Cycling through the City
A Review of Huni Oppa Bike Tours
Written by Farah Amin
Photo provided by Kim Ok-ryeol
Have you ever seen the bike (in the picture above) in the downtown or Asia Culture Complex area? Well if you haven’t, it is called Huni Oppa Bike Tours. It is the first and only bicycle tour for visitors in Gwangju. Launched during the 2015 Universiade in July, the eye-catching, eco-friendly vehicle takes visitors sightseeing around the downtown area (Chungjang-no, Geumnamro and Asia Culture Center).
On September 16, my co-worker and I took this bicycle tour and our guide was the man who created the tour, Kim Gwang Hun. Notice the ‘Hun’ in Huni Oppa Bicycle Tours? He said it was an easier name for visitors, especially foreign tourists, to say and remember. “Oppa” is what girls call their older bother, so my co-worker and I called him Huni Oppa for the whole journey. The tour was fun and I would highly recommend others try it too.
I should first mention that Hunni Oppa is so friendly and funny! Even before beginning the tour, he joked around with us and that really made us feel comfortable. He first checked the vehicle’s tire pressure and the hitch connected to the bike. But don’t worry; I can assure you the bike is strong and safe. The bike and carriage reach a speed of 5km/hr, which makes tour both relaxing and safe.
We started the tour around the downtown shopping area and then headed toward Art Street. What’s special about the tour is that it is not like those typical boring bus tours with a monotone-voiced tour guide. Huni Oppa will surely entertain you for the entire tour. Even though I’ve been to the downtown area a lot and thought I knew a lot about it since I work in the area, after hearing fun stories about the history of downtown from Huni Oppa, I learned a lot of things! He even pointed out street names and small alleys that I had never noticed before.
You will absolutely enjoy taking a tour in the fresh air instead of being enclosed in a car or bus. On the bike tour you can look up at the sky and view the scenery around you freely. However, you might be a little bit embarrassed while being a passenger on the tour because a lot of people will look at you and sometimes strangely. This is because the bike tour is still new to people in Gwangju. But worry not! Huni Oppa advised us to smile and wave at the people we passed. And it worked! The people waved and smiled back.
Going on the Huni Oppa Bike Tour really reminded me of my home in Malaysia, too. Actually we have something similar to Huni Oppa’s type of tour, but it goes back ages. It is called “becha” which means a vehicle moved by cycling. I never would’ve thought I would see anything even to similar to that in Korea.
So no need to babble more, if you are in Gwangju, do not miss the chance to experience Huni Oppa Bike Tours because all you’ve got to do is sit back, relax and enjoy!
How to find Huni Oppa Bike Tours
Just search for Huni Oppa and his ‘co-cyclers’ in front of the Asia Culture Center
Fee: 10,000 won per person
Reservation: Gwangju Eco Bike (062-374-2245)