United has its revenge

Jeju United gets its revenge against Jeonbuk Motors, who they lost 5-0 to on Buddha's birthday. It's not quite the impressive high-scoring show they had against Gwanju a while back, but it's a win nonetheless. It was Jeju United's last game at home in World Cup Stadium until the 27th of June.

I didn't get a chance to see it as I had a previous engagement with my co-teachers and a farewell dinner for one of them. It's the first Jeju United game I've not gone to this season; I'm both happy and sad.

More Scootin'

After Matt and I finished our war ride to 알뜨르 Alddreu Airfield, we decided to make a short stopover at the Yongmeori cliffs and Sanbangsan. As we came over a crest in the road, heading towards Sagye-ri harbour, we were presented with a magnificent view of the coast; truly breathtaking.



Every time I go for one of these rides in the morning, it just makes me feel so good. Your stress just drifts away as you take in the fresh air and scenic view. It makes me appreciate what I have here so much more, and the opportunities I've been blessed with since coming to Jeju.

We parked up near the major tourist lot at the base of Sanbangsan, and then walked down the stairs to the cliffs. There are so many touristy outlets and stops along the way, it's almost overwhelming. Even the horses seem bored with it.



The Yongmeori cliffs however, are a different story. They're absolutely beautiful, and worth the twenty minute or so trek around them, despite how crowded they are. Jeju has so many interesting rock formations, and this is definitely one of them:



Once you come around the corner, you get a great view of Sanbangsan and the cliffs, with Hwasun beach just off to your right. It's a great place for walking and taking some time just to enjoy yourself.



Matt's memory card on his camera was full, so he started "panic deleting " in order to capture some of the amazing sights. When we finished the cliffs, we had just enough time to scale Sanbangsan and check out the sacred shrine at the top.

On our way up, we stopped for some ice cream, and checked out some of the temple grounds they have. Checking out the view, I can see why the monks stick around to put up with the amount of tourists that come through.



I've been up twice now and both times there was a rooster just chilling out near some stone tablets close to the main temple hall; perhaps his coop is nearby, or maybe he just walks around as he pleases.



The view from Sanbangsan is supposedly one of the top ten views on Jeju. From the lookout point, about halfway up, I can see why.

Matt and I spot some falcons hovering high above taking part in some sort of mating ritual. The male clasps a dead bird in his talons, and then presents it to the female by dropping it mid-flight for her. I didn't get a chance to see it in action, but Matt tells me it's a pretty unique sight.



As we get closer to the sacred shrine, we come into another impressive view of the coast from the stairs. It's hard to believe I was just down there moments ago, driving along the coast. Everything seems so close, yet still very much open, sacred, and beautiful.



There is always at least one monk stationed at the sacred shrine, whom is normally just relaxing on this bedded area. There is an assortment of statues, figurines, and books; you could almost live up there.



The sacred water is always a nice treat, especially after a vigorous climb like ours. Matt puts a 1,000 won bill in the donation box, I put in several last time so I figure I'm still paid up for now.



With the clock striking noon, Matt and I go our separate ways. The drive home is short, but the memories will be long remembered.

Manjang cave 만장굴

A while back it was teacher's day, and just like children's day, we had the day off. Unfortunately I wasn't told about it until almost the day before, so I couldn't really take advantage to make any elaborate plans for the three-day weekend it gave most of teachers here on the island. Some people had to teach, so I guess I shouldn't complain so much.

I met up with Brian early friday morning, as we were meeting with Prof. Kim at The Jeju Weekly office to discuss new assignments for the paper. After some discussion, Brian and I decided to go to the Manjang cave, or 만장굴 (Manjanggul). The cave was on my list of things to do while I was here, so covering it for the newspaper was an added bonus.

My assignment was to write an article about the cave and other lava tube systems for the upcoming paper, which was targeting more international concerns because of the ASEAN conference in town. Manjanggul, along with the other Geomunoreum lava tube systems, are among some of UNESCO's World Natural Heritage Sites here on Jeju.

Once Brian grabbed his camera from his apartment, we took a cab from the Jeju city bus terminal to the cave. It's about a 20,000 won cab ride, but there are alternatives, however, being pressed for time we decided to go with the more direct route.

When we arrived we made our way to the ticket booth where we presented our Jeju residence cards and got in for free. On the wall of the booth is a large chart of all the various lava systems: Bengdwigul, Dangcheomuldonggul, Gimnyeonggul, and Yongcheondonggul; most of them are closed to the public.



We began our descent into the cave:



I took a minute to investigate the entrance while waiting for Brian to catch up.



The cave gets pretty cool quickly as well as damp, bringing along a long sleeve shirt and some good walking shoes is recommended. There are lights along the path so you don't get lost, but you can see almost everything once your eyes adapt.



The lighting was more than my camera can capture, but Brian managed to get some great shots by adjusting his aperture.


We spent maybe 45 minutes trying out different angles and techniques; it was a rather artistic production on both our parts. There were lots of other tourists walking through, at first we tried to shoot around them, but eventually used it to our advantage, creating some really unique effects.



The cave's length is almost 10 kilometers by some measurements, but the public access ends at the first kilometer. Further in there are lots of collapsed areas and strange rock forms distorted by the lava.



Near the end of the tour is a large platform with blue lights, resembling some sort of space like operation. Climbing up the stairs and following the path will lead you to the most impressive sight in the cave, the lava pillar:



Many tourists stop here for the cliche picture in front of the rock, or just a shot of the formation itself. It's quite impressive and is probably one of the only spots in the world where you will see such a molten creation. The lava tube systems here on Jeju are one of the biggest and best preserved systems in existence.



Using a variant light source from all the flashes of tourist cameras going off, Brian came out with yet another impressive shot:


Brian's got quite the artistic eye, and we both managed to come away that afternoon with something productive.

Jungmun (중문) and the ASEAN security force

Went to Jungmun (중문) on Sunday for a relaxing afternoon on the beach. As usual, there were quite a few people out on the beautiful afternoon, however the Korean security force brought out from the mainland was a surprise.

The ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit 2009 kicks off its conference next week. Held from June 1st to the 2nd, it is a huge international event that commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Many heads of states are expected to show up to the International Convention Center (ICC) in Jungmun.


All over the island are flags of the ASEAN organization and its 10 countries, as well as giant posters with pictures and a large ensemble of flowers adorning them. Rumor has it that there is only one reporter and one photographer covering all the media for the event.

The impressive Korean warship, which I think might have been a frigate, was just offshore of the beach testing its water-guns(?). It was all really confusing.



Another strange sight was to see a sweet hovercraft pull up on the beach; it deflated for a few minutes then took off on a patrol, returning about a half hour later or so. (Warning: contains language that may be considered offensive)



Almost every ten minutes there were helicopters flying overhead. The amount of security was outstanding, and a little frightening. The conference hasn't even started, but the Republic of Korea wants to make sure of its safety and success.

알뜨르 Alddreu Airfield

Matt and I went out for an early morning scooter ride last Friday morning. We left my place at around 8:45, and headed West, towards Sanbangsan and the crop fields near the coast. Matt said he knew the way, but when ever I've followed his directions before, it never quite goes according to plan; it's an adventure to say the least.

So naturally we were driving through random fields of garlic, scooting this direction and that, when Matt finally reveals to me that he is lost. We stop to ask one of the local farmers for directions.



With a better sense of where we should be going, we get back on our bikes and head south, towards the sea. A few minutes later we're just as close as when we started, driving back onto a road we've already gone down. I recommend to Matt that we stop, and climb one of the nearby reservoirs, that also function as a convenient lookout for the surrounding area.



Once we climb the reservoir, Matt whips out his binoculars and easily spots where we should be going. This is when I learn that his reference point for finding the fields before was the distance from the nearby dragon shaped oreum; which got us no where, however, with renewed confidence and an exact whereabouts, we quickly find our way through the fields to the first bunker of the Alddreu Airfield.



The bunkers are remnants from the Japanese occupation leading up and into the Second World War. They were used as hangar bays for planes, and from the dimensions, Matt and I guess that each one only held a plane a piece.



The bunkers are stretched across several fields, which are currently used for growing crops. All together, there are 19 bunkers, most of which, were built during the War. Supposedly there were 20 bunkers, but I guess one of them fell into ruin, that's probably when the government decided to make them a Cultural Heritage Site.



Some of them are more easier to get to than others, Matt recommended bringing some good boots, which proved quite useful walking through the damp muddy earth near the entrance to some of the bunkers. Looking out from the inside, you start to imagine what it would have been like to pilot one of the planes and their take off route along the grassy landing strips of Jeju island.



Not all of them are empty either, some are used as sheds by the local farmers who tend to their nearby crops, which were once the runways for the planes.



The easiest way to find them would be to head West along the coastal road from Sagye-ri harbour. Travelling along the road, you make a right, heading inland. I'm pretty sure there is a sign for the fields, if not, there is one for the Seotal Massacre Oreum, which is directly in front of the fields. You can easily spot the bunkers from the unnecessarily huge parking lot for the massacre site.



The Seotal Massacre Oreum is more like a pit than an actually oreum. There is some land that rises, but I do not believe it to be an actual oreum. The site was used to dump the bodies of some 210 people killed by the local authorities during the Korean War. Their bodies were exhumed several years later.



The site now stands as a memorial to the people killed. There is a wooden pathway the goes around the site and through some nearby trees, which also happens to be a good location for spotting some interesting birds.

Surfing from the heart

I've been discussing over the past month or two going out with some friends of mine to take some footage of them surfing. Well yesterday I got the chance.

I hitched a ride with Muggs in his blue beast of a van to Jungmun, hoping to get some good surfing shots. You never can know what you're going to get when it comes to surfing on Jeju. Muggs had been out earlier in the morning, and it was decent, so he was hoping that the waves would be the same, if not better when he returned in the evening.



After getting into his suit and waxing his board, Paul showed up in a cab to join in on the fun. The two of them gleefully ran down to the shore with anticipation.



It wasn't long before they were in the water, looking to catch some waves. What seemed like an easy task however, proved to be more difficult because of the winds.



I started shooting, but in most of their attempts, the waves were breaking too early for either of them to catch anything consistent. They spent about an hour trying, but were met with choppy results.



It takes heart to come out on a day like yesterday, with the faint hope of catching something decent; but if you ask either one of them, it's worth it everytime.

You can check out the waves via the webcam from Jungmun. It certainly helps tell what the conditions are, before you drive/bus all the way out there to discover it's dead as a lake.

제주 유나이티드 바위 대전 시티즌

In an all around effort, Jeju United rises above its recent losses to beat Daejeon Citizen FC at home in World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo, Sunday May 17th.

A classic rock beats scissors battle, Jeju United delivers their only goal of the game in the 30th minute. While Daejeon had a few chances, Jeju United's defense looked like they were actually trying out there and defended their net well. The game could have been easily 3-0 with the chances Jeju United was getting before the end of the first half going into the second.

Finally a game that counts. Jeju United improve to 8th in the K-league standings.

A Korean wedding

This past Saturday was my friend Jessica's (Jessica is her English name) wedding. I've known her since I first arrived on Jeju. She was the first one to greet me at the airport and in many ways, was my lifeline for the first few weeks of my duration on this island.

I've always considered her my friend, and she has been nothing but kind and generous, helping me with whatever I needed. We even exchanged language lessons for a time, but in the days leading up to her wedding, she was unable to continue with the schedule.

She invited me out to her wedding, and I was honoured by the gesture. I eagerly awaited the ceremony, however, unbeknownst to her or me at the time, I had a GnB workshop the day of her wedding; starting exactly the same time as her ceremony.



I was unable to get out of the workshop, despite my best efforts. I managed to arrive just before the ceremony with a few of my co-teachers. I got the chance to congratulate her and wish her the best, although I would have preferred to stay and watch the ceremony. It was the first Korean wedding I have been too, and I was excited to see it through, but as my ole pal Mick Jagger puts it, "you can't always get what you want."



From what I can gather, the wedding hall looked very much arranged like any other, with a similar altar to a church's. The bride and groom both go through their wedding vows, wherein the parents and family of both congratulate them. The bride tosses the bouquet too. I spotted a few relatives wearing the traditional Korean clothing, the 한복 (hanbok).



I think the biggest differences are the reception, where it's more conservative compared to the Western 'party' that usually ensues after the ceremony; but who knows, maybe they break out the soju later on. After snapping a few photos and talking for a bit, the other teachers and I left. We went to the reception hall where we quickly ate some food before our workshop, despite already being late.

It was a shame I didn't get to stay for longer, perhaps I'll get another chance to see a Korean wedding while I'm here on Jeju, but I doubt an equal opportunity will present itself.

제주시 luxuries

After finishing a six hour workshop with all the native English GnB teachers on Jeju-do this past Saturday, I went out with my good friends Brian and Naomi for some Outback cuisine.


It's a bit more pricey than some meals you can get on the island, but it's a nice place to drop in for the lunch specials or for dinner during the week.

Many foreigners welcome the familiar tastes after going weeks or months on the Korean diet; Korean food is great, but a change every now and then can help spice things up a bit.

After finishing our meals we wanted to try something new. We heard about this golf bar in 탑동, down near the harbour.

It's called "Screen and Golf Bar", and is just across the street from the Ramada hotel.



It's a very classy place, and it felt like I was the only one appropriately dressed, having worn a collared shirt and some golf pants for a wedding and workshop I attended earlier.



Once you descend down the stairs you're greeted by your server, who then takes you to a private room with a golf simulator. The rooms are air conditioned with all the controls at your fingertips, which is perfect for those humid Jeju days. There is a large sofa, table and a state-of-the-art golf simulator.

They give you all the clubs you need, gloves, shoes and of course beer (4,000 won per domestic bottle). You can select from dozens of famous courses in Korea, including Jeju's own: 제피로스 골프장 (Zephyros C.C.)




Brian and I warmed up for about ten minutes, but from the golf player's tip manual I read, it suggested at least thirty minutes. Either way, I don't think it would have helped. I'm just terrible at golf.



Once we discovered the ground moves to adjust your ball's position on the terrain, we were completely blown away; how awesome is that. For 10,000 won (before 6:00 pm) you get to play 9 holes, which is about 2 hours of play. It's 20,000 for 18 holes, and 15,000/30,000 won after 6:00 pm.

The cost is per person, but compared to the average green fees for some courses on this island, that is more than fair. Definitely worth checking out at least once if you're looking for something different and fun; rainy or humid, it's the perfect getaway.

Waikiki Weather Control

The weekend before last, I got a chance to hear some great music from a local foreigner band called "Waikiki Weather Control". It's an eclectic mix of pop, reggae, and rock...and maybe something else, I'm not quite sure.

It was Saturday night at The Factory in Jeju-si, with a good size crowd quickly on their path to intoxication.

Here's their first song, "Dreadlock Holiday" by 10cc:



They played a lot of great songs, including: Come Together, Baby One More Time, I will survive, Crazy, Rehab, Heatwave, Brickhouse, and Take your momma.

Their last song of the night was "What I Like About you" by the Romantics:



Band members are:

Craig Jordan on lead guitar
Michael Walls on bass
Jay R. Ligon on drums
Jorge Moreno on rhythm guitar
Russell Reilander singing

There is also some great music at the open mic performances, which has had a positive feedback. You check out the next one in June at the link here.

Back to the Beach

After staying the night in Jeju-si for the premiere of Star Trek, I had an afternoon luncheon with all the other GnB teachers from around the island.

I woke up a bit early, having slept on a bed designed for a small korean child, and decided to walk about the town a bit. It was such a beautiful day out, so after grabbing a sandwich from Paris Baguette and a coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, I walked down to the harbour with Naomi.

We spotted this ridiculously cute dog in a pet shop window; I couldn't help but take some video of his efforts to escape.



Naomi had other plans, so she ran off to 이호해수욕장 (Iho beach) to play some volleyball. Down along the harbour front were numerous tents setup; I'm not exactly sure what for, but it looked like just a mix of random companies/products/schools doing promotional stints.



Walking along the water, I spotted some haenyo out and about, which threw me off a bit because of their proximity to the city center. Above me were planes on their landing approach to Jeju; it was a constant string of one after another.



My luncheon was at 1:00 pm at a banquet hall inside the Ramada hotel. At around 12:40, I walked on in to take an early tour of the hotel's main floor.



I wasn't too surprised to find a casino, since many of the major hotels in Jungmun have them as well.



Once I met up with my co-teacher and director, we signed in and walked into the hall which was on the 8th floor.



Compared to the Ballantine's buffet, it was pretty good. The selection was not bad, they had actual cheese, which was comprised of brie, cheddar, and mozzarella; salmon, chicken, pork, pasta, chop-chey, gim-sim, mandu, and even sushi were available. I was particularly impressed with the desert table which featured some exquisite bread pudding.

After the lunch was a speech, which was going to be all in Korean, so I ducked out early with some other teachers. We took greater advantage of the day by heading to Hamdeok beach 함덕.



I went for a swim for the first time since the penguin swim back in January; it was marvelous. The waves weren't very big, but it felt great just to be out there.

I also played this really interesting and fun game invented by some foreigners, called "dink". It's a rough form of bocce, where players have two big rocks and attempt to get it as close to the small rock as possible. It's a gentlemen's game, so oldest goes first, unless you have points. You get one point for the closest rock, two if the two closest are yours.

I didn't fare too well, but it's a fun game to pass time on the beach and in the sun.

Shootout success

I'm still left with a bad taste in my mouth from the last Jeju United game, but since I've got nothing better to do on a weeknight, I thought I'd check out the game playing at World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.

Jeju United was facing Gangneung city, not a K-league team, but a member of the FA Cup. It was the first round of the FA CUp, and it was pretty empty in the stadium, even more so than the last time I was at World Cup Stadium; maybe a hundred people showed up, including the players.

Overall the game was pretty slow, with Jeju United getting some good chances with five minutes left in the game. Gangneung's keeper made a great save to put them into a shootout with Jeju:



First up for our team was Ricardo:



Their second shooter had trouble with his kick:



It was up to No. 19 오베라 also known as "The Black Pearl" to finish them off:



So again, United wins a game that has nothing to do with the K-league and doesn't improve in the standings at all; at least they advance in the FA Cup.

Hamdeok beach 함덕 해수욕장

Last Tuesday was Children's Day in Korea, and as such, both students and teachers have the day off. It was Jim's last day on Jeju, so Brian and I met up with him around lunch at where it all began for us three: Bagdad Cafe.

It was a relaxing meal filled with sentiment for the all the good times and the uncertainty ahead. Jim and I then attempted to find some swimming trunks in the shopping district of Jeju-si, but apparently the only type of swimming gear they have available is ridiculously small and tight speedos.

We left Jim and said our final farewells, as Brian, Goun, and I got into a taxi headed for the beach.

One of the better beaches in the Jeju-si area is Hamdeok. It is a little more out of the way, but worth it, for those who want a relaxing and scenic beach to enjoy.

When we arrived, we were looking for some other friends who had come earlier, but having seen no one, we started walking down towards the shore.



There is a small restaurant the overlooks one section of the beach; the perfect spot for chilling with a cold drink in the shade. We made our way down along the rocks and crossed over to the longer section of beach on the west end.



There was a tent setup near the rocks that was renting out kayak gear, most of their customers were sticking rather close to the shore though. When I think of kayaks, I am reminded of all the adventures I've gone on with my family back home; my uncle owns and operates a sea-kayaking business, which is always great fun whenever I go out with him.



To pass the time, Goun and I started making some signs in the sand; she started with a square and I later added the circle wave symbol that is in middle of the Korean flag. Next I made a silhouette of Jeju island with its name in Hangeul.


Brian and Goun were both amused with my efforts, but like everything in this life, with time it will all be washed away.



After playing a bit more in the sand and enjoying the sun with a beer in my hand, I came up with the brilliant idea to make a sand replica of Jeju island. We started with Halla mountain and worked our way outwards, constructing our masterpiece.



We probably spent about thirty minutes or so working on this thing. I even built a tiny World Cup Stadium, Yeongsil trail, and of course all the offshore islets. Some Koreans even came by and complimented us, taking a picture of our little creation.



When we had finished, I filmed a little helicopter tour of the island with my flip.



It was at this point in time that Naomi finally returned our calls and we found out that all the other foreigners were on the opposite end of the beach; I was having fun just playing in the sand, but I thought I'd check out the others to see what they were up to.

Walking back towards the other end, I got an incredible view of the shore from the hill above.



When I walked down some steps towards the other side of the beach, I found a lot larger foreigner crew than I had expected; I knew a few of them, but most were unfamiliar faces. I guess everyone had the same idea to come to the beach on our day off.



Naomi convinced me to play beersby: a combination of frisbee and beer drinking. Rules are that you must be holding a beer in your hand, or something as a placeholder. You stand behind this line and try and knock off you opponent's team bottle from a wooden stand. It's a lot harder than it looks, but fun to play.



It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and sure beats teaching during the week; too bad this couldn't be my job.

The Jeju Weekly

The first print of Jeju Weekly is now available and their website is finally up. You can check out my article on Michelle Wie here. It's not the best piece of work, but with the resources I had, I'd say it's not half bad.

I'll be uploading my video from the event in the coming days, so check back then if you're interested. Hope you enjoy it and all the other works contributed to the site and paper.

Hail to the Chief

Around the end of each month, I start working on correcting students' tests and begin putting together report cards for their monthly progress. Usually, I leave it to the last few days, and then end up spending hours on one night instead of finishing them earlier when I should have.

That being said, these last two weeks have been both hectic in and out of school, leaving me little time to even check my email. I've got a backlog of quite a few stories I need to post, and I'll eventually get around to it, hopefully sooner than later.

On Sunday, over the long May first weekend, Jim, Brian, and myself went for one last taxi ride adventure together around the eastern side of the island. The forecast was for rain, but I hoped I could avoid it by simply ignoring it and not preparing at all.

We all met up at the bus stop out front of City Hall in Jeju-si, from there our driver drove us out of town. Since Mr. Monkey was busy, probably with some tourists, he recommended another "Best Driver" for us. He looked an awfully lot like Mr. Monkey and was very friendly and helpful throughout the day, perhaps he was his cousin.

Our first inclination was to stop for some coffee before doing anything, it just so happened that the first place we came across was an illy's coffee shop at Daum's main headquarters, just outside the city. Daum is a major Korean search engine, why its main headquarters are on Jeju, I can't be too sure; maybe they were sold on the Korea's Hawaii propaganda too.



The cafe inside the lobby of the building is quite nice, too bad the building is no where near anything that would bring in customers, except for the staff at the headquarters itself. There is plenty of comfortable seating room, access to computers and there is even a Nintendo Wii setup.



As we left the Daum building, the rain started. Our driver recommended we stop to check out some Jeju horses at a nearby field. With the rain pouring down, it was interesting trying to get video and pictures, but Brian as always managed to come out with another brilliant shot:


All of the horses we saw were numbered; standing there in the rain, they looked eerily like they were in a prison camp.



Our next stop on the tour was the 제주4.3평화공원 (April 3rd massacre memorial museum and park). The building is this huge coliseum shaped structure, with an equally impressive dome memorial with the names of the victims from the massacre. As you enter the museum inside the building, you descend through this dark cave, adding to the atmosphere of the experience.



Once you emerge from the cave, there is an unnamed monument at the exit with an enormous funnel above, casting light down onto it.



The museum was extremely well put together, and had a well documented history of the massacre on Jeju and the events surrounding it.



Along the walls were clay-cast remains from the massacre, making it even more chilling:



The casts of faces, skulls, skeletons, bodies, and various other poses and forms protruding from the walls was enough to give anyone the idea of how bad it was.



The most interesting and possibly disturbing display was the re-created Darangshi oreum cave. The entrance to cave explains how victims of the massacre were dumped there, later recovered, cremated, and the cave sealed.



There were about ten bodies or so discovered in the cave, and it's possibly one of the best preserved sites of the massacre.



The cave is so very real looking; with a video monitor playing back the footage of the recovery team's documentation, it gives you a good impression of what it was like when they found it:



As we left the museum, I found this great brochure with a marked map with the many sites and major locations involved with the event; and it was in English too!

As Brian and I use the restroom, Jim finds a piece of the Berlin Wall outside the building and accidentally destroys some of it in the process of his examination:



Originally we had decided we were going to checkout Darangshi oreum, but because of the weather we needed to make a few changes. We opted to head to Ilchulland, a park where you can find a little of everything that Jeju has to offer.

More signs of tourists over the weekend, with buses swarming outside the Seongeup village.



Tourists unload onto the entranceway to Ichulland; I cringe a little, Brian laughs.



We make a short detour to check out the gift shop, something that I haven't really done since coming to Jeju. Jim and I both pickup a dolhareubang t-shirt, which actually look quite decent.

As we're walking we run into to some more foreigners, a mother and daughter from Oakville who are touring about the island as well. We talk for a bit, and then part our ways as Brian, Jim, and myself head off for the lava-tube caves they have at Ilchuland.

While not as impressive or big as the Manjang caves just east of Jeju-si, they were enough to give any visitor a feel for what they were like; very cold and damp, I certainly wouldn't want to live in them like the ancestry of Jeju has.



When we had come to the end of the tunnel, we made a 180 and headed out of the sub-terrain for a warmer climate: the cactus habitat.



It was extremely humid and warm inside the greenhouses that contained the rather large collection of cacti and plants, which was probably what they need to survive and flourish. It brought up memories of my trip along the west coast on the bus ride of torture, which I had tried to forget.

We were all hungry, so before we left for our next stop, we stopped at the tourist restaurant on site, which wasn't very busy. Jim ordered some 비빔밥 (bibim-bap), while Brian and I both got some portion of a spicy pork dish. For 6,000 won, it was a well put together meal. No complaints all around.

Once we had finished our last portions, we scurried off back to the cab and headed just five minutes down the road to the famous Kim Young Gap museum/gallery. It used to just be a gallery, but after he passed away in 2005, it was transformed into a partial museum as well, preserving his works and studio where he worked on his photos.

We got a bit confused and headed up a random dirt road at first, but eventually got back on track and entered this very creative and unique garden, adorned with interesting volcanic rock figurines.



When you first walk into the gallery, immediately to your left is Kim Young Gap's office, which is perfectly preserved as the way it was before he died.



From there you enter into his studio gallery, which contains all of his works; many of which were absolutely stunning. His concentration is on landscape art, and he has a wide variety of seasons and styles throughout his gallery.

Some of my favourites were the snow covered oreums, with horses in the foreground. He seemed quite fascinated with this one particular oreum, which was captured from several different angles in various photos.

After trying to negotiate with the attendants, Brian and I finally figured how we could get some prints of his works and bought a few for ourselves. I asked them about where the oreum that repeatedly showed up was, and they gave me the name of it; I would love to go out camping in the hills as he did, maybe for a weekend, to experience nature and get some amazing footage of the climate and scenery.

Brian seemed interested as well, so perhaps that will be added to the list of things we've got to do in the coming months. I'll certainly take note of it.



His signature piece was a wall landscape mural, which he had achieved by camping out around oreums on days at a time, with very little regard to his health or welfare. Perhaps it's one of the reasons he died relatively young, but it was what made him such a great and unique photographer; no one before him has ever attempted such a feat, and he emerged with the work to prove his worth.



After scoping out the gallery and grounds outside, our time was nearly running out. The weather had improved at this point, so I suggested we maybe try a nearby oreum. The cab driver agreed, and took us to a spot he knew well. It turned out to be a somewhat interesting trail.



Tragically, we were following behind this loud family of Koreans, who insisted upon yelling at the field of cows which were at the base of the oreum. Both Brian and I were attempting to capture a nice shot of the livestock, which is a rarity to see so many on the island, but couldn't help but laugh at the screams coming from the Korean children and their father.



Jim was keeping track of our time, as we were scheduled to meet back in Seogwipo in front of E-mart to rendezvous back at my place for an afternoon/evening BBQ. When we had finally reached the base of the oreum, it was time for us to go, unfortunate maybe, but we were probably better off avoiding the Korean family, as they would probably get even more annoying in our attempt to enjoy the serene scenery.

We walked back towards the parking lot and got back into our cab. We were driving along the southern road headed west, when we came upon a most spectacular view of the many oreum and countryside.

Ordering our driver to stop, we immediately hopped out and over a fence to scamper up a hill to get a better view point.



It certainly made up for the summit of the oreum we might have climbed had we had the time, and patience.

Not long after we all met up in front of E-mart to reconvene back at my place for a well prepared potluck of sorts. Salads, fruits, and meats all off all kinds were prepared and enjoyed by all.



It was a particularly great way to send Jim off on his way to Canada; we presented him with a Jeju flag, signed by many on the island to wish him well in his new endeavors.


He is now settled in London, Ontario, where he will be taking his masters in journalism over the next couple of years. I wish him well and all the best.

Photos by Brian Miller

A day of disappointment

So Matt and I made plans on Saturday to go to Marado 마라도 island early in the morning. Saturday rolls around and we get the 9:10 bus out of Shinsikaji heading for Sagye-ri harbour, where the ferry would take us to Marado; Matt and I count down the minutes on the clock, knowing that the ferry leaves for Marado at 10:00. Will we make it? Our only chance is that this bus gets us there in time.

The first sign of trouble: the bus rolls on past Sagye-ri, bypassing the harbour completely. That's OK, we can still take the ferry from Musselpo harbour.

We're dropped off in downtown Musselpo at 10:00 exactly, I'm already having my doubts. After trying to hail down several cabs, we eventually walk to the harbour in haste. We arrive 10 minutes later to see yet another sign of an impending doom: line-ups with lots of tourists.

After fighting our way through the crowds, we confront the attendant in a most dubious way, hoping that we can still take the next ferry out; turns out they're all booked. Crap.

Matt tries to play the "I don't understand" foreigner card in hopes of them giving us what we want. It doesn't work. They don't even have room to cram two extra people on the deck on a boat, how incredibly frustrating.

With our main plan completely foiled, we come up with an alternate strategy: grab a cab to the harbour near Chigwido, in hopes that we'll at least get to go on at least one other island today.

The taxi takes us right to the ferry terminal on the harbour. We have a brief period of hope, feeling that we may yet be able to get to do some island hopping today; how wrong we were.



As I take in the sights, Matt thinks he spots a rare bunting hanging out on some power lines:



Turns out it wasn't, just another disappointment to add to our growing collection. We hear the announcement for the next boat leaving to the island, we try to get a ticket, but again we're thwarted by evil tourists from the mainland.

Matt and I wander around the harbour a bit, trying to calm ourselves down and at least find something interesting. We come upon a small shrine, down near the fishermen's port.



Now we're stuck in an area with no bus routes, and no taxis in sight; a nearby shuttle bus driver offers to take us into Gosan, where we can catch a bus to Jeju-si. Having no other ideas but to head to the city a bit earlier than planned, we jump onto a bus going along the 1132 coastal route.

What follows will forever be referred to as the "bus ride through hell". It took us about an hour and forty-five minutes to traverse not even a quarter the length of the island; the bus was absolutely crammed full.

Upon reaching the city, Matt and I were delirious from the ride. Needless to say, we didn't look forward to the bus ride home later that evening.

To cheer ourselves up, we picked up a dominoes pizza and devoured it on a bench nearby. It was first thing we had go right all day.

As it was almost time for the Jeju United game to begin, we walked back to the bus terminal only to find a ridiculously long line waiting for us at the stadium:



There was a huge turnout for Buddha's birthday, and probably United's biggest crowd since its opening game.



Too bad it was for Jeju United's worst loss of the season: 5-0.

Once the game was over, a bunch of us went out for some dinner. Then I headed home, looking forward to putting a day filled with disappointment behind me.

Rough patch

Jeju United has bee going through a rough patch in their K-league games of late. They lost 2-0 to Seongnam Ilhwa last weekend and dropped to 10th in the standings.

Their next game is against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors this Saturday at 3:00 pm at the bus terminal stadium in Jeju-si. Jeonbuk are a high scoring team, with 3 four goal games, and have yet to lose this season. It's not going to be easy, but if Jeju United can pull off a win it will be huge.

Booked solid

Over the last week or two I've noticed that increasingly more tour buses have been arriving at and departing from the World Cup Stadium; flocks of tourists are swarming the streets of Jeju-do.

As I was walking home yesterday morning from 검도 (Kumdo), a group of Koreans threw a glass bottle towards me in an effort to get my attention. I had my earphones in, so the sound of a bottle smashing not ten feet from me was quite alarming. I turned around to find a group of Koreans waving at me from the stadium above, yelling: "Where are you from?!?"

Normally, you get this kind of reaction (the questions, not the bottle throwing) out of curious children and somewhat strange individuals (drunks, overly-enthusiastic older males, etc.), but tourists from the mainland seem determined to ask such pointless questions, especially when the individual being questioned is usually occupied or engaged at said moment.

I was talking with Matt and he remarked how all flights to Jeju from the mainland were booked solid for the weekend; I went to check it out online and it's true.

My plans for the weekend were to rent a car with some friends to take a tour of the eastern side of the island, but even those are all booked as well.

Korea's economic misfortune is Jeju-do's good fortune, but I'm not so sure if that's necessarily a good thing.