How to Have Biking Adventures in Korea

Biking is hands-down one of my favorite past times so after being in Korea for a year with no other transportation than walking or taking public buses, trains, and taxis, I decided to purchase a bike! Not only is it great exercise and easy on the knees, but it's also fun and provides some great ways to get together and meet new people. So here's where my biking adventure begins....

Step 1: Buy a new bike

Step 2: Go on a few glorious and fun bike rides with this bike:

 On a morning bike ride to work. It's about an hour and a half ride, but it beats the morning bus ride! 

 Salgu ready for the ride.

 With my original bike.

 Happily taking selfies as we enjoy the beautiful sunrise and calming ride along the river.

 I live in a small town in Korea called Jochiwon and my normal commute to work is about 30 minutes to Sejong City (where my school is located) on a bus plus another 20 minutes of walking. Plus I have to deal with the bus driver's road rage, trying to catch the bus on time, and sometimes standing the whole way. Though I can't do the bike commute every day, it only adds about another 40-50 minutes onto my commute and leaves me feeling refreshed and at peace in the morning. The bike trail from Jochiwon to Sejong is a beautiful path along the river which has a serene feel to it. 

Towards the end of the commute, there are thousands of beautiful wild flowers marking the way and providing a spectacular view! 

A quick stop for more pictures!

Step 3: Your wonderful bike gets stolen and you are in mourning for it for about a month.....

Unfortunately I didn't lock my bike up properly....It was locked, but just the back tire to the frame. In hindsight I should have locked it up to the railing in my building, but that was difficult because of the plethora of bikes already there. Anyway one Saturday while I was up in Seoul, someone apparently came into my building and carried my bike off with them. I was so heartbroken and did everything I could to try and find it to get it back, including going to all the local bike shops and showing them the picture and telling them to call me if they saw it. I never found it, and any leads I had on it didn't pan out.....

Step 4: Buy a new bike so you can go on more biking adventures!!

A friend of mine loaned me some money so I could buy a new bike right away and I did! 

I ended up traveling all the way to Incheon for this bike (took about 2 1/2 hours from my home) because it was a lot cheaper. Definitely not the same quality as my old bike, but certainly worth the money! 

Step 5: Learn to change a flat....

Well only about 3 days after I bought this new bike beauty with the sturdiest chain bike lock I could find, I decided to ride to school. The ride was fine and dandy, but when I came out of school to leave BOTH of my bike tires were completely and totally flat....I was upset and the nearest bike shop was a long ride away. I decided to go by bus and get the proper attachment to put air in my tires, but when that didn't work I was so discouraged I gave up until the next day. The next day came and because I've never changed  a flat before and didn't have the proper equipment, I decided to try to go to the bus, but got thoroughly rejected and had to call a call-van service. They came and picked me up and took me to the bike shop for only ₩5,000 (about 5 dollars) and I got both my tires fixed and got home without a hitch. I still don't know why my bike tires went flat, maybe the quality of tubes they used in the beginning weren't good, but after this incident I have decided not to commute to work by bike until I can buy the proper tools for changing my tires and an extra patch kit.

Step 6: Enjoy biking again.

Well I'm back on my bike and enjoying biking again. I caught some beautiful views and sights on my way home from school with my new tubes.

 Sunset over the rice fields.

 Lotus flower park in Jochiwon.

This park has a beautiful walking path where  you can see the lotus flowers.

And I made it home! This time without any flat tires! I hope you enjoyed reading about my biking adventures. I hope there will be many more to come! :)