Jeju Island

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Jeju Island for a few days.  I left on Friday after work from Gimpo airport.  I took a bus to Gangnam and then took the express train (line 9, brown) straight to the airport.  It was so easy I almost felt guilty.  

When I arrived at the airport in Jeju, Helen, my co-teacher, and her family picked me up.  They graciously allowed me to stay with them for the duration of my trip.  They had recently moved into a larger space next door but paid a little extra so that Helen and I could have a comfortable place to stay while we were on vacation.  

The family's apartment on left and where Helen and I stayed on the right. 

On Saturday we all went to Udu Island.  To go to Udo we drove from the apartment for about an hour, then we drove onto the ferry in our car.  The ferry ride was really short.  They could have made a bridge that distance if they really wanted to.  Then we went all around the small island of Udo. 

First we took a small hike to see a spectacular view of the island. 

<--- Udo Island

 After lunch (which was delicious!) we spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach.  And by beach I actually mean a shaded little hangout area.  I went into the water for a little bit but it was cloudy, muddy, and filled with seaweed. It was pretty gross.  Instead, I just stared out at the sea.  Ok, ok, I admit: I just slept a lot.  

By sunset we were back on Jeju and went on another small walk to an area that a famous drama was filmed.  (By now I am convinced that every square inch of Korea has been used for a drama location).  It was really pretty in general but the most amazing part was seeing the ocean sparkle with light from the moon.  Sadly, it doesn't quite capture on film. 

 

On Sunday we went to Helen's sister's workplace because it's on the foot of Halla Mountain, a volcano almost 2,000 meters high, making it the tallest mountain in South Korea.  I geeked out over the eco roof they had.  

 <--- green rooftop! 

Hello volcano. 

Deer living on the business compound. 

We went to a park/beach with some crystal blue turquoise water.

Sarah and Helen

Following that we went to the Manjanggul caves which are some of the longest lava tubes in the world and the Kimnyoung Maze Park which was entertaining.  It's like those corn mazes only made of bushes instead of corn.  There was once a famous LG commercial filmed here. 

Monday was another beach day.  But first we stopped at got some famous Jeju bread. 

Red bean buns

The two ladies who make them

Staring out at the beautiful blue

Sunset in Jeju-do

It was a good vacation and Jeju surpassed my expectations.  Everyone says it's great and like the Hawaii of Korea and I honestly didn't believe them.  Asah!  It was!  The only downside to the trip was that I was sick with a nasty cough the entire time (and I still am sick today as I write this).  

Only 10 days left here in Korea!  Pretty hard to believe, huh!?

The Daehan Tea Plantation at Boseong

I finally made it to the tea plantation!  This is something I have been wanting to do ever since I got here and saw Mali's pictures of the plantation.  "Wow! What is that!?" I asked her.  When she told me I promised myself that I would go.  Her pictures were breathtaking.  

The bus ride to Boseong took practically all day long because it involves so many connections.  Jennifer and I spent the night at the Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan and so from Yongsan we took a taxi to the Express Bus Terminal in Seoul.  I had read that you can go directly from the Express Bus Terminal to Boseong, and while this is true, the tourist information website neglected to mention that this is only a twice a day deal: one at 8:10am and one at about 4pm.  That clearly would not work seeing as it was about 11am.  

Instead we took the bus to Gwangju which was about 4 hours.  From Gwangju we took a bus to Beseong which is another hour.  From there we took another bus (20 mins) to Yolpo because that's where the "best accommodation" is.   After looking at a bunch of gross minbaks we decided on the one motel on the main strip which cost us w25,000 per person for a bed (instead of the floor like at the minbaks), a tv, a nice shower and a/c.  By the time we got to the motel it was about 6pm so we settled in, walked to the beach (very muddy and not even worth a picture) and ate dinner.  

The next day we went to the famous green tea spa.  (We had actually tried to go after dinner but it turns out they close at 8pm so that was a no-go.) The spa cost w6,000 and we sat in a hot tub, a cold tub, a green tea tub, and what we presume was a black tea tub.  

At noon we checked out of our motel and attempted to go to the tea fields.  We got on the bus and expected to see the loads of busses and tourist attraction site like we did on the way down.  Wrong.  We were on a different road.  So we missed our stop.  After considering waiting for yet another bus back down we opted to take a taxi.

Finally we made it to the tea plantation!  We thought it was going to rain on us but it didn't at all.  Instead we got some magical mist.  It was even more breathtaking than I had imagined!  (It was also more touristy than I had imagined, but I honestly should have expected that by now. Silly me.)

 

My Trip to the DMZ

Ask almost any tourist/foreigner/visiter to Korea and they will name the DMZ as one of the must-see things to do.  Tell any Korean that you are going to the DMZ and they will give you a blank stare.  "The what?"  they will ask. Once you explain what it is (they do know what it is of course; they just don't call it the DMZ) they will ask you why you would ever want to go there.  It's baffling to many people why someone would want do that, but I find it fascinating. 

We started our tour at ImjinGak where you can easily look at the start of North Korea and walk a little bit on the "Freedom Bridge." 

Here I am with the Freedom Bridge and North Korea in the background.  

 

Many people buy ribbons to show their support of peace between N. & S. Korea

South Korean kimchi pots in the foreground and North Korea in the background.  

After lunch we went to the 3rd Tunnel.   The third tunnel was discovered in 1978 by a North Korean defector.  There have been 4 tunnels found, the last one discovered in 1990.  It is thought that there could be as many as 20 tunnels still to be discovered.  

You can't take pictures inside the tunnel so I can't show that to you.  I can show you a cheesy tourist picture though.

After the 3rd Tunnel we went to the Dora Observatory.  This is where you actually get to look in telescopes and see a North Korean city, and by that I mean a fake city.  There's a line you have to take pictures behind so it's rather difficult to get a good picture.  I managed.  Yay super zoom.  

 Thou shall not cross [with camera]! 

The tallest flagpole in the world!  

 North Korea ---> 

 

Lastly, we went to the Dorasan train station.  Although it's not in service right now, South Korea hopes that one day the train will go into Peongyang and reunite the two sides of the country.  The station is so eerie because it looks like any other train station in Korea.  You buy a ticket, there is an electronic time table and there is a seat with a waiting area.  I have been to stations at the end of the line but this one is different.  It feels different.  It feels sad and hopeful and strange.  

 

Train is coming.  

The military guy is telling me to move back.  

I do.  

Then I get on the train to NoKo.

Just kidding.  

You can ride this train but you have to get special permission and it just goes back to Paju (SoKo)

Maybe one day... 

Until then, this station will sit still and wait.    

Pierrot Bowling in Seoul

 

I have heard a lot of great things about the bowling alley in Apgujeong called "Pierrot Strike."  Matt has raved about it and has gone twice.  There seemed to be good reviews on the internet.  So Jennifer and I went.  Matt warned us that there is often a wait so we should get there early and put our names on the list.  Our plan, as per his suggestion, was to go at 6pm, then grab some dinner nearby and then come back and bowl.  But as it turns out you are not allowed to put your name on the list and then leave (or else you forfeit your place in line.)  So we ordered pizza at the alley (which was really good!) and then we bowled.  

Looking around the bowling alley Jenn remarked "This isn't special.  This is just like all the bowling alleys in Vegas."  Although I argued that Las Vegas is probably an exception to most things when it comes to entertainment, I had also seen bowing alleys like this in every city have I lived in from Broomfield, Colorado to Portland, Oregon.  Every bowling alley has a "Rock N' Bowl" where they dim the lights, add some black-lights, play fancy videos and jack up the prices.   Enter Pierrot Strike.   To be fair, we did have a fun time. 

But unlike the bowling alleys in the United States... On the 8th frame of our first game an attendent came up to us and impatiently asked if we would be playing another round.  Yes, we replied.   He went away.  On the 6th frame of our second game the attended came back and asked again.  No, we replied.  At the 9th frame the next group of bowlers were instructed to wait behind us for their turn just as we had been urged to do for the group before us.  The feeling that we were rushed and taking too long to bowl was not very welcoming.  

All in all, I would say that we had a good time, but frankly I wouldn't go back again.  I much preferred the less pretentious no hassles bowling alley in Yeongtong.  Cheaper too.  

 

Gone WWOOFing

Last week I participated in the G-20 WWOOF program at Handemay Village near the town of Danyang (단양).  To say the least, my experience was amazing and I can't wait to try my hand at WWOOFing again.  (For more information about wwoof in general, click here)  

The G-20 program, which is sponsored by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries of Korea and the Korea Rural Community Corporation,  is open to any foreigner visiting or residing in Korea free of charge until the end of the year.  With the G-20, participants get to do more than just farming; they get a cultural immersion of rural life in Korea.  

Unfortunately, since I had to go back to work on Monday, I did not get to complete the program and because of that my experience may be a bit skewed, though certainly not discredited.  

Day 1 (Wednesday): 

I arrived at the WWOOF Korea office at 1pm to begin the program.  I had no idea how many other people would also be in the program and where they would be from.  I admit that I thought there would only be one or two other people, but to my delight I was able to meet 7+ volunteers from all over the world!  As expected, there were a few teachers like myself from Canada and the United States, but I also met a girl from Hong Kong, a guy from Norway, and a guy from Germany by way of Australia.  

After everyone had registered we all walked to the nearby hanok, a traditional Korean house.  When you stay at a hanok you must sleep on the floor, but after staying in so many pensions and minbak's this past year, I have gotten used to it.  Most people find that sleeping on the floor for a night is refreshing and does good things for their back and posture. 

That afternoon we went on a walking tour of the Insadong area of Seoul.  Though of course I had been to the main street of Insadong many times, we took the path less traveled and explored areas I would otherwise had never seen.  

We also got to meet a man who our tour-guide claimed was one of the most famous traditional Korean window carpenters in the whole world.  He is even on television for his talent! Also, this man is "super busy, so super busy," so we were lucky in that regard as well.  

 

 The carpenter; his tools; and his workshop.  

After our walking tour we got to take a Korean cooking class.  Yes!  This is something that I have wanted to do since I came here and I was thrilled to be able to finally do it.  Because of the G-20 program the cooking class cost us just w5,000 ($4.39 by today's exchange rate) instead of the w70,000 ($60) it would normally cost! 

We learned how to make naengmyeon, a typical summer dish made from buckwheat noodles served in a cold broth and bulgogi, a marinated beef dish.  The food was delicious (bonus points for having two non-spicy foods in one sitting!) and we even got some cookbooks so that we could make the food again and again.  

  

Ingredients for naengmyeon; cooking away; the finished product. 

 

             

The whole group; overlooking Seoul; snazzy me in a Hanbok and apron. 

When we returned to our Hanok we had another great surprise: traditional Korean performers were coming to give us a free show!  For one hour we were graced with the sounds and sights of Korean drums and flute, and fan dances.  

 

Korean daegeum and a fan dancer 

Day 2 (Thursday):

After breakfast the next morning we went to the bus station and split up into two groups.  Some of us would be going to Handemy and others to Naetgang.  Travel took almost the entire day so it was close to 4pm by the time we arrived in our little village.  We rested, had dinner, rested some more, and then finally went to bed.  

Day 3 (Friday): 

Breakfast was at 8am and by 9am we were ready to get working.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me so I don't have any pictures, but we spent this day pruning grape trees.  There were two large greenhouses filled with grape vines and it was our job to trim back the overgrown ones.  I actually enjoyed the work and found it somewhat meditative.  

After about an hour and a half of working, we took a break for kimchi (of course..) and drinking makgeolli.  Wait, what?  Yes, you read that right.  Makgeolli.  At 10:30 in the morning.  Because why not, right?  

We worked for a little bit longer, had lunch, and then got to rest for the rest of the day.  

We explored a neat little cave that was on the property.  Legend has it that villagers used to travel through this cave carrying shoes to sell for about 1km to the next village because there were robbers on the main road.        

Day 4 (Saturday): 

While everyone else in my G-20 group went hiking at the mountain nearby, at stayed in the village more content to read my book and take photos.  My photos turned out phenomenally, but here are some of my favorites~ 

  

   

When the group got back from hiking we all got to go on another little field trip.  We visited the Gosu Cave, one of Korea's most famous caves.  It is 1.7km long and made of limestone.  Even though we had already been to a cave this one was very different because it was touristy and there were lights and a pathway guiding us through it.  Both caves were great in their own right.  

At the cave site there was also a temple which was used for the set of a Korean drama.  At this temple we got to dress up in traditional costume.  Later, we made wishes on rocks. 

  

Day 5 (Sunday): 

Time to go home!  I didn't want to leave, but had to.  Again, the ride back took almost all day long.  

My experience WWOOFing in Korea definitely surpassed my expectations.  There was so much joy and so much laughter over those five days.  If you are looking for a cultural experience in Korea, I highly recommend doing this program.    

Email wwoof korea at: wwoofkorea@yahoo.co.kr and tell Jade that I sent you! :)