Jeju: Day 2: Lunch and Hiking

Date: 12/26/2010

We had lunch at a big restuarant that was next to miniature land--don't know the name, but that it had a big replica of a Roman fountain out front.
Group photo:

Sarah and I both want boy children, apparently:

During lunch, Ange was wearing this shirt, saying "What are you looking at?"

 After lunch, Sarah, Scott and I popped out to walk around.   Lady Liberty was standing in the parking lot--which seems very strange because I thought she was suppose to hang out in NYC--or France....but it seemed like a great photo opportunity so Sarah and I posed.

We got back on the bus and headed to a Uido Mountain.  (At least, I think it's Uido Mountain.  It's where the famous Jeju Woman divers are...)

The Hike up was fun...sort of.

I'm on top of the world! (sort of).

The view was beautiful!

At the summit. 

So pretty!

At the bottom of the mountain, this was where the world famous Jeju Haenyo (Women Divers) swam. These women dive into the ocean and can hold their breathe for an insanely long amount of time.  In the 19th century, they became the main bread winners for their family, which created an Matriarchal society in this super man-centered nation.   In the 50s there were as many as 30,000 women divers.  In 2003, there were only 5,600 left--with most of them being over the age of 50.

The beach where they dive:

You can also see the Japanese Tunnels in the above picture.

Japan and Korea have not had a pretty past, to say the least.  During WWI, Japanese soldiers dug these tunnels into the side of the mountain to hold weapons.

Other cool sites on the beach:

This rock looks like a face...and I think a fairly friendly rock....

I have only ever seen white sand--but this beach had black sand.   It makes sense--the rock that the water is eroding from (thus creating the sand) is basalt--which is black.  Thus, you get black sand.  I just thought it was really neat.  

This is the island that we were all suppose to focus on.  I think it's called "Cow Island" (I could be wrong).  But it has this really odd shape were the left "island" is partially flat.  Nothing grows on it: no trees and nothing can really live there.  But one wonders how it formed.