For the past two weeks I've been migrating my public internet life to Google Apps.  I've manage to import what I consider the "best of" the original Foundatron.com and eryansmall.com posts to Google Sites with only a few minor hiccups.  Not everything transferred over perfectly, particularly anything written in Korean or pictures I hosted directly on my hosting service.  If you read through the imported posts, you're likely to find parts of raw html code or gibberish from where Korean used to be.  When I catch the html stuff I'll clean it up, but I don't think I'll ever go and redo all the korean back into hangul.  If you read one of the posts and really need to see how a Korean word is written in hangul, just send me an email I'll get back to you as soon as possible with the proper spelling.  

Being unemployed isn't the most fun, but it's given me a lot of time to ride my bicycle around Seattle. In the short two weeks I've lived here, I've learned a lot about Seattle's layout and its bicycling culture. Right now I'm impressed. Relative to Japan and Korea where I've done most of my cycling, Seattle is implementing good infrastructure and a welcoming atmosphere for cyclists. Riding around in Seattle I quickly noticed the numerous bicycle lanes and all the people using them, even on rainy days. Generally Seattle motorists and pedestrians are very aware of bicyclists, which is great for the safety of everyone. Riders in Seattle seem responsible and follow most traffic laws. Almost everyone I see riding has a helmet and proper lighting for the darker hours. I'm a fairly big stickler for safety and it drives me bonkers when I see someone riding without a helmet, especially children. The roads I've ridden so far are in generally good condition and I rarely worry about potholes. The bicycle lanes are usually well marked and not too narrow. I'm kind of a hill slug, so Seattle terrain is challenging for me. Last weekend, while riding back from west Seattle to my apartment in Greenwood, I missed a turn and ended up riding all the way up Taylor Ave N into East Queen Anne. What a hill! By the time I got to the top my legs were shaking. I guess the silver lining is I'm going to get into great shape this year. So how does Seattle stack up against Japan and Korea for cycling? From pretty good to great in most respects. I've only been in Seattle for a little bit, so forgive me if you think I've gotten it all wrong. As for Japan and Korea, most of my conclusions are based on my time spent in Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, and Busan. I'll leave the comment section open so you can correct me or add something if you want.

Participation rates

 Japan has very high rates of regular bicycle use among the general population. For most in Japan bicycling is a utilitarian rather than a leisurely activity. Each day millions of Japanese commute to work, school or to the train station by bicycle. For most trips within a mile of the house, Japanese prefer to ride their bicycles than drive or walk. Participation rates for bicycling are very high across all age groups, and its common for everyone in the household to have a bicycle. Japanese also benefit from the availability of affordable and generally good quality used bicycles. I bought my first used bicycle in Japan for about 45 dollars. It had three gears and only gave me one flat. I loved it! Korea in comparison has low rates of bicycling among the general population. This is partly due to the mountainous terrain of Korea and Korean perceptions of status and rank. The past twenty years for Korea has seen a dramatic increase in wealth and private car ownership. Cars in Korea are very much status symbols and most people with cars use them frequently. In the '80s when car ownership in Korea really took off, those with cars would proudly wear their keys exposed on their belt. This act of status voyeurism was repeated with pagers, and again with cellphones. Historically, riding a bicycle in Korea was associated with low wage delivery men still visible today in the major market areas like Dongdaemun and Namdaemun.  Things have changed a little bit, but riding a bicycle instead of driving still has a stigma associated with poverty. Several pushes in recent years at the city level to promote bicycling and change perceptions have brought about many improvements, but bicycling in Korea remains very much a leisure activity for a relatively small group of enthusiasts. The most visible participants are usually identically dressed members of bicycling clubs whose group rides dominate the larger bicycle paths. Riding a bicycle for the average Korean is, unfortunately, something do at the river only few times a year with friends. Furthermore, most affordable bicycles in Korea are not very good. This NEXT bicycle sold at Walmart is typical in Korea, but generally costs twice as much as it does at here. It seems to me that bicycling rates in the Northwest have really taken off since I left for Asia in 2006. Just among my friends and family, many who did not regularly ride bicycles now do. On the street I see a lot of people riding. Some are commuters, but most seem to be doing it for leisure rather than utility. That said, it's great how many families I've seen out on group rides together. I hope that's a sign that the increase in popularity of bicycling isn't just fad, and but a lifestyle choice that people are passing on to their children.

Infrastructure and Accommodation 

Korea is kind of hit and miss for infrastructure for bicycles. In Seoul there are some absolutely fantastic bicycle paths that follow the rivers. The lanes are fast, and long, and well made. You can ride them not only through Seoul, but also out to the suburbs. These lanes are physically separate from the road system and are also used by some joggers, walkers, and roller bladers. I personally thought of them of them as bicycle expressways. This past year I road 22km to work, 20km of that was on these paths. Unfortunately, infrastructure for bicycles on regular roads in Korea is lacking, or if present, not respected by drivers. Seoul is crowded and has a haphazard, laissez-faire attitude towards what are acceptable driving practices. Motorcycles often use sidewalks for passing, while both cars and motorcycles use bicycle lanes and sidewalks for parking as well. The police seem to have very little interest in ticketing for driving offenses and obstructing bicycle lanes is no exception. Also, very few places to lock up bicycles exist beyond the river paths. Even subway stations are erratic about providing a space to secure a bike. While this is frustrating, it reflects the reality that accommodating bicyclists has never been a big priority for Korean cities. As for Japan, I can't recall ever seeing a bicycle lane, but what they lack in designated bicycle infrastructure on the roads they make up for in safe places to leave your bike. Most apartments have covered bicycle parking racks so you don't have to bring your bicycle inside, and away from home good facilities for parking bicycles are common. If you see a sign that says “No Bicycle Parking,” don't worry, that probably means there is a designated parking area somewhere close. At large shopping centers there are security guards who watch over the bicycles. If you leave a bicycle over night they will often bring it inside for you to claim it later. This is nice if you can't get back to your bicycle for a few days, but sometimes leads to confusion when don't see your bicycle the next day. Securing a bicycle in Japan can also get quite high-tech, as you can see in this video. Seattle's bicycle lanes are wide, cover most of the city, and most importantly drivers respect them. That said, traveling across Seattle isn't always pleasant. Sometimes I find it difficult to cross large roads like Aurora. It would be nice if there were a couple of Seoul's “bicycle expressways” to traverse the city on without mixing with car traffic. Furthermore, to increase bicycle usage for common utilitarian activities in Seattle, there should be more of a focus on making the decision to ride easier. Seattle's government and businesses are pretty good about providing racks to lock up at, but most of these are uncovered and poorly watched. Same goes for most apartment buildings. Good bicycle parking areas at both ends of the trip are important. Bicycling would be a much more attractive option for people if business areas and apartment buildings had safe, secure, covered bicycle parking that were easy to use. I think improving this aspect of the bicycle experience in Seattle would do wonders for increasing ridership. 

Awareness and Acceptance of Bicycles on the Road

Bicycling is very much a part of the national identity of Japan and for the most part cycling in Japan is very pleasurable. Motorists are good about interacting safely with bicycles, and the roads are narrower so they tend to drive slower. I's probably not recommended to take a bicycle on the large, faster arterials, but for most other roads you shouldn't experienced any problems. The countryside in Japan is particularly pleasant for riding in, but be careful not to ride too close to the edge of the road near rice paddies. Often the shoulder is soft and if you go into the ditch you're going to get very wet. I learned this hard way. While Japan is almost relaxing to ride in, Seoul is a different story. Though riding on the streets isn't as scary as everyone says, you still have to be careful. Drivers do not expect bicycles and often react with erratic behavior when they encounter one. Traffic in Seoul tends to be very fast, and many of the drivers are scofflaws. And while that alone sounds dangerous, regular cars aren't even the biggest problem. It's the city buses. They always have the right-away and they drive extremely aggressively, often running lights. I've been on more than a few buses that have either been in accidents or caused them. But despite all this, bicycle use and awareness is on the rise in Korea, particularly among the younger generation (though not always for positive reasons). Hopefully in five years Korea will be a full fledge bicycle friendly city. Washingtonians, in my biased my opinion, were already generally polite drivers and most seem respond well to the increase of bicyclists on the road. I've noticed how Seattle motorists are good about not getting to close to bicyclists or annoyed when they slow down traffic. Even riding through downtown I felt generally safe. I also like the waves you get from other bicyclists here. It kind of makes me feel like everyone is watching out for each other. Riding home on Saturday I got some thumbs up from the girls who pulled up next to me in their car, but I think that had less to do with my bicycle and more to do with how drench I was at the time.

Conclusion

Riding in Seattle is enjoyable and easy to do. I'm really excited to get out there and ride even more. The hills are hard, but I'll get stronger. Seattle has good infrastructure for bicycles. I like the bicycle lanes, but I wish there were the more large dedicated paths criss-crossing the city like Seoul, and good parking options like Japan.

[Originally posted March 5th 2010 @ foundatron.com]

[Originally posted January 17th 2010 @ foundatron.com]
I did a little website house keeping today. Among other things, I updated the Hongdae map. Bowie, the Darling Studio, Lydian Music, The Post Theater, Puljib, Seoul Art Space, Tea Pot, Theater CHOO, Xi gallery, and Theater Ye have been added to the map. Giving credit where credit is due, it would have been very difficult for me to find all these places without the aid of 'A Useful Paper' and Naver Maps, which is much better at finding places in Seoul than Google Maps.

Download Hongdae.kml

The bread found in Seoul tends to skew towards the white and phoofy, similar to the cheap sliced Wonder Bread that we Americans see in grocery stores across the States.  Till relatively recently I didn't even know you could get a good baguette in Seoul. Luckily I was wrong.  Here are a few bakeries that stand out as having bread that is a cut above the rest.

Pain De Papa - Garosu, Apgujeong

Pain de Papa is a small bakery located half a block off of Garosu, on the Apgujeong-ro end. Even though it's small, Pain de Papa has several great breads to offer.  The prices range from about 2,000 - 9,000 krw depending on the item.  If you look like you're having trouble making a decision, the staff will provide you with a sample.  Beyond bread, Pain de Papa also makes jams, coffee, and a few more Korean-ish looking pastries.  Check out Paul Ajosshi's post. He's written more and taken better pictures than me.

Richemont Bakery - Hongdae

If you do a Google search for "best bread in Seoul" the first thing that comes up is this blog post about the Richemont Bakery in Hongdae.  I'd seen the Richemont but never ventured inside.  From the outside I assumed it was just another korean style bakery. To my surprise I found they actually sell a wide selection of good bread.  I bought the more expensive of the two baguettes they sold, and found it to be delicious.  My korean isn't great, but from the Richemont's  website, I gather that there might be some more locations around Seoul. Can anyone confirm this? If so, do they sell good bread in those locations as well? On the "About" page they claim to have started the bakery and confectionary business in Korea. Does that mean they laying claim to inventing the Korean Mayonnaise-hot dog-pastry?

Shim's Tapas - Hongdae

Many people know that Shim's Tapas in Hongdae is a restaurant that serves amazingly delicious food, but did you know they sell their bread as well?   It's relatively cheap at 3,000 krw for a baguette. This loaf is my favorite in town for dipping in oil and vinegar.  A quick Google search for Shim's Tapas will lead you to a plethora of great reviews.  Check it out.

I went to Ulleungdo earlier this month.   The weather was great and the island was beautiful.  Ulleung-do, or Ulleung Island, is situated about 150 km off the east coast of Korea.   The island isn't very big, and not much of it is developed.  In large part due to it's remoteness, the the beauty of the island and the surrounding sea is relatively intact.  If you're looking for a nice get away for a few days I recommend Ulleungdo.  There isn't a ton to do there but there is enough to keep even the easily bored occupied for a  few days.  If you live in a big city, or just miss the ocean give it a chance. I was only there for two and half days, but I wish I had four or five to explore everything.

Getting there

To get to Ulleungdo you have to take a ferry.  You can either take a ferry from Mukho Ferry Terminal in Donghae, or you can take one from Pohang Ferry Terminal , in Pohang.  As I live in Seoul, I took the ferry from Mukho.  It's closer to Seoul, and consequently cheaper than the ferry from Pohang.   There are express buses from both Express Bus Terminal Gangnam and Dong Seoul Terminal to Donghae, and I believe Pohang is accessed by express buses as well.  If coming from Seoul, plan for at least 7 or more hours of travel, as the bus ride is aleast 3 hours and the ferry ride is about 3 hours as well.  I opted to take the bus to Donghae, stay in a motel, and then take the ferry to Ulleungdo early in the morning. Remember you need to bring your passport for the ferry, as they require your passport number, and they may ask to see it as well. From Mukho, there are two ferry boats that you can take: one makes you sick (TheSeaflower), the other doesn't (The Hangyeore).  If you are lucky,  each way you will get the Hangyeore, a hydrofoil ferry.  This boat has a wing  in the water that allows the hull to come out of the water, limiting  seasickness causing movements.  If you are unlucky, you will get the standard type ferry.  I took the latter back to Mokho and spent 3 hours desperately trying to hold down my lunch.  While I didn't vomit, others were not so lucky.  From what I observed, the people who invested in motion sickness medicine faired much better.

Do what I did

Get around

There are a few hamlets scattered around the island. The main town being Dodong, where the ferry drops you off.    My initial instinct was to bring my bicycle and pedal  around the  island.   I'm glad I didn't obey my urges.  Ulleungdo is very rugged and it has one main road that circles the island.  It is my opinion that this road is too dangerous for bicycle traffic.  The road is not wide and it has many blind corners and tunnels. There is also the chance of falling into the ocean.  But don't worry, you can get to most places with road access using the public buses or the taxis. The main road encircles about 80% of the circumference of the island.  From one end of the road to the other, it's my guess that it would take two hours or less by public bus.

Get a motel

When you get off the ferry there will be some pushy locals trying to get you to stay in their motel or minbak.  Don't feel pressured to stay at the first place you get pushed towards.  In Dodong there are more than a few motels, hotels and minbaks to choose from.   If you continue to walk up the hill away from the harbor and the pushy minbak women, you will find there are several more legitimate looking motels to choose from. We ended up staying in a decent motel (by Korean standards) with a balcony for 40,000 won a night.  I thought his was fair for Chuseok weekend.

Take the cable car to the Dokdo Observatory. Attempt to observe Dokdo. Buy a Dokdo is Korea T-shirt.

 If you don't feel like climbing the mountain quite yet, you can take the Dokdo Observatory Cable Car up to the top of Manghyangbong Peak.  I believe the cable car only cost about 8,000 won.  To get to the cable car from Dodong harbor, walk through the town away from the harbor.  Eventually you will see the cable car lines coming down the back side of the peak on your left.  Follow the signs on the road, taking a left up the hill to the cable car building.  Next to the cable car building is the Dokdo museum...I didn't feel the need to go in.  From the peak you can look over the South East part of the island, Dodong, and if the weather is really nice you can see Dokdo / Liancourt Rocks (I didn't see it). From the observation platform you can enjoy a very nice view with a cold beer purchased from the gift store.  There is also a gazeebo about a half mile down that you can walk to from the viewing area. It is closer to the water, and gives you a better view of the coast.

Walk the Seaside Walk

When you get off the ferry, the terminal will probably be on your right, bathrooms will be in front of  you,  and the town will be to your left.  If you walk towards the bathrooms, and turn right behind the ferry terminal you will see a staircase.  This is the beginning of the Seaside walk or Haengnam Shore walkway .  I thought it was great.  Ulleungdo's water is a wonderful deep turquoise blue, and crystal clear.  Throughout the walk you can see lots of fish swimming in the waters beside you.  Its pretty neat if you like little fish.  Near Dobong there were a couple restaurants for outdoor eating along the sea walk.  I stopped at one where I drank beer and ate steamed muscles for just 20,000.  They were large and tasty. As you walk farther you will reach a small peninsula with a lighthouse on it.  You can hike up the peak (there are lots of peaks on Ulleungdo) to the light house, or you can skip it and continue walking north-east towards the next town, Jeodong Harbor.  On paper you should reconnect with another seaside walk that will take you to Jeodong. This is the section with the famous rainbow foot bridges.  Unfortunately,  we found that this  section of the path had been closed for some reason or another.  The gate was locked shut and there was a banner draped over that it that I assume said the equivalent of "Danger!, Watch Yourself!, NO!".  This was a shame because I was really looking forward to that part of the island. Hopefully the closing of that section was only temporary for Chuseok.  As you can see here, it looks like its a really nice section.  Not defeated, we chose to back track a little and walk over a semi treacherous path over the steep hill to Jeodong.

Climb the mountain

The island is quite rugged and has a few good hikes. It takes about 3 hours to hike from the main town of Dodong to the highest peak on the mountain.  Your calves might hate you the next day, but you won't regret it as the view from the top is very nice.  There are some picnic tables near the top if you want to bring a picnic. Be warned, it can be a lot colder at that top than at the bottom.  So if you plan on stopping for lunch bring an extra sweater.  From the Dodong side of the mountain you have three routes that you can choose from. The island authorities have set taxi prices for certain places.  Our taxi had a card on the dashboard that gave the prices for about 20 destinations around the island.  If you choose to take a taxi to  one of those locations the fee is  higher than if they were going by the meter. Most of the locations seemed to be off the main road, and require 4 wheel drive.  So I suspect you are getting what you pay for.  The main peak to hike  on the island is called Songinbong.  It's not a particularly easy hike.  By the end I was stopping every 10 meters or so to rest.

Map Key	Path begins at: (Name)	Time to the top	Taxi price from Dodong
A	Anpyeongjeong	1.5 hours	20,000 won
B	KBS Relay Station	2.0 hours	10,000 won
C	Daewon Temple	3.0 hours	Just walk up the hill from Dodong.

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Today I was checking out the maps provided by Naver, the largest Korean internet portal,  and came a cross a cool feature.  You can check a box that will overlay all the bicycle paths in Korea over your map. I can't vouch for Naver's paths outside Seoul, but for bicycle paths in Seoul, I don't think you can beat this. Can't read korea? Here's how to see the bike paths. 1. Go to http://map.naver.com/ 2. Click the larger button above the map to access a drop down menu. 3. Click the second box that says "자전가".  That means bicycle in Korean.

From Misc

4. Zoom in to see the dedicated bicycle paths in red.  Zoom in further to see more detail, and the shared bicycle paths in blue.

From Misc

5.  Look at the key below to see where there are hazards, steps, water, benches... and a whole lot more that is useful to the cyclist in all of us. Isn't that cool?  I like the map I posted earlier, but I think this one is more useful for my purposes. Ride on, dear reader.

Steve was kind enough to leave to following comment:

you try tomatillo mex grill yet? stores at yeoksam and jongak stations, pretty damn good! http://www.tomatillo.co.kr

At the time of the comment I had not tried Tomatillo.  To remedy this, I headed down to Yeoksam station yesterday to try out their food.Tomatillo has two definite locations,  one is in Ganganam Finance Building (B2), which is conveniently located right next to Yeoksam Sation .  The other is located a short walk from exit 6 of Jonggak  Station. There also might be a another Tomatillo in the Hyundai Department store near Samsung Station.   I'm not very sure about this location because I couldn't find it on Google, and it's not listed as a location on the menu I took . It's listed as a location on the Tomatilla website, but its the only location that doesn't list hours of operation.  Also, it only has a number for ordering.  So this might be just an office that can redirect you?  I'm not sure.  Can anyone confirm there is a Tomatilla here? Tomatilla serves the basic American style Mexican foods: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, nachos and the all important margarita.  I chose the burrito with pork and no sour cream for 6,800 won.  As burritos go, this one was pretty decent.  The burrito relied too heavily on fried rice, but over all I thought it tasted good.   Be warned about, its kind of spicy.  I drank  several glasses of water trying to relieve the burning sensation in my mouth after I ate. For 7 bucks, this is a pretty good burrito for Seoul.  I hope I have a chance in the future to try out their tacos.  If anyone else knows a taco or burrito place they like, just drop comment or send me an e-mail.

Here is a nice scan of the bicycle paths throughout Seoul. Now, some of these paths have been completed and others are still being worked on. Others have been completed, but as they are newer, they're also the preferred path for pedestrians. I can't really blame them, as older Korean sidewalks made from cement and brick pavers can be pretty treacherous. Either way, Seoul's bicycle infrastructure is definitely improving, and Seoulites are becoming more comfortable with the sight of bicycles in traffic. Ride on, dear reader. Seoul bicycle tour map

I've seen some folks on the intertubes say Dos Tacos are the best tacos or burritos they've ever had. I can't say i feel nearly that strong about them, but I will admit that they are pretty darn tasty and the price is right. The burritos start around 6,000 won, which is good for a filling burrito in Seoul. The dozen or so times I been to a Dos Tacos, my burritos or tacos have always been good. The branches in Gangnam and Hongdae are not hard to find, but It took me a while find the one in apgujeong. Its not the best mexican food in the world, just decent food at a good price... which is why I've been their twice this week. I just wish they would use more cilantro. Here's the official Dos Tacos website. They have a menu and directions for calling in orders.

Download Dos Tacos.kml