Absence
It has been almost three months since my last entry, and much has happened (in addition to transitioning this blog to a new host). I hope to do more rapid postings in the near future to bring you up to speed. I'll begin where I left off…
In late March I visited the island of Cheju-do. Technically, that's redundant, as the -do suffix means island. As one who cringes at people who say "ATM machine" or "PIN number" I should be setting the example. So, in early March I visited Cheju-do, or the island of Cheju.
Cheju-do is located off the southern tip of Korea. It's called the "Honeymooners Island" as many Korean couples Honeymoon there. It's also been called "The Hawaii of Korea." When I heard this I scoffed, thinking there was no way that a small island between China and Japan could be similar to Hawaii. I was right…but only partly. Cheju-do is a volcanic island and shares that trait with Hawaii. Everywhere you go there are walls made of volcanic stone and large fields of crops with piles of rock off to the side, the remnants of clearing the area. As the island is further south than the rest of Korea it is warmer and actually has a few palm trees and some surprisingly inviting looking water.
Most of my time was spent driving around the island, but we did get some time to visit two interesting spots. The first was Seongsan Illculbong (Sunrise Peak). It's an extinct volcanic crater on the far eastern edge of the island, hence the "sunrise" moniker. The path to the top was paved and more a steep sidewalk with stairs than a trail, but it took a good 30 minutes to reach the top. As it was a standard hazy day the view was less than spectacular, but it would make for an interesting hike in the pre-dawn hours.
The next morning before we had to fly back we visited the Jesangjeolri Seashore. This is not so much a seashore as it is a cliff, but the cliffs are made up of almost perfectly hexagonal pillars. There is some scientific explanation for this, probably similar to how Devil's Tower was formed. I just don't know what it is.
In late March I visited the island of Cheju-do. Technically, that's redundant, as the -do suffix means island. As one who cringes at people who say "ATM machine" or "PIN number" I should be setting the example. So, in early March I visited Cheju-do, or the island of Cheju.
Cheju-do is located off the southern tip of Korea. It's called the "Honeymooners Island" as many Korean couples Honeymoon there. It's also been called "The Hawaii of Korea." When I heard this I scoffed, thinking there was no way that a small island between China and Japan could be similar to Hawaii. I was right…but only partly. Cheju-do is a volcanic island and shares that trait with Hawaii. Everywhere you go there are walls made of volcanic stone and large fields of crops with piles of rock off to the side, the remnants of clearing the area. As the island is further south than the rest of Korea it is warmer and actually has a few palm trees and some surprisingly inviting looking water.
Most of my time was spent driving around the island, but we did get some time to visit two interesting spots. The first was Seongsan Illculbong (Sunrise Peak). It's an extinct volcanic crater on the far eastern edge of the island, hence the "sunrise" moniker. The path to the top was paved and more a steep sidewalk with stairs than a trail, but it took a good 30 minutes to reach the top. As it was a standard hazy day the view was less than spectacular, but it would make for an interesting hike in the pre-dawn hours.
The next morning before we had to fly back we visited the Jesangjeolri Seashore. This is not so much a seashore as it is a cliff, but the cliffs are made up of almost perfectly hexagonal pillars. There is some scientific explanation for this, probably similar to how Devil's Tower was formed. I just don't know what it is.
posted by tcw1138 at 10:26 AM
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