It was inspirational, hearing the stories of my seniors from the
school's cycling club. How they cycled around Malaysia after their
final term in the Polytechnic. They shaved their hairs off, and
departed on a journey through Malaysia, surviving on nasi lemak and
roti prata (or so they say!). Living in accommodations ranging from
motels to temples to police station. In a nutshell, on that night
in December 2003, I decided in my heart that I wanted to venture
beyond the shores of Singapore to cycle
My first idea was to cycle in Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide,
passing through Alice Springs. But after a short consulation with
the "Oxford Progressive Atlas Second Edition", it was abandoned.
The total distance of 4000km would take at least 40days to
complete. Not to mention the logistic nightmare of getting
much-needed water, considering that half of the route would be in
the desert.
I flipped through the Atlas again, where else could I go? Malaysia?
Too close... China? Horrible drivers! Europe? Too expensive...
Japan? Good idea! Korea? Not bad either! Soon, it was down to those
two, Japan or Korea. In the end, the decision was not too hard to
make. Korea is not divided into multiply islands and is slightly
smaller. Adding to its credit was my fascination with Korean movies
and actresses. Another decision, another hurdle cleared. Korea it
will be.
Back to the World Cup for now...
More to come soon... Grammar and spelling corrections are
welcomed!
A map was what I needed next. A few good maps popped up on the
internet. Pretty good maps too! But there is one problem, its not
easy working with a virtual map, a paper one is still required. An
option was to print out the map, but all the printing, cutting and
pasting would just make my life worst. Soon I found myself browsing
all the major bookshops in Singapore.
Weird it seens, at that time I could not find a single map of Korea
anywhere. In a moment of desperation, I posted a cry for help on
the local internet cycling community. And help came...
A moderator of the website was due in Seoul for business. And offer
is made to purchase a map from Korea. It was quickly accepted by
me. On 13th May 2005, the map arrived.
Making chances here and
there.
