Hello All,
As promised, I’m going to make it with another weekly entry – I’m still playing a bit of catch-up from getting back on Saturday night, but the good news is I finished all of my lesson plans and PowerPoints last week, so I can devote a little bit of time to you guys even though I’m at work.You're welcome.
So, to sum up my past week I would have to say that it was filled with beautiful views, friends, and relaxation. If you're jealous I'm sorry. Last Friday I traveled to visit my friend Sara, who is teaching in a little town called Janghueng, where I stayed overnight, and from where we departed for Wando the next morning. Wando is a little town right on the coast, and the scenery was beautiful on the bus ride over. We met up with a bunch of teachers from orientation, many of whom we hadn’t seen for a month, so it was fun to reunite and swap travel/teaching stories. We arrived at the beach around 2, and spent the afternoon swimming in the waves, laying on the white sand, indulging in a few adult beverages, and just hanging out. We even got a game of Ultimate Frisbee going for a while.
A note about the adult beverages – the local firewater here is called soju, which is the Korean version of sake – it is very cheap to buy, tastes awful, and is usually mixed in with juice or pop or something. No Korean teacher dinner is complete without soju, and you can buy it everywhere. If you are ever in Korea it is pretty much necessary to try a shot or drink of soju, so I figured I would educate you now just in case.
At night, after a picnic dinner supplied by the local 7-11 (pictured) we had a classic beach camp-out – one of the teachers (I can’t get over calling ourselves teachers, but I guess all the evidence points to that title) very graciously brought supplies to make s’mores, so we had a great time roasting marshmallows, hanging out, and enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Most people slept in tents just up the shore a ways in a little campground, others slept in little bungalow things called minbaks – basically just a roof and a floor that you camp out in, and others found cheap rooms at motels scattered in the little town.Sara and I decided to fulfill our lifelong goals of spending the night on a beach...so we slept on blankets in the sand. This plan worked well until an early morning walker with their dog hit the beach and the dog woke Sara up by licking her on the face.
The next day, Sunday, we all made our way back to town to take the bus back home – the only thing keeping us from staying all day was that most of us just had one more day of work before our vacation. Sunday was spent packing and getting ready for round 2 – after school on Monday (I only had one class to teach, luckily) I tromped back over to the local bus terminal to catch a bus to Janghueng again, from which we repeated our bus to Wando the next morning, but this time to the Wando ferry port. Our 3 hour fer
ry ride was fun – tons of Koreans just passed out on the raised carpeted floors (no shoes allowed, pillows supplied for your sleeping convenience) but we hung out on deck as well (picture of our view.)
We arrived at our destination, Jeju Island, around 2 in the afternoon. Our first impression was: tropical! Blue ocean and green hills and palm trees everywhere! In the center of Jeju Island is Mount Halla, or Hallasan, a dormant volcano, so the entire island was formed volcano-style many years ago. I could go into more about the history and folklore for you, but I’ve noticed the tendency of my friends to stop listening, (you know who you are) whenever I get into that stuff, so I’ll spare you. I really need to become a history teacher.
Tuesday afternoon was spent wandering around our little hotel neighborhood – we discovered some beautiful waterfalls at an obse
rvatory nearby (complete with fresh coconuts to enjoy that were drilled right in front of us.) Beautiful views everywhere – if you want to see m
ore pictures I will put up an album on Facebook soon. That night was traditional Jeju Island black pork Korean barbecue, which they cooked for us right at our table.
Wednesday was Hallasan day. We got up bright and early and taxied ove
r to the starting point of our hike. Mt. Halla has five hiking trails, but only two that go to the top – we were planning to meet some other orientation teachers to hike the longest one to the top (that’s right, we were hardcore.) It was actually the first time I’d really hiked up a mountain, and a volcanic one at that. The 10 k climb took about three and a half hours to the summit – it wasn’t a bad incline, and I kept myself entertained by rock-hopping up the trail (although I really had no choice – it was either rock hopping or break my ankle…) I had fun listening to some of the other experienced hikers we were with – hikers tell great stories. The climb wasn't bad at all - there were some difficult rock climbs in between easy stair climbs, so just when you were starting to breathe heavily you got a bit of a break.
At the very cloudy and cool 1.9 k summit, (we couldn’t see a darn thing) we rewarded ourselves with classic American peanut butter and jelly sandwiches –the perfect treat for a job well done! However, we had to get ourselves back down…which took another three hours. We were pretty wiped out by the time we reached the bottom, but then found a fun Western restaurant (kind of like a TGIF’s) called Gecko’s that we celebrated our mountain climb success at that night. Much deserved.
The next day our calf muscles were definitely feeling the hike, and we patted our
selves on the back for planning nothing for the day except THE BEACH. It was THE perfect day (capitals are necessary) for the beach – blue sky, slight breeze, warm sunshine – so we headed over as soon as we woke up.
Beach day. We swam, layed out, slept, people watched, and enjoyed the sunshine and the sounds of the waves. Later on the in the day two other couples from orientation met us at the beach – they were each doing a separate traveling tour of Jeju, and started in the north, headed opposite directions, and we all met up in the south, where we were staying. Since they had been camping out for two nights, we offered our floor space (and shower) for the night. By mid-afternoon our skin started to hate us, so we called it a day, headed home to shower off and change, and then we took our friends to our new favorite place, Gecko’s.
A couple of hours later, we were descending underground and wandering around in the old lava tubes
– it was so neat to see the different layers on the wall where the lava had filled out. None of us really knew when the volcano had last erupted, so I guess I have some more research to do.
The next day we caught our ferry in the early afternoon, but unbeknownst to us, it was a 5 hour trip back instead of the 3 hour trip we expected…so we arrived in Wando starved and tired, only to find out that my two friends had missed the last buses to their towns, as it was late in the evening. No worries – they just came to Gwangju with me and we had an impromptu sleepover party in my apartment. Overall we agreed that “Jeju gets an A.” A for weather, A for beauty, A for Gecko’s, A for sunshine, beach, and palm trees. A’s all around.
So when it gets to be mid-January in Minnesota or Wisconsin and you are starting to curse yourself for still living in the Midwest and swear you are going to move before next winter…I know a great place you could escape to to recharge your batteries. Of course, that would mean you have to come visit me too. I won't take no for an answer. Take care all, I will update again sometime this coming weekend - hope you have a great week.
P.S. I hate to end this on a sad note, but life is life, and upon returning from my vacation I learned that my Grandpa Covert passed away last Friday. He was growing quite old and his health was failing, so it wasn't an unexpected death, but that doesn't make it any less sad. Rest in peace Grandpa, and I wish you a safe trip to Arizona for the funeral, Dad! Take care everyone, love you and miss you!
As promised, I’m going to make it with another weekly entry – I’m still playing a bit of catch-up from getting back on Saturday night, but the good news is I finished all of my lesson plans and PowerPoints last week, so I can devote a little bit of time to you guys even though I’m at work.You're welcome.
So, to sum up my past week I would have to say that it was filled with beautiful views, friends, and relaxation. If you're jealous I'm sorry. Last Friday I traveled to visit my friend Sara, who is teaching in a little town called Janghueng, where I stayed overnight, and from where we departed for Wando the next morning. Wando is a little town right on the coast, and the scenery was beautiful on the bus ride over. We met up with a bunch of teachers from orientation, many of whom we hadn’t seen for a month, so it was fun to reunite and swap travel/teaching stories. We arrived at the beach around 2, and spent the afternoon swimming in the waves, laying on the white sand, indulging in a few adult beverages, and just hanging out. We even got a game of Ultimate Frisbee going for a while.
A note about the adult beverages – the local firewater here is called soju, which is the Korean version of sake – it is very cheap to buy, tastes awful, and is usually mixed in with juice or pop or something. No Korean teacher dinner is complete without soju, and you can buy it everywhere. If you are ever in Korea it is pretty much necessary to try a shot or drink of soju, so I figured I would educate you now just in case.
 |
| Enjoying 7-11 snacks and soju |
The next day, Sunday, we all made our way back to town to take the bus back home – the only thing keeping us from staying all day was that most of us just had one more day of work before our vacation. Sunday was spent packing and getting ready for round 2 – after school on Monday (I only had one class to teach, luckily) I tromped back over to the local bus terminal to catch a bus to Janghueng again, from which we repeated our bus to Wando the next morning, but this time to the Wando ferry port. Our 3 hour fer
ry ride was fun – tons of Koreans just passed out on the raised carpeted floors (no shoes allowed, pillows supplied for your sleeping convenience) but we hung out on deck as well (picture of our view.)
We arrived at our destination, Jeju Island, around 2 in the afternoon. Our first impression was: tropical! Blue ocean and green hills and palm trees everywhere! In the center of Jeju Island is Mount Halla, or Hallasan, a dormant volcano, so the entire island was formed volcano-style many years ago. I could go into more about the history and folklore for you, but I’ve noticed the tendency of my friends to stop listening, (you know who you are) whenever I get into that stuff, so I’ll spare you. I really need to become a history teacher.
Tuesday afternoon was spent wandering around our little hotel neighborhood – we discovered some beautiful waterfalls at an obse
rvatory nearby (complete with fresh coconuts to enjoy that were drilled right in front of us.) Beautiful views everywhere – if you want to see m
ore pictures I will put up an album on Facebook soon. That night was traditional Jeju Island black pork Korean barbecue, which they cooked for us right at our table.Wednesday was Hallasan day. We got up bright and early and taxied ove
r to the starting point of our hike. Mt. Halla has five hiking trails, but only two that go to the top – we were planning to meet some other orientation teachers to hike the longest one to the top (that’s right, we were hardcore.) It was actually the first time I’d really hiked up a mountain, and a volcanic one at that. The 10 k climb took about three and a half hours to the summit – it wasn’t a bad incline, and I kept myself entertained by rock-hopping up the trail (although I really had no choice – it was either rock hopping or break my ankle…) I had fun listening to some of the other experienced hikers we were with – hikers tell great stories. The climb wasn't bad at all - there were some difficult rock climbs in between easy stair climbs, so just when you were starting to breathe heavily you got a bit of a break.
At the very cloudy and cool 1.9 k summit, (we couldn’t see a darn thing) we rewarded ourselves with classic American peanut butter and jelly sandwiches –the perfect treat for a job well done! However, we had to get ourselves back down…which took another three hours. We were pretty wiped out by the time we reached the bottom, but then found a fun Western restaurant (kind of like a TGIF’s) called Gecko’s that we celebrated our mountain climb success at that night. Much deserved.
The next day our calf muscles were definitely feeling the hike, and we patted our
selves on the back for planning nothing for the day except THE BEACH. It was THE perfect day (capitals are necessary) for the beach – blue sky, slight breeze, warm sunshine – so we headed over as soon as we woke up. |
| Beach Day. |
 |
| Gecko's |
On our last full day in Jeju we were h
ardcore tourists (you could even say rock-hardcore...sorry) and we set out for another bright day of sightseeing. On our agenda was a mini-hike up a ‘rock’ (technically a volcanic tuff cone, geology people) called Sunrise Peak. No, we didn’t do it at sunrise – we weren’t that ambitious - and the lava tube caves, w
hich were supposed to be some of the biggest in the world. Sunrise Peak was gorgeous – it provided a great view of the island – and even though it looks intimidating and high up, (I think my calves just about gave out again when I first saw the peak) it was an easy 15 minute climb up some stairs. The climb was well worth it, though - there were beautiful views everywhere you turned! Helpful tip- if you are ever curious about how easy/hard a climb might be in Korea - take note of the Korean women's footwear - up Halla, it was hardcore hiking boots, but for Sunrise Peak? High heels. No joke.
ardcore tourists (you could even say rock-hardcore...sorry) and we set out for another bright day of sightseeing. On our agenda was a mini-hike up a ‘rock’ (technically a volcanic tuff cone, geology people) called Sunrise Peak. No, we didn’t do it at sunrise – we weren’t that ambitious - and the lava tube caves, w
hich were supposed to be some of the biggest in the world. Sunrise Peak was gorgeous – it provided a great view of the island – and even though it looks intimidating and high up, (I think my calves just about gave out again when I first saw the peak) it was an easy 15 minute climb up some stairs. The climb was well worth it, though - there were beautiful views everywhere you turned! Helpful tip- if you are ever curious about how easy/hard a climb might be in Korea - take note of the Korean women's footwear - up Halla, it was hardcore hiking boots, but for Sunrise Peak? High heels. No joke.A couple of hours later, we were descending underground and wandering around in the old lava tubes
– it was so neat to see the different layers on the wall where the lava had filled out. None of us really knew when the volcano had last erupted, so I guess I have some more research to do.The next day we caught our ferry in the early afternoon, but unbeknownst to us, it was a 5 hour trip back instead of the 3 hour trip we expected…so we arrived in Wando starved and tired, only to find out that my two friends had missed the last buses to their towns, as it was late in the evening. No worries – they just came to Gwangju with me and we had an impromptu sleepover party in my apartment. Overall we agreed that “Jeju gets an A.” A for weather, A for beauty, A for Gecko’s, A for sunshine, beach, and palm trees. A’s all around.
So when it gets to be mid-January in Minnesota or Wisconsin and you are starting to curse yourself for still living in the Midwest and swear you are going to move before next winter…I know a great place you could escape to to recharge your batteries. Of course, that would mean you have to come visit me too. I won't take no for an answer. Take care all, I will update again sometime this coming weekend - hope you have a great week.
P.S. I hate to end this on a sad note, but life is life, and upon returning from my vacation I learned that my Grandpa Covert passed away last Friday. He was growing quite old and his health was failing, so it wasn't an unexpected death, but that doesn't make it any less sad. Rest in peace Grandpa, and I wish you a safe trip to Arizona for the funeral, Dad! Take care everyone, love you and miss you!
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