#82 Day 1 - Yeosu to Sacheon

[스티븐스 대사]

On August 29, we began our inaugural "On the Road with the American Ambassador" program.  It is a bit of an experiment, and I am truly intrigued to see how the results pan out.  I will ride, together with other cycling enthusiasts from the Embassy, together with students from all over Korea as we observe an important milestone in modern Korea's history, the defense of the Nakdong Perimeter.  I hope to blog for you regularly throughout the trip to give you all a sense of this great adventure.

With the first day riders!

We started in Yeosu bright and early Sunday morning.  Ordinarily I would say bright and early, but it was hardly bright!  Fast-moving, low-lying clouds dominated the landscape.  With a morning ferry ride awaiting, I have to admit I was wondering what I had signed up for here. As luck would have it, the weather held for us, a real relief for our Coast Guard Attache, and we made the 40 minute ferry ride to Namhae without incident.  After a safety briefing, and adjustments of everyone's bike, we were off! 

Taking a ferry from Yeosu to Namhae and having a nice conversation with the first day riders

Almost immediately, the heavens opened up on us.  Torrential downpour is not a phrase that gets much use in English, but it definitely applied here.  Within minutes, all of us, the students, the Embassy riders, and my friends Min Byung Yoon, Kim Chang Wan, Chairman of the Korean Cycling Federation Koo Cha-Yol, and Kim Dong-Hwan, were soaked.  The scenery in Namhae was beautiful, I am sure, but no one could see it!  By the afternoon, however, the rain abated and we were able to see some of the natural beauty of Namhae.  The rice fields are beginning to yellow as they ripen.  I especially enjoyed seeing the traditional traps Namhae residents use in the waters surrounding the island to catch myeolchi (we enjoyed myeolchi at lunch, so I know why they want to catch those fish in Namhae).  We tackled rolling hills in the afternoon, with the heat we missed in the morning rains catching up with us (some riders cramped up), and even major bridges out of Namhae to Sacheon.  All in all, it was a beautiful, fun ride. 

With Yeosu Mayor Kim Chung-seok and my biking friends who were willing to come down to Yeosu to bike with the group

As pretty as the Namhae scenery is, the real fun comes, though, in meeting the student participants.  Each day we will meet 10 or more different riders who have an interest in cycling, the history of the Korean War, U.S. - Korea relations, or any combination thereof.  Korean students from Korea, the U.S. and China came to ride with us, and we also had a rider who was born in Pyongyang.  Some of them are very experienced riders -- some are not.  Everyone gave their best effort though, and by the end of the day, there were some very tired, but exhilarated students enjoying some real downtime on Namildae Beach! 

Riding along the road and experiencing the natural beauty of Namhae

Breathtaking view of Namildae Beach

At dinner time, we had a chance to reflect a bit and discuss with each other our thoughts and experiences, both in riding and in terms of what the U.S. - Korea relation is.  The students were nodding their heads when I explained my view that the U.S. - Korea relationship is like a bicycle.  Like a bicycle, it must always move forward.  Sometimes, there are steep hills; sometimes there are bumps along the way; sometimes, things move faster than expected.  In every case though, we always move forward.  I am interested to see how we move forward in many different ways in the days to come.