Photo updates!

Hsukushima　shrine, an UNESCO world heritage site.

the  deer on Miyajima island were like cats, you could pet them.

the A -Bomb dome.



one of many shrines in Japan



third class passengers on the ferry from jeju island to busan.

buddist temple in korea.

iwakuni bridge in japan. I am showing off dirt from the days events by bike!

this is for Laurie - coke in korean.

Japan: Shimonoeski, Ogori, Iwakuni & Hiroshima

We made it to Japan on Wednesday, August, 28th. The ferry from Korea was cruise- like, even in 2nd class. In Shimonoeski we already noticed some stark differences from Korea, for example, it seemed a lot more organized, less loud. People also seemed to stare less at us. After we found a map at a ¥100 shop we started to bike out of the city. We quickly found a shrine and stopped to take a look. We are starting to learn the differences between a shrine and a temple. After the stop we cycled onto Ogorie, a small town. In Japan it is possible to "guerilla" camp, so we found a spot under a bridge for free. After buying our first meal we found out how much the $ to ¥ was going to hurt us. We cycled 53km to get to Ogorie.

We woke up early and had early plans to make it a long day. The plan was to cycle to Hiroshima within the next few days. We decided to cycle to Iwakuni. The cycling in Japan has been pleasent so far. We've been able to avoide highways by cycling on sidewalks, and small farm roads. On the way to Iwakuni we were pulled over by police- for cycling on a freeway, the Japanese drivers are so polite to bikers we had no idea we were on a freeway. By te time we had gotten to Iwakuni we had done 91.47km. It was a long and hot day(90% humidity!)

Iwakuni had a beatiful bridge and is nestled in the beatiful green mountains. We were able to see another shrine and we are starting to get the hang of the traditions on Japan when visiting a shrine- pay, bow, pray, clap twice, bow again. We stayed in a hostel that night and had a much deserved Japanese style bath- we were the only ones staying in the hostel!

This morning it rained and we waited for it to subside. We stared biking out of town at around 10am. We stopped when we saw a sign for another shrine- itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO world heritage sight. It is as beautiful as the pictures. It looks as if the red gate is floating in the water. We had to take a short water taxi to get there and a lot of the day was spent in Miyajima. We then went back to mainland and cycled our way to Hiroshima. An easy 39km got us to the hostel and we were able to catch the Peace Memorial Museum before it closed. Of course it was a somber evening but I'm glad we were able to see it- it's always an education. Tomorrow is another day of cycling and I'm excited to see what more beautiful sites we will see.

Getting by in Korea!

Despite the language differences, Martin and I are finding our way from city to city just fine. At first it was hard but alot is actually in English. They also use numbers for the roads and major highways, so it is easier for us to read the map and figure out where to go. In the beginning we were using my iPhone map, bu data adds up quick and costs alot. Surprisingly we haven't gotten completely lost, yet. One close call was when we got off the ferry too early and asked around if it was correct stop, we figured it out- while a few people were snickering at us. Another daily challenge is basic communication, obviously. Most people are very patient with us, and sometimes we find people that do know English that can help us.

Over the weekend we were in Jeju-do, an island off of Korea. They call it the Hawaii of Korea. The tallest mountain, mt. Hallasan, is a volcano that rises in the center of the island. The peak is 1950m and Martin and I hiked it yesterday. It was an 8.4km hike that took about 6 hrs. And was supposed to be a rest from biking. Tonight we hop back on the ferry and head to Busan, Korea's second largest city and also where we will be picking up the ferry to japan. We should be in Shimonoseki, Japan in the next couple days.

We are hoping the food will be a little different in japan. If we knew the language and weren't on such a tight budget then Korean food would be great. However. We are on such a tight budget we only hit the "convienent stores" and pick up ramen bowels, which are good but very spicy. And we eat them everyday, so it gets old after a while. Hopefully japan has more options.

Culture Shock!

We left Seoul on Sunday, September 18th. We had plans to bike from Seoul to Suwon, a "town" just outside of Seoul. Henry gave us really great directions and a lot of the time we were able to cycle on the bike path next to the Han River in Seoul. However, once we got off the bike path chaos immersed us, and Henry was no long there to translate for us. We were quickly confused by the noise, cars, korean language and writing around us. Culture shock hit us like a brick after we left our comfort zone of Henry's apartment.

We got our barrings and made it to Suwon with little trouble. However, to our surprise, Suwon seemed to be just an extension of Seoul. We biked about 37.4km that day, and I'm glad we didn't do any more - because we were exhausted from the hustle and bussle of the korean city. We visited the castle that evening, which looks a lot like the Seoul castle and walked the fortress the next day.

Day two of cycling we headed for Gongju. Our map does not do it justice with the distances. We cylced 98.39km that day. We were exhausted, too much for our second day of cycling. We decided to stay two nights in this "quiet" town and check out the castle there, as well as the fortress.

After a rest day and checking out the sites of Gongju we made it to Jeonju. We are getting the hang of the distances, though it was still 84km of cycling. Our goal was to have shorter days in the begining of our trip. Jeonju was beautiful, however. We walked around a Hanok Village.

Today we are in Naejangsan National Park. Our first night of camping, and we are the only ones at the campground. Martin and I are getting used to cycling, however I still don't think my butt is used to it yet - it hurts! Anyway, we are about to head to a temple and tomorrow we are planning another 65km to the next city. We have finally made it out of the cities and we are happy to have a little space today. :)

A Day in Seoul, in Pictures!

The Olympic Park right outside Henry's apartment. The Olympics were here in 1988.

Sang-Mae, Henry and Martin during our morning walk along an old fortress.

An Olympic Stadium behind us.

We went to the Gyeongbok Palace and were lucky enough to see the changing of the guard.

Gyeongbok Palace

The Bukchon Hanok village, traditional housing right in the middle of Seoul.

Bukchon Hanok Village

An Electric Bus, plugged in! Korea is 10 years ahead of US!

Martin and I on the North Seoul Tower, a local favorite. Great views of the entire city.

Locks with wishes attached on the tower.

From Cycling Victoria, B.C. and onto U.S. Soil to South Korea!

On  September 8 we took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, on Vancouver Island with our bikes in tow. The ferry terminal was about 25k outside of Victoria, but a bike path leads right into the quaint city. We had high hopes of spending the afternoon touring the city, however, Martin kept getting flat tires. His patches wouldn't work and the spare tire already had multiple patches and blew threw them after only a couple minutes of riding. After we found a bike shop and purchased new tubes and patches we finally made it to the city. Victoria was impressive not only for the bike lanes but also because it had a quaint and historical feel. At the end of the day we found the brewery and some excellent IPA and nachoes!

On the ferry on the way to  Victoria. The weather was amazing!

Day two in Victoria wasn't an easy day. We stared out at the University of Victoria, where I was able to talk with the admissions office about some of their graduate programs. The school was impressive. After that we headed for the castle in Victoria and toured it's elegant rooms. Once we were finished with that we decided to bike downtown, however, that bike ride turned into a bike crash- with a parked car. I usually don't like to admit when I've done stupid things like this- but it was a hard earned lesson on biking the roads. No matter what the scenery is, always look ahead and watch for cars, parked or otherwise. Thankfully, all that happened was a very bruised knee, and ego. 

We made it out of Victoria and on the ferry on the evening of the evening of September 9th. We crossed the border and were on US soil by the 10th. It was an uneventful border crossing, even with all our stuff! We went to Pikes Place Brewing Company in Seattle and headed for Portland the next day.

Portland is known as the Rose City, and for good reason. We visited the Rose Garden and were impressed by the wide range of roses and colors!

Our arrival in Portland was a HOT one- it was 90 degrees and muggy! Our Portland tour guide and friend, Fernando, showed us what Portland has to offer. This city is so very different from east coast cities- it's super laid back! Their motto of "keep Portland weird" fits. Fernando took us on a 42 mile bike ride outside of Portland. The ride was a rail to trail system. It was cooler on day 2 and 3 in Portland, so biking was pleasant and exactly what we needed! After our bike ride we drove down the coast to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We were impressed at how many people were there! I guess the free samples draws in the tourists. Fernando then showed us some of the beautiful Portland Coast. We sat on the beach and watched the surfers and sunset. The Portland coast is exactly what I expected, beautiful!

Where we stopped at the Oregon coast was an old growth forest. I am impressed with the hugeness of the trees!

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast, sunset and surfers!

Yesterday, after a grueling 11 hour flight, we arrived in Seoul, with our bikes! My buddy from college, Henry, picked us up from the airport.  A 16 hour time change is a little hard to adjust to, but we went out to dinner that evening at a traditional Korean restaurant. It was amazing and its been good to adjust to the Korean culture with Henry.

The Sea to Sky Highway, Whistler, Squamish and Vancouver

In Whistler.

Hiking outside of Whistler.



Biking out of Vancouver - Trust me, I am happy! :)


We made it to Vancouver! Martin kept saying how surprised he is that the van made it as far as it did with no major problems, knock on wood, the luck continues to Portland.

We drove the Sea to Sky Highway, through Faser Canyon and onto Whistler a few days ago. We had no idea that Canada actually had a desert, but it does, right in Fraser Canyon. The Highway is a beautiful drive, and quite nerve wrecking, through hairpin turns and right next to a deep canyon. We camped at one of the (FREE!!) state campgrounds. The next morning we rose to gorgeous weather! We had big plans of hiking most of the day, right outside of Whistler, but found some "out of the way" hotsprings up a forest road, and decided to calm our nerves by trying out the hotsprings. The guidebook says that they are free, but unfortunately, the Canadian Government now owns the land, so we had to pay $8.00 each - but well worth it! We spent four hours soaking ourselves, it was totally worth the long drive and the money. After the hotsprings we headed into Pemberton, a small farming community outside of Whistler. We did a hike to Nairn Falls, which was actually pretty impressive. We then camped for the night at another Free Campsite.

The next day we headed onto Whistler. We hiked 7km straight up to a cabin. I am pretty used to mountain scenes after living in Alaska and hiking all over there, but this was breathtaking. Probably the most beautiful area I've ever been in. Martin was also impressed and already mentioned that he wanted to get back there to climb some peaks. After our nice hike, we headed to Whistler. We had a cold beer at the Whistler Brewery and met a couple from KENAI! They were on their way out too - to Seattle. Whistler was less than impressive, very touristy, but that was to be expected. I still wouldn't mind skiing there.

The next day we headed into Squamish. Squamish is known for its rock climbing. We hiked "The Cheif", a granite wall, second largest in North America. The backside was semi-easy to hike, with chains and latters leading to the top. The view at the top was amazing. Squamish is nestled between the mountains and Horseshoe Bay.

After our hike we were ready for the city - we headed to Vancouver. We actually found a campsite right in the city limits. The first night we went into the city by bike, to seek out a local brewery. We were successful and even found our way back after dark! Today we toured the City by bike again (we are also trying to get our biking legs ready for South Korea). We visited the Aquarium and The Museum of Anthropology at The univerisity, which was amazing and overwhelming. Tomorrow we head for Vancouver Island to bike for two days. We plan on making it back to the States around September 10th.

Beautiful British Columbia!

We headed into British Columbia with beautiful weather. The leaves lined the roads like gold. It is offically fall up in the mountains here!

We stopped first at "Jade City", where they advertised free coffee, which lured us in. We learned that 90% of the worlds Jade is mined in the Cassier mountains. Then we stopped at a campsite along the cassier highway. Martin had high hopes of hiking a trail into the mountains, but unfortunately, the trail was unmaintained and a bridge had broken down. but our campsite was idea, set next to a beautiful lake, with a rainbow that lasted an hour! We've only paid for camping a couple times so far - its been nice to save some money in that way.

a photo taken right by our campsite, we are blocking an awesome rainbow.

Martin caught some good fish during our travels through the Yukon.

The next morning we got up and started driving to Smithers, BC. On our drive we saw numerous black bear and our second wild horse! We were able to find a campsite in Smithers right in town. Smithers is a quaint ski town with a lot of character. We went out for a drink and were able to meet the manager of the ski restort. It seems like everyone that lives here, loves this town. Today, we had planned to go for a hike to the glacier, outside of Smithers, but unfortunately it is raining, so we are spending the day doing stuff around town and plan to make our way to Prince George by the evening.



tucked away on a side road off the Alaska highway, one of our "Free" campsites