Wishing to wander more often, to try new things, to go more places, with changing faces. Have a car, but will travel by plane or train too; have a violin, will perform for food and couch. Wish to help out? Donate to my food fund. Write me a comment. Would love to hear from everyone!
Every week I get a blessed day off from work and sometimes I go galavanting off to touristy spots and other days I stay home, do laundry, practice, take naps, and try to relax. Yesterday I had planned to walk to the grocery store and then spend the day in a meditative space.
Around noon I was finishing lunch when there was a knock on the door. My boss had stopped by to discuss some work things. Afterwards I asked if he would drive me to the grocery store on his motorcycle and he countered with an idea to spend a few hours touring the island coast since it was such a beautiful day. I took him up on the offer and away we went.
As we rode along the shore line I snapped some pictures.
Haenyeo stone statues with a sea lion randomly too.
Super low tide in this bay.
Dinner :) I will miss Korean food when I leave.
Squid hanging out to dry.
One of the stops for coffee had this awesome mural on the wall.
We stopped for coffee at a friend's home to stretch our legs and warm up a bit (even though it was a nice day the cold winter air on the motorcycle was quite chilly). Then it was on down the road to find lunch. Since it was Wednesday, the place my boss wanted to go was closed but we found another good spot just around the corner. After we had our fill we got back on the bike and continued further away from home to another friend's home and more coffee. Now I don't drink coffee nor to I like coffee and after two cups I wasn't feeling so swell and my taste buds were super unhappy. But still a small price to pay for meeting people and enjoying a Korean countryside tour.
After the second cup of coffee my boss decided it was too cold to return the hour plus ride home so we instead made the shorter trip to the nearby city of Seogwipo for the night. Here we met another friend for dinner and drinks and more drinks and still more drinks. Sometimes I wonder who drinks more, Koreans or Russians... Warmed by the alcohol and food in our bellies we stumbled into various beds around 3 a.m. and awoke dreary eyed and groggy at 7 a.m. to come back home. The trip home was extremely cold I do not recommend anyone else drive a motorcycle on a cold winter morning for two hours on Jeju, but you do what you must and when I finally arrived home that morning I held my hands under lukewarm water that felt like boiling water for five minutes until I could bend my fingers again. Then I stood in a steaming hot shower for 20 minutes and even after that I still had goose bumps all over my legs and once the hair on my arms dried it stood right back up. I relayered clean clothes of two socks, two pants, and three shirts under my coat and two scarves and hat before going to work for the day.
It certainly wasn't the most pleasant of days off but it was a memorable one and I did really enjoy the Korean point of view that I was privileged to peer into for a day. Now it's back to the grind for another week. Maybe next Wed. I will meditate, but one never knows what opportunities will come along on this island and who am I not to change my plans for the unknown adventure that lies ahead?
This was an unexpected pleasure. I'd been informed that I was working straight through the holidays but I was given a day off at the last minute! I'm not complaining :)
Before the offer could be retracted I jumped on a bus for Jungmun in Seogwipo. The last time I'd been here I'd toured the famous Jungmun Beach as well as a chocolate museum. This time I was going to stay outside.
I had noticed a set of stairs leading off into the woods beside a large ravine so I hopped off the bus near the start of the stairs and began climbing. It's a good thing I don't mind stairs! I didn't realize it until I began that this was Olle Trail No.8. The island of Jeju has a bunch of walking trails called Olle Trails. These were started a few years ago to uncover the hidden trails that are not suitable for cars and use them to preserve some of the history of Jeju as well as to create a wonderful alternate tourist option. All the trails connect to each other so you can spend a long time walking the island. Most of these trails are too long for me to hike in one day so I haven't spent much time researching them beyond the historical factor, but I found the one trail by accident that was perfect for me :)
I enjoyed the "hike" in the woods, careful not to slip on the wooden "trail" covered in pine needles. There were several lookout points that gave expansive views of the city and island. Here is a video I took along the way.
Previously I'd seen three of the four waterfalls listed on the tourist map in Seogwipo (the overlying city that envelops Jungmun) and had heard that the biggest one, Cheonjeyeon, only really flowed after or during a big rain. Well, my day off is on Wednesday and the Tuesday prior it rained and poured the whole day and the whole night and Monday night as well so I was hoping for a spectacular waterfall.
It must not have rained as much as I felt like it did because when I caught my first glimpse of the first waterfall (there are three that make up Cheonjeyeon), well, there wasn't any water falling.
It was still a beautiful sight and I can easily picture the beauty of water cascading over the cliff of rock. I took my picture and hiked back up the several flights of stairs to continue on to the second waterfall.
This one was flowing and was surrounded by colorful trees refusing to succumb to the cold temperatures and drop their brightly hued leaves.
Most of the tourist were gathered at this location so I again took pictures and then hiked back up to continue on to the third waterfall. On the way there is the famous Seonimgyo bridge. This bridge has beautiful artwork depicting nymphs on the infrastructure.
Once across the bridge there is a random gazebo and an overlook of the second waterfall. The overlook is slightly out of the way and doesn't have good signage so I was happy to enjoy it for a moment myself before the family that followed me across the bridge decided to trail me to the lookout point. I then wandered up into the gazebo and was blown away by the spectacular colors displayed before me in the garden below.
Once I toured the courtyard area I then headed back across the bridge to the third waterfall. This waterfall was much smaller and felt more secluded than the previous two. When I arrived, there was a young couple taking silly pics. I offered to take their picture and then they took mine and they left, leaving me a brief few minutes of solitude. I sat down on a bench, leaned my head back against the railing and listened to the sounds of the water and the nature surrounding me. It was heavenly, until my head rest began jerking, alerting me that more tourist were descending the stairs.
I vacated the lookout point and wandered back up to the main courtyard area snapping a few more photos and then proceeding into town to catch a bus to my next destination, the World Cup Stadium.
I'd seen it in passing numerous times and finally decided to stop. It's not exactly what I expected. Yes, there is a big soccer field and lots of chairs, but there is also a movie theater, a spa and water park, a couple museums and businesses. Really? Is that normal for a retired sports stadium?
I didn't go to any of the side attractions, but I walked the circumference of the stadium on a nice walking/jogging track as the sun was setting. Then I boarded a bus for the long ride home.
It was a really enjoyable day and I am so glad I had the chance to get out and explore some more, but now it's back to work.
I will post a couple more entries over the holidays (non tourist related) so stay tuned!
