Day 24, in Andong, Pungsan-eup

I'm in the Da-u Motel (다우모텔, W50,000 a night) after an unexpectedly long day of walking. I did my scheduled 21.5K to reach the hotel I had chosen in downtown Pungcheon-myeon, the CM Park, only to find out they had no available rooms (or so they said). They sent me next door to the Queen motel, but Queen wouldn't accept any check-ins before 6:30 p.m. I wasn't about to wait around for five hours, so I looked at my options and decided to head for a smaller-scale motel that was 9 kilometers to the east, and that's how I chose the Da-u. So according to Naver, I walked at least 30K on what was supposed to be a 21.5K day. My exaggerating pedometer, though, puts me at 39-point-something K.

Stats (based on the pedometer): 39.2K, 50,313 steps, 522 minutes, 4.5 kph. I'm beginning to think that this walking speed is bogus, though: it's more like 3-point-something kph, or barely 2 mph. My stride length is below average, and my step frequency is under 100 per minute. So take all of these stats with a big grain of salt. Or it could just be that I'm slower because I'm taking photos every 100 meters. I'll do some testing when I get back to Seoul, but I seem to recall 18K Bundang walks that clocked in at 4.8 kph. The truth is out there. 

The weather was great, if a little warm, with temperatures around 70°F (21°C). The sky was cloudy but also often sunny. I forgot to bring my arm-protecting toshi with me, but I reasoned that I got plenty of sun in Jeju, so there's not much more that can happen to me at this point. So far, no burns. 

During today's walk, I figured out the pattern: the walk is awesome as long as I'm by the river and/or on the legitimate bike trail, but the moment I veer away to find my motel, I find myself much less happy: there's traffic and civilization, and the protective road shoulder is gone. This isn't a huge problem on local highways, but in places where traffic is denser, it can be a little dangerous. I was very briefly on a freeway, today, when I got turned around once, and that was the first time I felt unsafe. The navigational error was my fault, but all the same, it wasn't fun to be on a road shoulder next to cars going full tilt, even if only for a couple minutes. 

Today's walk along the river took me along many beautiful straightaways, not to mention field after field of rice and other crops being harvested. I also saw more abandoned gloves over the course of today than I've ever before seen in a single day. In the morning, I spent several kilometers listening to several people shooting what sounded like some powerful rifles. This wasn't the pop-pop-pop of pistols; these shots boomed with a bass component. I recall jokingly thinking that I truly was in God's country now because conservatives love their firearms. I have no idea what it takes to own a gun in Korea, but it seems gun ownership is indeed possible (you may recall that, on previous walks, I twice found expended shotgun shells). 

The CM Park Hotel, the hotel I had initially aimed for, has the address of Andong City, Pungcheon-myeon. This area is the seat of Gyeongsang North Province (called Gyeongsan-bukdo in Korean, or Gyeongbuk for short), and entering it after spending hours along the quiet riverside felt surreal. It's a pleasant, placid city with wide sidewalks, plenty of green spaces, and a tranquil ambiance. Even the apartment complexes felt more relaxed than what you'd normally find in Seoul. It had urban planning pretty obviously stamped on it, and while it didn't have the organically chaotic feeling of Seoul, it felt very chill. I found myself wondering what it would be like to live and work there. 

Some of this positive impression was dampened by the cool reception I got at both the CM Park Hotel and the Queen Motel. At both places, the service was snooty and a bit brusque, and while it might be irrational to think this way, I did find myself wondering whether both hotels really had legitimate excuses for turning me away, or if they both saw a scruffy foreigner and decided they'd rather uphold a reputational standard than let such a person have a room. But I don't want you to think that I think Andong is full of racial conservatives; the manager of my current motel serves as a good counter-example: he was friendly when he greeted me, and I could see that he looked at my shirt and immediately understood my situation. 

Anyway, by choosing to walk farther and stay at the Da-u, I have now shortened the distance I'll be walking tomorrow. Since today ended up being 30-some K, tomorrow's walk to the dam's certification center will be only 26K, plus the distance to whatever motel I end up in (I chose one several kilometers away, on the east side of town, but I might change my mind if I'm feeling too tired).

There's a 20K walking route that I can do instead, but that route is inland, well away from the river. I came here specifically to follow the Nakdong River as much as possible, so what would be the point of taking an inland route? 

Once tomorrow's walk is done, I'll retire to my motel and immediately get to work on my foot, cutting away my big toe's callus and exposing the interior to the air for as long as possible. I doubt I'll slap up any pictures of this... unless you really want to see the self-surgery. Once I'm back in Seoul, I'll probably hit up a specialist, and I'll also stay off my feet for maybe two weeks to allow the screaming of my extremities to die down. 

Despite the long walk, I took fewer pics today than I took yesterday. Enjoy.

goodbye, Daeseon Motel, Yeogwan, whatever you are

retracing my steps back to the river

This is where the bike trail and I parted ways yesterday.

now following the bike trail

beautiful landscape

a mountain with big tits

Don't be fooled: not a marijuana leaf.

This asshole was probably a cat.

chili peppers drying and dying

shovel makes a statement

water spewing

hay as it's normally rolled

This tractor driver saw me, waved, then stopped and gave me some peach juice. Very thoughtful of him.

the juice in question

boardwalk

the Nakdong River

up a minor hill

Road for Bike Use, Yecheon County

Even the burdz are assholes.

Who's the asshole now, eh?

myo

caught a crane flying

I just wanna know whether this is a gravestone.

Swimming Man makes an appearance.

I rested here a while.

Most of the bikers I encountered were coming from Andong.

yeesh

rare to see such damage

Above, I had the choice to stay on the low path, but I chose to stay on the road, thinking I would save myself a trip up some stairs at the end, when I would have to turn left. 

Instead, as you see,  the two paths even out.

So I'm in civilization. 

mrowr

I'm apparently at the outskirts of Andong City already.

Old people get around on scooters, mopeds, and ATVs.

Despite having seen two riverside motels, I've decided to push on because, up to this point, I had done only 15K of walking. It was only 11 a.m. when I made the decision to soldier on with the original plan.

dog barks without looking at me

Someone got pantsed.

closer look at the turtle's beard

Does that say that Yecheon is insect country?

snake leather 1

snake leather 2

the sad story of the pram

Gyeongbuk flowers

This describes voltage as "especially high pressure." Is that how we talk about electricity in English?

city up ahead

I know this is a glove. Can't fool me.

the Gyeongbuk Province seat

walking trails

heading east on a long, wide sidewalk

petiquette (use a leash, pick up poop, etc.)

Gyeongbuk Library

Gold Hot Spring Tower

almost at my destination, CM Park Hotel

hotel: found

right before my first rejection

off to Queen Motel next door, 5th Floor

Queen Motel front desk

the face you make when you realize you're about to walk an extra 9K

off we go

My buddy Charles's Korean name is Suho.

abstract cello or bass?

people before cars!

festival for kids

drones

This struck me as a bit morbid. Not sure why.

entrance to the provincial office

Red Cross

provincial office of education

How does this represent education?

"Let my people go!"

I should never have gone through this tunnel.

grate filled with concrete

Above is a pic of the freeway I was on for a couple of minutes until I figured out where I needed to go. Embarrassing.

Death comes for us all.

On the right track now.

walking path to my motel

sheaves

Andong Rice Center

same label

so many gloves today

about 2 km to go, maybe less

roses near my motel

room key

The final leg of this year's adventure begins tomorrow. I've seen photos of the final approach to the Andong Dam, and I'm expecting big things. We'll see.

Oh, yeah: the sound of shooting: