A new friend I just recently met, Jeff, was heading back to the States for a break between contracts, but before he left, he proposed the idea of a road trip somewhere around the island. He had access to a car for his last few days here, so we came up with the idea to take a trip out to the East coast of the island. Both Brian and I had some time in the morning, so we arranged to all meet Wednesday for a trip east.
Along with us three gentlemen, was another friend, Maria. It was the first time I met her, but I discovered that she works for the same chain english school that I do, so already we had something to talk about. It was an early morning for most of us so we tried to get ourselves into the mood with some music, however, the radio stations weren't very compelling.
Traveling along route 1132 going east, we made our turn towards the famous oreum near Pyoseon, onto the 97. Only a few moments after the junction, we spotted a massive cemetery alongside an oreum. There was construction all along the road and we couldn't find a turn-off, so it was going to have to wait 'til next time to find out what exactly it was.
Also along route 97 on the way to Abu-oreum is the Seongeup Folklore village; its one of the few remaining traditional villages on Jeju. All of the buildings are made from rocks, clay, wood, and thatched roofs of straw. The government pays those living there a stipend as to incline them to stay, and keep the traditional setting alive.
Its also a relatively busy tourist spot, for those looking to glimpse into the past of Korean life. Walking along the streets, we spotted a pony; it seemed friendly enough, so Jeff approached it with ease.
Most of the houses are quite modern on the inside, with electricity, plumbing, etc. Continuing down the main street we came to a detour, there was some excavation going on around an old Confucian school.
We ran into some tourists from Seoul, whom seemed to speak a bit of English. Brian and I were looking for a way around the excavation to get some pictures closer to the school, but were thwarted by two nearby nasty looking dogs.
Instead we went in the other direction, heading down some side streets deeper into the village. A great deal of the houses in the village are abandoned, left there as relics. Some of them still have some electrical wiring, but most are falling apart and empty.
Walking past some abandoned houses, we saw many of these white dogs; they seem to be a popular breed in Korea, and you can find them just about everywhere. Even my pension is guarded by one.
We also saw some of Jeju's black pigs, one of which was quite rambunctious. Almost everyone had their own garden, and there was a lot of new construction going on. Apparently many of the roofs were being fixed up with new straw in preparation for the rainy season; no one likes a leaky roof.
Since we only had a few hours, we thought it best to carry on with our road trip. As we were on our way out, we took a minute to climb up onto the outer wall to get a better view of the whole village.
Also on our way out we spotted some really interesting looking Dol-hareubang statues. Apparently they're part of the forty-five original statues from the island; they looked incredibly old and quite different from the other mass-produced ones.
The next part of our journey was a bit difficult, but we managed to figure the best route to get to the oreum. If you drive into the village of Songdang, you'll spot the green sign with "Abuoreum" marked upon it. Just follow down the road and you'll come to it; the only problem is there isn't a parking area or anything, you just stop on the side of the road where there is this marker:
The oreum isn't that long of a climb, but you do have to cross under some barbed fence to get to the top. Apparently it borders someone's land, and they have a few horses which I guess they don't want getting away. It was rather easy for Maria and Jeff, as they are much shorter than Brian or I.
Once you climb to the top, there is a fantastic view of the surrounding area; you can spot dozens of other oreum, and possibly Mt. Halla, if it isn't too foggy.
Abu-oreum is known for its crater in the center, which is filled with trees. Supposedly the trees were meant to have a heart shape, but it looks more like a circle to me. If it were a bit less windy, it would have been the perfect day to descend into the center and have a picnic; next time perhaps.
The oreum was a location setting for the 1999 film, Lee Jae-Sueui nan. Its a nice spot to visit, and apparently is even more beautiful when covered with snow; the trouble is getting there and climbing it in those conditions.
With about two hours to go before I had to get back to Seogwipo, we decided to take a drive down to the coast and the Honinji caves.
It took a bit of navigation, but we eventually reached the spot to find it completely abandoned. It looks like a newer facility, but everything was locked up, except the bathrooms, which were quite marvelous might I add.
After wandering around the area for a while, we were about to give up and go home, when Brian finally found the caves. The entrance is just some stairs leading down into these very narrow caves. Using the light on my camera, I went deeper into the caves to find that it opened up once you went further in. Its about the size of a large living room, and there are two adjacent caves.
Supposedly the caves are named the three gods' caves, after these gods that got married at the location. Supposedly this was where their honeymoon was, and apparently they bathed in a nearby pond, burying some treasure near it.
I doubt anyone has found the treasure, or if it even exists, but the caves are quite interesting to see, and could have at one point even been inhabited by someone or something. Its worth a stop if you're traveling along route 1132 on the Eastern coast.
Photo provided by Brian Miller
1 comment:
Certainly these caves could have been used as shelter in times past, good for hiding in troubled times.
MMM
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