Spring Break - Round 2: Jeju

For three of the four years of my college career I had pretty unforgettable Spring Break experiences with some of the best sorority pals a girl would ask for.  I was just getting used to the idea that Spring Break was no longer a reality for me...until I realized that I'm a teacher.  Spring Break still exists!  Hurrah!  Diane and I took full advantage of our two weeks off by spending the latter part of our break on an island off the southwestern coast of Korea called Jeju.  It is often referred to as Korea's Hawaii.  Even though the temperatures weren't tropical caliber, it was a nice getaway to new surroundings before plunging back into a new school year.

Since we left the Monday after our all night excursion in Hongdae, we were still wiped as we boarded our short flight from Seoul to Jeju.  However, upon arrival to this lovely island, experiencing jacket-free fresh air, lush surroundings, grass, (and green grass at that), and palm trees, we felt instant rejuvenation.

We arrived at our hostel, Tae Gong Gak Inn and Guesthouse (if you ever go to Jeju, STAY THERE!!!  It's amazing!), after a long bus ride to the other side of the island.  We were warmly greeted by the innkeeper Peter.  [For those of you who know Carl Anders Helander, this man was a Korean version of him!  It was uncanny and delightful!]  Peter and Sylvia (the innkeepers) took care of any question we had or reservation we needed, .  They delighted in helping us plan our day trips, suggesting where to eat and getting to know us.  It was the perfect place to stay!

After an early dinner, we walked to this fresh waterfall.  Notice that Diane is standing on a rock :) This picture just doesn't get old...

Our first full day, we got a pretty late start.  We began our day with an awesome lunch of hairtail fish soup and grilled mackerel.  We weren't overly excited by the hairtail fish soup but the texture and crunch of the mackerel was so good that we picked that fish clean.

I called this "Demolition Derby"

Next, we went on a submarine ride to get an up close and personal look at the fish that live around the island.  In order to get to the submarine, we had to ride a shuttle boat out to where the submarine would start its journey.  Diane and I were two of four foreigners on the submarine trip.  The men in charge of herding people from place to place showed us to the front of the line.  While we were waiting for our boat to arrive at the submarine, a frantic young Korean boy came running over to me, asking (in Korean) if I had seen a blue coat.  Homeboy was freaking out and I had no idea what he was saying.  Diane had been sitting on something and pulled it out from under her and lo and behold, it was his coat.  Fast forward 10 minutes.  We were now on a different boat and waiting in line to board the submarine.  The frantic boy (now quite calm and charming) was standing in line right behind us.  He started asking us questions in impeccable English.  He told us he was 12 years old and his English name was John.  He was so cute and quite the conversationalist!  As we were climbing into the submarine, he said, "I think this look very ... funny."  He melted my heart.  Presumably, since we were special foreigner guests, we were told to sit in the front of the submarine... pretty sweet seats!  The fish we saw from the submarine were pretty cool, but nothing tropical or super amazing to spend time writing about.  What was more cool, to me, was riding in the front of the submarine and watching as we descended into the depths of the water.  So cool!

Immediately upon exiting the submarine and getting back on the boat that would transport us back to shore, I was tapped on the shoulder by little John.  He asked me a barrage of questions about our time in Jeju, teaching, America, etc.  The icing on the cake was when he asked me for my phone number!  What a charmer!

John!  Cutest 12 year old ever

Right in the middle of our conversation about who knows what, John's grandmother came over and pointed out a huge swarm of seagulls following the path of the boat.  John immediately halted our riveting conversation and screeched "CAMERA!!!" as he began snapping shot after shot of the seagulls.  Then, his grandfather gave us some french fry shaped chips so we could feed them.

I had that 'gull eating out of my hand...literally :)

After several attempts, so did John.  (My face is not staged, I'll have you know...)

That night, we ate an awesome dinner of black pork that is a Jeju specialty as well as a Jeju variation of three layered pork belly meat.  'Twas tasty.  Then, we went to a waterfall that is specially lit up at night. 

As we were gearing up to leave the waterfall, I noticed a Korean man taking a picture of the group with which he was traveling.  I offered to take the picture so that he, too, could be in the picture.  Despite my offer being in English, he began to explain some photo requests in Korean.  He didn't stop when I gave him a bewildered "I have no idea what you are saying to me" look.  Luckily, between his accompanying gestures and Diane's Korean vocabulary, we were able to understand what it was he wanted (though I can't remember now...).  As I was snapping their pictures, he continued to talk to me in Korean until a young girl in the group yelled, "She's a foreigner!"  Everyone started laughing and he profusely thanked us as we walked away after giving them back their cameras.  Later on, toward the end of our time in the waterfall park, we ran into the group again and the man asked us if we were walking back to our hotel.  When we said yes, he looked super impressed.  I have no idea what was so impressive about us walking back to our hotel, but it gave us a good laugh.

The next day, we shared an all day taxi tour with a Canadian teacher and her mom.  Our taxi driver's name was Mr. Go and he was delightful.  He was a bodybuilder (and wasn't hesitant about showing us a picture from a bodybuilding competition in which he was sporting a chiseled bod and a Speedo..  Yikes.) and was eager to practice his fairly impressive English skills with us.  Also, he insisted on following us around, explaining things and taking pictures for us at any possible Kodak moment.  (And when I say he took pictures, I mean he did everything in his power to make sure we got the best possible pictures.  He was climbing railings, squatting, standing on fences where one false move could result in his imminent death...  Homeboy was d-e-d-i-c-a-t-e-d.)  He was so nice and so fun!  And, upon hearing that Diane enjoys listening to K-Pop music, he produced a pretty impressive mix c.d. that he played for the first part of the trip (the second part was an 80s mix - it made me feel like I was in a Rocky movie :) ) The day was spent touring around the east side of the island to various geological and other natural structures and various points along the coast.  There about 85 pictures of Diane and I standing in front of a significant place, view or point in varying poses - peace signs, thumbs up or awkward standing with big smiles.   I'll spare you and just show the biggies...

In front of the largest lava structure of its kind in the world, which is inside the world's second largest lava tube.  Eat your heart out A-How.

An action shot of Mr. Go taking a photo.  Intense.

These pictures were taken at a trick art museum...  There were probably about 30 reproductions of famous (and not so famous) pieces of art and locations that were painted to include something interactive.  They make for some real sweet pictures!

Jeju is famous for a group of old women who dive to retrieve seafood from a small cove.  Everyday, they put on a short demonstration and we went to watch.  As we arrived, we noticed a camera crew from what is basically Korea's version of PBS.  The film crew was following the daughter of a famous Korean actor  around to various tourist locations in Jeju.  There was also a small boy at the show who was completely enthralled by the little girl being filmed.  He kept wandering over to her, and each time he came over, she reached into her pocket and gave him a small piece of chocolate.  He kept coming over to talk to her, but I suspect he was using her for her chocolate :)  At any rate, this exchange was adorable to watch.  Once she stopped handing him chocolate, he lost interest in her and took an interest in Mr. Go.  From what we gathered, Mr. Go was not married or a father (though he did receive a curious amount of phone calls :) ) but the interactions he had with the most-adorable-Korean-boy-ever prove that he should indeed join the club known as Fatherhood.  When the women divers brought back an octopus, Mr. Go and the cute little dude were right in the mix, picking the creature up and waving it around.  This was quite easily one of the most adorable things I have seen in a really long time...  Aside from little John, of course!

Hustling for some chocolate...

Mr. Go takes over...

This kid was so curious... and delightful.

With the woman diver who caught the octopus.  She was real funny...

Our last day was spent in much the same fashion as the previous day.  Sylvia and Peter arranged for us to be shown around by Mr. Go again, this time for a half day on the west side of the island, ending with Mr. Go dropping us off at the airport.  We visited several points along the coast (including the one below that boasts rock formations that are somehow in the shape of hexagons) and other notable sights.  We also visited a green tea museum and experienced the marvel that is Mystery Road, a road in which your car coasts downhill though it appears to be traveling uphill.  Crazy biz.

Mr. Go stood on a corner like the one we're standing in front of to take this picture.  So hardcore.

This day got a little more interesting though.  The last destination on our day was a sex museum and collection of erotic statues and pieces of art called Loveland.  To our surprise, Mr. Go followed us into Loveland and not only looked around with us, but also proceeded to point out and explain what we were looking at.  If that wasn't awkward enough, we saw an inordinate amount of old ladies roaming around Loveland.  The three of us received our fair share of strange looks as we walked around Loveland together...  Nice.

Thus ended our Spring Break excursion to Jeju.  Before we left, we had already started planning our next trip.  It was so easy to be there and there was an endless amount of excitement to behold.  I loved it so much there that in the event that I grow tired of living and teaching in Gwangju but still have a desire to live and teach in Korea, I would consider relocating to Jeju...  So amazing!