully shading the entrance

Seoul: Gwanghwamun Square — venue of frequent demonstrations. Police wait at the ready around King Sejonga statue

Seoul: Apart from the bridge, the Cheonggyecheon River is also crossed on stepping stones

Seoul: The city center full of shops and bars

Seoul: Modern sculpture of Christ at Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral

Historical Sites
Seoul city center is not cyclist friendly. One can cycle on the sidewalks, as the streets are very busy and jam-packed with cars and motorbikes. This demotivated me slightly, so I decided not to return to Seoul again. This is why I tried to see all the important sites at once. Most of the sites had been destroyed by the Japanese, others by fire, so there were not many authentic sites left. The Gyeongbokgung Palace complex was in the worst state. It had literally been leveled to the ground by the Japanese. Currently, a good replica, completed four years prior to my visit, can be seen instead. I was not very excited by these sites, they all seemed very similar. I had no taste for them. Exceptions were the water pavilions in the secret garden of Changdeokgung Palace. Check out the photos and see what you think.

Seoul: Deoksugung Palace in the heart of the city