Everyone kept asking me what I was planning to do in Jeju, but I'm the worst at making plans, I kind of loathe them actually. Whenever I have something planned for the day I wake up regretting doing so, although on the other hand, when I wake up with no plans I feel listless and sometimes end up wasting half my day. I know I'm a walking contradiction, but I've found that the best case scenario is to have a plan for myself, thereby affecting no one if I do decide to cancel. Jeju island offers a phenomenal option for such a type of plans, the Olle hiking trails are open year round, require little to no preplanning or reservation and reward those that visit with a day filled with sightseeing, exercise and if you so choose, good food.
0 Comments
Reading this blog it may appear that the only thing I do for fun is walk laps around Jeju, and while that is a favorite past time of mine, I occasionally get out to explore other things on the island. Living in Jeju I've often heard about the Jeju FC (Football Club for anyone who is as sports illiterate as I), but I was about 50/50 on whether or not I truly had a desire to attend. Last weekend Seohui and I both had the night off, but I was back and forth on what I wanted to do with the evening. There was an "Expat Festival" in Jeju city which I wanted to check out as well as a home game for Jeju FC. I got off work at 3:30, and although earlier me was eager to attend both, a day at work was killing much enthusiasm for anything. Ultimately the soccer game won, mostly because it required less potential social interaction, and was a shorter drive from home. We decided it would be a good excuse to get out of the house and visit the city, even though neither of us are avid sports fans.
One of the most popular beach destinations on Jeju Island, Hyeopjae, is home to one of my favorite views on the island, a vast sea with Biyangdo in the distance. I probably have numerous photos that I've collected over the years on each of my trips to Jeju, however, I never actually considered visiting the island. That is until one of my friends here at BHA invited me to do so and I jumped at the chance. I knew there was a boat to the island, obviously people living there need to get off sometimes, but I didn't realize it was a frequently visited tourist destination.
Having grown up in a home with a Dad who only entered the kitchen to fill his drink, I never really imagined knowing a man that would know the difference between chopping and dicing, or maybe I should say 다지다 and 썰다. If learning a second language has taught me anything, it's that proper and even failed communication leads to full bellies. Okay that's not entirely true, but my life in Korea has been consistently filled with people trying to feed me. Needless to say, having an in-house chef has been a lot of fun.
The majority of my experience walking Olle trails has been a solo venture. The trails have always been a place for me to clear my mind, absorb and appreciate the beauty of Jeju, stretch my legs, and disassociate from being an adult. Recently though I've developed friendships with a few lovely individuals who share my passion of nature and happen to enjoy my company. The trails have allowed us to disconnect from work and technology, instead filling our time with conversation and contemplating what's next in these lives which hold so many choices and opportunities ahead of us. I was able to fit in a few trails on the warm days of December, before temperatures dropped and snow dotted the island.
Since moving to Jeju I've been curious to see how the winter would treat me. For anyone who knows me, you're well aware that this is my least favorite of the seasons, and if it were to last about a month I would be a very happy human. I've seen pictures of snow in Jeju so I knew that was a possibility, but I didn't completely believe it happens, after all - there are palm trees here.
This post should have been written a good 2 months ago, but apparently my motivation to write went into hibernation over the winter. With sporadic daily highs in the 50's and sunny blue skies I can feel a tingling of my old habit to share, and there is a lot to catch up on. We'll start with the obvious - a new olle trail, good food, and preview of the boy who keeps me well fed and taken care of.
I will still utter the phrase, "I don't need coffee, I just like the taste" and whether or not that statement is made in denial I am no judge. Half the time I'm drinking instant coffee, so does that even count, I vote no. The fact of the matter is, I'm an early riser, my body wake with the sun, but my work does not support this. Finishing around 10:30 p.m. with half the week spent 'on call' meaning that my 30-something motherly instinct to sleep with one-eye-open kicks in, I'm always tired. I wake up refreshed, usually, but hit slumps around 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. give-or-take. Not only that but coffee is well, delicious, oh and I did I mention Jeju has about 100,000 cafe's to visit. Honestly, if I had to chose a life problem, this would be high on the list, caffeine addiction fueling, let's go.
October 14th, where does time go, honestly. Time has been consumed with the 10,0000 things floating around in my mind - but I'll leave that for a different post, to be short - work, school, future plans, creating a new community of friends and nature therapy. The later of which is why I'm here. With temperatures hovering in the perfect range (high 60's to high 70's) I've been more excited to get out and explore the Olle trails - the original spark of my love affair with Jeju island. I had planned to do one or two while housesitting here a few weeks back (lies - that was over a month ago), but I opted for soaking in the joys of home. A few weeks ago I finally did get on the trails, and have since crossed 8, 14 and 11 off my list. Let's see how much and how fast I can recap - keeping it at least mildly interesting.
With the school year underway we're all adapting to the odd hours that is the life of a boarding don. With mornings off, and the weather still beautiful I feel compelled to be outdoors as much as possible. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I live here, and will thus have plenty of time to get out and explore, remembering that spending some of my free time from work at home relaxing, reading and blogging is okay too. Before purchasing a car being outside mostly meant walks around the GEC, not wanting to spend half of my free time on a bus, but with a car though the door to possibility opened and everything is a quick 20 minute drive away. Last week Monday I decided to test my balance of work and play with a morning at the beach.
|
AsiaKoreaWhere to start. After living on and off in this country for nearly 10 years I have memories, experiences and stories galore. I'll now always be a bit partial to the Land of the Morning Calm. Filled with delicious foods, beautiful nature and friendly people, I'm always happy to return. Archives
June 2023
Categories
All
|