I’ll be posting regularly in the coming week about my trip and experiences on the road… Here’s the first!

Later I saw some signs for a temple called Magoksa. On a whim I went in and explored. It was beautiful, a little more spread out than some of the other temples I’ve visited.

I made into Deoksan just as a thunder storm was passing through so I go drenched and my map got wet. Luckily my Guide book survived and I was able to use provincial maps to continue on my bike. I visited an interesting temple called Sudeoksa, the nice thing about this spot was a nice view from the temple overlooking the surrounding lands. Here’s the gate which surprised me with it’s unpainted finish, and a couple of nice shots from inside the temple grounds.

After I finished in Sudeoksa I had a choice: go to the next town and sleep in a sauna, or try to get to Taean. I opted for Taean and got there just as the sun was setting.

I elected to spend my first night on the road in a local jimjillbang because it was getting too dark to look for the campground and then set everything up. So after my first day I realized a couple of things. One is that a full day of riding means a tender arse! Maybe it’s the backpack but after the first 50km I found I had to stop every 25 km or so to stretch the legs and give my butt a break from the bike.