Jeju Island Wrap-Up

So, part of the reason I've taken so long in posting this wrap-up of the trip to Jeju Island is because I wasn't sure whether or not to share some of my pictures with you. I created a flickr slideshow, which is hilarious, but it's also NSFW. Seriously. N-S-F-W.

I ultimately decided not to share the slideshow on the blog, but the next time you see me, if you're curious, I'd be happy to share the pics with you. Otherwise, you just get just a taste, below.

We stopped on Tuesday at a stadium near Seogwipo which had once been a World Cup soccer (FIFA) venue in 2002. And, just as cities with Olympic facilities that get used once leave local officials wondering what to do with them after the hoopla of the main event, I'm willing to bet the same thing happened here. So, what did they come up with? The stadium was repurposed into a water park, cinema, paper doll museum and the World Eros Museum. Um, which one would you choose to visit?

Jeju Island is a top destination for Korean honeymooners and, as a result, there are several "blue" attractions on the islands. We took about 20 minutes to get through this very amusing tourist trap. And, I have not one picture from inside the museum that I'm comfortable posting here. Seriously, I couldn't even find a way to crop them and make it work!

So, next on to a bit more family friendly fare. On Wednesday morning we set out with the goals of trying to catch a glimpse of a haenyeo and to hike up the Seongsan Ilchulbong.

Photo from the Jeju Tourism Organization

It was in the little town of Seongsan (which you see in the picture above) where I caught a glimpse of a haenyeo as we drove by. It was fleeting and though I would have loved to see the women hauling a catch in from the sea, I was happy.  Apparently, several restaurants and seafood stands in the village are run by, or in conjunction with, the haenyeo.

The tourist amenities at the foot of the Seongsan Ilchulbong were remarkable. The two most prominent shops: Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. Directly across the street was a souvenir market area selling everything from dried squid to ice cream.

But, the star of the show is indeed the very cool crater and amazing views of the ocean. This volcanic crater formed, initially as an underwater eruption, and then changed and developed slowly over time as the ocean waves have crashed into it.  Here are some of my pictures:

The view from below:

Seongsan Ilchulbong

The view from the hour-long round trip to the rim:

At the Top of the Seongsan Ilchulbong

The view as you make your way back down.

Crytal clear waters at the edge of the Seongsan Ilchulbong.

From here, we needed to set out for the airport. But, Hye-Jeong, getting us back to Jeju City with just enough time to spare, decided to stop, with plenty of encouragement, at another one of Jeju's wacky (blue) tourist attractions, Loveland. I'd read about it on a couple of blog and other sites and have to admit I was curious! We had a lot of laughs on our mad dash through this "art and sculpture park."

After a hurried run through the park, rush back to the car rental agency, and shuttle to the airport, we were on our way back to Seoul. In Seoul, we had had little time to recover from the trip to Jeju before we were repacking our bags to head to Daegu the next day via train to spend some time with Mom's older brother (Hye-Jeong and Hye-Joo's father) and  Mom's younger brother.

Report from Daegu in the next post!