East Coast Cycling Tour Day 3: Donghae to Imwon Port

2017-05-02 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

It's the last day. Even though it's the final day, I just lay there with my eyes closed because of the snoring coming from both my left and right. I might have drifted off for a bit without realizing it, but I can only hope I did. Even though we turned the lights out at midnight, I ended up waking up at 4:30 AM and just sat in the empty lobby playing games.

There was a change in our original plan, so we decided to head back up to Seoul this evening, which means things will probably be a bit rushed. The distance is 50km, making it our shortest riding day, but we have to arrive on time to catch the bus, so I really need to be in good condition. But I only slept for about two hours, so I'm in big trouble. Caffeine, give me strength.

We filled our stomachs with toast, boiled eggs, and cup noodles, and set off at 10 AM. We were originally supposed to leave at 8 AM, but everyone was so exhausted and drank a bit too much last night that we couldn't wake up. Still, maybe it's because we came from Seoul, which is full of fine dust, but this beautiful weather seems to naturally melt the fatigue away.

Two people riding bicycles side by side through the middle of a parking lot — Setting off toward the finish line!!

A long red paved road stretching alongside a river with factory buildings visible on the opposite side

Small boats moored along the riverbank with a red bicycle path continuing to the right — The cement factories in Samcheok and the ocean create a bizarrely harmonious and truly stunning path.

Since I'm not feeling great today and there are a lot of uphills, I'm spending a lot of time riding alone. I should be feeling relaxed, but knowing my friends are waiting a long time for me actually makes me feel rushed. I should have built up some muscle and ridden my bike more beforehand... I always regret it at the last minute.

I somehow managed to get lost and wander around alone, even getting escorted by a goofy neighborhood dog, before finally arriving at Chudaebawi (Candlestick Rock), which I think is the most beautiful spot in Gangwon-do.

A beach landscape featuring people walking on the sand and rocks rising from the sea

People looking at the sea and towering rocks from a wooden deck observatory — What are you doing over there...

Jagged, uniquely shaped rocks rising sharply against the backdrop of the blue sea — Candlestick Rock looks even prettier in the summer than it did in the winter. The only problem is that there are too many tourists, but it's still one of the places I'd love to live.

A view of a pine-covered rocky cliff and the blue sea beyond wooden stairs

People walking on a wooden bridge placed between uniquely shaped rocks, with the blue sea in the background

A coastal landscape blending rocky cliffs and the blue sea, alongside a wooden deck promenade

A panoramic view of a beach with a wide sandy shore and clear seawater

A person parking a bicycle in front of a red unmanned certification center booth

A coastal wooden deck bridge with a bicycle path sign — There really aren't many left now.

The exterior of a restaurant with a sign for Mukho Mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and an outdoor parasol table — For lunch, we came to eat flounder mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), which I've been singing about since the first day. The main branch is in Donghae City, and this is a branch location.

Link to the Mukho Mulhoe post

Several golden-brown jeon (Korean pancakes) and soy sauce on a plate

Mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) in a red sauce served in a stainless steel bowl with a bowl of rice

A meal set on a table including mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), jeon (Korean pancakes), and a bowl of rice — I don't know if it was just my imagination, but it felt like there was less flounder than at the main branch. It was also a bit spicier and less tart. It might just be because I'm so tired.

A landscape combining the blue sea, a sandy beach, and mountains and roads following the coastline

A person riding a bicycle near the Samcheok Hanjae Park unmanned certification center, shaped like a red public telephone booth — Today is truly an endless series of tough uphills followed by amazing views.

A road fork with a brown sign pointing towards Gungchon Rail Bike Station and Hwang Young-jo Memorial Park — Now I know why Hwang Young-cho (Korean Olympic marathoner) was so good at marathons...

A resting area with a traditional pavilion and benches built next to pine trees against the backdrop of the blue sea

Looking at the certification stamp points, they are set up incredibly well. I feel like whoever chose them must have an exceptional talent for routing. Hanjae Park is one of those spots.

The back of a person sitting on a wooden swing chair looking at the blue sea and a coastal village landscape

Pine trees and a red unmanned certification center visible at the end of an uphill road with a blue line drawn on the ground — Ughhhh uphills ㅠㅠ

The back of a cyclist riding on a bicycle path stretching long along the coast

A landscape of the blue sea with crashing waves and a wide sandy beach

A white road bike parked on a wooden deck path over a sandy beach — I took a picture of my bike at Hanjae Park to honor all its hard work.

Green farmland and street trees lining a road with a blue line, with mountains visible in the distance

After passing Hanjae Park, there's a flat stretch, and then it's continuous uphills all the way to Imwon Port. From my experience, it's much better not to rest right after finishing an uphill, but rather to ride down the downhill and take a good rest right before the next uphill begins. Even if you frantically eat chocolate bars and sugar bombs every 30 minutes, one uphill is all it takes for your legs to stop listening to you again.

During this section, the thoughts "Should I really buy a bike?" and "Why am I even riding this right now, I could just walk" kept ping-ponging back and forth between my left and right brain.

A curved asphalt road with a utility pole and surrounding green trees

A panoramic view of the blue sea and a coastal village seen beyond a wooden fence — The person who designed this route must be a genius at playing hard to get. Once you climb all the way up, you're rewarded with this stunning view.

A bicycle path with a blue line and the adjacent roadway

Cyclists standing in front of a green building with signs for Wonung Supermarket and Imwon Bus Stop — Imwon Terminal. They said it's only 500m up from here to the end, but that 500m is absolute torture. They even put the stamp booth right in the middle of the hill.

A red unmanned certification center booth installed on a hill overlooking the sea — I made it!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!!

Bushes on a hill overlooking the blue sea and coastline

A green overpass and clear sky looking up from an asphalt road — Commemorative shot of the final uphill

After getting the very last stamp, the certification was complete and a silver medal popped up. It's just a meaningless digital image, but thinking of it as the result of all my hard work makes me feel incredibly good. My skin is completely sunburned and my face looks haggard, but for some reason, I feel amazing.

On the bus ride back, the only thing on my mind was eating takoyaki at the highway rest stop. I completely passed out and we drove for a whopping four hours, but it felt like it only took about 20 minutes. Riding with friends, eating delicious food along the way (though we didn't eat much this time), and having a glass of soju with tasty bar snacks at night (only did this once too...)—these are all things you can easily do in Seoul. But the blue ocean, the blue sky, and the breathtaking scenery naturally made it all feel so special.

Let's go for the Grand Slam!