Jeju Island and the Trip Home

Simon and I flew down to Jeju at 4pm. It only takes an hour from Seoul, which is awesome. We had booked a pension called Herb Beach. Our taxi driver from the airport was crazy. He stopped quite frequently and even got out of the cab to ask for directions to the pension. The first night, we scoped out the surrounding area and then ate sushi bibimbop.

Saturday:
*We had the nice lady at the pension call a cab for us. We went to the information center to find out some things to do. We went to the Dragon Rock. From a distance, I suppose it looks like a dragon. At the same place, we saw some of the old women divers. Afterwards, we went to Samsunghyeol, the origin place of the three demi-gods. When we were there, it started raining. It continued until early the next morning.

*We took a bus (only 3000won) to the Mongalgul (lava tube cave) towards the east side of the island. I'm fairly certain the cave was my favorite thing of the day. We nearly missed the stop though. I'm sure the bus drivers was thinking “stupid foreigners.” We had to walk about 2km from the bus stop to the cave. Fortunately, a cab stopped and picked us up halfway.

This was at the end of the lava tube. I wish I could remember everything about it...

It became extremely windy by the time we left the cave area. Simon's umbrella hilariously blew inside out.

Sunday:
We met up with Ralf. Oh, it was a blast. We took a bus out east again, to Sunrise Peak. I didn't realize we were going to climb the thing. It just proved how out of shape I am. One of the old women pulled the octopus out of the tank and diced it.

*After the funky mountain, we took a cab out to see a huge crater. This crater was really huge, but quite overpriced.

This is a harubong. They're all over Jeju. No one really knows why they're there, but they are. Then, we had to wait for 45minutes for the next bus to come. In the mean time, while we were wasting time, again, we got someone to take a picture for us, and we played a lame version of baseball with our umbrellas and pinecones.
We found samgyeopsal for dinner. It was alright. Simon and I went back to our pension and said goodbye to Ralf. We were quite exhausted from the day of traveling and sightseeing.

Monday:
We rented a cab for the day (10:00 – 6:00) picking us up from the pension and finally dropping us off at the airport all for about $75-80. Our cab driver kept asking if we were on our honeymoon. There were many embarassed looks and awkward moments.

First, we stopped at Hallim Park. That was really cool, because it was so big. It had many gardens: palm tree, botanical, bird, water, and even caves.

Then, we quickly stopped at the beach to take a picture. After that, we were off to the south. Our driver suggested the Osulloc Cha Museum (Tea). We saw many tea fields and a bunch of tea cups. Since everything was in Korea, we didn't really spend much time there. At least it was free.

We skipped the next botanical garden and instead went to take a boat ride around rock cliffs. Then, we actually went to see the rocks. We whipped through that a lot faster than we thought. So, once we got through that, we went to see the Chyeonji Falls. It really was beautiful. There were prayer areas, too. The whole site was relaxing. We saw a scuba diver in the river, picking up money around the statue. I think he was just trying to pick up a few bucks. We also went to the Mysterious Road. The car was turned off and put in neutral. Then, it starts to roll uphill. It was crazy, just bizarre. I have no idea how that could happen.

This was at a rock museum that was our last quick stop before the airport. See how strong I am?!
It was all scrambling and packing as much as I could in my suitcase. I ended up leaving all my books there. Simon said he'd send a huge box with all my stuff. He brought me to the airport this morning, but he had to leave before I got everything checked. We got my drum packed. I hope it makes it safely through the luggage.

My first flight was long. The old guy next to me kept sucking stuff out of his teeth. It was so gross. Connecting flight: originally, it was supposed to leave at 1:15. Then, when I checked in, it said departure was at 12:50. So, I was happy about that. However, the plane coming in had to land early in Austin, TX, due to the bad weather around here. So, my flight was delayed 3 hours. BUT, I made it home. Now, I'm just trying to get through the jetlag.

Where Did June Go?

No idea where June went. It has gone by so quickly. I can't believe I haven't posted yet. I suppose I've been very busy, ill, and whatnot. I don't remember most of what went on either. I remember there was a week of humidity and heat. Then a week of rain. That was disgusting because the rain here is acidic. Plus, it got really cold. I do remember meeting up with Mary and her friend. I also did a bit of last-minute shopping. Shopping for clothes makes me stressed out. It's so difficult to find what I actually think looks okay. Half the shirts here would be okay if they didn't have the big bow on it or was made in a solid color instead of crazy patterns. It's the Korean style.

I brought one of my Dutch friends to the tailor to get a suit. (Yes, this is the same tailor that kept messing up on my brothers' orders.) Anyways, I decided to get two more shirts. When I went back to pay for the shirts, he only charged me for one, since I had brought another friend. How awesome is that?! I was really excited. So, I have three tailored shirts now, but I only paid for one. I would consider that a great deal. The tailor is in Itaewon, which is a high touristic place for foreigners. It's next to the US military base. Anyways, the Belgian Embassy is also in Itaewon. Simon came with to apply for a driver's license.

More recent happenings:

Last Sunday, I got food poisoning. It was the worst stomachache ever, in addition to a high fever, and a bit of vomitting. Let me tell you, that was definitely the worst way to go into finals. I pretty much didn't move for a couple days.

I just finished my finals...Let summer begin.

Today, there is a farewell party for the international students. I've been promised a hilarious slideshow, a 'Miss Ewha' Contest with only male entries (the international program is co-ed, even though Ewha is a women's university), and free pizza. This afternoon, I'm going to Jeju Island. It's a famous island, south of the peninsula. It's particularly known for being windy, its statues, and many women. Supposedly, there are no beggars or thieves on this island, and the homes don't have front doors. It's very touristic and popular for honeymooners. So, it should be really interesting. I get back late Monday night, and then my flight home is early Tuesday. I will post pictures when I get back to the US of A.