After our exciting afternoon at the SBS studios for the Inkigayo rehersals we drove along the Han River highway to a riverside park. From here we drove past Yeoiudo Island and saw the parliament and 63 building which I had seen this morning from the flight to Gimpo. Its surprising because the highway we were driving on had been flooded in July during massive monsoons.

At the we decided to rent bikes which cost 3000w for the first hour ($2.50) and 500w each 15 mins after (.50 cents). There was no log of when you took your bike or returned them so its all based on honesty. If you are a couple you can also rent tandem bikes.

The bike trail is quite nice and goes a long way in both directions, similar to the lakeshore trail we have in toronto. The park is quite wide and has soccer playing fields, basketball courts, and landscape gardens. Many couples and families were spending their sunday afternoon here. It was relaxing and peaceful and easy to forget you are in a megacity.

At various places were floating restaurants or niteclubs. They also built a floating glass ball which is an art gallery and exhibition centre. The trail is on both sides of the river as we could see people biking on the north side. There was also a local journalist who was taking turns to speak with each of us.

There are many bridges that cross the Han River. A famous one is Banpo bridge as they have a fountain and light show. I had tried to go there on a previous visit to seoul but couldnt figure out how to get across the highway. We saw the tail end of the show and by the time we biked over it stopped. I'm not sure what the frequency is and how late into the year it goes before it stops for winter.

One of the bridges had two glass pods on each tower of the bridge which were restaurants overlooking the river. We were to have dinner in one and I'm told you need to book weeks ahead as they are very popular.

I ordered a Fish Special which were two giant fried flat fish. The view was really nice of the river, seoul city landscape and namsan tower on the north side, and the bridge crossing the river which had a railway track with subway trains crossing.

This was a really nice end to our weekend trip away. We were presented with a bag of gifts again. There were K-Pop dvds, and a book on 'the korean wave' a phenomena of korean movies/dramas/music becoming popular overseas. We were also given personalized ink stamps with our names in hangul and our faces printed on the side.

Going home they had booked me in business class on the ktx to daegu. This has wider seats and more legroom. You also have complimentary cookies, candies, and water bottles.

I'd like to thank KOCIS (Korean Culture and Information Service) for organizing the trip and our hosts for such a great experience. Originally I had been offered a ticket home to Toronto. But it was great to spend time with the other bloggers instead and see a different side of Jeju and Seoul from previous trips. We left a not too subtle hint we'd like the next one to be to Dokdo Island!