The next day I took my bike into a shop at Taean and did some exploring while I was waiting for the shop owner to fix my speedometer. I visited an ancient site called the Ggujinamugol, the ancient ‘Taean Rock-carved Buddha Triad’. These buddhas are arranged in a different manner from the typical carvings of that era. The guide told me this was in part due to Chinese influence because Taean served as a trading hub between Korea and China.

The guide actually struck up quite a conversation with me and invited me out for Taean Chinese food which he said was the best in all of Korea. Naturally I couldn’t refuse such an offer. We had Chinese naeng-myeong (cold noodles), which were actually pretty good. He invited me into his house for a few minutes to show me pictures of his kids and grandkids, as well as some of his published poetry. Afterwards, he was kind enough to give me a ride to the shop and I was on my way. I saw an interesting tomb on and got some nice shots as I was leaving Taean and travelling to my next destination.

The next stop was Byeonsanbando National Park which is a coastal park with some interesting hikes. I crossed into the park as the sun was getting lower in the sky. I made it to the beach just in time to catch the sunset

The campground was next to the beach so this time I was able to set up the tent. Just as I was settling in for sleep I emptied my pockets and my keys were missing! Shit. I checked the bikes ignition but no luck. It was too dark to check the beach but I was pretty sure I knew where they’d be. I’d have to check in the morning when I woke up.