Probably the highlight of my visit to Korea was the vacation Ahreum and I took to Jeju Island off the South West Coast of Korea from Firda 21 September to Tuesday the 25th. The island was formed volcanically, though now all such seismic activity has ceased. This makes for some truly interesting scenery, with some rolling hills, but many abrupt bluffs and mountains formed by volcanic eruption. The center of the Island is dominated by Hallasan, the main volcanic mountain of Jeju.
We took a plain from Gimpo airport in Seoul. Check in was fast, as was boarding. The flight was about an hour in length. Similar to the journey from London to Amsterdam. Korean Air provided friendly service, but the drinks were small and there was no food or snack at all. A comparable length journey on a European flight for a national carrier would certainly provide a sandwich or something.
Unfortunately, the rental car company, while affordable, was pretty dubious. Hansung is definitely not a reliable company to rent from. They were unprepared when we arrived, and the car we got had very bald tires and was worn in general. We bought an extra insurance plan. Over one night one of the tires blew, which should have been unsurprising. We got some help changing the spare, and arranged to have a new car delivered. As before, this car was about seven years old, and a gas guzzler to boot. Worst of all the company tried to invalidate our insurance because the car had changed.
But complaining aside, it was very useful to have a rental car in Jeju. The locals drive like madmen, which caused endless frustration whilst driving, but having the flexibility of a car was really perfect.
So on the first day we relaxed a little in the hotel, and did some grocery shopping. I hadn't cooked for Ahreum for almost a year, which makes me very sad. Luckily, I had the chance to remedy that situation with some home made Samgeopsael (Korean grilled pork).
On day we did some serious traveling. I drove East to Seongsan, or sunrise point. It is a relatively small volcanic peak, but the climb was steep.
Looking down
The crater ridge
Ahreum on the way down, she makes hiking easy!
Afterwards we went to a small beach next to the volcano. There are some very rare special oysters that live off the Jeju Island here, and renowned local women divers are able to hold their breath for 15 minutes when they dive for these oceanic treasures. They were not, however, particularly photogenic. There were also a plethora of giant silverfish or centipede looking bugs (they weren't insects though, too many legs) living on amidst the rocks, but they were very afraid of big human vibrations. Though I didn't take any pictures of the creepy crawlies, the biggest were probably about 4 inches in length.
The base of the volcano was as impressive as the summit:
Evidence of ages
Sympathetic contrasts
Ahreum Explores the coast
Radiance and a baseball cap
We finished off a good morning of climbing with lunch at a local and overpriced seafood restaurant. Luckily the food was satisfying.
We almost felt jet lagged in the afternoon, but felt refreshed after a quick nap. We went to explore the hotel, had a coffee at the hotel's cafe, and explored the rocky beaches on the resort. It was twilight, providing some interesting and brooding light.
Automated vigilance
So ended the first day.
Once more into the breach,
Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment