Blogs from Jeju, South Korea, Asia

'It's the "Hawaii" of South Korea' we kept hearing about this tiny little island off the southern peninsulas' tip. But how good could it be? Lonely Planet only submitted 22-pages of information. Nonetheless we booked roundtrip tickets on Jeju Airlines http://www.jejuair.com for 120,000 won per person. "Set against a tropical backdrop of swaying palm trees, sandy beaches and towering volcanic features... are quickly discovering this island paradise and the warm hospitality of its native population," states LP's writer Cesar Soriano. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? I read Jeju's chapter twice adding yellow highlighter to interesting bits of information then forced Shauna to read it. Our good friends Uro and Justin, reassured us transportation was easy-peasy on the island with the vast network of island buses. But we'd heard f... read more

Tourist towns almost always supplement their area's natural beauty with some kitsch to capture a wallet's whims. On my second day on Jeju island, I visited a succession of tourist traps, which succeeded in snaring my attention, but little coinage. Perhaps a childhood spent living in the shadow of the Wiarton Willie has had the effect of inuring me to most forms of tackiness and transformed gaudy attraction into nostalgic enticement, because cheesy knick-knacks, as often as not, cause me to reminisce. Day two destinations included a tea farm, a horse stable and three different types of “museums,” all of which were more histrionic than historical. Our first stop of the day, at the Daheeyeon tea farm, provided the biggest surprise. I had few expectations of the farm, beyond dreading an imagined tea ceremony where we ... read more

They say that Hawaii is the American Jeju Island – or, maybe it's the other way around. In any case, Hawaii and Jeju are two peas in the great pan-Pacific pod. Jeju might be the smaller pea, slightly shrivelled from exposure to semi-tropical weather, but it makes up for any deficiencies in perfect sphericity with its biting Wasabi zing. Like Hawaii, Jeju is a volcanic island which boasts sand beaches, palm trees, and provides plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation: ATV tripping, horseback riding, scuba diving, hiking and kayaking. Tourists can additionally get a flavour for Korean culture by visiting tea houses, or by simply sitting out on the beach at night while picknicking families set off freshly bought firecrackers purchased for a pittance from the ubiquitous “never-asked-for-ID-in-my-life” pyrotechnics vendor on a bike. My three day ... read more

Dear Blog Readers, The school semester is over and the rest-bite for the students lasts all but a couple of weeks before they’re back in school for English Summer Camp. I learnt a lot from my Winter Camp so I tried to give the students a bit more structure and made them prepare a folder to take home with them. They also were given daily spelling and dictation tests and their worksheets were marked daily so they had a sense of achievement by the end of the camp. The first week was a murder mystery where the students progressively discovered I’d been brutally bludgeoned to death with an English textbook by my co-teacher. The second week was a Space camp with some experiments and activities which they seemed to enjoy. I particularly liked the natural disasters ... read more

"Oooooh Jeju. It is the Hawaii of Korea. Very beautiful. I went there on my honeymoon. Beaches, very nice. You will love." Koreans love their Jeju-do, an island off the south tip of Korea. They all practically drool over it even though most of the Koreans I spoke to had either never been there or went many years ago. Yet, I've been to Hawaii and I had a sneaking suspicion that a Korean island wasn't really the equivalent. We booked a 3 day trip with Adventure Korea with an itinerary that seemed unbelievably busy. 460,000 won for flight, food, accomodation, and a bus to take us around the island. I'm not one for tours because they bring to mind overweight tourists in ugly shirts, stampeding over each other to get the money shot and then getting ... read more

Who could imagine a life so familiar half way around the world? Almost 2 full days of traveling, I made it to my destination, Jeju Island, South Korea, to find coffee shops and bakeries on every corner. South Korea is not the world's 11th leading economy for nothing, as I've quickly come to find. Expecting India round II, I was initially confused at the lack of smell and poverty, as well as the general cleanliness. After a few weeks here, I sometimes forget I'm even in a foreign country. Sure, I still have to point and guess at menus and restaurants, and the grocery store remains an adventure where I hope the "soybean oil" I purchased is not really dish detergent, but in general, I get by. I already have an apartment, the most high-tech one ... read more