So today it took a while to get up. Sleeping in felt so good. But the day still started around 10 when the girls called and said they wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens and some of the others who hadn't seen it wanted to see the Budhist temple. So we hopped in taxis again and headed for Jungmun where this stuff was. I wanted to see a waterfall there, so I decided to go the waterfall on my own. It was a great looking waterfall and was easily accesible. The thing with Jeju is that most every tourist attraction cost a little money. So it adds up, but it's fairly cheap. It's about a $1.50 charge each time for the tourist stuff. Well worth it.
So we check all this stuff out and then head back to the apartment as the rest of the group has to leave by 12:00ish to get to the airport. They all had a 4:30 flight. I get to the apartment, not sure whether I wanted to take the ferry or the plane. I had researched some of it earlier and found that if I stayed till Sat., I still wouldn't get back to Daejeon till late at night. So I got online and found an airline leaving Jeju to Cheongju (closest airport to Daejeon) for around $54. That was about the same I would pay for ferry and KTX. And this plane ride would only be for an hour, instead of 5 hours or whatever. So I quickly called and reserved myself a ticket.
All of us then got on a bus for Jeju city to try to find an Indian restaurant Tim recommended to us called Baghdad cafe. Well, we get to near where he told us it was and we couldn't find it. So I split off and started walking around the area. So I asked this random guy if he knew where it was. I showed him on a map where it was supposed to be near and he just pointed to the city hall. I knew where the city hall was, I wanted to get to Baghdad cafe. So I said "Baghdad cafe" and he was like "where"?. Then I said it again. Then he was like "oh, Baguhdaduh" cafe. That's kind of how you say it in Korean accent. After I said, yes, he laughed and pointed two buildings down. There is was, and I felt silly. He laughed some more and I thanked him and called the rest of the group. This was God's Provision #4. The restaurant was incredible. I had some stuff called Chicken Mankhani (something like it), garlic nan bread, and a strawberry drink. Great meal before flying out. So we all go to the airport then. I was flying a different airline from everyone else as mine was a low cost airline. To board my plane, I had to go out to the tarmac, grab a little bus for the plane and then they drove us to this little twin engine propeller plane. It was a fun plane ride. The stewardess made balloon animals for the kids in the plane. Who does that? But it was cool.
So finally the trip was over....I took the bus back to daejeon and now I'm back in my apartment. I have some amazing photos of the whole experience that will help me remember and I have memories that will last a long long time. God was so good in this trip. How is it, that 14 of us managed to have such an enjoyable time and do so much and not got upset with each other? God's provision for sure.
Well, I'm beat, and hopefully I'll put some pictures up here soon of the experience.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Trip on a Whim-Day 4
This day started out early. It started at about 5:15. Why you ask? Well, we all wanted to walk over to the other side of the island to see the sunrise. So we walked over there and Tim and I found a great spot near a lighthouse to take in the sunrise. The walk over to the east side though was about a 40 minute walk, so it was a decent walk. Well, the day was perfect for a sunrise. The clouds were a little on the horizon but not covering it and the weather was beautiful. We stayed and watched the sunrise and then started walking back over to the other side of the island. Tim was on a bit of a schedule because he had to start work again this day and also had to drop Nikole off at the airport. So we were walking back at a good pace, but it just seemed like the island kept going on forever. So we were walking and then all of a sudden a car came up beside us and offered us a ride. The person didn't know us, they just wanted to help out. So this lady drove us to the other side near our pension. God's Provision #3. It never seases to amaze me how God cares so much about the little things. Like not having to walk sometimes when we are so tired. Don't get me wrong, I did a lot of walking this trip, it just seems that God provided right when we needed it.
Well, from this point, Tim and I walked up to the rental place on the island to see about renting scooters and bikes. I decided to rent a bike and bike around the island. It about 14km. I biked it and had a really enjoyable time just being in nature and seeing the beach. I got a serious sunburn though. Gets me every time.
After biking I decided to chill for a while. Then I decided to ferry back around 2 to go climb sunrise peak. It a giant rock mountain that has a crater in the middle of it. It's a huge tourist site in Jeju island, but well worth it as well. So I got there and climbed up a bunch of stairs to the top and enjoyed the crater. It's a beautiful piece of God's creation for sure. Whenever I go to things like that I am always in awe of what all he has crated. From the big to the small, to the ugly to the pretty. It's all his creation.
I met up with the rest of the crew at the ferry terminal around 5 and we all bused back to the apartment. Some of the group wanted to go to the bathhouse, but me and a guy named Johnny didn't feel up for it, so we decided to go find a place to eat at. We found a great Korean BBQ place and ate there. Well, after that, the rest of the group called and said they were going to a sweet Italian restaurant. Not the best of communication there, but we went anyway to see the place. I ended up ordering only a shake, but the restaurant had a lot of style and looked really nice. To end the night we went down to the beach near the restaurant and hung out for a bit.
Somehow Day 4 was done and only Day 5 was left.
Well, from this point, Tim and I walked up to the rental place on the island to see about renting scooters and bikes. I decided to rent a bike and bike around the island. It about 14km. I biked it and had a really enjoyable time just being in nature and seeing the beach. I got a serious sunburn though. Gets me every time.
After biking I decided to chill for a while. Then I decided to ferry back around 2 to go climb sunrise peak. It a giant rock mountain that has a crater in the middle of it. It's a huge tourist site in Jeju island, but well worth it as well. So I got there and climbed up a bunch of stairs to the top and enjoyed the crater. It's a beautiful piece of God's creation for sure. Whenever I go to things like that I am always in awe of what all he has crated. From the big to the small, to the ugly to the pretty. It's all his creation.
I met up with the rest of the crew at the ferry terminal around 5 and we all bused back to the apartment. Some of the group wanted to go to the bathhouse, but me and a guy named Johnny didn't feel up for it, so we decided to go find a place to eat at. We found a great Korean BBQ place and ate there. Well, after that, the rest of the group called and said they were going to a sweet Italian restaurant. Not the best of communication there, but we went anyway to see the place. I ended up ordering only a shake, but the restaurant had a lot of style and looked really nice. To end the night we went down to the beach near the restaurant and hung out for a bit.
Somehow Day 4 was done and only Day 5 was left.
Trip on a Whim-Day 3
So today we decided we wanted to be very ambitious. I also would like to call this the transportation nightmare day.
Basically some of us got up early to go to this hill that we wanted to climb that had a crater at the top. So we walked to the bus station and tried to get a bus right away, because our day was going to be packed. So we get there and find out we have to wait about 20 minutes. That's fine and we take the bus to the hill. Well, we get to hill and find that we don't really know where the path is to get up to the crater. So we randomly find some path that's marked well and start to go up it. Well, after a lot of stairs, we find out this is the part to a cave where they have a big Budha statue and some water that must have been holy. There were people who were drinking the water, that's what made me asume it must be holy. They were also doing it in a prayerful manner. So in two days, seeing two different Budhist things. I don't know how to take it. There's so much symbolism in Budhism and yet there is in Christianity as well. I'm just glad to worship a God who's alive! So we walk back down the stairs after spending some time up there admiring the view from where this cave was. So we get down and find out that there won't be a bus for like 20 mintues. This is fine as it's a nice day. Well, we wait 20 minutes and a bus came, but it just drove past us. Completely ignoring us. It was funny though as some of the locals there got so upset that the bus just completely ignored us. They thought we would go home and say bad things about Jeju. This was not true though, but what was true was that we had to wait another 40 minutes for the bus.
Well, we finally get back to Tim's about to pack up for a trip to Udo island. This is an island about 15 by ferry off the east coast of Jeju. It a beautiful, serene place. So we pack up and get in another bus to the ferry terminal on the east coast. This bus was slow as it stopped every 5-10 minutes to pick someone up. So eventually we get to a bus stop, but it turns out this bus doesn't go direct to the ferry terminal. So we walked about 10 minutes to get there. At the ferry terminal we purchase the tickets and again have to wait. So we waited there about 40 minutes for the ferry over. This wait again wasn't terrible though as we were at the port and got to see some neat fishing boats that had tons of flags on them. One of the flags is a flag they believe will get them a big catch. So we grab the ferry on over to Udo island. We get there and drop our stuff off at a pension. This pension was beautiful and the rooms are normally expensive, but when you share with 5 people, that price drops. The island was so quiet and so nice and beautiful.
So by this time, people are hungry and want to eat. So the group split off into two groups. One group that wanted seafood, and the other group who wanted to look for a chinese place on the island that Tim went to once. I was in the chinese group. Let's just say this is where the adventure began.
It was dark out, so we were walking on roads on this small island to get to the other side. So we walked, and walked, and walked, and it was nice out and the moon was lighting the path and we finally got over to the other side of the island but couldn't find this restaurant. In fact, we couldn't find any restaurant. So we are walking down this random road and a Bongo truck (basically a pickup truck) comes by and we decide to ask them about a restaurant. So we ask and then say "get in the back". So we all got in the back and he drove us to a restaurant he knew about. God privision #2. We get into the restaurant and look at the menu and find out that their specialty is raw fish. Well, none of us were really in the mood for raw fish, so we ask if they have any chicken. They say no, but then say they will call another restaurant on the island that serves it and get it delivered there. We tried to say it wasn't necessary, but they did it anyway. So to be nice, we also ordered some fried fish from the actual restaurant we were in. We were the only ones in this restaurant.....it's a small island. So they start out by giving us a korean pancake with oysters in it for free. It was delicious. And then they gave a plate of shrimp for free. Then the chicken came and the fish came and it was all delicious. So we were enjoying out meal and having great company, and the restaurant owners at this time were having their own meal as well. So they must have seen that we were enjoying the food because they grabbed a couple pieces of the meat they were cooking for themselves and brought them over to us. So kind of them. And the meat was delicious. Sometimes the graciousness of Koreans overwhelms me. Especially of those from the island. So we finish the meal and think were going to have to walk back to the pension, but the restaurant owner tells us he will take us back in his van. So he did. When we tried to offer him money for it, he declined. Then that night we just played games together and hung out. Good day, but it was time for a rest.
Long Day 3 was done!
Basically some of us got up early to go to this hill that we wanted to climb that had a crater at the top. So we walked to the bus station and tried to get a bus right away, because our day was going to be packed. So we get there and find out we have to wait about 20 minutes. That's fine and we take the bus to the hill. Well, we get to hill and find that we don't really know where the path is to get up to the crater. So we randomly find some path that's marked well and start to go up it. Well, after a lot of stairs, we find out this is the part to a cave where they have a big Budha statue and some water that must have been holy. There were people who were drinking the water, that's what made me asume it must be holy. They were also doing it in a prayerful manner. So in two days, seeing two different Budhist things. I don't know how to take it. There's so much symbolism in Budhism and yet there is in Christianity as well. I'm just glad to worship a God who's alive! So we walk back down the stairs after spending some time up there admiring the view from where this cave was. So we get down and find out that there won't be a bus for like 20 mintues. This is fine as it's a nice day. Well, we wait 20 minutes and a bus came, but it just drove past us. Completely ignoring us. It was funny though as some of the locals there got so upset that the bus just completely ignored us. They thought we would go home and say bad things about Jeju. This was not true though, but what was true was that we had to wait another 40 minutes for the bus.
Well, we finally get back to Tim's about to pack up for a trip to Udo island. This is an island about 15 by ferry off the east coast of Jeju. It a beautiful, serene place. So we pack up and get in another bus to the ferry terminal on the east coast. This bus was slow as it stopped every 5-10 minutes to pick someone up. So eventually we get to a bus stop, but it turns out this bus doesn't go direct to the ferry terminal. So we walked about 10 minutes to get there. At the ferry terminal we purchase the tickets and again have to wait. So we waited there about 40 minutes for the ferry over. This wait again wasn't terrible though as we were at the port and got to see some neat fishing boats that had tons of flags on them. One of the flags is a flag they believe will get them a big catch. So we grab the ferry on over to Udo island. We get there and drop our stuff off at a pension. This pension was beautiful and the rooms are normally expensive, but when you share with 5 people, that price drops. The island was so quiet and so nice and beautiful.
So by this time, people are hungry and want to eat. So the group split off into two groups. One group that wanted seafood, and the other group who wanted to look for a chinese place on the island that Tim went to once. I was in the chinese group. Let's just say this is where the adventure began.
It was dark out, so we were walking on roads on this small island to get to the other side. So we walked, and walked, and walked, and it was nice out and the moon was lighting the path and we finally got over to the other side of the island but couldn't find this restaurant. In fact, we couldn't find any restaurant. So we are walking down this random road and a Bongo truck (basically a pickup truck) comes by and we decide to ask them about a restaurant. So we ask and then say "get in the back". So we all got in the back and he drove us to a restaurant he knew about. God privision #2. We get into the restaurant and look at the menu and find out that their specialty is raw fish. Well, none of us were really in the mood for raw fish, so we ask if they have any chicken. They say no, but then say they will call another restaurant on the island that serves it and get it delivered there. We tried to say it wasn't necessary, but they did it anyway. So to be nice, we also ordered some fried fish from the actual restaurant we were in. We were the only ones in this restaurant.....it's a small island. So they start out by giving us a korean pancake with oysters in it for free. It was delicious. And then they gave a plate of shrimp for free. Then the chicken came and the fish came and it was all delicious. So we were enjoying out meal and having great company, and the restaurant owners at this time were having their own meal as well. So they must have seen that we were enjoying the food because they grabbed a couple pieces of the meat they were cooking for themselves and brought them over to us. So kind of them. And the meat was delicious. Sometimes the graciousness of Koreans overwhelms me. Especially of those from the island. So we finish the meal and think were going to have to walk back to the pension, but the restaurant owner tells us he will take us back in his van. So he did. When we tried to offer him money for it, he declined. Then that night we just played games together and hung out. Good day, but it was time for a rest.
Long Day 3 was done!
Trip on a whim. Day 2.
So day 2 would be about as adventurous as Day 1. We started our day by deciding that we all wanted to go to the beach. So Tim our adventure guy told us that Jungmun was the best place on the south of the island to go to the beach and to have other stuff to do. So we all hopped on taxis and headed to Jungmun.
Jungmun is a huge tourist area, but yet it's cool. There are really huge hotels there and lots of other touristy things to do. Normally I don't like this, but today it was alright. So we heard that the beach by the Hyatt was nice. So we went to the Hyatt, walked around their nice facilities (really nice pool) and then went down to the beach. Some wanted to go swimming, but Tim recommended that we go to see a really large Budhist Temple and then after that see some really cool cliffs that were formed my volcanic activity a long time ago. So I was down for this and went with him and a couple others.
The Budhist temple we went to was huge. Tim said it was the largest temple in the orient. Not sure what all that covers. The temple amazed me in so many ways. It was so ornate, and the grounds were beautiful. So we looked around the front for a little and then entered the temple. When we walked in we took off our shoes and started touring the main temple. In the front were three very large Budha's. Around them were ornate paintings. On the second floor was a prayer room and around it in the halls were glass shelves carrying hundreds of little budhas. Up on the third floor there were cases of even more little Budhas. Everywhere there were Budha's. It felt to me, very intense in there. This was the first time for me ever going into a Budhist temple. It was a neat experience. So after being in there for a time we went into a room in a building outside where they normally do their Temple Stays (temple stays are where people can stay at a temple and learn some of the trades). Anyway, in this room were statues of Budha and all his different emotions, feelings, etc. Basically each Budha statue had a different face or shape to him. All in all, this trip to the temple was eye-opening. It opened my mind to this culture and what they believe and how strongly they believe it.
So after that we took taxis to a sweet lookout by the ocean to see some cliffs that had been formed by volcanic activity. They were very cool and after that we just walked back to the beach. Then in the evening we decided to make dinner on the beach. This was an experience to say the least. First, we didn't bring everything we needed, it was getting dark, and the tide was rising near where we were grilling. But in the end in all worked out, had a wonderful dinner, and finished the day by going to the apartment.
Day 2 was complete.
Jungmun is a huge tourist area, but yet it's cool. There are really huge hotels there and lots of other touristy things to do. Normally I don't like this, but today it was alright. So we heard that the beach by the Hyatt was nice. So we went to the Hyatt, walked around their nice facilities (really nice pool) and then went down to the beach. Some wanted to go swimming, but Tim recommended that we go to see a really large Budhist Temple and then after that see some really cool cliffs that were formed my volcanic activity a long time ago. So I was down for this and went with him and a couple others.
The Budhist temple we went to was huge. Tim said it was the largest temple in the orient. Not sure what all that covers. The temple amazed me in so many ways. It was so ornate, and the grounds were beautiful. So we looked around the front for a little and then entered the temple. When we walked in we took off our shoes and started touring the main temple. In the front were three very large Budha's. Around them were ornate paintings. On the second floor was a prayer room and around it in the halls were glass shelves carrying hundreds of little budhas. Up on the third floor there were cases of even more little Budhas. Everywhere there were Budha's. It felt to me, very intense in there. This was the first time for me ever going into a Budhist temple. It was a neat experience. So after being in there for a time we went into a room in a building outside where they normally do their Temple Stays (temple stays are where people can stay at a temple and learn some of the trades). Anyway, in this room were statues of Budha and all his different emotions, feelings, etc. Basically each Budha statue had a different face or shape to him. All in all, this trip to the temple was eye-opening. It opened my mind to this culture and what they believe and how strongly they believe it.
So after that we took taxis to a sweet lookout by the ocean to see some cliffs that had been formed by volcanic activity. They were very cool and after that we just walked back to the beach. Then in the evening we decided to make dinner on the beach. This was an experience to say the least. First, we didn't bring everything we needed, it was getting dark, and the tide was rising near where we were grilling. But in the end in all worked out, had a wonderful dinner, and finished the day by going to the apartment.
Day 2 was complete.
Trip on a Whim! Going to Jeju
So, it ended up that it was Chuseok break this week. Basically from last friday to sunday. So that means that us as RA's get time off. A whole week of it in fact. So I wasn't going to do anything and I was just going to rest and stay in my apartment. Well, as we all know....with me and my love for travel, that probably doesn't stick. And it didn't. It basically all started Sunday when I got the invite to go to Jeju with a group of new teachers and some teachers who have been here for a bit. All in all, a group of 14 total. Normally I would be turned off by a group that size, but this time around I wasn't and sadly by Sunday I was already itching to get out of my apartment.
The problem arose though, how am I going to get a ticket to go with this group to Jeju island in Korea. Most tickets are probably sold out or too expensive for my liking. So I looked online and saw that there was a ferry from a town in the south called Mokpo.
So basically on monday I got on a taxi from the school to the train station. I then grabed a train from Daejeon to Mokpo and started my adventure. The KTX high speed train took about 2 hours to get to Mokpo. When I arrived in Mokpo, I hopped in another taxi and had them take me to the ferry terminal (which I sain in Korean), what I didn't know was that there were two. Luckily, when we got to the first ferry terminal I asked "jeju"...and he said "aniyo" which means no and then he kindly directed me to the other one. Let's call this God Provision #1. You'll see lots of these along the trip. So I get to the terminal and grab my reserved ticket for the ferry. I board the ferry and notice the size of it. It was huge...it was a car ferry with maybe 4 levels. So I enter and notice that there are no "seats" as we would normally imagine, basically everyone just shares some carpeted floor space that before you enter you have to take off your shoes. So I notice this and not being so keen to just staying in a room for 4 hours, I decide to go up to the top level where you can be in the open air and see the scenery. So the boat leaves and the scenery was amazing. There were islands everywhere. It was a cloudy day and it still looked beautiful. This was a Korea I hadn't seen yet and I loved it. If this was a sign of what Jeju was going to look like, I was ready. So the 4 hour boat ride went fine....I ate a ramien and watched the islands pass by. When it got too dark I just went back in. The first 3 hours were fine because the water was sheltered by the islands. The last hour was little shaky as we were in open sea, nothing but us and the sea. Quite a thought when it ran through my head.
So I got off the ferry and then I called Nikole, and her friend Tim as they were going to direct me to where the group was located. The all had arrived already by plane and had gotten settled in. I had not. So basically they tell me to get in a taxi and find a plaza. So I tell the first taxi driver this plaza and he points me that I can walk to it from the ferry terminal. So I start to walk and realize, it's not going to happen because I don't know where anything is and it's almost 8:30pm and dark out. So I then flag another taxi down and tell him and he knows where to take me. So then I get to this place and have to get on a bus and be sure to get off at Sunset Beach Hotel....where I will then meet the rest of the group. Easy, except I end up getting off at the wrong spot. So I then call the group again (with about one bar of power on my phone left) and find out I was at the wrong place and need to get another taxi and tell him I'm only willing to pay 10,000won (about $10) to get to CheonJiyeon waterfalls. So I do this and get to the falls. Well, to make this long story short, I finally found the group up enjoying a really sweet waterfalls at night. After that we went back to the harbor and then to Tim's apartment to crash. Basically it was pretty sweet because we got to stay at Tim's apartment and the girls stayed at a friend of his apartment the whole time. Tim is a hogwon teacher that one of the group knew from college.
So that was just the beginning. Day 1.
The problem arose though, how am I going to get a ticket to go with this group to Jeju island in Korea. Most tickets are probably sold out or too expensive for my liking. So I looked online and saw that there was a ferry from a town in the south called Mokpo.
So basically on monday I got on a taxi from the school to the train station. I then grabed a train from Daejeon to Mokpo and started my adventure. The KTX high speed train took about 2 hours to get to Mokpo. When I arrived in Mokpo, I hopped in another taxi and had them take me to the ferry terminal (which I sain in Korean), what I didn't know was that there were two. Luckily, when we got to the first ferry terminal I asked "jeju"...and he said "aniyo" which means no and then he kindly directed me to the other one. Let's call this God Provision #1. You'll see lots of these along the trip. So I get to the terminal and grab my reserved ticket for the ferry. I board the ferry and notice the size of it. It was huge...it was a car ferry with maybe 4 levels. So I enter and notice that there are no "seats" as we would normally imagine, basically everyone just shares some carpeted floor space that before you enter you have to take off your shoes. So I notice this and not being so keen to just staying in a room for 4 hours, I decide to go up to the top level where you can be in the open air and see the scenery. So the boat leaves and the scenery was amazing. There were islands everywhere. It was a cloudy day and it still looked beautiful. This was a Korea I hadn't seen yet and I loved it. If this was a sign of what Jeju was going to look like, I was ready. So the 4 hour boat ride went fine....I ate a ramien and watched the islands pass by. When it got too dark I just went back in. The first 3 hours were fine because the water was sheltered by the islands. The last hour was little shaky as we were in open sea, nothing but us and the sea. Quite a thought when it ran through my head.
So I got off the ferry and then I called Nikole, and her friend Tim as they were going to direct me to where the group was located. The all had arrived already by plane and had gotten settled in. I had not. So basically they tell me to get in a taxi and find a plaza. So I tell the first taxi driver this plaza and he points me that I can walk to it from the ferry terminal. So I start to walk and realize, it's not going to happen because I don't know where anything is and it's almost 8:30pm and dark out. So I then flag another taxi down and tell him and he knows where to take me. So then I get to this place and have to get on a bus and be sure to get off at Sunset Beach Hotel....where I will then meet the rest of the group. Easy, except I end up getting off at the wrong spot. So I then call the group again (with about one bar of power on my phone left) and find out I was at the wrong place and need to get another taxi and tell him I'm only willing to pay 10,000won (about $10) to get to CheonJiyeon waterfalls. So I do this and get to the falls. Well, to make this long story short, I finally found the group up enjoying a really sweet waterfalls at night. After that we went back to the harbor and then to Tim's apartment to crash. Basically it was pretty sweet because we got to stay at Tim's apartment and the girls stayed at a friend of his apartment the whole time. Tim is a hogwon teacher that one of the group knew from college.
So that was just the beginning. Day 1.
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