Cheju

Our tour van driver was fairly nice and knowledgeable. He had a tough crowd, as our group was 7 in number, and hardly ever laughed at his jokes. Poor guy. He had a killer steering wheel and stick shift cover, though. 

We once stopped at a place where female divers sell their booty. That is, they swim out to sea, dive the old fashioned way (holding their breath), and come up to surface with sea creatures to sell. Their prized catch would be abalone. In this spot, they mostly caught sea cucumbers, which they then served raw. No thanks. I don’t even like sea cucumbers cooked.

We crossed a small suspension bridge over a tiny gorge where ocean sea water met the fresh water coming down from Halla Mountain. Korean couples like to attach locks to bridges, chain link fences, etc. as a sign of their love and bondage. Lockyyyy. Some locks were cutesy and pretty, and some were of the gold masterlock variety that would match better at an industrial warehouse. Better lock next time.

Check out the coverage. She really wants to keep her skin light and those UV rays blocked! It was a hot day, too... 

This next woman had even greater coverage. She looked like a beekeeper.

I learned something interesting about the different ways Koreans and Americans try to take your money via tourism. In the US, the primary way of getting your money is through a gift shop. When you finish a ride at Disneyland, or a show at Seaworld, or head to Yosemite, Grand Canyon, etc., the way out leads you into their gift shop for souvenirs, like t-shirts, magnets, and such. 

In Korea, while they do have gift shops (they suck), the way they do it, especially in Cheju, is they try to get you to buy health products. You know, common stuff like huge tree mushrooms, and ground-up horse bone. I was tempted, but decided to save my money for other health products, like Korean bbq. After all, I could work out here at Cheju’s version of 24 hour fitness.  It was just sitting out here, on a path up to a vista point.

Finally, to end today's post, a few food pics. Steamed pork loin with cabbage and herb wrap

Grilled spicy marinated pork with makulli, an earthy rice liquor