Snow Day

For our day off on Thursday, the House Mistress in one of the other girls' dorms took a group of us up into the highlands near Mt. Halla to find some snow and go sledding. We thought we'd find snow easily since there was a big snowfall just two days previously, but we were sorely disappointed.

The place we were meant to go was only spotted with snow, and impossible for sledding. Instead we made our way up higher onto the mountain until we reached the highest point you can go by road.

There there was a sort of park, with families sledding down a small hill and building snowmen. 

We tried sledding there for a while, and then hiked up behind the park to try to find a better hill. Again, we were disappointed, but we did make a snowlady!

The Koreans are not impressed by Anna and my inexpert sledding...

Later in the night we warmed up with some Korean BBQ in town. Yummmm.

Korean BBQ

On Friday night I went out to eat Korean barbecue with some of the other gap assistants. The majority of us are leaving Jeju in less than three weeks, so it was a nice opportunity to celebrate our final days together. I'm going to miss my friends :(

Too Much Food.

Over the past few days I've been spending a relaxing time on campus reveling in my temporary access to a full kitchen by baking a ton, eating a massive ton, and socializing with friends. 

On Saturday night we threw a dinner party. It was simple enough - we just made pasta. But the addition of good friends and booze made it a fun night. 

Also over the weekend I tried my hand at making Japanese wagashi using this recipe. It was really simple to make and they taste great warmed up with tea.

I also made some banana bread using this simple but extremely delicious recipe. And due to the lack of canned pumpkin in Korea, I adapted my favorite pumpkin bread recipe for sweet potatoes. My British friends told me the concept of eating something savory like pumpkin or sweet potato in a dessert disgusts them, but after trying the bread they had to rethink their views on gourd-based sweets.

Sweet potato bread

And FINALLY, a chance to be extremely fashionable in our fleece Korean pajamas. HOTTAYZ -

Manjanggul Lava Cave and Jeju Hedge Maze

Lava Caves - CHECK. One more thing knocked off my Jeju Island bucket list. On Saturday we started our winter holidays and for the next three weeks I am FREE. On Thursday I leave for Thailand, but before that I have a few days to bum around school, explore the island, and cook/ bake/ drink wine with friends. 

On Sunday we got up relatively early, bused up to Jeju City, and then took the 700 bus east for about 40 minutes to the Manjanggul stop. After walking a few kilometers, we made it to the lava tube entrance. For a mere $2 ($1 for those under 25 years old), you can enter the cold, damp tubes and walk in for about a kilometer. 

We made our way down many stairs into the tubes and I could feel the temperature drop slightly the farther we went. At least during the winter, the temperature difference between the surface and the cave wasn't that different. Mostly it was just moist and cavernous down there...

The footing was a bit sketchy, and the floor was moist and puddle-y. There were dim lights lining the path, but still it was quite dark.

Entrance to the tube

Reading the sign about "Lava Toes."

End of the tube

We walked about a kilometer in, which is as far as the path goes. According to some signs we read, the tube stretches much farther in either direction, and only that one kilometer is open to the public. I know there are other lava tubes on the island, but I've read that the geographical features they house are so delicate they are not open to public viewing.

After the caves we stopped at a Korean restaurant for lunch and then walked to another nearby tourist trap - a hedge maze. It cost less than $2 each to enter the maze, which kept us occupied for longer than expected.

At first we were all gung-ho that we weren't going to use the map they'd given us to find the exit. I had a theory that I'd seen somewhere: As long as we only took right- or left-hand turns we'd make our way out of the maze. This was sort of true in that we made our way back to the entrance, which I guess is technically an exit... but it was also not where we were trying to go. The goal was to reach the middle of the maze and ring the bell. We must've wandered the hedges for an hour before finally giving up and mapping our way out.

We followed the mapped route and within ten minutes we made it to the middle, climbed the stairs, rung the bell, and went home.

SUCCESS after cheating our way out of the maze !!

Mt. Halla

Today I walked to O'sulloc with Anna. The weather was so warm and clear. The view of snow-capped Halla was incredible:

Jeju Loveland

**Disclaimer** There are dirty pictures in this post. Grandma, avert your eyes :0

On our day off Anna and I planned a trip to Jeju Loveland, an erotic statue park. To be honest, I've been wanting to go to Loveland since I learned that I'd be living on Jeju Island. Where else in the world would I be able to go to a place like that? 

We took the bus into town and then taxied down to Loveland. For a mere 9,000 won we were granted access to the site for an extended photo session with various pieces of suggestive statue art. 

ON OUR WAY !! Bus fare from the GEC

Arrived !!

Wonderful sidewalk art guided us around the park

Inspired statuary 

Some may be confused why a park like this exists. What's the point of two acres of land covered in sexy statue art? Two reasons. First, Jeju is home to an almost infinite number of random attractions including and not limited to teddy bear, chocolate, glass, dinosaur, mini landmarks, and elephant museums/ theme parks. Next, Jeju is a hugely popular honeymoon destination for Korean newlyweds. Apparently this park may provide some helpful advice and encouragement, or even just a few awkward laughs, for couples visiting the island. EWWWW. 

Anna and I didn't encounter too many couples. Mostly we just saw women walking around together in small groups and then the odd group of older salarymen poking their heads around that statuary ....UGH bad phrasing.... Thing is, I guess I can imagine going here on a date but it would have to be with someone I could have a really good laugh with. I'd prefer to go with friends.

Moving on. After viewing Loveland, Anna and I went back into the city for Indian food at Raj Mahal near Halla Hospital. This was my second time at this place and it's extremely delicious. I overate. 

Korean Face Masks

One of the things I really love about Korea is the extraordinary variety of beauty products they stock in their shops. Makeup here is pretty inexpensive, and shops will sell some weird beauty enhancement items. My favorite thing to do on girls' nights now is slap on a korean face mask.

Although they make you look like a ghost/ cadaver with melty skin, after finally peeling the mask away from your face you are left with skin softer than a baby's butt wrapped in cashmere. 

Jeoji House Dinner

This past weekend my house, Jeoji, threw its first ever formal dinner party. We spent Saturday setting up and decorating the atrium for the meal by dragging in tables and chairs and covering tables in black and yellow paper. Everything came together looking very nice.

When we arrived downstairs for the dinner there were invitation place cards at each seat. Unfortunately some of the students think my name is Kristine..... It's alright.

The meal was provided by the dining services, but it was admittedly better than the cafeteria fare. We had three courses, with the main course being chicken. I overate. 

The staff on duty during the dinner party -- Looking dapper ;)

Night Out in Jeju City

As it was Anna's birthday, we all went into town on Friday night to celebrate. It's kind of hard to go into the city since it's so far away, so going out is kind of a treat. We taxied into town and first stopped off at Wa Bar, a western style bar that has good beer. Next we went to our usual haunt, Island Stone, which has two for one shots on Fridays. We followed this up by a night of dancing and a final stop at Loteria for burgers. Mmmmm.

Lots of cheesy group photos. Feel like I'm back at uni --

Return to O'sulloc Tea Plantation

O'sulloc green tea plantation is a five minute bike ride from school, so it's easy to travel there when we have a bit of free time. We had a small meal at the cafe and then did the touristy thing and posed for a bunch of pictures in front of the giant, teacup-shaped bush. The weather was relatively warm and it was a pleasant outing. 

Jimjilbang - Korean Sauna

I forgot to post about this in all the excitement of traveling to Seoul and abroad, but my last Thursday off before vacation I went to a sauna, AKA jimjilbang with Anna. I was expecting an experience like a Japanese onsen, but it was definitely different than I imagined. 

We paid 9,000 won (about $9) to get in and that allowed us access to the saunas, baths, and upstairs relaxation room. It also got us some swiggity swag prison-orange chic pajamas to wear around the relaxation room on the third floor.

First thing we did was bathe, which was challenging considering the jimjilbang didn't provide anything other than bar soap (unlike onsens which usually provide shampoo at least), and there didn't seem to be any kind of shampoo/ soap/ conditioner/ body towels for sale anywhere. 

It was really nice to relax in the pools after bathing. There were three different temperature hot pools and then a cold pool at the end of the room. There were also a couple saunas. We sat in the "cooler" sauna for maybe five minutes and sweated our asses off. It was horrible. 

Many of the women in the sauna were walking around with sucker welts on their skin. At first I thought it was some strange skin condition but I guess there's a therapy where people vacuum suction their skin and it makes them feel healthier. It's an Asian therapy. I looked it up when I got back from the sauna, but I don't remember what it's called. Regardless it left large circular welts on these women's skin and it looked scary. I bet those bruises last for at least a week....

Once we were done bathing, we went upstairs to the relaxation room and bought snacks, sat in the massage chairs, attempted to do yoga, and laid around. The jimjilbang provides mats for people who want to stay the night or just lay around, so we dragged some mats into one of the warm rooms and properly passed out. 

Even though it was pretty cozy, it wasn't a good night's sleep because there were other people in the room, particularly men, who kept coughing and moving around and snoring. Also the warm room became less cozy and felt more like a sauna as the night progressed. But it was a good experience that I'm glad I didn't pass up. Can't wait to go again! ...But maybe not spend the night...

Our stylish orange PJs 

Chilling in the bone crushers.... I mean massage chairs....

Jeoji Oreum and Beach Day with the House

Today the whole of Jeoji House took a trip to our namesake oreum and the Hyeopjae Beach. Once again the weather was wonderful -- clear and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. There was a slight cool breeze playing around us when we reached the top of the oreum for lunch and a rest.

The beach was also very nice, albeit windier. I went swimming in my clothes since I managed not to bring a bathing suit, but a lot of the students ended up doing the same. We had a recklessly fun time just running around through the water and sand. I felt so free, being off campus. It was nice to bond with some of the girls in the house outside of a boarding/ academic context.

To see more, go to our house blog.

Olle Trail #6

Today with the hiking club I went up the cliffs at the start of olle trail #6 on the Southern coast of the island. It was a pleasant day for hiking: the weather was warm with a cool breeze, and the day was clear and cloudless. We could see the outline of Mt. Halla very clearly from where we were situated. 

Only thing was that the trail we were on was quickly deemed the "Land of the Spiders." There were massive tons of the large, multicolored spiders that are often seen along the olle trails. I've never seen so many spiders in my life.

Unexpectedly, it was the girls who had no issue with the spiders. Instead, it was the boys who screamed bloody murder every time they saw one from a distance of 10 feet. Not gonna lie, it was pretty funny, but thank goodness no one came in contact with a spider or else we'd have a panic attack on our hands, I swear.

Norebang 노래방

This week for our day off I suggested that we go into the city to do Norebang, as we could also get some shopping done at E-Mart. This was a good idea. We spent the afternoon belting out hits from the '90s and '00s, and dancing around like freaks. 

Unlike Japan, apparently norebang is primarily a nighttime activity, so it was a bit more challenging than expected to find a place open in the mid-afternoon. I remember being able to go into karaoke in Japan after 1pm or so and we could stay there for five hours for just 5,000 yen (about $5) a piece. We could even order beer while we were there. This place didn't serve alcohol, but we didn't need it. We cut loose. Singing is such a stress reliever, and it's so nice to get off campus each week. 

The karaoke room we were placed in had a small stage at the back, flashing lights, and mirrors. The technology wasn't too advanced--we had to look up song numbers in a song book--but the sound quality was pretty sweet and they provided us with TAMBOURINES. Heck yes!

Following our time at norebang, we went to Wa Bar, a western-type bar, for a beer or two, and then later went home for Hawaiian pizza <3