16 May,2011, Seogwipo, Korea
Today I’m in Seogwipo, the main town in the southern half of Jeju Island. Did a walk along the main streets to the harbour area. Checked out some restaurants. Most here had signs proclaiming ‘authentic seafood caught by haenyos’, those famous diving grandmas of Jeju. I myself was looking to dive as well. I searched for the building housing one of the English speaking dive outfits here, BigBlue33. I met Ralf, the owner at BigBlue33 but they were not going out that day. It is always a hit and miss affair when you do a walk-in, and alone at that. No worries, we had a chat, he was nice and directed me towards a couple of Korean run dive shops. But it seemed like there were no other leisure divers going out to sea that day. I would recommend trying to dive though, read that it was pretty decent – Diving? Do!
In late morning, I decided to be a tourist. The Jungmun Tourist Complex, just a twenty minute bus ride west of Seogwipo, is for the tourist. Many five star hotels (check out some of the hotels in Jeju), attractions, restaurants and an extraordinary number of museums. There’s the famous Loveland, Teddy Bear Museum, a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! and several other really random attractions that makes you go “WTF has this got to do with anything?“ I decided to while away my time at the Jeju Museum of African Art. The building itself is a replica of the Grand Mosque of Djenne in Mali, West Africa. It’s a realistic representation too, check out those ‘torons’ sticking out of the walls. The building houses images, masked, and carvings from Africa, and there was also an animal section. It was OK, actually I just wanted a glimpse of the building. The real thing in Mali is on my bucket list! – Museums? Generally Don’t!
The it was the Cheonjeyeon area. Cheonjeyeon Falls is one of three waterfalls of Jeju. From Jongmun, you could see the forested valley below, and the three tiered waterfalls. Apparently, Cheonjeyeon was the Pond of the Emperor of Heaven, and seven nymphs regularly bathe in the waters. There is a huge arched bridge, Seonimgyo Bridge, which crosses over the valley. This bridge has the same seven nymphs carved on the side. I sensed a theme of ‘in harmony with nature’ throughout. – Waterfalls? Do!
Back in Seogwipo, I walked the town center for a bit before settling for dinner. The South Korean’s preoccupation with healthy living can be seen here. Besides all the Olle hiking trails, natural parks, the food here had calorie count on their labels. Check out these ice-cream labels. – Healthy Living? Do!
Next up, From Jeju to Gyeongju.