The East Side

Today was the day to tour the East Side of the Island and the day started out very windy (10 mph winds with 20 mph gusts) and snowy. The good thing about the wind was the fact that the snow was coming down sideways and not really sticking to anything or anywhere. The bad thing about the wind was that it just made the cold (about 32 degrees) feel a lot colder (about 20 degrees). Fortunately I am of the species with opposing thumbs, and I used the skill afforded me to put on a warm coat - then we were off!

Our first stop was the far end of Jeju called Seongsan Ilchubong, or Sunrise Peak. While we were not there in time for any sunrise views, the Peak and the crater at the top were still a sight to see. Here is a picture of the little hill we were about to climb. Since underground sea water mixed with the lava during the creation of Seongsan - a hydrothermal erruption - it formed a gorgeous crater on the backside. Here I am with the crater after lugging myself up that hill. Sidebar: I am so literate on the the geological science of the area because a few of the info maps were actually in English and if I ever saw English, I read every word.

After our little walk, we went out to eat lunch with another of JaeShin's friends. I am spending A LOT of time with folks I do not even know and probably doing everything an international traveler is NOT supposed to do. Even so, everyone has been so hospitable and JaeShin is going out of his way to make sure I am comfortable and content. His aunt calls both of us several times a day, and I hope she is not threatening him too severely. [But] the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself.... (even when thine aunt doth not threaten thee.)

There was a gorgeous drive on the eastern coast, and even though it was so cold, there were still a few flowers blooming. JaeShin kept telling me how much prettier everything was in the Spring and Summer, but it was not looking too shabby in the dead of winter. Since Jeju is the site for a the filming of a couple of Korean TV dramas, we made a quick stop where "All In House" is filmed. Of course I knew nothing about it, but here is a very popular and well known structure from the show. I guess you can call this a Korean "Southfork." In fact, if you enlarge the picture and look closely, you can see a statue of a camera man coming out of the top of my head!

Our next stop was the Jeju Folk Village, but on the way I had the opportunity to explore more rocks. There are plenty of rocks to see, and this rock wall was along the coast between the road and the sea. For whatever reason, people come through and stack the rocks up in these litttle peaks and the wind does not blow them over. In fact, the rock walls that are so abundant on Jeju to not use any mortar. The rocks are just carefully stacked and the cracks and crevices allow the wind to pass through. It is really an amazing sight.

To finish off an absolutely great day, I had an unexpected treat. At the folk village, there were your typical old houses in the tradition rock and and straw style, but I found pigs and funeral stuff! How perfect is that!!! As you can see, this one and I were bonding, much to the chagrin of the lady that was wanting to feed him. Oink! Oink!

One of the rooms had a disply showing how the traditional meal is laid out for the funeral rites, so I HAD to get a picture of that. This last picture shows rocks that are used to mark a grave. There was no English sign designating this as such, and JaeShin trying to describe what the rocks were used for was quite comical. You had to have been there to really appreciate the all the wild gesticulations that go into explaining a grave marker. All I could think about was how Papa Selwyn would have had a stroke if I had ever designed a monument like this for his Harnett Memorial Park. He gave me the freedom to design different things, but nothing here in Korea is "in keeping" with anything in that cemetery!