The Land of Instant Noodles

Looking back on my first week on jeju island I can say that I am grateful for how things have turned out so far. I've been welcomed by the people here at the school with open arms, and have tried my best to do what they ask of me; teach English.

Speaking with one of the teachers at the school here, I learned what a great responsibility has been placed upon me, the expectation of many parents to teach their kids English. All I can do is promise to do my best, but that certainly doesn't translate into me successfully getting every one of my students to progress in their English skills. Some students want to learn and they are usually the ones who advance quicker and retain more of the language, but then again they are many students who don't participate, don't do their homework, or simply don't care about being there.

It is these students whose parents come to ask, "Why hasn't my son/daughter improved from last year?" It's a difficult situation to be placed in, but one many have to deal with as English teachers none the less. I'm sure its the same for any kind of teaching, but as the only Native English Speaker at the school, I represent potential for more clients at the school, and as such, they (the school and parents) want someone who knows what they're doing.

On Wednesday I started my first outdoor adventure here on Jeju, and that was to climb Mt. Hallasan. Not many people can say they climbed a volcano, so I appreciate the opportunity. Starting out at the break of dawn, we left from Yeongsil trail and started up the mountain. Yeongsil is the shortest trail out of the four possible routes to the summit and is about a 10 km round trip.



It was very cold that morning and their was evidence of frost everywhere. I was beginning to think that I hadn't brought enough clothing...I really wanted my toque, but a cap would have to suffice. The trail starts out in the midst of a forest covered in ferns, but as you get to within clear view of the looming volcano, you start the real challenge of the trail.



What seems to be like a good walking pace slows to halt, as the hill seems to get exponentially steeper. I must say that I was impressed with my own endurance, as I was able to keep up with the lead of pack for the most part as we ascended. The first lookout stop is about 1300 m up and...it is...just remarkable.



It's only about 8:15 and the sun has yet to show its face...the shadow of the mountain stretches for miles and the combination of that with the lifting fog and morning clouds is enough to instill anyone with a sense of peace. The line between the sky and ocean is blurred, you can't tell where one begins and the other ends...all over the countryside are these smaller hills, called "Oreum", which were once volcanic areas and are now withered down to their present size.



After taking a few minutes to rest and take some video/pictures, our groups begins our trek once again. As we get further up the mountain, we are passed by others coming down; an exchange of hellos and we continue about our way. There weren't many, so I would say that we were among the first dozen or so to scale the volcano that morning.

There is another lookout at 1500 m and we stop again for some snacks and to take in the view. The sun is shining brightly on our faces now and no one is cold anymore...it is at this point that I'm glad I didn't bring more clothes...the steep hike and the sun were more than enough.

You can now see the shore and the buildings of Seogwipo city (pronounced Saw-Gee-Po) and are impressed at how high you actually are...from this view I would say that you can see about a third of the entire island. Despite the lack of fall colours (since it is too late in the season for there still to be leaves up here), the view is still spectacular.



Not far after the last lookout the path begins to level out and it winds its way through some woods. Once you emerge from the woods you're greeted with an open plain as far as you can see, from here its only about another km to the rest station. The trail is quite well made and maintained, as their is proper steps all the way up and a neat boardwalk along its level parts.



There is a river that many of the mountain's wildlife use a source, it cuts through the boardwalk and there is even a setup area for visitors to stop and have a drink. From there the rest station is only a hop, skip, and a jump away.



As we approach the station I can hear my stomach start to rumble and just as I'm about to break out my protein bar, Tom's family greets me with "ramyon", a bowl of instant noodles...and I couldn't be happier.

For a such a small and lean culture, they sure do eat a lot. We started out with about 20 pieces each of "kimbap", or a simple sushi, then some spicy "ramyon", served with some sort of yellow crunchy beat or radish as a side...and then some kimchi. For dessert, something that resembles a tomatoe but tastes like a somewhat more dry and dull apple. If you think that's weird, you should see a Korean pear...it looks like a granny smith apple on steroids...



It's approximately 10:30 am and I'm now coming to the realization that we probably aren't going to go the final 200m to the summit (although a 3km or so trek). We take some group pictures and then some around the 1700m marker and begin our descent.



Despite the fact that you're going downhill, its almost as tiring at this point after climbing all that way up. At this time there are dozens of people climbing the mountain as we make our way slowly down its steps...I get my first sighting of foreigners in Jeju. Before this point, I had been told that Jeju was one of the most foreign populated areas in South Korea, but I didn't believe it...well now I'm starting to. I must have passed more than 20 foreigners that were going up the mountain and although I was glad to see someone who was like me, it made me feel less special...and they weren't as friendly as some of the Korean hikers we passed.

Tom starts sprinting down the mountain and I lose sight of him, I stop at the first lookout for a final glimpse of the island and I think to myself, "Next time..."