My trip to Korea- Soul of Asia (Day 3- Jeju)

Morning again! Jeju looks really peaceful in the mornings. No traffic, screeching children and car horns blaring. Just the sound of the sea, it was raining, way to start the day. Breakfast in Jeju Palace Hotel is good, they have bibimbap even in the mornings. There were abalone porridge, kimchi soup, chestnut wrapped in bacon, prawn tempura, sausages, eggs and dumplings (Mandoo)! Such a wide variety of food for me to gorge in the morning.

The first place we went to was Seopjikoji (Beach) where the drama “All In” was filmed. I never watched the drama but it was a beautiful place to go to. The rain was pretty big when we arrived, the sea was also rough. We hike up to the church where the filming took place but it was closed for renovation. The rain made it hard for us to hike to the top and we were already out of time. Tsk… the annoying schedule of tour-you never get enough time. I spent too long taking pictures of the sceneries. I love the sea breeze brushing gently against my cheeks and the salty smell of seawater. I even saw Jeju’s traditional breed horses. They say it’s one of Korea’s national treasure and a symbol of Jeju. There’s a long history of these horses. They are short like ponies, maybe a little taller but still short and their heritage is mixed Mongolia and Korea.

A lone Jeju Horse

 It has been long known that men are more important than women in the olden days. Wives are like slaves to their husband so they have to treat them like Kings. Koreans in Jeju used to eat horses (I guess it was abundant then) but the husbands only get to eat the meat; the wives can only eat the bones of the horses. So they grind the bones into powder and ate them with rice, this made the women of Jeju to have stronger bones and lower risk of osteoporosis.

The rain was pouring down then, so we went back to the bus and the driver took us to a confectionary shop. I didn’t purchase any chocolate but I did try some orange chocolate. I didn’t like the flavor of orange and chocolate, to me, they should be eaten separately. The confectionary shop planted mandarin oranges trees around them, so I can only see and I can’t eat it. It was Autumn as I mentioned, so I was early on the mandarin orange season, it wasn’t ripe yet. Such a shame! I wanted to try their oranges. Jeju is the main supplier of oranges for Korea. They did sell some that are starting to turn a little orange but I’m not going to eat that, it’s definitely going to be sour as vinegar.

That there, is a pony and rows of mandarin oranges trees.

During our journey to our next spot, the tour guide told us interesting stories about Jeju. Did you know that the women of Jeju are called the sea women (Haenyo)? During war time, all the men in the village were sent away so it was left to women to do the work of men. So they went out to sea to catch fish and feed their family. Young girls as old as 11 years start to dive until they grow old. These women don’t use boats or transportation, they dive into the ocean with their spears and nets. This somehow became a tradition. There is a bunch of old ladies that still goes out to the sea and gather seafood. They can hold their breath underwater for more than an hour! Korean women during the olden times have my respect, they really are impressive.

There are 3 national treasures in Korea- the sea, the mountains and the dialect. If you listen attentively, Seoul language is usually heard around the world but the language in Busan is different, so is Jeju. They are Korea’s dialect, I find it amusing to listen to how they speak in dialect since I was so used to Seoul language. Annyeonghaseyo in Jeju is Annyeonghasuka, both meaning Hello. I try not to laugh while listening because they sound like they are either singing or complaining.

Additional Information: Not all Koreans ever visited Jeju Island because the trip there is costly. For some married couples that can’t afford an expensive oversea honeymoon, they will go to Jeju for their honeymoon. The lands in that island is very valuable and pricey, those that own properties (eg Land and Houses) in Jeju are mostly the rich people or they are originally from Jeju. So if someone from other than Jeju say they own houses and land in Jeju, you would know if they are well off.

We arrived at Seongsan Sunrise Peak. It is suppose to look beautiful there during sunrise but it was already 9am when we got there and the rain was still hammering down. The tour guide lied, he said Autumn rain doesn’t last long. It rained the whole day. Only a few of us wanted to hike up the mountains to the peak, the rest stayed in the bus. I was one of the adventurous few that took the challenge. Nah… No one wants to go with me so I stopped halfway to the peak- enough to snap some pictures. But no way was I going to waste my time in the bus when I get to see some amazing view. I didn’t regret my decision. I was annoyed that tourist was everywhere and I can’t get one picture without getting photo bombed.

Here’s a Jeju 101, the whole island is full of stone statue called Harubangs. They are carved from volcanic rocks and is also a symbol of Jeju. Mushroom like with a face- It is considered to be their deities and to ward of demons in the old generation. The guide told us not to miss out on the chance to touch it when we were in Jeju. Why? He told us this:

“Touch the ears and you get a baby girl, touch the nose and you get a baby boy. Touch the belly and you will get rich”

I don’t know how true was that but I touched the ears and belly anyway. No harm touching since everyone is doing it. I turn back at the intersection to the mountains. Time was scarce again so I took pictures of the sea. It was gorgeous and standing at the edge absolutely takes my breath away. You can’t see it from the picture but it was blue. There were a lot of small caves at the side of the mountains. The rain died down a little by then. Thank Goodness.

Let's touch the Harubang!

There was a temple nearby but my sister prefers to walk among the flowers and pretend she’s in a movie. Pfft~~~

 Taking the last picture in Seongsan Sunrise Peak, we were called back to the bus and it left for Seonyop Folk Village. It’s like time never changed anything. The village really looks like it came from the movies, old hut and houses made from wood and straws, rainwater collected from trees into pots and stone grinders. The only thing that changed was electricity and toilets.

This is where the famous drama Dae Jang Geum was filmed. We were greeted by a lady that lives there. Behind her was 3 wooden poles shaped like a stable gate. She told us that during the olden days, it was very safe so they don’t need gates to protect houses. The three poles serve one purpose- to inform people or neighbors if the tenants are home.

Interesting fact: Putting one pole up means that “I will be back soon, please wait for a while”, two poles up means “I will only be back in the evening, please come later”, three poles up means that “I won’t be back for a long time, please come another time” and if three poles are down, it means “I’m home, please come in”. 

The three poles

Water being collected from trees

The lady brought us on a tour in the village, telling us about the histories and the head of the village. Apparently, they are not shame about having mistresses and they tend to show off. Oh, she told us to be very quiet because the head doesn’t appreciate loud noises. She told us more about the horses of Jeju, the people during the good old days and of course Dae Jang Geum who sought refuge in that village.

Her main point was finally revealed when she brought us to a room with all the products that the village “produces”. First up was a syrup made from preserved berries from the mountains. I like it, it was sweet and sour like lemonade. She told us that it helps to identify health problems, a sip of the drink and if we taste sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness and sappy, we have different problems with our organs. I can’t remember exactly which and which but I remembered her mentioning that mine was unhealthy liver. Okay I admit, I sleep late, have insomnia and I eat a lot of unhealthy stuff. The drink was to help me improve my liver function. I was tempted to buy but I figured, stuff like that I might be able to get it at the convenient store at cheaper price. So I didn’t buy. Next, she introduced us honey made by their own bees.

“Interesting fact: If the honey starts to foams from the bottom, its fake honey because the bees are fed with sugar. If it foams from the top, it is genuine honey”

She introduced us calcium pills made of grind horse bones, she said the calcium level of one tiny ball was equivalent to 9 glasses of milk and it is a highly controlled product that you can’t find it out of the village. If we purchase it, the product would be packed, sealed airtight and delivered to the airport for you. But the price? I think it was about 1000 dollars in my currency. I ain’t got that much money with me! I’m still a student, even impossible to have a credit card. In the end, we didn’t buy anything from the village. The lady was disappointed, I can see.

Without paying attention to the time, it was lunchtime again! I was starving and the meal made my day. It was black pork sautéed in spicy sauce. We can eat it with rice or like a bossam (wrapped in a piece of leave). I took my time savoring the meat, it was tender unlike normal pork and there’s no porky smell. Mmm~~~ I also like the sea kelp soup. My sister loves the rice in Korea. She said it wasn’t sticky and it is short grained.

 With lunch done, it was raining really hard again. Our next visit was a Buddhist temple again but since it was raining, we changed it to the famous Teddy Museum (Teseum)! YAY!!! I wanted to visit that place since watching “Princess Hour”. Let’s be buried in cuteness and loads of fun!!! The entry ticket was paid exclusive of the tour since we changed the temple to museum but totally worth it. With each ticket entry, you get a free teddy! The teddy they say, is worth more than the entry ticket. How true? Nobody knows except the employees. Inside, you’ll see all kind of teddy bears in different position, doing different actions and reenacting famous movies and people like Tarzan, Gullivers Travels, The Beatles and others. They even have a series of teddies in Greek Gods series. Have fun!

 In Teseum, you must not miss out the chance to look at the world’s most expensive teddy bear. Behold Hera! Her tiara is made of diamonds and is worth millions. Talk about diamonds are girl’s best friend. And husband Zeus did not gave that to her.

Check out that bling!

I spent a long time in there. The entire bus was waiting for us. Ooops~~ Time really do fly when you’re enjoying yourself. Next up is another museum that promises a blast! The 3D trick art museum, is packed with a hell load of fun. Prepare to release that goofy and silly side of yours. The 4D and 5D exhibition is more expensive so we only went for the free 3D exhibition. I think Teddy Museum and The trick art museum is the most fun I had that day. I did crazy and silly poses that you can never see me do in public. I let loose that day. You had to or else there’s no point. Upon reaching there, we went into the ice sculpture museum. It was freaking cold there, I thought my nose was going to fall off. But the sculptures were amazing.

The point of this museum is to trick the naked eye. It looks really deceiving and I had fun.

Who sees a dragon?

The last destination to finish Jeju tour was to go to the mysterious road. The bus drives up to this hill and I saw a lot of cars in front of us slowly moving forward. I didn’t know what was happening but when the driver stopped at a point, he asked us: “Are we ready?”. We were confused as to what he meant. Then he shut off the engines and guess what? The bus crept up the hill slowly, without any help. Goosebumps out yet? It stopped after a few meters and the bus driver started the bus again and we’re off for dinner. Nobody knows how to explain this strange and creepy phenomenon. It’s like there was a force pushing up the vehicles, not wanting it to be there on their lands. All the vehicles can move on their own! (Screams) Well, it remained to be a tourist attraction.

Dinnertime at 6pm! What’s on the menu? Some black pig pork again, with steamed egg casserole (Gaeranjim), melon stew with pork and bean sprout (oh god!) but good thing there is some golden needle mushrooms (I like!). I stuffed myself like a chipmunk.

After dinner, back to the hotel again to prepare to leave Jeju the next day. I got bored just staying in the hotel again so I took a walk around the hotel. I love to see the fishes and shellfish in the tanks. I stopped in front of a restaurant to watch them prepare one of Korea’s weirdest dish of raw life octopus being chopped up. The tentacles were still squirming and the customers dipped them in sauce and eat it-raw and twitching! Ugh~~~ not for the weak stomach. I wanted to find that stall where I got my Soondae the previous night but we kinda got lost. So we wandered around and found an intriguing find - underground shops. It looks quiet and gloomy at the streets but if you take the stairs down ( Like in the subways) it’ll lead you to the ground full of apparel shops and it is cheaper. It kind of freaks me out to think that on top of me was a road with cars. The shops occupied a whole row/road. I walked the entire row from one end of the road and exited the other end. It’s funny.

Passage to underground shops

When we got out, we found the street but unfortunately, the stall was closed early. I settled for a 24 hours convenient store. It is really convenient. You can make your meals right then in the store with the microwave oven and a hot water dispenser. My stomach wasn’t feeling well and I was having sulphur burps (I hate it very much) so I skipped. Later, back to the hotel and catch some needed sleep. It was a long but enjoyable day.