i got connected with jerry from couchsurfing, and having met him
in shin-jeju, we went for a social dinner at the flat of another english
teacher in jeju. jerry turned out to be suffering from the demons of alcohol
and nicotine and trying to give them up. so i gave him the wisdom of my own
experience as i have been there and gone through the process and came out the
other side for the better.
i dumped some stuff at his place and walked to the same hitching place as before. again, not 5 minutes had gone before i got a lift. hugh was a horse trainer and spoke good english as he had spent time in the states. he took me to haemdoek beach where i took a quick swim before hitting the road again. the second car that passed my thumb stopped. he took me out of his way to drop me off at the site of the mangganjul lava tube. there were lockers there to stash my pack, and getting a ticket, walked down the steps into the massive cave entrance.
the tunnel went on for about 2 kms before ending in a solidified lava column. the actual lava tube extended for much further but was closed off meaning everyone was obliged to retrace their steps to the beginning. the cave, indeed the whole island, is a geologist’s wet dream. i hitched a lift with a young couple from seoul to the main road, and having found the way to the shore road, walked to woljeong beach.
i stopped at an unpretentious little place which had a small alcove where to sit and gaze at the sea backed by a large mirror reflecting the view. a dog came out from inside the cafe/guesthouse? and a girl followed and hugged it. i stooped also to pat the dog. the girl looks at me and asks if i am a traveller, and if i would like some water. that’s how i met tina, who worked at the cafe known as ‘the cafe that wants to be a whale’.
i looked in through the rectangular opening in the wall and saw someone playing a guitar. tina said that they were part of a band due to play a gig at the cafe/beach in a couple of days’ time. i went in and joined in with some table drumming and soon got to know all the band and kimi, the girl whose house and cafe it was. the festival was also going to have an art exhibition and some stalls.
there was one guy selling hand-made necklaces and bracelets, and some hippie fashion. he didn’t speak much english but he was delighted to discover that i was a fire-horse too. (side-note: korean ages differ as they add one year to the actual date of birth). i definitely stumbled across the best place to be in jeju at this time! these were no ordinary koreans.
i left the cafe as it was getting near sunset, and i needed to find a place to pitch the tent. i walked a few minutes up the road and spied some unused area with long grass and thickets and trees. i soon found a place to put up the tent, and although it was not perfect, it offered some shade and security. i would’ve drowned if it had rained as the sandy ground didn’t offer the best anchorage for the tent-pegs, but luckily, it didn’t the 4 nights i stayed there.
i dumped some stuff at his place and walked to the same hitching place as before. again, not 5 minutes had gone before i got a lift. hugh was a horse trainer and spoke good english as he had spent time in the states. he took me to haemdoek beach where i took a quick swim before hitting the road again. the second car that passed my thumb stopped. he took me out of his way to drop me off at the site of the mangganjul lava tube. there were lockers there to stash my pack, and getting a ticket, walked down the steps into the massive cave entrance.
the tunnel went on for about 2 kms before ending in a solidified lava column. the actual lava tube extended for much further but was closed off meaning everyone was obliged to retrace their steps to the beginning. the cave, indeed the whole island, is a geologist’s wet dream. i hitched a lift with a young couple from seoul to the main road, and having found the way to the shore road, walked to woljeong beach.
i stopped at an unpretentious little place which had a small alcove where to sit and gaze at the sea backed by a large mirror reflecting the view. a dog came out from inside the cafe/guesthouse? and a girl followed and hugged it. i stooped also to pat the dog. the girl looks at me and asks if i am a traveller, and if i would like some water. that’s how i met tina, who worked at the cafe known as ‘the cafe that wants to be a whale’.
i looked in through the rectangular opening in the wall and saw someone playing a guitar. tina said that they were part of a band due to play a gig at the cafe/beach in a couple of days’ time. i went in and joined in with some table drumming and soon got to know all the band and kimi, the girl whose house and cafe it was. the festival was also going to have an art exhibition and some stalls.
there was one guy selling hand-made necklaces and bracelets, and some hippie fashion. he didn’t speak much english but he was delighted to discover that i was a fire-horse too. (side-note: korean ages differ as they add one year to the actual date of birth). i definitely stumbled across the best place to be in jeju at this time! these were no ordinary koreans.
i left the cafe as it was getting near sunset, and i needed to find a place to pitch the tent. i walked a few minutes up the road and spied some unused area with long grass and thickets and trees. i soon found a place to put up the tent, and although it was not perfect, it offered some shade and security. i would’ve drowned if it had rained as the sandy ground didn’t offer the best anchorage for the tent-pegs, but luckily, it didn’t the 4 nights i stayed there.
i woke and walked the 5 minutes back to the beach and had my
morning water therapy. there was nobody about and so i had the whole place to
myself. pale yellow sand, glass-clear warm water, hot morning sun. i hung out
at the cafe most of the day, getting to know the people better and getting some
more swimming action. just chilling at the beach.
i offered tina a head massage, and soon word got around that i was a good masseur: one of the cooks who had a bad back soon came and asked if i could give a massage too. sure, no problem. after, he offered to cook me a meal at the house, but i was on a strict rice only diet to get rid of this stomach infection once and for all - lack of discipline and a desire to try korean food had been my undoing in seoul. they cooked me some plain white rice instead and refused to take money for it.
i got talking with an older korean couple and their friend: they introduced themselves as buddhists and invited me to visit an art gallery and climb an oreum (secondary volcano) with them for the next day. great! later that evening, i met the other cook, jaka, who invited me to eat with the others in the house. again, it would have been great to try the korean food, but i stuck to the white rice. i hung out for a while at the roadside overlooking the beach where everyone were getting well into the korean rice wine and sujo; but it wasn’t my thing so i stayed a bit and then hit the tent.
i offered tina a head massage, and soon word got around that i was a good masseur: one of the cooks who had a bad back soon came and asked if i could give a massage too. sure, no problem. after, he offered to cook me a meal at the house, but i was on a strict rice only diet to get rid of this stomach infection once and for all - lack of discipline and a desire to try korean food had been my undoing in seoul. they cooked me some plain white rice instead and refused to take money for it.
i got talking with an older korean couple and their friend: they introduced themselves as buddhists and invited me to visit an art gallery and climb an oreum (secondary volcano) with them for the next day. great! later that evening, i met the other cook, jaka, who invited me to eat with the others in the house. again, it would have been great to try the korean food, but i stuck to the white rice. i hung out for a while at the roadside overlooking the beach where everyone were getting well into the korean rice wine and sujo; but it wasn’t my thing so i stayed a bit and then hit the tent.
saturday, another beautiful sunny day. after the routine wash in
the sea/ morning swim, i got changed and met sun and his wife, and lee and his
companion. sun, by the way, was also a fire-horse. they offered me the front
seat in the car as we drove to seongsan and had a look at the majestic oreum of
illchubong. then to kim young gap gallery to see his beautiful collection of
photographs taken on jeju. the gallery was a cool break also from the
sweltering midday heat. they bought me a traditional korean beverage of misoo
karu to drink. nice. then we drove to the yongnuni oreum. sun and his wife and
i climbed up to the top whilst the other couple stayed behind... they had been
here many times.
it was an amazing panorama of eastern jeju: darangshi oreum standing proud in front of us with illchulbong oreum and udo island in the distance. also, mount halla was shrouded in clouds as we saw the rain clouds over jeju-si and woljeong. butterflies dancing and sun playing guitar.
we took dinner at a seafood restaurant on the coast. the rice had done its trick and i was up to eat anything: den jang (mixed seafood soup), okdom hwee (fried fish) and hwair dupap (korean sushi with rice). with a few kimchi dishes and bowls of rice. delicious!! after the meal, lee asked if i minded if he smoked. it was the start of another discussion on giving up smoking. just like with jerry, i told him of my experience and what i did. "i'm not telling you anything that you don't know already deep in your heart", i told him. the others were telling him that i was there as a messenger for him and that he should heed the message. lee said that he will quit. "don't just say it", i told him, "do it!" after lee paid for the whole meal, they dropped me off at the cafe on woljeong beach before driving off to their base at gimnyeong beach. great day!
it was an amazing panorama of eastern jeju: darangshi oreum standing proud in front of us with illchulbong oreum and udo island in the distance. also, mount halla was shrouded in clouds as we saw the rain clouds over jeju-si and woljeong. butterflies dancing and sun playing guitar.
we took dinner at a seafood restaurant on the coast. the rice had done its trick and i was up to eat anything: den jang (mixed seafood soup), okdom hwee (fried fish) and hwair dupap (korean sushi with rice). with a few kimchi dishes and bowls of rice. delicious!! after the meal, lee asked if i minded if he smoked. it was the start of another discussion on giving up smoking. just like with jerry, i told him of my experience and what i did. "i'm not telling you anything that you don't know already deep in your heart", i told him. the others were telling him that i was there as a messenger for him and that he should heed the message. lee said that he will quit. "don't just say it", i told him, "do it!" after lee paid for the whole meal, they dropped me off at the cafe on woljeong beach before driving off to their base at gimnyeong beach. great day!
sunday, festival day. beautiful sunny day again. everybody
pottering around getting prepared. i helped out as much as i could, asking kimi
if they was anything i could do. so i was bit surprised when she later comes up
to me and asks if i want to set up a massage area in front of the cafe. i had
wanted to do something like this for years and now i was getting the
opportunity. within 10 minutes and with the help of some of the friends, it was
all set up. complete with a rocking swivelling armchair and indian incense.
tina made a sign in korean and i would charge on a donation basis. i did about 6
or 7 massages and made a bit of money.
the band did their stuff on the beach and on a platform above the main entrance to the cafe: they even got a piano up there. then it was time to clean the beach... i teamed-up with mira and it didn't take long to fill up a trash bag. and after, the sea looked too inviting and we messed around for a while. later, i joined in the drum circle with the lead drummer beating out the rhythm on the traditional korean drum played with sticks. in between, there was a delicious korean buffet food for lunch and dinner taken in the house in the big living/dining area above the cafe. and then a barbeque in the evening too. another great day.
the band did their stuff on the beach and on a platform above the main entrance to the cafe: they even got a piano up there. then it was time to clean the beach... i teamed-up with mira and it didn't take long to fill up a trash bag. and after, the sea looked too inviting and we messed around for a while. later, i joined in the drum circle with the lead drummer beating out the rhythm on the traditional korean drum played with sticks. in between, there was a delicious korean buffet food for lunch and dinner taken in the house in the big living/dining area above the cafe. and then a barbeque in the evening too. another great day.
monday, it was just chilling out day again at the beach. i took
brunch with the guys at the front terrace of the cafe... again, the food was great, including the
hard-boiled quails’ eggs. and later, after sunset, as i walking back to the
tent, a friend of kimi’s sitting alone at another cafe asked for a massage. i
agreed and told her it was on a donation basis. and so we went down to the
beach. it was a new experience to give a massage on the beach, with the stars
in the sky and the sound of waves gently lapping the shoreline. and after, we
sat and stared at the sea in silence; i left her in the meditative pose and her aloneness and slept
soundly in my tent.
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