i hung around at the ferry terminal for a few hours, logging into their free wifi to check to see if anyone had replied to my couch request. no luck. i met a norwegian guy about to take the ferry back to mokpo, and chatted with him for a bit. when that ferry left, it looked like the terminal was closing up, so i also made a move to the town.
i got a km down the road and arrived at the jeju local ferry terminal, and again lounged there, connected to the wifi, updating the blog. i was still hoping someone in jeju city would at least agree to take some of my gear before i went hiking/trekking/hitching around the island. still no luck. it was getting around sunset and i needed to find a place to pitch the tent. i found the 'olle' path by chance opposite the terminal, and walked up the steps. around the corner, there was a small park with some slides and see-saws, and a contraption for lying on and tilting yourself upside-down! there were some people about but i was dog-tired.... i quickly put the tent up and got in as the mozzies were getting real lively!
it was a great night's sleep, and in the morning, i tried out the upside-down machine and got a different perspective on the world. packing up, i went back to the terminal for a last minute check of email - nothing- and so i decided to get to the hitching-point out of town.
it was a long climb uphill and i was sweating buckets again. i loaded up on carrots and digestives from the supermarket and found the junction to hitch from. i stood with my arm out, 'beckoning' the cars to stop... it looked like i was hailing a cab, so i wasn't surprised when most of the taxi drivers came to a halt besides me. i would shake my head no, or else wave them away before they came to a complete stop, and most of them got the message. just the really persistent ones would roll down the window and wonder why i hadn't got in their cab yet!
after about ten minutes of this, i saw one suv turn around and pull over. he was only going to samyang but it was already out of jeju city so i took it. he was trying to convince me to take a bus in his broken english, but i insisted on hitching. he thought that it wasn't such a good idea thinking that koreans weren't so friendly like this, but he found a good hitching spot for me and dropped me off. i was there 5 minutes and another suv stops. this one was really tatty inside with a lot of rubbish and a distinct odour about it, like the driver was more or less living in it, but i took the lift.
we tried to communicate as best we could but it was hard work. he was trying to convince me that haemdeok beach, where he was going, was better than gimnyeong beach where i wanted to go. there was a slight moment of misunderstanding when i tried to get out of the car thinking he was not going my way, and better to get out now, but with gestures and words, i got the message that he would show me haemdeok beach and the camping there before taking me to gimnyeong beach. so he took me out of his way and landed me right at the beach before driving back. nice one.
it was a really hot and sunny day, just perfect beach day. i walked past the camping area - i asked if it a paying site and yes, 5000 won - so i carried on to the road and walking for about 200 metres or so, i took a side turn into a disused plot of wild flowers and long grass and discovered a nice little place to camp out away from everyone. i had the tent up quick and got changed and headed to the beach. beautiful white sand beach contrasting with the jet black volcanic rocks. and crystal clear waters with some wavy light green seaweed here and there.
there were some koreans enjoying the beach and water too, and i was paddling around in the shallow waters when i got talking a couple of them. jee-min was there with his uncle and 3 cousins, and they invited me to hang out with them. we had lunch together, and i used their snorkel gear and inflatables and messed about in the water. shame they had to go. as they had rented out a space to keep their gear and chill out near the main tarp, they got to use the showers for free. and being part of their gang too, so did i. wow, it was well needed too!! if only i could have washed my sweaty t-shirts too!
before sunset, i got back to my tent, and fell sound asleep. it was the sound of rain that woke me. i could 'see' the flashes of lightning through the tent and a long interval before the roar of the thunder.... the centre of the storm was far away so it didn't trouble me too much. it must have rained most of the night though and no wind, and it was still cloudy when i got up and packed everything up, returning to the beach promenade.
when i was with the gang yesterday, i used their i-phone to check my mail... and a couchsurfer had written to say it was ok for me to leave some gear with them. i had written back to say that i had already hitched out but if tomorrow was ok for them. so this morning, i tried to use the netbook to get an internet connection and check the mail but no luck. i saw two guys heading my way and i asked them if they had internet access on their phone. yes! i got a message back, but it was a bit vague... but with the weather as it was, i decided to get back to jeju city. the guys were also going back to jeju city and were waiting for a taxi... the guy i had borrowed the phone from and whose english was the better of the two invited me to come with them. great!
sang min was his name, and though his english wasn't perfect, it was good enough. he was a radiologist at the hospital in gwanju, and they were going back to the mainland today. he invited me to have a noodles 'brunch' with him and his mates at a famous restaurant in jeju-city. i didn't refuse. we took some snaps, had a great brunch, and then said our goodbyes. again, i met the right people at the right time. i was lost, but a couple of korean backpackers put me right. i found the public information centre at city hall by chance and they have free internet terminals here. so just waiting for the couchsurfer to reply and see what happens next.
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