South Korea, nearly didn’t get the bike into the country
So woke up during the night when two girls snuck into the cabin. No not what you think. I wish. They apparently only booked the cheap tickets where you get a mattress on the floor. So since I was the only one in this 8 bed cabin they wanted to use the free beds…
Talked to them in the morning. Well the one you spoke a little English. Nastia was 21 and had just finished University. They both were from Vlad and this was their first trip abroad. Quiet cute, Nastia in a short black dress and high heels. Maybe not good travel clothing.
Clock went back 2 hours and we arrived at Sokcho at 10 am. Got thru immigration and customs and then tried to find the Dong Chu Ferry office. A little back and forth between offices. Then this guy who spoke English goes there would be a problem. According to him I would not be allowed to drive my bike in Korea. Ehm what? He goes to customs, brings back a book and holds it under my nose. Basically Germany according to this book did not sign the Geneva Road Traffic Act from when ever. What the hell. I told him that could not be and that I knew of people that had ridden their bikes across Korea. He went back to the customs officers and they agreed to make an exception. So I drove my bike of the boat into a warehouse and had to wait for the customs.
Ok, got my bike but puh expensive stuff. Remember those $ 150 I paid in Zarubino? That was for 15 min work to write a bill of lading and customs document. So in Sokcho I had to pay $ 250 for sea fright, then $ 120 for customs fees plus $ 60 for 14 days insurance. Now I had a problem, because no credit cards accepted and the ATM in the “international” ferry terminal did not work with foreign cards. Go figure. No exchange office either. So scrapped together my last cash reserves in dollars and Won.
So leaving port with $ 2 in Korean Won in my pocket. Priority 1 find an ATM. Did get money out in the main street, then found a book store and bought a road map. Its in Korean but it will do the trick. Drove a long the sea for 5 miles to a tourist info and asked for inexpensive place to stay. It was still kind of early but the whole ferry & port stuff made me feel like I wanted to tackle Korean roads the next day. Found this guest house run by this old couple. I had a shower and went to find a place to eat. Had a set menu of rice, sea weed soup and grilled fish. It was really nice even though some of the tastes were a little strange for western taste buds.
Day 102
26. July 2009
Start: Zarubino, Russia
End: Sokcho, South Korea
Miles today: 5
Miles total: 15062
Odometer: 21326
Bike Dropped: 5
Speeding Tickets: 1
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