Jeju Cultural Trip: Day 3 of 3

6:30am-7:30am : Breakfast / Wake Up Calls

Packed and ready to go by 7:30am, shortly followed by nap time on the bus. In 7 hours, we traveled to 4 different sites before catching our 2:30pm flight back to Gwangju.

zZzZZzzZZz

First, we hiked up Seongsan Ilchubong (or Sunrise Peak). The peak is located on the southeastern end of Jeju Island and supports a crater 600m in diameter and 90m high. It rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption that occurred over 100,000 years ago. While the southeast and north sides are cliffs, the northwest side is a verdant grassy hill that is connected to the Seongsan Village. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it resembles a gigantic crown. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and horseback riding.

The path up Sunrise Peak was paved with stairs and easy to climb. The weather was overcast and windy. Jeju is known for being windy.

Seongsan Ilchubong: Sunrise Peak

Walking up to the Peak

Volcanic rock formation

Halfway to the top and there are already great views of the Jeju landscape

Almost there!

Is it me or is the world curved?

We're on top of a crater!

The peak of Sunrise Peak

The jagged edges make Sunrise Peak look like a gigantic crown from afar

My girl Johanna showin' some love ♥

Joanne was having a messy hair day AND it was windy

After Sunrise Peak, we drove to a beach where you could see Seongsan Ilchubong on the horizon. Here we snapped a group photo, which will undoubtedly be on the cover of next semester's cultural trip pamphlet.

Sunrise Peak

TaLK Scholar Cultural Experience: Spring 2012

Soon we were back on the bus and headed to Seopjikoji, a scenic location on the eastern seashore of Jeju Island. "Seopji" is the old name for the area, and "Koji" is Jeju dialect meaning a sudden bump on land. The site is known for its views of Sinyang beach, a meadow filled with bright yellow canola flowers, peacefully grazing Jeju horses, and the waves crashing into the rocky sea cliffs below.

The weather remained gloomy, but the pale grey mist cast a melodramatic filter over the pristine landscape. Meanwhile, the charcoal cliffs guarded us against the the deep murky waters that foamed against the rocky shores. Seopjikoji was calm, almost hauntingly quiet like a scene or a chapter from a dream thriller or a ghost mystery.

You know what I'm thinking of ... ?

Shutter Island (2010)

Screen cap from Shutter Island

Screen cap from Shutter Island

Anyways ...

Joanne, Christine, me

Jeju horses: The one thing I regret is not riding one!

Next, we went to a Korean Traditional Market, which looked more like the digital technology section of Target or the cosmetic section at the mall. Lots of open counters in a brightly lit room with samples and display cases of various Jeju chocolates, teas, and other edible souvenirs. Like many others, I bought a box of mandarin orange chocolates for my school.

For lunch, everyone ate pork again to the point where even the meat-eaters were getting sick of meat. Vegetarians ate bibimbap again ... to the point where two of the vegetarians skipped lunch entirely because they were tired of vegetables over rice.

Then we were off to Jeju International Airport en route to Gwangju.

Boarding the plane from the tarmac

Farewell Jeju

Mainland bound

All together, I had an awesome time in Jeju. It was nice to take a break from teaching and be around heaps of people my own age (who spoke English!) for an extended period of time. I enjoyed the fresh air and the  time spent away from noisy, grungy Mokpo. I don't think that I would have ever witnessed Jeju --heck, I didn't even know it existed-- if I didn't apply to teach in Korea. I also wouldn't have fully experienced the island if I hadn't been placed in Jeollanam-do, the only province that goes to Jeju for their cultural trip. There are perks to living in the south after all.

The next time I fly, I will be bound for Los Angeles in July. Then Penang in August and Seoul in September. Pretty excited to keep the adventures coming!