Biking the Gwangju Stream

The weather on Saturday hit the 50s so we went for a lil spin around Gwangju. Here is a video while riding next to the Gwangju Stream. The path curls around the entire city and we can ride from our Dong to Sangmu [where Leah and Stu live] in less than an hour.


Down the path we stumbled upon Kite Man. He was in the middle of releasing what must have been close to 800m [half mile] worth of strand. Half of the kites were birds and the other were diamonds. He would release one kite about every 15 seconds from a box at his feet. The entire span of the kites reached up and over the roof of the city. It was something spectacular to watch and one of those moments you only get once.


Happening upon Kite Man.




"Hey...that's my box of kites."

Check out the rest of the bike adventure and Kite Man photos here.

Papas Got A Brand New Bike

I gave up hunting down the scoundrel that yanked my bike and decided to move on to better things. I picked up this stealth, new Lespo at the same place that I bought my first bike. After some quick detailing and technical adjustments, she is now ready to tear up the mean streets of Gwangju. Although I am sad that my first bike is long gone...this newbie has gifted me with an overall better ride. The gears transition more smoothly, the broad seat offers more cushioning so that I can tackle those rough n' bumpy parts of town, and the matte-black finish grants me stealth whenever I am engaged in hot pursuit during our bi-weekly "cops n' robbers" tournaments (Tuesday and Thursday nights, 11pm -2am, Bongseon-Dong, losers make breakfast).



It will be nice once the spring comes so that we can enjoy lazy bike adventures up and down the stream path once again. So far everyone in our neighborhood has a bike, excluding Milkis, who knows when that kid will get in the loop?

Dirty Thieves

At approximtely 10:52:48 on Monday night, my bike was stolen from the ground floor of the Avalon school building. Whoever it was, the thief managed to take off with my bike even though the wheels were locked in place. Out of the four or five bikes down there, he managed to abscond with mine..why mine? I guess this is confirmation that I did have the coolest ride on the block. Its a shitty feeling to have your bike there in the morning and then, when you are happy to get off work and anticipate an enjoyable ride home, there is an empty void in its place.

I already put up threatening bilingual fliers in the hallways and around the street posts of my area demanding the bike's return. What irks me most is that Caitlin left school around 9:45 and the bike was still there. I left a little after 10PM and the bike was gone...15 minutes! I would have loved to have caught him in the act and broken all of his dirty little fingers. Welp, not much we can do about it now.

Alot of the Koreans tell me that bike theft, both cycles and motorbikes, is very common and there is nothing you can do to prevent it (even if you do a good job locking up your transport). Caitlin had her first bike (luckily a cheapy) stolen over the summer and got a second one when I arrived. Now everyone is storing their cycles up on the second and third floors, out of reach from the thieving scoundrels who roam and pillage the ground level.

Good thing Christmas is approaching...I think I am ready to move off the training wheels and up to a shiny new red bike.

Gwangju City is Bike Friendly!

After three failed visits to the local bike shop, we finally managed to get two sweet new rides! We tried to save some money by searching for used bikes but came up with nothing after a few pathetic attempts to wager in hand gestures and loudly-spoken Korean. We ended up caving and buying new bicycles. After only a week of owning these guys, they have already proven their worth. The ride to school only takes 2 minutes, the handy-dandy basket makes transporting groceries (vegetables) a cinch, and meeting up with our cross-town cronies has never been more convenient. The bikes here are all made in China and have cheap plastic brakes, erratic shifters, and an astonishing number of EXTREME decals (I did some aesthetic work and took mine off). If you want something other than a mountain bike you either have to get an old man bike or a mini.


We are so cool.

If you look at the map below, the red line indicates the Gwangju Stream (the red dot is our apartment complex). On the banks of the stream are pathways that are used for walking, biking, and exercise. The path runs the entire length of the city and if you follow it far enough you will start entering the countryside. Along the stream are many man-made cascades, places to sit and relax, and under-the-bridge-old-man-hangouts. It is common to see these guys playing and betting on card games, fishing, or having a smoke. Or if you are lucky enough, like today, one of them will challenge you to a strenuous bike race and then continue to make guttural motorcycle noises at you the entire way. He won.



The people in Gwangju are very friendly and have no problem taking pictures of foreigners with their cell phone cameras. This guy asked if he could take a picture of Caitlin and I on his phone. He is probably texting that photo to all of his homies and LOLing about it right now :) I made him get a photo with Caitlin as retribution. He has been to Denver once and saw the Grand Canyon.

This particular spot alongside the stream was a field of sunflowers. The bees were busy pollinating, a hungover preying mantis was having trouble navigating his leaf, and Caitlin got a bug stuck in between her teeth. We continued on this path to SangMu, the business district of GWangju City. Our friends Leah and Stuart live there and it is also were you will find Geumho world - a multi-level electronics and home goods store. I picked up a pair of clippers and was finally able to shave my scruff for the first time. Also, me and the guys can now have our monthly wine-tasting, cookie-baking, and head-shaving parties. Guys only. Guys.