We had taken shots of "airport bus madness" and were in dire need of a chaser. Fortunately for us, the flight from Tokyo to Jeju was smooth enough to suppress the burning in our throats. It was especially pleasant because we were seated in the emergency exit row, which gave us ample leg room.
Upon arrival we had been in high spirits until Matt found that his suitcase wheel had been bent beyond rolling capacity. Awww, crap.....we waited around for some assistance and watched as the nervous airport staff tried in vain to bend the wheel back to its original position. Eventually they gave up, which meant that Matt would get a loner suitcase while they tried to fix his.
While Matt was busy repacking this belongings, I went ahead and exchanged my Japanese yen to Korean won. After Matt got everything settled with his luggage, we boarded a bus en route to our hotel. During the hour long bus ride, several characteristics about Jeju Island became immediately clear.
1. These statues were virtually everywhere! They are called Dol Hareubangs which are carved out of the plentiful supply of lava rock (since Jeju is a volcanic island). They are traditionally thought to be gods providing both protection and fertility. Dol hareubangs are now the symbol of Jeju as they are in essentially every park, billboard, and tourist shop on the island.
2. Oranges are a staple crop of Jeju. The variety of orange is a fairly sour Mandarin orange or tangerine. I couldn't even count how many orange grooves we passed on the highway. Here is a photo of a truck transporting oranges.
3. I didn't know a SINGLE word of Korean. At least when I arrived in Japan I knew how to say 'hello', 'thank you' and 'goodbye.' I literally had no words in my Korean vocabulary bank. I had been so busy preparing my presentation and paper that I forgot to make an effort to learn anything.
Upon arriving at the hotel we realized that we had hit the jackpot. The Lotte Hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel with gorgeous accommodations and a wonderful (english speaking) staff. Once we were lead through the maze of hallways and elevators we entered our room. I was instantly drawn to our balcony by the stellar view.
The show was apparently created with the help of the guy that runs the fire show at the Mirage in Las Vegas. It was very entertaining with fire, lasers, projections on sheets of water, and huge robotic creatures.
It had been a long day so we spent the remainder of the evening in a state of relaxation while trying to decipher Korean television. You can view more photos of the day by clicking here.
-Seth
Upon arrival we had been in high spirits until Matt found that his suitcase wheel had been bent beyond rolling capacity. Awww, crap.....we waited around for some assistance and watched as the nervous airport staff tried in vain to bend the wheel back to its original position. Eventually they gave up, which meant that Matt would get a loner suitcase while they tried to fix his.
Filling out the paperwork for the loner luggage.
My stack of Korean won. Pop quiz hot shot: How much $US equivalent do I have in my hand?
3. I didn't know a SINGLE word of Korean. At least when I arrived in Japan I knew how to say 'hello', 'thank you' and 'goodbye.' I literally had no words in my Korean vocabulary bank. I had been so busy preparing my presentation and paper that I forgot to make an effort to learn anything.
Upon arriving at the hotel we realized that we had hit the jackpot. The Lotte Hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel with gorgeous accommodations and a wonderful (english speaking) staff. Once we were lead through the maze of hallways and elevators we entered our room. I was instantly drawn to our balcony by the stellar view.
The jaw-dropping view from our room. Ocean on the left. Ocular awesomeness.
Matt and I made quick work of unpacking so we could walk around the grounds and explore. We wanted to check out the beach so we headed in that direction. Along the way we ran into a couple old ladies selling oranges. I really wanted to try one and thus attempted to communicate "1 orange." Again, knowing a little bit of Korean really could have come in handy...well I ended up buying 7 oranges. I wasn't mad though, they were quite inexpensive.
This statue was a outside Pacific Playland which showcased dolphins and seals. We intended to go to a show, but never followed through.
"Hey Matt, go act like you are talking a solemn walk on the beach." Perfect.
There was a restaurant on the beach that serves 'raw baby octopus.' How raw? Well, is 'still alive' raw enough for you?! Apparently eating live octopus is fairly common in South Korea. Um....lets just say, I steered clear of any situation that would result in me encountering a plate of living octopus.
Following sunset, we trekked back to our hotel room. On the way we noticed preparations for a buffet-style dinner which featured a dragon show.
Before the dragon show.
It had been a long day so we spent the remainder of the evening in a state of relaxation while trying to decipher Korean television. You can view more photos of the day by clicking here.
-Seth
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