We landed in a rather soggy Jeju Thursday night. Unfortunately, not all trips to the beach include sun. After finding a rental car, explaining that you cannot fit 8 people plus an infant along with their luggage in a small van to the rental car agency, and getting a bigger van, we set off for our pension for the trip. Jenn and I found a lovely seaside pension (Korean for small family owned hotel) and our view the next morning confirmed it. The pension was off of a beach road and had fantastic views of Udo Island and Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak).
Our first day, we sized up the weather and decided to head to the north part of the island. First we hit up Dragon Head rock and fun playing in the tide pools and looking at all the lava rocks. Before we knew it, it was lunch time. After a quick lunch at Paris Baguette, we visited Samyang Prehistoric Site. This site is currently the earliest example of a large-scale settlement’s appearance not only in Jeju but also in Korea and dates from the Bronze Age through the early Iron Age. We spent time looking at the artifacts and exploring life on the island before there were condos everywhere. The girls took to peering into every nook and cranny the site had to offer, especially the thatched huts.
Leaving the site, we headed to Manjang Cave. The cave is 7,416-meter long and has been officially recognized as the longest lava tube in the world. Ronnie, Holly, Mike and his girls explored it, while Jenn and I tended to the sleeping little ones in the car. Luckily they woke up in time for the fun - there was a Maze Park right around the corner from the caves. The maze was so much fun - running in the hedgerows and trying to not get turned around. We came out in 15 minutes. The kids decided they wanted another try at it and came out in 12 minutes. Not too shabby.
Saturday brought us even gloomier skies than Friday. So, still, no beach. The Olivers were up bright and early, so we headed to explore Seongsan park , which means "castle hill'' in Korean. The structure is a lava cone created by a submarine volcanic eruption some 5,000 years ago. It was named Castle hill because of its sloping form resembling a grand castle. We enjoyed a snack and coffee while taking in the view. Then we returned to the hotel, packed up a picnic lunch, and decided to head south for the day. We visited Pacific Land and the Chocolate Museum before heading to Jeju City for dinner. Again, we went to bed with hopes of better weather....
But it wasn't to be. Sunday was Father's Day, so we cooked up some breakfast and lounged around. Right before lunch, we took off for points unknown, while the Milks decided to hang back at the hotel for the day. First up was the Haenyeo Museum.
Haenyeo refers to female divers who dive into the ocean water to gather various shellfish, seaweed, etc, without using any underwater diving equipment. When diving underwater, a haenyeo carries only a pair of goggles, a round ball-like tube to keep her balance, and a basket to put her collections in. Of course, it is interesting to note that women have been doing this job since the early 1900s, which is in direct conflict with Confucian principles. Until the 19th century, diving was mostly done by men. The job became unprofitable for men since they had to pay heavy taxes, unlike women who did not. Women took over the diving (which was considered the lowest of jobs) and, because of the great dependence on sea products in most places on Jeju, became the main breadwinners. With that, they often became "the head" of their family.
After the Haenyeo Museum and a fantastic lunch, we started to head around the island looking for something to do. We stopped for gas when a sign for "CharacWorld" caught our eye. So off we went to find this "CharacWorld." And boy was it a find! Characworld is a
I don't know what it is, but they love poop. It's normally drawn like a soft chocolate ice cream which makes it look really cute. But it's poop and it's hilarious - and yes, my girls went down the poop shoot. We watched the robot show and played with the sand art display before moving on (and secretly hoping for a break in the weather). When we exited Characworld, the weather was holding (meaning not raining too bad) so we headed down the road to Seongpanak, one of the parasitic volcanoes on Jeju. Again, it wasn't to be. We got up to the admissions and the ajima had a sign written in English that said, "No view due to thick fog. Would you still like to go in?" We decided no and drove down the road to find another sign for something to do.
We were driving around trying to find the Mongolian Horse Show but instead found the Jeju Trick Art Museum. Trick art renders two dimensional paintings in three dimensions by creating illusion. Each work looks differently when seen from different angles or spots. Its magic magnifies when seen from camera lenses. We had so much fun playing with the different paintings, taking pictures and looking at them on the display.
After the museum it was time to head back to our neck of the woods. We went into the town south of our hotel, and made one last valiant attempt at going to the beach. We dipped our toes in quickly, but it was drizzly, windy and cold. We found dinner at a great beef on a leaf place and then settled in for the night.
The next day, we returned to the mainland to bright sunny skies and hot weather. But we had fun exploring the nooks and crannies of Jeju, even if none of it included the beach. Ronnie and I have decided that we are just going to have to plan a last minute trip to Jeju where we can confirm the weather right before we hop on the plane.
