Okay, you’re sick of dealing with crowded busses and obnoxious taxi drivers.   You’ve decided to throw caution to the wind, take your life in your hands and buy a motorbike.  It might be a little second-and scooter that makes your students giggle and ask you to deliver Chinese food, or it might be a big (?!) 125cc Hyosung or Daelim.  Either way, you’ve gotten the hang of not being run over by a bus every thirty seconds, you’re getting around to work and shopping, but you’re wondering what else there is to see.

    Riding my bike has been one of my biggest stress relievers since I first came to Korea five years ago.  I love exploring all the little nooks and crannies of Pusan and the surrounding areas.  The truth is, there are all kinds of little gems hidden away, many in the countryside, but even more within the city itself.

    I’m hoping this will be an ongoing section.  I know of lots of little “unknown” places snuggled away around Pusan and other riders are always asking me for suggestions, so hopefully, I can put them out here where everyone can share them.

    As far as bikes go, I’ve had 3 scooters (all stolen), one Daelim crotch rocket that I sold, and my current baby, a 1997 Daelim Magma with all the toys and bolt-ons.  You don’t need a bike to go to the place I’ve recommended here, or any of the places I’ll follow up with, either.   A car would work just as well, but these places were found with a spirit of open exploration that just isn’t the same when you’re encased in a ton and a half of glass and steel.

    So read on, and by all means….explore!

    The first biggie I would suggest is Hwang-yong mountain.  Those of us that regularly travel from Somyon to Namchon-Dong know of Hwang-yong Tunnel, but not many know of the peaceful oasis up there above the tube and surrounding clamor of Pusan.

    To get there, turn up the street next to the MBC TV station from the main road in Nam-chon Dong.  Take the first two rights, following along the back of MBC then the first left at the traffic mirror.  This street meets a slightly larger one. From here, just head UP.

    As you ascend past the new townhouse complexes and churches, the road will steepen.  And I mean steep.  The first time I drove up this road, I was on my little 50cc scooter with Becky on the back.  I kid you not, we were doing exactly 8 (eight!) km an hour.  She kept cracking off about should she get off and push.  But my little trooper of a Hyosung made it up without having to dismount.  My most recent ride up, on my Magma, I had Alice on the back and it took a little riding the clutch, on the steep bits, but no problem.

    As you pass the little police box, the last vestige of civilization on your ascent into the wilds of the mountain, the road will change to two lanes of smooth concrete with lots of shoulder.   You’ll quickly leave behind the high rises and enter – get this – TREES!  Lots of `em!   In the middle of the city!  Look over your right shoulder as you grope your way up the grade, and you’ll see Dae-yon dong and all the way down to the Pusan Harbor.

    Continuing along the road, you’ll come to a big microwave tower installation.  Don’t go in there.  All the Korean Army boys get all flustered, “OH!”ing and worrying that they’ll have to come up with some sort of English to tell you to get lost.  Go just past the tower complex then get off your bike walk along a little footpath along the back edge of the fence.  You’re allowed to muck about outside the perimeter all you like.  There are a bunch of trenches and stuff that you can jump and romp around in and play soldier if you want.  Just past those at the top of the ridge, behind the tower installation, there’s a way cool remnant of the Korean War; the mount from an old anti-aircraft gun.

    It’s a small, open, circular concrete structure.  The gun itself is long gone but you can see where the ammunition was stored and the last time I was there, the old aircraft ID pictures were still bolted to one of the inner walls.  What I like best about this is that it’s not an pristine museum piece, it was a real part of the war and it stands, much as it was 50 years ago, pretty much forgotten, a relic of the 50-year standoff..

    After walking back down, and continuing back up the road a bit, you can sit on the newly-landscaped roadside, complete with lots of benches and seats and eat ramen from one of the many little tents that set up along the shoulder.  At 1500 won, it’s a little more pricey than down in the city, but remember that you’re also paying to guy to have it, and the hot water, there for you on the top of a mountain.

There are several good places along the road to stop and see various parts of the city.   What I like best is that you can sit and see pretty much anywhere in Pusan, while listening to the birds and crickets and smelling the pine trees. There are no cut and dry places to stop.  If you see a view of something nice, stop and look.  Take a few pictures, then move on up the road a little more.

Be careful as you get up further.  There will be a picnic area on your right, then the road ends.  And I mean ENDS.  Two lanes of smooth concrete, lines and all, disappear into a twenty-foot wall of dirt.  It’s like something out of a bad comedy sketch.  Seeing it too late and having to lock up your brakes to avoid plowing into it is not a fun thing.  As near as I can tell, the road was built either to facilitate the construction of the two radio towers and only goes as far as the second one, or as a short-cut over the mountain that was never finished due to the construction of the tunnel.

    Just before the road ends, there’s a smaller, one-lane concrete road that goes even further up.   About 30 meters up that road, a dirt road spawns off on your right.  Follow that for 50m and you’ll come to a large flat area that overlooks Somyon.  You can also see all the way down to Pusan Tower and if you look carefully, you can see the sports complex in Sajic-Dong.  You can also see all the way down the valley past Somyon and across the river to the airport.  On a clear day you can watch the planes taking off and landing. 

    If you’re there at the right time of day, the sun sets behind the mountains on the far side of the airport and the sky turns these amazing colors.   All the smog hanging over the city diffuses the light of the stetting sun and creates a really nice display.  As the day becomes night, you can watch all the neon colors grow out of the imposing gloom.  The nighttime view of the city, especially Somyon, is spectacular, easily rivaling the view from the Hollywood hills that you always see in the movies.

    As such, this appears to be a major “parking” area for the youth of Korea after dark.  There are usually a few steamy-windowed vehicles parked around there at night.

    Keep in mind too, that the flat area was built by the military for the purpose of setting up a mobile outlook station.  If there’s a military exercise like Full Eagle going on, you won’t be allowed out to the edge `cause there’ll be a full military camp a-la MASH set up there.

    If you continue up the one-lane concrete road, you’ll drive past ANOTHER radio tower.  This one looks like it was ripped off directly from downtown Paris, and again, they get all antsy if you try to go too close to it.  Continue past this through the dirt parking lot and up the little dirt road the top of the peak.  Here you’ll find an even older military relic.

    It’s an old fire signal station used up until the late 1800’s.  The number of fires or smoke signals signified the war status, anywhere from normal to invasion.  Apparently the country is riddled with these things and messages could be relayed all the way to Seoul!  There’s a new plaque explaining its history and use in both Korean and English.  You can see most of the city from here, including both sides of the tunnel, Somyon, Pusan Harbor (including all the big ship cranes) and even all the way down to Pusan tower on a clear day.

    If you need to work out the kinks in your butt, you can leave your bike here and hike over to the next peak.  It’s an easy 20-minute walk, and there are usually some nice wildflowers growing there.  From one vantage-point, the rocks looks like and old indian’s face, peering thoughtfully out from the side of the ridge.

    To leave, you can go out the way you came or do what I do and make a slightly riskier exit.  Just beside the lookout/smoochy-smoochy area, there’s what I’m sure was once a dirt road than runs downhill for about 100m.  It’s really uneven and filled with ruts and big stones, but I just take my time and bump and roll the bike down slowly.  I have no problem doing this with a scooter or a little 125cc bike, but for God sakes, don’t try it with an expensive “real” bike.  It takes a lot of manhandling and many would consider it offroading. 

    Once you reach the bottom, there’s another little concrete road that you can follow to the bottom of the mountain and back into civilization.  It’s a gradual change, not as abrupt as the one coming up the other road.  You come through one of the poorer neighborhoods in Pusan, little more than some rickety little constructions all mashed together into the little valley.  Some of the houses are built right on top of the stream!  It’s like a little country village nestled into the valley walls.  There’s a little store along the road where you can stop and buy a drink or a snack.

    Continuing down, watch out to your right.  You will pass 2 old bomb shelters built into the side of the mountain. They’re pretty old and decrepit looking and obviously haven’t seen use for a long time.  One is currently being used by a farmer as an equipment shed.  They’re on private property, but if you ask nicely, they’ll usually let you have a peek.  They’re big.  Big enough to drive trucks through.  You can only see in about 20m or so, then there’s a big steel blast door that’s chained shut, but you can just imagine the complex buried beneath.

    The little road eventually widens out and ends near Yang-jong Rotary and subway station (#21), bringing you back to the smog, traffic and congestion of the city.

    How long does the trip take?  It depends on you.  When I used to live in Nam-chon dong, I used to like to run up the mountain on my bike for a peaceful lunch hour.  If you want to do the whole thing, and take you time and putter around, it makes a nice relaxing Sunday day trip away from the masses of people at Pomosa, Chagalchi, and Children’s Park.  It’s one of the few getaways that not many people, even Koreans, seem to know about, but the number of cars up there has been steadily increasing over the years, so go soon.

    And happy riding!

    If you have any questions about this trip, suggestions for others places to visit, or would be interested in getting together a group for riding, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me!