mark's jeju travel log

day 1

• trip starts out smooth as we get to the airport early
• but realize we don't know what airline we're flying
• easily remedied
• the flight goes smoothly until a couple minutes before landing when i start getting a shooting pain around my eye
• then alex tells me i have a protruding black lump above my eye
• i thought my head was going to explode but it didn't (it's not a tumor!) (arnold schwarzenegger) (kindergarten cop)
  
• then off to the hotel where we are only moderately out of place being the only foreigners and guests under 50
• we take a lil' walk around jeju city and visit the dragon's head rock while i nurse my lingering nearly exploded human head
• later that eve we head out for dinner and get a jeju specialty, black pig
• some pieces still have remnants of black hairs
• still extra tasty though
• visited nearby seaside fair, that had one ride in operation
• viking ship -yeah!
• ride promptly shuts down as we approach
• "finisheed" - captain of the viking ship/korean carnie
  
• seaside fair - FAIL.
  

day 2

• we get our rental car at 9am
• it's a sweet hyundai click, but the GPS in the car is only in korean
• which is essentially useless, but still fun to watch and play with despite alex's contempt for me GPS'ing and driving at the same time
• the GPS makes super annoying noises when you speed near police cameras, helpful and irritating at the same time
• i realize how much i miss being able to just cruise places
• we hit the manjanggul lava tubes first, longest lava tubes in the world
• they are dark and drippy, therefore not very photogenic, but pretty cool
• korean women even wear high heels in caves
• next stop is sunrise peak where we take a lil' hike up to the top for a sweet view of jeju's east coast
• then off to the waterfall portion of the day where we see the only waterfall in asia that falls directly into the sea, also where a homeless women makes her home and dries her undergarments
• ear popping drive up korea's highest mountain, not all the way up
• actually more like part way up and around the side
  
• mysterious road is next and turns out to be not so mysterious at all
• then to alex's highlight of the trip, loveland, a must visit if ever traveling to jeju
• last stop on the driving tour was a beach on the west coast to hang out and watch the sunset
• can't forget our lonely planet recommended mexican dinner and of course drinks, delish

day 3

• have to fill up the gas tank before returning the car which turns out to be easier than i imagined it would be
• minus a lil' run in with the cops for trying to make an illegal turn
• i plead foreigner
• then a last walk around our hotel's hood before heading back to the airport
• half of the time wandering aimlessly looking for a bank machine
• sad to head off to the airport and back home but korean children need to learn and without us, not much of that goes on
• a confused korean air lady tries to tell us our visas aren't valid and we can't travel to seoul
• luckily she was just stupid
• i was worried about my exploding head syndrome but nothing happened on the way home
• cured

• for less information and more pics look at alex's post below

-mark