Land of the Morning Calm: New Asia satellite office now open!

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The view from my apartment balcony.[/caption]

Annyong! (That's hello, in Korean!)

Asia tour specialist Lindsay here, reporting from our brand new satellite office in Daegu, South Korea. Things are off to a running start in the Far East for BikeToursDirect. Thanks to our growing and supportive base of clients, we are now reaching all sides of the globe, connecting people to bike tours in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.

Biking is not new in Korea. It's a country where people often bike for transportation, especially through the crowded cities where traffic can be somewhat nightmarish. Out in the countryside, where mountains beget mountains and farm life is still abundant, residents use bikes to get from village to village and between their rice fields (such a beautiful site during the harvest!).

I've lived in Korea for four years now with my husband. We took a short break last year to return to family in the U.S. But travel is in our blood, and living in unique, far-flung destinations seem to be the only way to still our roaming souls.

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Lindsay exploring the rice paddies of Korea back in 2007.[/caption]

We fell in love quickly with The Land of the Morning Calm. From red hot kimchi to sizzling fat strips of pork cooked at your own table, the food drew us in from the very beginning. Then, there are the people, tenacious and hard-working, and kind to a fault, often finding ways to bend over backward to help a guest in their country. And of course, there are the mountains, where hidden Buddhist temples sleep on hilltops while the cities buzz below.

My family has set up in Daegu, a city of more than 2.5 million. Coming from Chattanooga, Tenn., it was overwhelming on our first weekend. Shoulder to shoulder with our tow-headed toddler in tow, we were quite the show to passers-by. "Waygukin, waygukin!" (foreigner, foreigner!) they whisper to each other, smiling and laughing at our son, who stands out like pepper in a salt shaker.

The cities are dense, and personal bubbles do not exist here. But once you leave the crowded city centers, there is a treasure trove of gems to discover. From the ride paddies of the south to the quiet beaches dotting the shorelines, there is no better way to explore this country than by bike.

We will be adding two new tours here in the coming months--our first tours in South Korea. But, in the meantime, be sure to check out our more than 60 guided and self-guided bike tours in Asia. Start searching these offerings now, and feel free to email me with questions on tours in Asia!

Update: See all of our Korea tours here >>

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