Day 2, Leg 2

Today's walk was, at 20K, 10K shorter than yesterday's, but it felt almost as long. I left the Bliss Hotel at almost exactly 4:15 a.m., having napped for two hours yesterday afternoon, then having slept about four hours during the night. I woke up tired but refreshed. Running through the familiar sights backwards yesterday was a bit strange but not that disorienting because it was all familiar. Today, though, I was caught by surprise: the always-under-construction bridge that I've been passing for years is nearing completion, but on Naver Map, it still has no name. That's the first thing that caught my eye: the lack of a name. What's that bridge? I asked myself as I approached it in the pre-dawn dark, initially not recognizing it. I looked it up but found no name. And as I got closer, it hit me: this was that bridge! Always being built, never completed! I guess we'll just call it Mumyeong (무명, "No-name") Bridge for now. 

Getting out of Yangsan and heading north required a bit of navigational dexterity, but Naver Map was back to being sane again, so I was able to follow its street-by-street instructions with minimal confusion until I was out by the river and no longer in need of help. After that, most of the trek was about following the river. I keep forgetting how pleasant this segment of the walk is. When I'm heading south to Busan, this is the section that puts me at ease.

It was cloudy and cool during the morning, often looking as if it might rain (that's happening tomorrow afternoon and much of Saturday... shit), but as it got later, the clouds and mist burned away, and the day was hot enough to make me sweat. I'm still fairly far south, despite forging north for 50 km. I got to my destination, Nakdong-jang yeogwan, by 11:40 a.m., but had I not rested for over 45 minutes total, I'd have gotten there earlier. 

One of the pleasures of this segment is the parkland. There's a lot of it, and one park in particular has three sculpted dragons that appear to be swimming through the stone tiles. Other attractions: a long boardwalk fence that has a ton of Joro spiders, and one very curious-seeming praying mantis. I'm coming to think of that length of fencing as Spider Row. The arachnids will be around through late fall. Joro spiders live only about a year.

My right pinky toe began to hurt a bit despite being up taped up, and the tendon at the bottom of my left foot began hurting a bit, too. Some ibuprofen seemed to help with these problems. I had forgotten whether today might be a dam day; I suspect that that's tomorrow: Changnyeong-Haman Dam (창녕함안보), normally the last dam on a southward route, will be my first dam (unless you count the Nakdong River Estuary Barrage) going northward. Otherwise, tomorrow's goal is to reach the small town of Hanam-eup in the city of Miryang (밀양시, 하남읍). Tomorrow is also my first of two big hills. Will I take the tunnel instead...?

Nakdong-jang yeogwan has taken up the habit of charging an extra fee to the customers who arrive early. I got into town before noon, bought a crucial charging cable at the unwontedly large CU convenience store, had a terrible lunch, then went to the yeogwan to check in. "It's normally W40,000, but there's a special event going on, and there are almost no empty rooms," the lady simpered, "so it's W50,000." I paid despite not believing the lady about the "event." Prices are going up everywhere, but I suspect the "foreigner's tax" is still in force. 

I'm not bothering to do any laundry today—not with a rest day coming up. I might take a shower in a bit so as not to stink up the bed, though. In the meantime, here are stats, a map, and the day's ten initial images:

my route north and west

So about 4100 calories burned.

that baleful moon

the Mumyeong Bridge, still years from completion

silhouettes by the river

Joro spider along Spider Row

a splattered mantis

a very purple Japanese morning glory

A dragon swims through a park.

The side panel (left side) has arrows pointing the wrong way.

Asshole strays into my lane. And look ahead at the other guy.

Kermit, down and out, hanging creepily in restrooms

Bonus video! Here's that praying mantis.

PHOTO ESSAY