People 3

It was between 6 or 7am. We'd been biking since just after midnight and were about 12km from Icheon, our half way/three quarter way point to Wonju. Moving off of the partition we'd taken a break on we got on our bikes and started on our way to Icheon. Then we noticed my rear tire was flat. In the middle of the country, no towns in site, and a dense fog covering everything, we started to walk in the opposite direction from Icheon, hoping to find a nearby village or town.

We walked for 3 hours.

Many fruitless encounters followed until finally we found the small city of Yangji (양지). Relieved, we strolled through the streets looking for a bike shop or hardware store. We quickly stumbled upon the latter. A woman noticed our plight from inside the store window and expressed her concern. She picked up her cell phone and made a quick phone call to a friend, a store owner across the street. He quickly came out with a bicycle pump but we let him know that it was a puncture, not just a flat. The woman jumped back on the phone to call someone else. Using body language and hand signals she told us where the bike shop was. We walked to it but were dismayed that it didn't open for another hour and a bit. We went to the local convenience store, ate some ramen, drank some juice, and killed 20 minutes.

Walking back to the bicycle shop, the owner greeted us, patch kit in hand, smile on his face. He'd come in early to help us.