Day 19, Leg 13

One more day, one more leg to go. I left the Gangnam Motel at 4:45 a.m. and arrived at the Songhak Motel in Pungsan-eup, western Andong, at almost exactly 4 p.m. Factoring in breaks, my average pace was about 2.92 kph, which is par for the course lately.

It was a freezing, foggy morning, and I was happy to break out the chemical hand warmers. For about two or three hours, I ended up tucking my trekking pole under my backpack so I could warm both of my hands in my pockets at the same time. Once the day warmed up, however, I put away (then eventually threw away) the warmers and got rid of my jacket as the sun finally beat back the fog, burning it away to reveal a bright, blue sky.

On the bike trail, there were plenty of motor vehicles—cars, trucks, vans, mopeds, farm equipment, etc. It got a bit tedious at several points, but it still wasn't as bad as being on a road with no shoulder while traffic bears down on you. 

About two-thirds of the way to west Andong, I met a lone construction worker who was working on making a new bike path. Presumably, this sort of work is a team effort, but my man was the only one out there at the time. Unwisely ignoring Naver yet again, I had tried to follow a sign-marked bike path that culminated in a dead end, so I'd asked this guy what was up with that. He said a new path was being built and would be done in a few months, but in the meantime, I shouldn't trust the signs. I'd figured that part out on my own. At first, in good drinking-on-the-job fashion, the construction guy offered me some makkeolli, but when I told him I don't drink alcohol, he offered me a fresh apple, which I took and thanked him for. The nice thing about eating fruit while on a walk is that there's no reason to feel bad about throwing the apple core into the grass for Nature to take back and recycle. I left the man to his project and continued onward.

30K is substantially easier than doing 36K, but I was still glad to arrive at the Songhak Motel, which sits at the ass-end of town. I'm not nearly as wiped out as I'd been two days ago, but I'm still pleasantly tired. As had happened twice before, there was no one at the motel's information desk, so I called the phone number on one of the signs and was answered by a very loud ajumma who said she'd be right over. When she got to the motel, she told me a single night would be only W35,000 if I paid in cash, but W40,000 if I paid by card. This was obviously an old-school place. She also complained that I had arrived "quickly" (bballi oshyeot-ne!/빨리 오셨네!) and that no rooms in the motel were ready for me. She led me to a small house next to the motel and told me I could stay there, minbak-style. She then left me to my devices, and I sank down tiredly, contemplating my situation and noticing the lack of an electric fan, which greatly speeds up clothes drying. I elected not to do laundry or shower, so I'll be going back to Seoul smelling rather ripe. Back of the bus for Kevin.

As I sat half-unpacked and staring into space, there was a brusque knock on the door. Ajumma again. She said she now had a room ready in her motel—Room 106—which she claimed would have a better shower than the minbak had. I was actually kind of relieved despite the inconvenience of having to repack and go back to the motel: the minbak was roomy, but the blankets on the not-a-real-sofa had looked rumpled and used, not freshly laundered and folded. So I'm now in Room 106. I wasn't given a key, so I'll just leave early tomorrow morning. There's nowhere I need to go tonight.

So tonight, after I finish this entry, I'll just relax, watch YouTube, sleep, and get up early. If 30K is short, 28K tomorrow will be shorter. I have a couple of hills tomorrow, but they won't be so bad. I also won't be eating anything until I'm back in Seoul. And once I'm back at my shoebox studio, I'll gratefully shower and do all my laundry. 

As I've mentioned several times, tomorrow might be the last day of the walk, but it's not over for the blog: I'll write up the entry for the final day tomorrow night, then I need to do several more things: write up my traditional trip postmortem, upload all of my thousands of photographs, resize all the photos to make them presentable, and add captions and commentary to every day's entry. This is probably going to take me well into December, and in the meantime, I'll be working like a madman to create more material for Substack and my other ventures. The Mythbusters might have disproved this, but I'll be hitting the ground running. No sleep till Christmas. Or Brooklyn. Whichever comes first. Enjoy today's selection of images.

Just 30K today, not 36.

almost straight east (look at the compass)

the Gangnam Motel as I was leaving

Big Dipper again

hay ready for baling

cheap plug protection

"Is this Earth?"

When I displayed this foggy pic on Instapundit, one commenter wrote, "Is this Earth?" It's just fog, though, not Beijing's smog.

the longest straightaway ever

Plinking is apparently pancultural.

one of many, many dead snakes today

the road where I met the construction guy

the minbak I almost stayed in

BONUS VIDEO: 

What the hell is this?

PHOTO ESSAY

4:44 a.m. It's O Holy Night over the Gangnam Motel.

Orion's belt and sword

electric light in the darkness

I somehow managed not to trip, this time, when walking out of town.

Jupiter, Procyon, Sirius

Big Dipper (see it? with weird lens effects?)

moving out of town (and no tripping this year!)

where I hit the trail again and continued on

Kinda' hard to see anything at this time of the morning.

Tree(s) ahead; the path is barely visible.

Even the moon seems rather grudging.

Never go full Lovecraft.

In spite of itself, the world wakes up.

6:39 a.m. I've been walking slowly and cautiously in the dark.

the lightening dawn

What's that in the tree?

You have to wonder why people do what they do.

quiet rural route

VIDEO: Appalachian Horror.

more hay waiting to be baled

Just enjoy the mist for the next little bit.

I have no idea why these whatever-they-are are needed on a farm.

not heading this way

Protect that plug!

And protect that pump... but allow access to it.

so much protection going around that I'm feeling all kinds of protected

I imagine this is slippery after a good rain.

Danger Guy! You go too far!

낙석 주의/nakseok jueui = "Watch for falling rocks"

Onward into mystery I go.

Utility building. What's it for?

turns out to be a pumping station

interesting metalwork

up a slight rise

the unreachable toilet

As you see, though, the fence isn't really locked, so it's actually reachable.

Instead of saying the usual 국토종주/Gukto jongju, the above says 낙동강종주/Nakdonggang jongju, or "Nakdong River Path."

swerving right

along what appears to be a straightaway

"The water's depth is dangerous, so be careful."

Guten Morgen.

apiary in the distance

zoomed in

They're all brave at a distance.

drainage gate (baesumun/배수문)

note the tempting parallel farm road

...but I will not give in to temptation.

48K to the "Andongdam."

reaffirming 48K

'mallows, mallowing

the straightaway gets a curve

then straightens out again (낙동강종주/Nakdonggang jongju)

animal asshole (probably a dog, judging by the claws)

7:56 a.m., and a murky sun

human asshole

But the prints give the concrete character!

What huge beast lies under that cover?

8:00 a.m. sun, second-to-last day of the walk... wow

Someone lives there.

8:04 a.m. 46K to go, it says.

Also 8:04 a.m. 42K to go. Did I really walk 4K in zero minutes?

You can't trust the distance markers. Note, too, that 330 km and 42 km don't add up to 385 km.

orchard of some kind (apples?)

Ah. Of course.

Yes, please, do pass by.

I think this pension is billed as a "cabin." It has a sort of chalet-ish look about it.

more of the pension's property

"Shinpoong 21 Cabin"—where we punish bicycles and hang them out for the citizens to take a lesson.

gravesite

even towers get morning wood

Oho... first glove of the day

"22.9K volts... let's not climb up"

Was I teleported to England?

marker

Looks to be a truly old marker. Wish I could read it.

shwimteo down where I can't use it

Onward I go.

Grandpa's in a hurry.

At least it's not an abandoned scooter.

Should I believe this one?

8:46 a.m.—another shwimteo I won't be needing

If that's a greenhouse, it's a biggun'.

morning traffic

At last... I come into town. I can stock up on snacks and drinks.

I always pass by this kodari/코다리 (pollack) place. At 9:06 a.m., it doesn't seem to be open.

I may have mentioned this before, but one of the great frustrations of walks like these is arriving somewhere that looks interesting or promising... but at the wrong time of day.

And a bit of useless trivia: to me, kodari/코다리 looks like ko/코 + dari/다리, or "nose-leg." Which puts me in mind of an elephant, not fish.

Luckily, I can take solace in the mart up ahead.

"Gudam Home Mart"

After buying some food and drink to gnaw on and suck down, I sat next to the mart and saw chilies.

roadwork in progress (dude catches me photographing him)

arcane hand hesture

the bridge I must cross to continue the journey

9:34 a.m., the Gudam Bridge (Gudam-gyo/구담교)

looking left

Gudam Bridge (구담교)

bridge specs, barely visible

9:44 a.m.—Now entering west Andong, but still a while to go.

The mist finally seems to be burning off.

weirdly beautiful "shelf" for aeration and other purposes

something of a weir-like structure

Thank you, restroom. You have fulfilled your purpose.

Once again, we see how popular solar is in Korea.

One day, my loves, you will be free. And I... I will taste your freedom.

You must always be ready to fire your Jesus-lasers into the sky for that "Marvel sky beam" effect.

animal asshole (cat?)

Do I see cracks in this concrete?

"42K" appears again

waterfowl at play

ginkgo trees, so expect shitberries

animal asshole

10:15 a.m.

Cow house!

Morning, ladies.

You see the backs of a lot of properties when you do these walks.

This shot came out pretty well.

This reminds me of a similar tower in Hanam City, next to Seoul (from this blog post).

a guardrail makes an appearance

Whoa—another live one. And it didn't jump away before I photographed it!

the Rancor pit

mystery tanks

looking left and riverward

The berm-as-border distinction still holds. On one side, farmland. On the other side, undeveloped riverland. Occasionally, there will be farmland on both sides, but that's not common.

animal asshole(s)

Ho ho! Wouldn't be a normal walking day without cars on the bike path!

Hay bales...?

No, not at all.

Ah, so we're back to 국토종주/Gukto jongju.

Those conical hats aren't what I'd call traditionally Korean. More like SE Asian. Migrant workers?

Of course, there are Koreans who wear them. But I wouldn't call them common here.

I think, at about this point, I considered whether to just continue on to the dam today. But that would've killed me.

That's not an accurate distance anyway. And 285 + 33 is definitely not 385.

On I plod, from western Andong to less-western Andong.

Man, those ginkgos are relentless.

burd asshole

really intent on mucking things up for the humans

more strategic pines

sigh... glamping coming up

11:14 a.m.

sigh... glamping area

"Jeongbohwa Village" (jeongbohwa/정보화 could mean "informatization")

The invil.org site (URL = on the side of the camper) is a clearinghouse or hub of informative links for travelers and tourists. I can only imagine that these glamping campers are for invil members.

Gwangdeok Church (Gwangdeok gyohoe/광덕교회; gwandeok = bright virtue)

another Presbyterian church

vroom

passing under a bridge

There must be some sort of spur leading to an off-piste dam called Gudam Dam (Gudambo/구담보).

11:21 a.m. Vehicles, being cold-blooded, seek shade from the overbearing sun.

And the journey goes on.

I've long wondered what this is. Pipes going down a hill; presumably water going into the river.

in context

distant shrine or pavilion

zoomed in

suburban living—Amurrican-style house, yard, but no dawg

Korean-style house

flowers out front

chrysanthemums

Today's goal is indeed Pungsan-eup.

Here's the Gwangdeok Bridge.

"No passing on the bridge"

Gwangdeok Bridge (Gwangdeok-gyo/광덕교)

looking down from the bridge as I cross

that shrine/pavilion

looking right

looking left

Hello, there!

kangaroo or tapir with crushed nose, looking left

some massive idiot

another road as I look down

myo

just about across

decorative? eroded prayer wheels? (Koreans don't normally do prayer wheels... that's more Tibet/Nepal/Bhutan)

They extend far.

myo

somewhat zoomed in

a marker at the hilltop

moving back into town

The green rectangle on the left says "Jibo"—back the way I came.

a house or a shop?

I have to turn right to keep going, but first...

I know there's a convenience store off to the left, so I hit that first. The lady inside asks me about my tee shirt. As you'll recall, it's not sporting the design for this year since the tee shop wasn't able to get it to me in time, so I'm wearing a tee from 2023, when I did the Four Rivers trail.

Having snacked and slurped again, I head back out onto the trail.

This is a small town. I'll be out of it soon.

already thinning out

This bus stop, Bitigogae, sounds almost like a subway stop in Seoul: Beotigogae.

salaam

oh, dem fall colorz

field and solar panels

The hanja says "Hahoe-chon"/하회촌." Chon/촌/村 means "village."

Publishing. A book-making company. I need to look these people up.

gray font, bottom: planning, design, printing, publication

ad text, black-and-red 'handwriting" font: "Books make the people, and Donga Adcom/Donga Cultural History makes the books."

I wonder if they'd make my kind of books.

otherwise, a faceless building

nice to have a walking lane

gravesite in the distance

zoomed in

GRAVESITE

"Starting 400 m ahead, 40 kph maximum speed"

quiet road

looking left

the Hahoe 2nd Village stop (Hahoe 2-li/하회2리)

a street I won't be going down

scraggly cat, field, veggies, pallets

I've got nothing for you, buddy.

What a wall!

Pungsan, straight ahead

I do not climb this to see the memorial more closely.

...but I do zoom in.

"sewage catch basin"—lovely

I don't know why this sign is advertising both the 4 Rivers and Nakdong paths.

This close to Andong Dam, I'm too far east for the Four Rivers path, which continues northwest to Incheon. Maybe this sign's content is a misprint, or the sign got misplaced along this route.

Once again, you're too late, dawg!

You, too!

Fuck the CM Park hotel, in downtown Andong, which was unfriendly to me a few years back.

As I mentioned before, my first-ever walk along this route started at the Sangju Bus Terminal and followed a slightly different path. That first route took me through a downtown-ish part of Andong, which is why I know about the CM Park Hotel at all. The snooty receptionist asked whether I'd made a reservation; I said no. He told me he had no rooms available for me, and that the hotel only took reservations. I wasn't about to debate him, so I nodded and left. But I'd never heard of a midrange hotel that didn't accept walk-ins. That bugged me. As did his attitude.

Another 4 Rivers/Nakdong sign. What's going on here?

more strategically planted pines

a Don King pergola

memorial for participants in the Korean War of 1950-1953

A closer look. 6/25 is the start date of that war.

I think of Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam doing an impression of an artilleryman asking Adrian Cronauer to play any music, but to play it loud.

Hanu (Korean beef) and Doenjang (Korean miso), the name of a meat restaurant by the memorial

moo

the sign's other side: Hanu and Doenjang (pronounce it "d[w]en-jahng")

The blue sign up ahead says to keep following this road.

So I'm not turning right to Hahoe Village. (pronounce it "ha-hweh")

You have to love how Koreans break up English words.

I'm heading left toward a Confucian academy.

Before there were Western-style universities on the peninsula, there was a different cultural import from China: Confucian academies. These stressed memorization and mastery of the classics, and to this day, Korean education is still mired in antiquated notions of rote learning instead of actual thinking, which drove me crazy as an educator before I became the uncaring cynic I am today. There are notable exceptions, though, like KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), which has embraced Western scientific thinking and is one of the world's foremost producers of versatile, problem-solving robots. Korea as a whole is also one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world (Hyundai Heavy Industries), and the country has shown, in other ways, that it can be creative. But in areas like music (think: K-pop), variety shows, and language teaching, Korea seems content to copy other styles or to use methods from decades ago instead of catching up with the rest of the world. It's a mixed bag here: in some ways, Korea is a mere imitator, content to be derivative; in other ways, Korea is a ferocious innovator. The picture isn't simple.

I finally succumb to the temptation to follow a farm road, but only because bike-route signs are pointing that way.

I should note that my Naver app, by contrast, is saying to stay away from the farm roads. Once again, Naver will prove to be correct. I never learn.

definitely not going that way

See what I mean? The signs (despite their screwy content) are pointing this way.

Too bad Halloween's over.

the pan-cultural urge to plink

In certain cases, Koreans can own guns, but firearms are normally stored in a police locker. Unfortunately, there is no second Amendment here, and while the general lack of guns does keep the gun violence down, Korea still has robberies, murders, rapes, abuse, and incidents that kill dozens of people at a time through insanity and/or negligence.

I hope you make it.

I'm back on the road. Just because.

farm equipment parked by a senior center

Byeongsan Village Senior Center

beans, drying

a sign for the Confucian academy

This supposedly says, "Reviewing the old helps us learn the new." (Lee Han-dong) Does it really?

The Byeongsan Village bus stop; Hahoe Village is behind, and Byeongsan Confucian Academy is ahead.

funky

There's a restroom up here, but it's usually closed and locked.

myo

closeup

another splattered poisonous snake

a different snake, nearly erased by nature

Byeongsan 5th Bridge

irrationally trying the farm road again

cabbage, looking like an undead zombie clawing its way out of the ground

I walked along the farm road a second time and ran out of road, so I had no choice but to double back a bit, hop back onto the road-road, and follow Naver's suggested path. That's how I found out the bike lane had been dug up, presumably for resurfacing, and a bit down the road (see below) is where I met that lone construction worker (can you see him below? click the image to enlarge, then right-click and open in new tab for full size) who first offered me alcohol before offering me an apple.

the road I walk and the missing bike lane

so many dead snakes

and another one

Confucian academy ahead, but I won't be heading to the exit for it.

If the academy is straight ahead, I'll be swerving left.

another serpentine critter

mountain shadows create their own microclimates

The Korean says, Confucian Culture Road (Yugyo Munhwa-gil/유교문화길).

2:02 p.m., drainage facility

I will eventually sweep right to Pungsan-eup.

32K to Andong Dam. Most of that will be walked tomorrow.

no escaping the 'mallows

a proper sign indicating only the Nakdong River trail

downramp to a bridge crossing a creek

upramp on the other side

almost at the low bridge

looking right

looking left

Up the ramp I go.

ascent: 6% grade for 80 m—not bad

No, that's too close. Then again, I'll be diverting to Pungsan, which takes me off-piste.

Again, 293 + 26 ≠ 385.

That's the outer edge of Pungsan in the distance. I'm not off the trail yet.

Nakdonggang jongju/낙동강종주

suddenly bumped up to 30K, which strangely seems more correct

Also: 355 + 30 = 385, making this a more trustworthy indication.

the river and another aeration "shelf"

I admit I nudged the painted grass off to see the negative image.

2:51 p.m.

The Songhak Motel (a yeogwan, basically) is simply furnished, and there's nothing around it in terms of food, so it's a good thing I'd bought something along the way.

The work never stops, not even post-harvest.

Of course. Park golf.

In that group of six people, the masked lady in the green vest has noticed me.

I've chosen a slightly different road from what Naver has suggested, and this time, I was right to do so.

no longer the official bike path

tight little courtyard

gotta love that off-kilter door

a shwimteo that I won't be using

straight on across, not right or left

frame for that damn PA system

Are these yellow persimmons or something else?

another chair in exile

3:25 p.m.

over a creek and almost into town

looking right

I'll follow this access road most of the way to the motel.

Must be fall.

I wonder if Ureong-gol means "roaring cave" as AI suggests.

hangari

humble residence

How best to translate this? "(Do) you see this right here and now(?)." ...?

red font: 知足/지족/jijok (knowledge...?)
black font: The heart (mind) is comfortable, and (things) become pleasant.

more chryssies (chrysanthemums)

here, too, but yellow

and here

Google Translate offers "Villa Pavilion" as the translation. I don't know. Naver Dictionary thinks the characters might be the Korean syllables 서별헌정 (seo byeol heon jeong, 墅別軒正). Separately, these mean, roughly, farm hut/villa + share/divide + house/home + right/just/correct. What they might mean together, I have no clue, and I suspect that the AI misread what the second character is because it doesn't really look like 別.

In any case, this seems to be a pension-like place or a rest stop where you're supposed to put aside your worries. Or it could be a sex dungeon where they drug you, have their way with you, then throw you out onto the street. You never know.

Sad to think there'll be only one more day of these gloves.

getting close to the motel

local fire department

Songhak-jang Inn (Songhak-jang Yeogwan)

According to the distant signs, it's also called the Songhak Motel.

Don't trust anything in Korea. Different signs use different names; different signs offer different distances to your destination... nothing is ever fixed and trustworthy. You have to develop a sort of vague, fuzzy, flexible mentality to be able to navigate this country.

outdoor bathroom!

3:45 p.m.—the vertical sign says "Songhak Motel"

A yeogwan/여관 is technically an inn—a very modest lodging and, these days, pretty much the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality. (Maybe a minbak is lower, but that depends on the location.) A motel is, generally speaking, a slight step up in quality. A yeogwan might cost you W25,000-W35,000 a night; a motel will set you back anywhere from W35,000 to W70,000 a night, and in many cases, the motel's price does not reflect its quality. A lot of unscrupulous motel managers will charge a "foreigner's tax" when they see a non-Korean face. They usually hide the racist nature of the "tax" by saying it's a surcharge for having arrived early, or for having arrived on a Friday, or for having arrived on a weekend or some other bullshit. They know that a guy like me, dragging myself in after a day of walking, will not be in a mood to argue, and for places like the Songhak, they're the only game in town. Luckily, the Songhak's owner treated her place more like a yeogwan than a motel; these days, W35,000 is a reasonable yeogwan price (a decade ago, that would've been W25,000 for the same quality of lodging). Note how one sign calls the Songhak a yeogwan, while the sign on the building itself bills this as a motel. A lot of mislabeling occurs with lodging: many motels, for example, have signage declaring they are hotels. Generally speaking, hotels are a little higher-end in quality, but not always. You can expect to pay anywhere from W60,000 to W300,000 a night at a hotel. Pensions, which normally have kitchen facilities, are in roughly the same range. But for the most part, you have to reserve pension rooms in advance: most don't take walk-ins although, during my east-coast walk, I found many exceptions, maybe because they were desperate for cash in the off-season.

the yeogwan's reception area, with rate charts

I had to call the manager to tell her I was at her office. When she arrived, she said I'd come too early for her to have a regular room ready, so she moved me into a kind of minbak area. Traditionally, minbak started out as bedrooms rented out by families; you had the option of eating dinner with the house's owners. These days, minbak are entire buildings with rentable rooms, but they might have communal bathroom/shower areas. I've been in one traditional minbak situation (2017, and literally someone's bedroom for two nights), and the place you see below, a small house sitting away from the motel, might be considered another; I've never tried the more modern minbak, though, so I can't personally confirm what facilities a modern minbak has.

Huge armoires—holding blankets, etc.—are a feature of traditional Korean housing.

large bathroom/shower area, with the standard rubber slippers for walking on wet floors

I didn't see any laundry facilities. Not unexpected, but disappointing.

living-room area, with a view of the entrance

The lady gave me a quick tutorial on how to use the water-heating system, a thermostat-box on the wall by the kitchenette.

a "bed" already spread on the ground

Below is an interesting piece of living-room furniture sometimes found in East Asian culture: the couch that is not a couch. It has the shape, but as you can see, the sides—the "arms"—are barely padded, and the couch's seat has almost no cushioning except whatever is being grudgingly provided by the blankets. Otherwise, it's as hard as a table. East Asians are sometimes brutal when it comes to furniture made for rest.

the not-a-couch

As I wrote above, the manager moved me out of the minbak to a regular yeogwan room.

goodbye, minbak

And here's the regular room I got moved to (main building):

This actually felt more comfortable. More normal.

with the standard bathroom

So my day ended with typically Korean chaos and confusion as the yeogwan manager yanked me from the house setting to put me into a regular motel room. In the end, everything turned out fine, but all of that confusion was unnecessary, and yet another example of how, especially out in the boonies, customer service isn't really a concept. Of course, whether it's a concept or not depends a lot on the personality of the owner/manager. The Songhak never makes me feel welcome, but I know I'll at least end up with a room, and the lady managing the place might be loud and zigzaggy, but at least she's not a bitch. And the day finished fine: I had a decent night's sleep after an okay—if spare—meal.