My brother Kevin, sister Katie and her husband Justin came to Korea for the first time. They were my first guests to visit me from The States. It was funny to see my brother’s reactions to the culture here. It took me back to the time when I first arrived. Kevin hasn’t traveled for quite some time so I think the culture shock really hit him hard. Katie and Justin have traveled a lot and both served in the Peace Corp. so I intuitively sensed that the culture shock here was ‘no big deal’ for them. I feel like I’m going to have some serious reverse culture shock adjusting to life when I return. Visiting back home is not a problem, but getting back into the rhythm of daily life will be a whole other issue. I took them on some of my favorite trips in the area including the hike from Busan National University to Beomosa Temple. It is not an easy hike though I think it is one of the highlights for everyone.
After checking out Ulsan and Busan, we took a one-hour flight to Jeju Island. Jeju is a large, sub-tropical inactive volcanic mass off the southern coast of South Korea. It is home to the highest mountain in Korea along with the longest lava tube in the world. It is a major honeymoon spot for the Japanese and Koreans and the island has some stunning sights. Unfortunately, we happened to be there during the peak of the rainy season so lying on the beach was not something we were able to do much of. The highlight for me was the luxury of staying at the Hyatt Hotel on the southern part of the Island called Seogwipo. Perched up on a cliff overlooking the water, The Hyatt is so beautiful and has all the trappings of a purely relaxing experience. The surrounding environment almost looks like something out of Planet of the Apes with a mix of palm and pine trees nestled along black volcanic rock. The great part was that this place would probably be twice as expensive in The States so we were happy with the relatively inexpensive package. We were supposed to stay only two nights but we were enticed into staying a third night. From The Hyatt we took day trips to various waterfalls and Mt Hallasan where we hiked to the summit. We also went to Sangbanggulsa, a beautiful temple lodged along the side of a mountain. A short hike up above the temple brought us to a cave where we saw a Buddhist shrine with a pool of ‘holy’ water that is supposed to bring good health.
After our stay at the Hyatt we cruised to the east side of the Island and booked a room at a hotel along the water overlooking Seongsan Ichulbong (A.K.A. Sunrise Peak), another extinct volcano where we hiked to the summit that is shaped like a punchbowl. We also took a day cruise (via ferry) to Udo Island and serendipitously found ourselves on a tour bus that drove us around to the various sites. An interesting sight on Jeju is the small community of Haenyeo, Jeju’s famous diving women who work in the coves. Great physical stamina is a prerequisite as these divers use no scuba gear and are able to hold their breath for 2 minutes while reaching a depth of 20 meters. They scoop up various shellfish including oysters and abalone that are sold to passing tourists. Jeju Island was great time and I would like to go back during the fall or spring. Supposedly, the water currents change in August and the water stays warm up through November. Ultimately, the serene natural surroundings of Jeju are a great contrast to mainland Korea, which is densely urban. To me, it almost seemed like we were in a different country.
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