Long Road, pt. 2

I guess a week between posts is too much...I've gotta start getting up an hour early and commit a little more time to this.

I've actually biked back to Daebudo twice since this entry was started. Once again at night and once during the day. I'll post some reflections on it after I finish this novel of a post series.

----------------------------------------

So I get onto the causeway, the Sihwa Seawall. On my left is a wall and on my right side was a solid line of traffic leaving the island, I can see nothing of the sea. After about a kilometer, the wall breaks. On my left the view opens up, revealing the blackness of the sea, or on that side, 'Lake Sihwa'. The dim outline of a hill or mountain sat in the distance, shining in the water behind me were the lights of hundreds of factories and far ahead of me was the glow of neon from some Hotel. I looked back and to my right to see a neon mess of another part of Siheung. Ahead of me, across the sea, and on the right, was the lit silhouette of 3 tall buildings, which I now know is part of Incheon city.

The air was cool and my legs ached, I had finally reached the Sea. I was overjoyed. Positive emotions rushed through me and despite my better judgement, I started to sing. It was probably to keep my mind off of how tired I was, but it felt quite good to just let go. Especially after the stifling experience that was the factory district. Maybe if an hour ago I'd taken the turn which led to "Chemical Zone" I'd also be singing deliriously...but this experience was likely a little less despair ridden.

After a few kilometres of passing car after car, street light after street light, I slowly crept up to a roadside Oasis. The dull hum of a generator echoed from the street side as it powered a small food service truck thirty feet away. The vehicle was red and very similar to a Chip Truck from back home, except it said "Hot Food and Coffee" on the side rather than "Fries". People sat on plastic tables and chairs and ate Ramen, drank coffee, and pulled away at boiled eggs. I slalomed through the inconsequential blockade and kept on traveling the straight path to Daebudo. It was probably at this point that I noticed that there was barely any, if any, inbound traffic to the island. The people in the line of cars beside me delivered strange glances, perhaps on account of my pinkness but likely on account of there being little 'reason' to me travelling to the island at this hous. I was probably pedaling along to an empty patch of land. But, this thought didn't deter me. I had my goal and I kept on going.

The overall smell of the area was a beautiful contrast in comparison to what I'd gone through beforehand. It wasn't salty, as expected, just fresh...I could seldom hear water, but mostly my ride was dominated by the sound of the headwind which slowed me and the running car engines which choked my lungs. Regardless, it was beautiful on the causeway. Blackness on all sides with only the glow of lights in the distance to remind me of where I was.

Occasionally I'd see some green lights dancing in the air at the bottom of the embankment. When I came upon the second set of these lights I decided to stop and watch. Sitting far out into the water was a bouncing neon light. Dangling in the air, as if from a pole danced another. Then, in a familiar casting motion, the light flew into the water beside the other one. It was a marker used by people fishing. I watched for a while, hoping to see someone catch a fish, but, reminded myself that I needed to keep going. I got back on my seat and continued on.

In front of me, I kept focusing on a band of lights that outlined the edge of Daebudo. The closer they came the closer I was to the island. Despite using a marker to gauge my distance, the ride seemed to take forever. Few surprises occurred along the way, the only one being that I re-entered Ansan about 1/2 way across the bridge. It turns out that Ansan owns Daebudo, despite the fact that the road to it connects to Siheung. Anyways, after what seemed like an hour I reached Daebudo. The entrance to the island was a bridge which connected to the causeway. I biked along a short pathway that was barely thick enough for my bike. Being more tired than I should have been, I cautiously rode across. I didn't want to flip over the railing at this point and take a swim in the standing water below.

After crossing the bridge I was welcomed by a white statue of two cranes (or herons). I stopped to take a picture. Afterwards, I noticed that the streetlamps each had a glowing picture of a cartoon sea-creature, crabs, fish, and octopuses. I thought it was pretty cute, but it also confirmed for me that the area I was now in was much more people friendly than my earlier ride. Sitting on my bike, across from the statue, I was finally at another intersection. To the right was a dark area labeled 'pier' and to the left was a long road that led to the main part of the island. Unsure of this pier, I simply took the left turn.

I pedaled slowly up a curving hill, behind a truck selling fish, and onto another main walkway. The area quickly opened into a number of restaurants, a typical theme here in Korea. However, instead of the usual tall buildings filled with shops, this area only had a series of small one or two story buildings, each often housing only a single restaurant. In several parking lots men corralled the few cars that drove past into the corresponding parking lots, likely trying to secure more business. Being on the opposite side of the street, I was simply ignored. I continued along at a moderate pace for about 10 minutes. I passed a love motel, a restaurant shaped like a boat, and then very abruptly came to the end of civilisation. Like a line had been drawn across the road that said "no buildings after this point", the presence of roadside buildings simply stopped. Ahead of me and to the right were long roads with no street-lights. I had no light on my bike, I was fairly exhausted, and figured that I would probably need to turn back now if I had any hope of making it home. I stopped at the side of the road, sat on a marble pylon and quickly jotted down some notes. Feeling like I needed some additional rest, I laid down on the ground to take all of the weight off of my tired legs. For about 10 minutes I tried to recuperate as much strength as I could. However, having noticed a broken bottle beside my head, it was difficult to relax. After the 10 minutes, I stood up, got on my bike, and started the ride home.

When I reached the causeway this time, the wind was at my back. Pedaling was easier and my landmarks in the distance were now cities rather than a line of lights. With the conditions so much improved I left like I would have no problem getting home. Then, I started to feel extremely tired. After a few kilometers I had to stop. I put the kickstand of my bike down, pulled out a chocolate bar that I had bought on Daebudo, sat on the ground, and ate. I was too tired to continue. I just felt like I needed to sleep. So...being in Korea, I did something I've seen many people do here. Sleep wherever you are. Laying beside my bike, I closed my eyes and just relaxed for a good 15 minutes. Occasionally cars would speed by on the road beside me, but I was fairly well protected by a large steel railing. Once I was done I jumped onto my bike again...I felt recharged. For real this time.

Steeling my resolve, I pedaled quickly, reaching the other end of the causeway in about half the time it took me to reach Daebudo. At this point, I had biked about a quarter of the distance I needed to cover to get back. As I pedaled over the now uneven paving stones, I started to plan out my return route in my head. Above all else, I wanted to avoid the industrial area I'd come through. I had no interest and no desire to re-experience it. Instead, I chose to keep my eyes open for any sign of a city. I eventually came to a sign pointing to 'Oido Station' and decided to follow its vague directions which led deep into a part of Siheung City. Unaware of where I was I simply took turns at random points, knowing only which direction I had to continue in to get back to Ansan. At one point I followed another man on a bike, hoping that maybe he was also heading towards the station...he wasn't.

Regardless of my disorientation, it felt nice to be in more familiar surroundings. Much cleaner, much more alive, and far more affluent than what I had previously rode through. Crossing a large intersection I came to another sign pointing to Oido Station. Only this time the arrow pointed in almost the opposite direction. I kept going along, hoping to (since I'd forgotten my T-Money Card) follow the subway tracks all the way to Ansan. Sooner than I thought I came to the station. It was alive with people. I noticed that Dokbokki was being sold from a few tents and I definitely felt hungry enough to stop and eat. But, feeling that I should eat when I returned to Ansan, I avoided stopping. I felt that I needed to keep in my rhythm, that time was critical, and that if I stopped now I may not make it back until the early morning. So, I kept going, following what I thought were the subway tracks.

Abruptly, all the buildings ended. Even the road ended. It split off into two tunnels, one with a pedestrian walkway, another without. I obviously took the one with the walkway, mostly because it led in the direction of Ansan. Picking up my bike I went down the stairs into the tunnel. Expecting a longer stretch of road, I was disappointed when the tunnel was only about 100 feet long. It was grey inside and no cars passed through. When I got onto my bike, another cyclist went past, a blinking red light sitting on the back of his bike. I took this as a good sign. Reaching the end of the tunnel I turned the corner which led to another set of stairs. I was welcomed by a giant mass of spider webs and spiders. Apparently this tunnel didn't see a lot of human traffic. Maybe not a good sign...Undeterred, I picked up my bike and began to walk up the stairs. Was I almost home?