Jeju: Day 3: Another Garden Park

Date: 12/27/2010

We went to another garden/park thing after lunch.  We were running a little low on sanity by this point.  Literally.  You'll see...

The Inside Area of the Garden:

It started out fairly normally.  We went up to an observatory to look around the island.

Then we walked through the "Tropical Garden" area, looking at various types of fruit and seeds.

And then things started to go down, sanity wise.

It started with a melted car (like all insanity descents, right?)

Then it progressed to a train.

Basically, we saw the train had just arrived and we basically ran like 3 year olds to get on the next cho-cho ride.  Yep, that's right...3 grown women were practically bouncing in our seats to go on a choo choo train ride.

The driver came around, collecting tickets, and so we had to get off; we were chestfallen.  Until we figured out how to buy tickets and then got back on the train.  It took off in about 3 minutes and we were ready to enjoy a riveting ride around the park.

At one point, the doors opened and a lady in our cab got out.  So...I got out also.  The doors closed behind me.  The train went about 2 feet before it stopped again and I was able to hop back in....Kat and Sarah were laughing their behinds off.

The train led us around a "Japanese garden" (in which we all went, "We're in Japan!"), a "French Garden" (In which we all went, "We're in France!"), and by a bridge (there was no saying for that--sorry).

We walked back to the bridge after the train ride:

Then we went to what we named "Amsterdam" because of the pinwheels.  You can say the madness took full effect here.  I claimed that I wanted to do a cartwheel in front of Amsterdam. So...we did.

Then we attempted to do a double cartwheel....it didn't work as well.

Then we decided we were going to be ballerinas.

Sarah was a much better ballerina than I was.

This prompted me to try an climb a tree.  Do you know how long it's been since I attempted such a feat? Apparently, too long.

I got stuck here....I couldn't stop laughing!

Then we got another stamp on our fictional passport and went to Japan.

Crossing the bridge into Japan.

There was a zen rock garden:

I decided, if he could play in the rock garden--so could I!

I didn't really think the act of throwing rocks in the air though.  Because, what goes up...must inevitably come down.

I was finding rocks in my pants, shirt, hood, and in my shoe for the rest of the day.  In fact, on the plane back to Seoul, I found a rock in my hair--about 4 hours later!

This garden/park was another high light of the trip--because of the laughs we had on it.  We were constantly smiling, laughing, and just making a goof of ourselves.  I love being a waygook!

Jeju: Day 3: Lunch

Date: 12/27/2010

We had the best food on Day 3 for lunch.  Saekjin took us to this seafood restraunt where they served this fish.  It was delicious--maybe even some of the best food I've had in Korea.

One problem:

It was served with the head still attached.  It kept staring at you while you devoured the poor sucker.  That just wouldn't fly....so I put a towel over its head.

See....no more guilt trip for eating the fishy.

Kat, who doesn't like sea food/or fish/or something, didn't eat the fishy.  She, instead, pointed to a photo on a wall and said, "I'd rather have him on platter."
PS: Kat, I totally agree with you!

One of the trip guys entertained the group with some contortionist abilities:

Jeju: Day 3: Oedolgae Park

Date: 12/27/2010

The final day of my Jeju trip was spent doing a hike in the morning, another garden, and Loveland.

Lucky for us, the weather had made a drastic turn over night and we woke up to beautiful blue, clear skies.  We went to the southern half of the island for Odeolgae, which finally started to feel like a "honeymooners" location.

We visited Oedolgae Park first.  This is a place with more geological funness.

First, the rocks in the water: (Islands?)

 Group photo Moment:

Second, are the columnar joints.

Another quote from a sign:
"Until the first half of the 18th century, perfectly symmetrical and hexagonal basalt columns were believe to be formed by crystallization in water.  It was not until the middle of the 18th century that volcanologist understood that columnar basalt occurred as lava flows, and was connected to volcanic vents, and that crystallization could occur as a result of the removal of heat from molten.  This stands as a major advance in earth science."

It's pretty ...trip-y...(?)...to think that these are naturally forming occurances.

Half of me was more interested, though, in the beauty of the water.  It was just so blue!

Other Randomness at Oedolgae Park: 

I lost my chapstick.....

Kat's hat says "New Zealand" in Koera.  This prompted one Korean mother to go, "Oh!  New Zealand?" Kat nods.  The mother frantically waves over her oldest daughter (on the left of Kat) who had studied in New Zealand.  So they got a group photo shot.

Sarah and I decide we want to be Hollabong too!  We pose as Scholars.

Work out equipment along the path of the park. 

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.

Jeju: Day 2: Lava Tubes

Date: 12/26/2010

We had planned to go to Loveland that afternoon, but it was too snowy.  Loveland is basically in the middle of the island, next to Hallasan--and the roads were too treacherous for our bus to traverse.  So we went to a botanical garden instead.  I don't remember the name of the garden, but it had some cool lava tubes.  Basically I remember three things:

1. Getting lost in the cactus garden:

Which way is out!!???!!

2.  Random Iguana Fight

Count the Iguanas: 1, 2, 3, 4!  Were all vying for the branch closest to the heat lamp.  They were not very happy.   It was the most random thing....

The Loser: not a happy camper.  He ended up getting revenge though, by biting the tails of his fellow iguanas until he was back up near the top.  

 3.  The Lava Tubes.
The following is a quote from the entrance of the lava tube:

"Ssangong Cave: Korean Natural Monument No. 236.
Here is Ssangyong cave.  Ssangyong means two dragons.  This cave is shaped like two dragons.  This cave was formed by the eruption of Mt Hall about 2.5 million years ago.  his is the only in the world where lava cave and limestone caves are joined together.  We can find stalagmites and stalactites in the cave, which aren't grow in a lava cave.  Rain has melted broken shells covering the cave area and formed limewater.  This limewater has filtered into the cave and has transformed the black lava cave into golden limestone cave.  Lava shelves show the path of ancient lava flows.  Fossilized sea shells including abalone were found in the cave, leading many to believe the cave was under sea when it was formed long ago.  According t a survey of this are in 1986, the lava cave system surrounding the area consists of 20 caves, 17,000 meters long."

So, after typing that, I appears that I walked through a pretty cool cave.  There were signed pointing the "two Dragons" ...and you could imagine two dragons--roughly.  It was bit of a stretch to me, but if it made them happy, sure.  Twin Dragon Cave.  Yep. Sure.

Walking into the cave.

The cave

This was a "living rock."  It had fallen from the ceiling a long LONG time ago and now, due to the dripping water, was slowly "growing."  If you looked at the hole in the ceiling, it was shrinking, due to the dripping water (limestone formation) and the rock on the floor was growing.  It also had mini-corals growing in the pond on the top of the rock (the calcium in the water was forming a microcolony.)

This is a Korea thing.  Of course there are christmas trees and a merry Christmas display in the bellow of the twin dragons lava cave.  

That basically concludes Day 2 of the trip.  Our trip consisted of 2 groups (a 2 day group and a 3 day group).  After this botanical garden, we dropped the 2 day group people off, and then headed out for dinner.  Traditional Korean food.  We got back to the hotel and pretty much crashed.  Well, my room stayed up talking for a good while (it felt like the first day of camp, all the girls sitting in their beds and sharing stories).  I could only stay up for a little while though, because I'm pretty I was the first to fall asleep.  I think I tried to be sneaky about it--but no.  I just feel asleep in front of my 3 roommates.