Why this ride
195 km from Chunghwa to Chunghwa, about 3 h 30 of riding. The stops in between: Homam-ri Sasin, Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 and back through Homam-ri Sasin.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
195 km from Chunghwa to Chunghwa, about 3 h 30 of riding. The stops in between: Homam-ri Sasin, Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 and back through Homam-ri Sasin.
This is one of the few places in a ride collection that you almost certainly cannot ride to on your own, and it is worth saying so plainly. The Tomb of King Tongmyong lies in North Korea, southeast of Pyongyang, and the country admits foreign visitors only on guided tours, with fixed itineraries, official guides and no independent driving, let alone motorcycling. Still, it is a remarkable place, and knowing about it adds a layer to understanding the Korean peninsula.
Read the complete Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group is where the day begins. Next is Homam-ri Sasin.
The Four Guardians, the dragon of the east, the tiger of the west, the red bird of the south and the black tortoise entwined with a snake in the north, rule the walls of the Homam-ri tomb. Painted more than fifteen hundred years ago in the Koguryo kingdom, which dominated Korea and parts of Manchuria in those centuries, they are drawn in sweeping lines and bright mineral colours, and they twist across the stone as if in motion. The tomb is in the area around Pyongyang, in North Korea, and the whole group of Koguryo tombs was listed by UNESCO in 2004.
Read the complete Homam-ri Sasin write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Homam-ri Sasin comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1, 38 km on.
This is a place almost no one reading these words will be able to reach on two wheels, and it is better to say so plainly. Tokhwa-ri Tomb No. 1 lies in the countryside north of Pyongyang, in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, among a group of burial mounds from the kingdom of Goguryeo. Independent travel in North Korea is not possible. Foreign visitors, when the country admits them at all, travel only on organised tours with official guides, follow fixed itineraries and are not allowed to drive or ride. Citizens of some countries, including the United States, are barred from travelling there by their own governments, and many others are strongly advised against it.
Read the complete Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 97 km into the recorded legs you reach Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1. Next is back through Homam-ri Sasin.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Homam-ri Sasin write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Homam-ri Sasin, late in the day. Next is Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group. That is the ride.
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group → Homam-ri Sasin is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Homam-ri Sasin → Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 → back through Homam-ri Sasin is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Homam-ri Sasin → Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.