4-500 years ago, during the Joseon dynasty, stone towers were built on the mountain tops all around the western shores of the Japan Sea. These towers were smoke signal stations and located such that an invading enemy would be spotted as they approached the shores and their movements immediately be reported to the Joseon rulers further inland through a chain of similar smoke signal stations.
Today the towers being built in Ulsan are to used for oil exploration (although there are still a few flare towers keeping the tradition alive) and the invading armies are American, Scottish and Norwegian offshore personnel who did not arrive on boats but who will eventually leave by such means. The smoke signal stations are no longer in use as foreigners, at least in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, are now greeted with open arms and hearts.
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Some of these modern-day invaders choose to spend their free time exploring the beaches, others go shopping in Busan, South Korea's second largest city an easy 1 hour drive from Ulsan. And then there are some who squeeze into their tights, don PPE, mount their bikes and take to the mountains on the trails of the forefathers. In the Dolphin site team there is a large contingent of the latter category.
When the traffic is making our heads spin, when our bosses have us strung out tight or when our counterparts in the yards .... well, suffice to say that there are certain things that only the mountains will fix. At those times we find the steepest hill to climb and within seconds any work-related worries disappear and all that remains is the lungs' urgent cry for oxygen! A couple of hours later we are if not fresh in body then fresh in mind again and ready to tackle the obstacles that we invariably come across during an expatriation.
After a long and winding introduction, maybe I should now be little more specific. Let me try to recap a typical Sunday morning for 4-8 dedicated Ulsan Warriors:
It's 8 o'clock and people are rolling in to the meeting point at Wolbong temple – only a few kilometres ride from home for most of us. It's already getting hot, so we set off as soon as the last person arrives (usually myself!). It's a short steep walk up the stair before we get to a climb suitable for cycling. From there it's a short ride up to the crematorium and on to the Bangeo smoke signal station. From here it is possible to look out over the river and past what is now a huge petrochemical area to the firestation near Jinha beach. If intruders were approaching the shores, a message would be relayed to Jujeon smoke signal station and the chain would continue north.
Next to the smoke signal tower (not much of a tower really, as it has not yet been renovated), we can see remains of an old stone fence forming the southern boundary of what used to be one big horse breeding pasture covering all of Dong-Gu, the eastern district of Ulsan.
We ride on past the Brazilian soccer field (so named for the hosting of the Brazilian national selection's training camp during the 2002 World Cup). Next stop is the viewpoint above the HHI Offshore division giving us a good view of the dry dock where the circular Goliat FPSO is being built. For the next 4 kilometres we follow a dedicated MTB singletrack along Yeompo mountain until we reach the peak of Yeompo Mountain via a 25% final incline. Extra PPE is strapped on and the fun starts ! 10 minutes later we are back on tarmac and quietly rolling the mud off the tires (remember - closed mouths) as we reach the Hyundai car factory – one of the world's biggest car assembly factories with about 4500 completed units/day.
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Next stage is a gruelling 2,4km long, 300 altitude meter climb taking anywhere between 17-30 minutes to complete amidst Polish and Norwegian foul language and general cussing towards the Danish guide who thought up this route. Low gearing is recommended – drinking water can be topped off at the natural spring a few hundred meters from the top. For the fit ones, there is the option of burning a few extra calories on the exercise machines at Magol Peak or by use of over-sized hula hoops, so popular with the local ladies. Most days (well – all days) we opt out on the hula hoop'ing and continue along the crest of Magol mountain, past the trenches of the civil defence training grounds and up to the heli-pad. We choose to not go through the mine fields today and instead turn right to go past the mountain farm and down towards Black Pebble Beach through one of the best and longest singletracks in Ulsan. Top part is fast and rolling, middle part is tight and technical and the lower part is fire access road - good for speeding if the sugar level hasn't dropped below racing levels.
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A few of us have small crashes and close encounters with trees and bushes along the way, but we all make it down to the beach with only a few drops of blood spilled. We cruise on past the cafés, the local seafood restaurants and the fishing harbours before we leisurely climb up the old road over the hill to Nammok (the one which is so pretty during the April cherry blossom). We're on our way back home now, but take a little but steep detour up to Jujeon smoke signal station, which offers unparalleled views of the beach to the north and of HHI Shipbuilding division south of the nearby Bongho temple. From there we close the circle by riding down to Nammok along the stone walls of the northern extreme of the old horse pastures.
Energy levels low, we head home for lunch and a shower before meeting up for a coffee or drink at Ilsan Beach or a dip in the compound swimming pool. Mind well rested – body well spent.