Blogs from Seogwipo, Jeju, South Korea, Asia

“Wait... I don't think they're going to cook it,” I say looking down at the freshly slaughtered sea cucumber we just bought; chopped rings of flesh still wriggling and pulsating on the plate. It was alive seconds ago... and maybe it still is? One of the women gives us a spicy sauce for dipping and some seaweed. We plop down at a table a mere 20 feet from the sea. “Cheers!” we say tapping our chopsticks together and then slurp down a slimy animated morsel... More about the squirmy seaside delights in a bit... Known as Korea's signature honeymoon destination, Jeju Island boasts a giant volcano right in its center and is blanketed endlessly by flowers in the Spring. Charcoal cliffs and jagged formations rule most of the coastline causing waterfalls to pour directly into the ... read more

Day 1 flight to Seoul, South Korea Well October break is here, Chinese National Holiday on October 1st and I am going to South Korea: Seoul and Jeju island. It took us quite awhile to figure out where to go for several reasons. The first reason was I had to work on the Friday and Sunday after the holiday, leaving us with only 5 days of holiday time and too short to travel. Second reason money and travel expenses where very high. Third reason no tickets and hostels for the dates we could go. So with all these reasons we were about to give up and stay in Dalian. On Wednesday before the holiday we got the news that I no longer had to work Friday so we could go to South Korea and Jeju island ... read more

Left Busan as leisurely as I arrived and made my way to Jeju Island, the largest of the islands surrounding the Korean peninsula. Jeju is a volcanic island and full of mountains/extinct volcanoes and their leavings (the cities I have seen so far seem to be entirely paved in pumice, which is quite a nice effect). Jeju's primary industry was, unsurprisingly, fishing. Given the strong Pacific currents and whims, a lot of the menfolk were killed or away at sea for long periods. As a result, the island was a de facto matriarchy and is apparently famous in Korea for the fortitude of its women. In particular, the women used to dive (to quite extraordinary depths, unaided) to collect oysters, and apparently there are certain villages in Jeju and its surrounding islets where this tradition is ... read more