Jeju -Guided Tours

Guided tours would be necessary for foreigners wanting to tour Jeju Island.

There is public transportation system but limited English is used

Guided tour could be fun

The guide's show and tell in the tour bus

Jeju -The Shilla Hotel

The hotel we stayed is nested in Jungman resort area, which locates in the south of the island. By staying in this area, one can enjoy the natural beauty of the island without taking tour to other part of the island.

Shilla Hotel, Jeju

Walk to the beach 

Swim in the ocean

Step on the rocks

Smell the flowers

Hike into the wood

Explore a new trail

Rest on the bench 

Watch the sunset

Korean Food

Korean food is about Kimchi and raw fish to me.   A fancy dinner, you will see all kind of raw fishes. A quick lunch you may just get kimchi with small amount of meat.  The service is always super even though most of the local restaurant servers do not speak English.

Different kind of kimchi being served as side dishes

Kimchi shop and seafood hotpot 

Raw fishes

A quick lunch in Seoul

Jeju -Volcanic Stone

Lucky Stone Man (These two are the original version)

Stone houses in the village 

Stone Gate and New version of the stone men

Stone Garden Gates

Extra Stone Piles

Stone in front of the conference center

Stone in natural form 

Jeju -Women Divers

Women divers are called "Haenyeo".  Haenyeos exist in Jeju Island, South Korea and Japan only.  This ancient tradition is dying;  fewer than 6000 remain in the island and half of them are older than 60. If you visit Jeju Island, don't miss the opportunity to witness this living ancient history.

Haenyeo Post near by Jungmun Saekdal Beach

 The Haenyeo's Harvest: W10,000 for two shellfish (one red and one black)

Haenyeo Prepare her Harvest to the Buyers

Ready to Eat: it's raw but very fresh.  

I was told that one must chew and swallow quickly, otherwise the fish may suck into your throat.   

Click to see the Haenyeo in action!

Jeju -Volcanic Island

Jeju island was produced by volcanic activities which occurred from about 1.2 million years ago. The island and its lava tubes are very well preserved. Three volcanic landscapes (Hallasan, Lava tubes, and Seongsan tuff cone) have been listed as protected sites for UNESCO's World Natural Heritage (2007). 

Lava Tubes -Manjanggul is the largest cave and the only one that is open to the public. The length of the cave is 7,416 meters.  The channel was formed through the path of the lava flows. There are more than 120 lava tubes scatted throughout Jeju island.       

Manjanggul Entrance

A closer view of the wall of lava path 

Volcanic Tuff Cone -Seongsan Ilchulbong is rising out of the ocean and is regarded as the finest example of Surtseyon-type volcanic eruptions.

          On the top of the mountain

                                side view

                                       

Mt. Hallasan is 1,950 meters above sea level. It is a dormant volcano displaying pristine natural beauty throughout the changing seasons. There is no guided tour to the mountain top. Hiking to the peak takes all day (9 to 10 hours round trip).  

Eoseungsaeng --the guided tour took us to this small volcanic mountain in the Mt. Halla area. It may need additional two hours hiking from this location to get near the peak. 

This way does not lead to the Peak.

    The Peak is behind the cloud.

House Hunting

Finding a place to rent for expats is quite simple.  Providing the allowable price range and basic criteria, the real estate agent will arrange viewing.  We took two days of viewing to select a location and to put an offer to secure a place to live. In general, the housing is very expensive in Singapore.

Asked for SG $9,500 / month without curtains

Asked for SG $10,000 / month with curtains

We ended up in this unit with  partial curtains

Chiang Mai

Trip: Singapore -->Kuala Lumpur --> Penang -->Phuket -->Bangkok -->Chiang Mai -->

From LeAnn's e-mail: Joel talked about their ride through the very crowded streets from the Bangkok hotel to the train station. The heavy traffic was worrisome but they still made it with time to spare. Joel said going 1st class would have limited them to two to a cabin. By going the next class down, the three boys shared their cabin with one other person – a British student who attends University College of London where Joel studied. They caught up on things in and around their shared experience at the school and all finally went to sleep by 11 p.m. The next morning he was able to watch the landscape for about an hour before pulling in to the train station in Chiang Mai.

A Small Train Station

Rice Field

The Hotel

The Taxi

The food...

Elephants