pedal power

One of the things that moved with me from Bucheon to Seoul was this secondhand mountain bike. I bought it from a Canadian friend who lived in Suwon for about ₩30,000. 

Now that the spring weather has finally arrived, I busted the thing out from under the stairs and started riding it. And boy, there's so much good stuff to see in this part of Seoul! Take the ride I took this Sunday, for instance: 

...past the flower truck...

...down the street behind our villa...

...to the main street and the T-junction that leads to the Gwangjin Bridge...

...across the Gwangjin Bridge and over the wide green Han River...

...down into the Hangang River Park...

...where I saw this. I'd ridden past it plenty of times, but never could tell precisely what it was. It looked like a runway to me, but it couldn't have been more than 300 feet long. That might have been useful for a bush plan and an extremely bold pilot, but it wasn't enough for practical everyday use.

   Then I looked to my right and saw these guys.

It was the KAMA, or the Korean Aero Model Association (since 1961). I had no idea they existed!

They're out here on alternate Sundays (I'm guessing) flying scale models from this little runway. The planes even have their own parking and run-up areas. It looked like a lot of fun, and it really made me miss flying.

Anyway, proceeding south along the park's 41-kilometer bike path...

...past the dude practicing his harmonica skills in the spring sunshine...

...to this tributary of the Han. Wish I knew what it was called. Anyway, heading east up the south side...

...one comes to a bike path, which is lined with cherry trees, which at this time of year are lined with...

...gorgeous cherry blossoms.

I gazed my fill, then biked back along the Jamsil Bridge to meet Miss H at Gangbyeon Station (Line 2), so we could head over to...

Jamsil Stadium (Sports Complex) to watch the Doosan Bears play the Hanhwa Eagles.

And that was my Sunday.

Catch you on the flip side...