Jeju Part II

So I know we haven't updated for a while, but I think Jenn and I are finally about to get back into the swing of things. We did have a very long vacation, and for the first part of it, while we did have sporadic moments of teaching, we didn't really have too much on our plate. Anyway, school officially starts today, and so we will be updating with more stories about teaching, random outings in Korea, and just Korea in general. Let's get this year started with a post about our second trip to beautiful Jeju island!

After a wonderful month in California, we went to Jeju for 4 days. It was mainly to see our friends one more time before they headed home. Their contracts ended last week, so it was our last chance to see them before we all eventually re-unite in California sometime in the future. We got there, and well, we were really surprised, because...it was snowing! On Jeju island! A place that in August had us commenting about the beautiful beaches and warm, tropical weather. I mean, it didn't even snow in Daegu that much! So we got there, it was freezing, but we still decided to go out and do something touristy.

After a really horrible bus ride through the mountains, we arrived at our destination. Sunrise peak. It was supposed to be the best place in Korea to view the sunset. And, it was the place that everyone sees when they google Jeju, for example:

We headed up a little hiking path starting from the left side, and after about 30-40 minutes, we got to the top. It was definitely a sight to see, although, I wish that it was greener than it was. Enough talking, check out the pics and see for yourself!

Before our hike. IT WAS COLD!!

A pretty nice view!

Our not so green view of the crater

After we finished hiking, we headed back down. Later that night, we tried something that ended up being pretty fun. We went Screen Golfing!! Which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You use a real golf club, hit it a real golf ball, except that you're indoors. And hitting it at a screen. But sensors (I'm assuming), read your swing, and trace the ball as it flies toward the screen. So it's like you're playing golf, but virtual reality I guess? Although since this was the first time I've ever played golf (along with a general lack of skill all around), we got a double par on pretty much every hole. Wait. Scratch that, we didn't finish one hole. But it was still a really fun experience. They let you order drinks and snacks, and its more of a way to just relax and hang with friends. Although, in a room down from us, there were actual golfers, and they were much more impressive than we were!


We were also able to make it out to two very cool tourist spots. The first place we went to was called Gimyoung Maze Park. It is exactly what you think it is. A maze! I thought it was cool, but that was mainly because I felt like Harry Potter ;). The goal of the maze was to reach the silver bell, and it took me and Jenn half an hour, and 4-5 retries! Here are some pics!

The Maze!

Making our way through...

Made it to the bell!

After our Maze trip, we walked about ten minutes down the road to the UNESCO Lava tube. It was, well, a lava tube. I don't really have much to say about it, but it was definitely a good experience, and I really liked how they set up the tour!

At the entrance!

Those were the highlights of our Jeju trip! We didn't do as much this time because we mainly went there to spend some time with our friends before they left for California. We spent a lot more time relaxing and hanging out with one another; which Jenn and I really enjoyed! It was good seeing them one more time, and they will definitely be missed. If you guys are reading this, we miss ya, and we'll see you both in a year!