JEJU ISLAND - GETAWAY

We just returned from our petit vacances d'ete, we visited famed Jeju Island. Our first stop was Jeju International airport at the north end of the island. The elaborate plans I made in advance of our trip melted away on day 1. Instead of catching the 3:00pm ferry to Biyang-do from Hallimhang, we took a taxi directly to Geumneung/Hyeopjae Beaches which are within 1km view of the Biyang island. Geumneung Beach was our final destination for the first day. There we found clear Pacific blue waters, white sands and coal-black lava rocks dotting the coastline. The two beaches were separated by the campsites in a mixed palm and pine forest over the sandy dunes. The campsite was excellent for "day-camping or picknicking", we rested in the shade after our swim under some thick palm trees. The windy day was accompanied by warm sea breezes and salt water that felt like a bathtub in many shallow areas. The sealife was abundant, there were countless small crabs, sea snails, and tiny fish passing through the shallow waters. This beach was ideal for photography, snorkling, relaxing, or beaching like a small whale. Night camping was another story. The wind completely stopped blowing in the late afternoon. It was extremely hot and humid and we found no relief from the temperatures far outside our comfort zone. We went into the village and found an awesome restaurant, there we cooled off with a delicious food, and I had couple pints of CASS. We should have taken a room for 40,000Won/night, but thought the camping was more ideal. We were wrong, we spent the night sweating and imagining a cool breeze that wasn't there. Then a group of 12-15 noisy teenagers decided to have a midnight picnic nearby, the noise kept going despite all the sleeping Korean families tenting around us. Finally, I went over and warned the group to keep quiet, they mouthed off in English, and I let them know I would call the police if they didn't keep quiet. They kept on partying and screaming, and of course the police arrived, and they kept on screaming at the police, and then they started to clean up the mess, and they were all free to go. We finally got back to sleep about 1:30am, and by 3:00am it was cool, we slept until 6:00am. We got up and started to clean out the tent, and prepare to leave. As soon as the sun was in our path, we began to melt. I couldn't believe how hot and humid it became with the suns return that morning. We struggled to fold up our "Quick Setup", and brutally difficult to put down camping tent. Thank God someone had a brain, Mi Sung figured it out and collaped the tent properly, I offered a hand but no brain impulses, probably because I was sweating so profusely, I was overheated. We hit the road immediately, and we eventually caught a local bus running to Seogipo. We passed beautiful scenery along the way, both coastal nature and farming areas on our way. It was an inexpensive trip by bus, and with all the open windows, we enjoyed the fresh sea air. In Seogipo we stayed in a Minbak, or efficiency with a kitchenette and they did our laundry and the place was air-conditioned. It was such a relief we booked two nights immediately, cranked the air-conditioning and slept until mid-afternoon. Jungmun Beach was nearby and a lot of tourist attractions. We ate in a fine Korean restaurant, walked around, relaxed, and just enjoyed the place. I swam in the Pacific and in a fresh mineral water river that eventually finds it's way to the Pacific Ocean. This place had more to see, but we didn't do more than scratch the surface while staying cool most of the day either in the sea or river. I'd go back tomorrow, but we will be teaching again. It was worth every penny! ^+__+^