← PreviousA break in SuncheonClémence wakes up surprisingly easily this morning. It's only 7 am, and it's been a long time since we've had to wake her. But she's immediately excited at the prospect of seeing the huge ferry from the window. We're staying less than a hundred metres from the port, and the enormous ship is impossible to miss. Today we're heading to the volcanic island of Jeju, Korea's largest island and Koreans' favourite. It's sometimes called South Korea's "Hawaii". At the heart of Jeju is the country's highest mountain, the Hallasan volcano.
At 7:30 we get on our bikes to cross the road. Luckily, a staff member explained the procedure to us yesterday. We queue at a first counter, but when our turn comes we're told it's the counter next door. Right, we queue again, swap our e-booking for real paper tickets, and Stéphane takes the bikes towards the vehicle deck. Nothing is signposted; he follows the cars on instinct and eventually comes across a worker who tells him he's in the wrong place and must go back to the terminal.
As the language barrier is too great, the man gives up and tells Stéphane to go into the hold and prop the bikes against one of the walls. It's a bit precarious, but at least they're on board. After half an hour's wait, the three of us finally board. We're completely disappointed by the interior, as there are almost no pleasant places to sit. There's a little bar, a big corner sofa, a few tables and that's it. The rest lies along a corridor and consists only of big rooms where you sit on the floor.
We explore the boat, walk on the deck and pass the time as best we can. The crossing to Jeju takes almost four hours and it feels long. We play board games and keep our minds busy. Clémence still copes very well and doesn't make the journey any harder. On arrival, there's still the question of how to get the bikes back. We ask the man at the counter for information. Just as well, as the procedure isn't that clear. Stéphane takes the lift down but ends up on a deck surrounded by lorries and cars in suffocating heat.
He has to wait for the big ramps to come down and the light to finally pour in before he can see better. On the other side, Clémence and Cassandre are there. Apparently it came to the same thing to go down with the passengers. We reattach the trailer, get on our bikes and wait our turn between two lorries. Once out of the port, we quickly go and eat, as we're starving. And it's a good thing we refuel, because the road ahead is no picnic.
The cycle route around Jeju is called the "Jeju Fantasy Trail". A name that sounds good and sells a dream, but the reality is quite different. We can't say we're not used to it. Everywhere likes to label itself a cycling paradise with heavy marketing. Jeju is no exception, as the way out of Jeju City is truly awful. The cycle route runs alongside a three-lane trunk road, and on the pavement to boot. It eventually turns onto small roads, but the influx of tourists on the island naturally creates constant traffic.
We're quite glad to finish the 22-kilometre micro-stage at 3 pm. For Stéphane's birthday, Cassandre has booked a much smarter hotel than we're used to in Korea. The building is magnificent and even has a rooftop pool. It doesn't take us long to get into our swimsuits and jump in. Clémence is over the moon, and we have a hard time getting her out more than two hours later.
Cassandre makes the most of the coast and goes for a run while Clémence and Stéphane have a bath in the gigantic tub. They then go out to grab a bite at the convenience store and walk along the jetty to watch the sunset. It's nothing special, as the sky is full of clouds, but we get a big consolation. In the calm little bay, catfish are leaping out of the water, which amuses us a lot.
After a very early wake-up and no nap, Clémence falls asleep around 8 pm, to her parents' great delight. After a beer on the room's terrace, we go to eat at the restaurant at the end of our corridor. The meal is very good and the evening wonderful. A great way to celebrate turning a year older!
Friday 4 July
Like all good upmarket hotels, this one offers a buffet breakfast. Clémence wakes up strangely early, so we're already at the table by 8:30 with the declared aim of eating enough not to be hungry until evening. We almost manage it, as we're stuffed when we go back up to enjoy the pool again. Clémence is happy to be able to splash about once more. She's less and less afraid of the water and even puts her head under!
Unfortunately we have to leave at 11 to get back on the road. Today 42 kilometres await us, and we know from the first few that they won't be fun. Traffic is heavy because the beautiful coast attracts lots of tourists, the road isn't pleasant, and on top of that we have a fierce headwind. Bike tourers have a few enemies, notably cars, wind and bad infrastructure. When they all come together, it's really the worst-case scenario.
We crawl along at a painful 15 km/h, pushing hard on the pedals, far from our usual cruising speed. We're already exhausted when we reach our first stop of the day, Geumneung beach. Our tiredness is soon forgotten, because it's splendid. It looks like a Greek lagoon: the bay is full of little turquoise pools perfect for children, and the water is close to 30 degrees. We can still stand more than a hundred metres from the shore, and it's a joy to play there with Clémence.
We notice there are more foreigners here, as bodies are a little less covered than elsewhere. Koreans, though, are still covered from head to toe. The day is beautiful, the sun dazzling. We have a picnic on the sand with a few things from the local convenience store before setting off again. Barely a few kilometres later, Clémence is already asleep in the trailer. Playing in the water tires little ones out. She doesn't even wake up when we have to change her trailer's tyre. We'd left one of the damaged tyres on until it gave out, and now it has. Fortunately we have all the tools we need and set off again shortly afterwards. Still, that's our fifth puncture.
We wake Clémence so she can admire with us a footpath built out over the water linking several wind turbines. Since we started riding on Jeju, we've noticed lots of offshore wind farms just off the coast. We'd seen very few wind turbines in Korea until now; apparently they're all here. Then again, with wind as strong and constant as this, it would be a shame not to. Anyway, it's very impressive to see these steel monsters so close; we walk right at their feet. We're strolling along when we spot a drone filming us; it comes closer and almost hits Stéphane on the head. He just has time to duck. We look around but can't see the pilot. He comes over a few minutes later: a young Korean with a friend. They apologise profusely and explain they lost control because of the wind. To make up for it, he offers to take our photo with his professional camera, and we gladly accept.
The last part of the ride is less busy and better laid out, as it follows the coast almost the whole way. But the wind never tires of blowing in our faces, and we're done in when we reach today's hotel. For €25 we have a very spacious room with a huge picture window and a seafront terrace. Jeju's west coast is very wild and sparsely populated. There are just a few hotels, farms and houses strung along the road. The landscape changes too. Whereas until now the coast was mostly black volcanic rock dotted with fine sandy beaches, we now wind through big windswept grassy hills that look more like Scotland than a tropical island.
This part of the island is home to a large dolphin population, and apparently it's very easy to spot them from the shore at any time of day, so we try our luck at sunset from a viewpoint a few minutes' walk from our place. Unfortunately we don't see any, but the sunset was still worth it. Maybe we'll be luckier tomorrow?
Saturday 5 July
A gentle wake-up this morning. The view from the balcony over the sea is stunning, and the sun is already high in the sky. We take our time and have breakfast in the room at a very leisurely pace. We get moving around 10; the panniers are packed in no time and the tyres pumped up hard. The cycle route passes right in front of the guesthouse, and we're relieved to find the wind is less fierce than yesterday. Maybe because we're already rounding the west side of the island? It's already very hot, and we know we're going to bake today, as a stage of nearly 50 km awaits us.
Since we left late, we ride 14 kilometres in one go to reach the Songaksan Trail. It's a coastal walk around the extinct volcano of the same name, with breathtaking views of the sea and surrounding cliffs. We only do part of it, as the heat is still suffocating despite the breeze (which isn't blowing much today) and it isn't very wise with Clémence. The coast is incredibly beautiful, especially with the mountain peak of Sanbangsan rising straight ahead across the bay. 400 metres high, it seems to sit on the plain. The scenery is reminiscent of New Zealand or Scotland; it's hard to believe we're in South Korea.
We're already feasting our eyes, but dolphins join the postcard! A small pod of about ten dolphins swims peacefully before our eyes. Hard to say which of the three of us is happiest, but Clémence certainly enjoys it. It's of course the first time she's seen any. With stars in our eyes, we head back down to the village for a bite in a restaurant. When we pay the bill, we learn we get a 10% discount because we're on bikes.
That gives us a boost to tackle the day's hard part, an 8-kilometre climb. Unfortunately the cycle path is pitiful and the heat dreadful. The combination makes progress very hard, and when we finally reach the top we have to take a break in the shade to wipe the sweat from our eyes and shelter from the sun a little. Our water is almost gone, so Stéphane goes to ask a restaurant to refill our bottles.
We curse ourselves for planning such a long stage, but we couldn't have known it would be so hot. To break up the effort, we stop to see the Jusangjeollidae cliffs, known for their striking black rock formations that form a polygonal staircase of columns created when molten lava flowing into the sea cooled suddenly. But that's in full sun too, so we choose to press on. We try to take a break in the shelter of a wooded park, but nothing helps; it's too muggy and we sweat without moving. We set off to polish off the last 15 kilometres in one go, but crossing a bridge we hear the sound of children playing in the water.
A first since we arrived in the Land of the Morning Calm: Koreans swimming in a river! The water barely comes up to their knees, but the children all wear life jackets. Signs at the entrance warn "Caution, deep water, danger!", which makes us laugh. We settle in the shade of the bridge and make the most of the cold water to paddle and cool down. It does us a world of good, and we sit there until we spot a big mass of clouds coming. It's the perfect moment to set off again before it gets too hot, and after about ten kilometres on a very busy, uninteresting road, we finally reach the hotel in the city of Seogwipo. Rarely has a day of bike touring worn us out so much.
We end the evening at a barbecue restaurant. Koreans love it and we hadn't tried it yet. The concept is unusual: the waitress stays by our side for almost the whole meal to cook the meat herself. It should be said that the quality of meat in South Korea is particularly excellent, and we often find ourselves thinking it's much better than in France. Tomorrow we're staying in the area, as Seogwipo, though unremarkable in itself, has remarkably beautiful landscapes that we plan to take the time to explore calmly after this exhausting day.
On the road