Arriving in Busan on the overnight ferry was like waking up on another planet. The city was loud and dense, the rules of the road unfamiliar. We had to crawl through the heavy morning traffic until we hit the cycle path, where we could finally start breathing again.

Riding north meant fierce headwinds and slow progress. For the first time since leaving Sapporo there was pressure to cover the kilometres in time for our flight home. We adapted, pushing into the winds and riding into the night, seeing everything through opened eyes.