My bike arrived Saturday and after some assembly I was ready to speed around Korea’s bike paths. I never expected to be in such a large city and be able to bike safely around town. Of course, I have not and will not be sacrificing myself to the streets, ever. However, on Sunday I headed onto Seoul Trail which runs along the Han River!

The sun was out so the bike path was clogged with people by the time I returned home, but before that I cruised alongside the river. This was an entirety new perspective of Seoul and I actually saw grass and sand! Rather than concrete and bricks.

From my apartment I curved around until I was at Gimpo Airport. This was much farther than I had planned, but I could not stop moving forward. I wanted to know what was beyond every corner because I kept finding awesome new views.

The first place I stopped was when I reach the Han River. At this viewpoint there were at least fifty bikers all in superb biker gear. Putting my leggings and running shoes to shame. There was a water fountain where I gulped water like a guppy before heading further….and further from home 🙂

My second rest break was fairly soon after because I had jetted off from home without water…or food…oops. I was too excited. I also learned to be very wary of water fountains. At one of the many water fountains along the way I bent my head down for a refreshing drink of water and instead a jet of high pressure water shot up my nose and onto my face. Cautiously I tried again, barely turning the nozzle and a more manageable stream of water quenched my thirst.

My next stop was my favorite, and it was probably because I found food. Around the next curved I passed under a bridge and found a smorgasbord of bikers hiding in the shade. I braked and maneuvered my way through the crowd. The closer I went to the river the more people I saw, there were even people fishing! (Which is surprising because a couple kilometers back I saw many dead fish floating in the water)

At the waters edge was a ferry dock, a small sandy beach, grass (like the first green grass I’ve seen images, so it’s a big deal), and a 7-11 hidden along the path! I felt pure joy as I ran in and bought myself a picnic. I then sat on a rock and enjoy the watery oasis.

The fishers would occasionally whip back their tall poles and throw the line far into the river. A large plunk would occur and they would then wait. Perhaps they were catching zombie fish since I hadn’t seen any truly alive ones yet….

After a decent break and devouring of my good I hooked my leg over my bike frame and peddled off. After another ten minutes or so I came across a small ecological reserve. There was a small wetland and when I entered I eventually found silence. Something that Seoul seriously lacks. There were even a few orange and white butterflies that fluttered around me as I walked along with my bike.

Since I am lazy I took another break. Sitting on a bench I took pictures and just enjoyed the calm atmosphere. Then, a little girl came up to me with a card and two decorated eggs. I had forgotten Sunday was Easter! Her mother said hello to me and some other things in Korean. I’m fairly sure she asked me if I believed in God…but I figured that out more from context than my Korean knowledge. I’ll be honest I am still fairly surprised how many Christians there are here. Before coming people and even the internet told me Korea had mostly Confucius and Buddhist beliefs. Maybe it’s a combination? I don’t really know.

Anyways I went on my way until I reached Gimpo airport. That was when I relieved I was exhausted and probably shouldn’t have biked this far. So, thighs burning I turned around and biked home the way I came. Overall it was a beautiful day and I can not wait for many more biking adventures.