Dear Mama.... My Jeju Vacation

This weekend I went to Jeju Island! I left school early on Friday but right before I left, I got to see the 5th and 6th graders' Science Fair. There were booths set up on the playground and each class would rotate to different booths every 10 minutes. Students played with bubbles, a glue like texture made from starch, pulleys, birds and fruit bats, and electricity. It was nice to see them so excited by science. I even fed the fruit bat an apple slice despite being scared that it would bite my finger off. 

After that, I went off to the train station to go to the airport. Jeju is only one hour south of Incheon, so it did not take long to get there. Once I got there, I got on the bus to my hotel, Jeju Hiking Inn. The hotel was in a great area of Seogwip-si. It was walking distance to the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall and the restaurant and shops of downtown Seogwipo (along Lee Joong-seop Street, Myeongdong Road, Arang Joeul Street, and Chilsimni Food Street). The location was wonderful but the room itself was very old, smelly and dusty. I walked in and instantly felt itchy, so it took me a while to feel comfortable but the gentleman at the front desk was very nice. The mornings were very beautiful with the sun shining through the window and the views of the city.

Saturday, I first went to Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls. It was so serene and peaceful in the park around the waterfall. Then, I took a taxi to Oedolgae, a pillar sticking out of the ocean. There was a story about a Korean general disguising the pillar as a giant soldier to scare away Mongolian invaders. It was also a popular location from the filming of the TV drama, Jewel in the Palace (Daejanggeum). I took another taxi to Jungmun Beach Pacific Land. I rode the VIVA Jet Boat, which was like riding a giant jet ski because of all the sharp turns and jumps. I was hanging on for dear life because I was so scared of falling out of the boat but I survived! Then, I walked to the Jungmun Resort area where Ripley's Believe or Not, the Teddy Bear Museum, Yeomiji Botanical Garden, Chocolate Land and many other restaurants and shops were. I stopped by the tourist information desk to ask about where I can ride ATVs and they directed me to Sanbada ATV park at Sangbangsan Mountain. Not long after I got on the ATV, I was, of course, nervous and shaky so I veered off into the woods and crashed on the side of the path! I only scraped my knee a little bit, but I got another bike and kept on going. After I got the hang of it, it was really FUNNNNN.

Sunday, I went back to the airport to catch a tour bus, the Jeju Trolley Limousine Tour. It was great to be on a tour bus because it was a very chilly, windy and rainy day. The tour bus guide's name was Go Mihwa and I was paired up with an older lady as my "tour buddy." The first stop was shopping at some random souvenir shop but Mihwa gave everyone cactus soap as a present, which was really nice. Then, we went to the Jeolmul Natural Recreation Forest. My tour buddy and her friends briskly walked to the natural spring and they insisted that I drink a cup of water from the the spring. I was hesitant, but I tried it anyway and was very surprised that it tasted like bottled water...now I understand Deer Park! The next stop was the Mongolian Horse Show, which was like a mix of Medieval Times and an acrobatic circus show. They even had a silk rope acrobat like Cirque du Soleil. After the show we went horseback riding, my first time ever on a horse or even near a horse. They were not as scary as I imagined but I felt like I was too heavy and would break his back when he started to gallop. I felt sorry for the horse having to hold my weight.

Then, we went to lunch where I....drumroll please....lost my cell phone. All the beautiful pictures I had on my phone up to that point were gone, even the pictures I took of the kids at the Science Fair. It was so sad. I could not enjoy the rest of the day like I wanted. Mihwa said that Chinese tourists sometimes take lost phones to sell and that she lost her phone and never got it back. Since I knew exactly the last place I had it, I never imagined going back and not finding it there. Unfortunately, it happened. The next stop was the Seongeup Folk Village but it was snooze for me because the guide only spoke in Korean and she talked the whole time. I tried some 5-taste tea that tasted like bitter honey and these pellets that were made from horse placenta that tasted like dirt...interesting. Next, we went to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It was the longest climb I have eeeevvverrr been on! There were beautiful views from the top, even on such a dreary day. We later went to the Jeju Women Divers Museum to learn about the history of the iconic women divers. The last stop was Dongbok-ri Sea Village to taste their seafood. Mihwa payed for soup for everyone, which was, again, very nice of her. It was an exhausting but very adventurous day!

When I got back to the hotel, I rushed to the computer to try to activate a tracking app on my phone. I was trying to do it before the battery died but it was unsuccessful in loading. I keep hoping someone will find it and return it. When I got back to Incheon, I tried going to the phone company (Olleh) to see if they could track my SIM card or if I could get a new one for my old phone I used in America. Well, since Monday was Children's Day and today is Bhudda's Birthday I can't get any help from them until Wednesday...so, life goes on. I had a great vacation in Jeju and there is so much to do there, I would have to go back another time to see more (like the caves and Hallasan Mountain). Now, what I have to do is concentrate on preparing for my open class coming up in two weeks and decide if I will stay in Korea or not.

FYI- The only pictures that are mine above are the ones of the Seogwipo harbor night view, the Folk Village, Ilchulbong and the Women Diver's Museum.