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Adventures of a Global Wanderer
After lunch our next stop was Udo Island on the eastern tip of Jeju Island. I hadnt visited on my last trip due to time and I didnt think there was much to do. The ferry for Udo is close to Seongsan Ichulbung the sunrise peak which I had visited before. I thought we would go there too but we didnt.
The ferry is a short 15 min ride and takes both cars and passengers. As we reached the port on the other side we were fortunate enough to see some of Jeju's famous haneyo divers. These are women divers who have done this occupation for centuries. I believe the origins were to avoid taxes on the male divers, and because women are able to stay below longer.
Sadly this tradition is dying out with the current generation even though it dates back centuries. As the current generation retires there are no new female divers to keep the tradition going. This creates the odd sight of grandmothers suited up in diving gear going undersea to bring back a catch. Sometimes they dont want to be photographed but the one we saw didnt seem to mind.
We then took a small minibus to show us around the island. Udo is called 'cow island' as its supposed to resemble a cow sitting down. A common thing on Jeju is natural formations resembling animals, which I usually dont see the resemblance. Yeungdam Rock in Jeju City is supposed to be a dragon head but I couldnt see the likeness.
There is a cliff rock sticking out one side of the island which is said to be a lions head. This was a good resemblance and easy to see. As we drove around there was another set of rocks that was supposed to resemble a gorilla face, again easy to see.
Next was the best part of the trip. We were going to take a speed boat ride to see the rocks and caves close up. Surprisingly the cost was only 10,000w ($10) as I thought it would have been much more expensive. The ride was about 25 mins and was quite fun. Aside from getting splashed a bit we got to see different parts of the rock formations close up.
Video : Speed Boat - Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiRR2mlv 8eQ
They were explaining the various parts of the cow which I really couldnt see. At one point we were by the cows nostril which I couldnt see the resemblance. Later there was a dragon head sticking out from a cliff which I eventually was able to see. We went into a cave entrance, then turned the boat around and headed back. It was great fun and I would definately recommend it for only $10.
Video : Speed Boat - Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leAdx0Vi RFI
After that we climbed steps down to a black sand beach. There were people collecting seaweed, I didnt know if they would take it home to cook it? We then got some ice cream. I got the regular one not knowing there were two kinds on sale. The second more expensive one for 4500w ($4) was a fruit pulp ice cream, not sure what kind. It was then a short ferry ride back after an enjoyable afternoons excursion.
-----------
You can read my first 4 day trip to Jeju in May of this year starting here
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ntries/londone7/1/1304504579/tpod.html
The ferry is a short 15 min ride and takes both cars and passengers. As we reached the port on the other side we were fortunate enough to see some of Jeju's famous haneyo divers. These are women divers who have done this occupation for centuries. I believe the origins were to avoid taxes on the male divers, and because women are able to stay below longer.
Sadly this tradition is dying out with the current generation even though it dates back centuries. As the current generation retires there are no new female divers to keep the tradition going. This creates the odd sight of grandmothers suited up in diving gear going undersea to bring back a catch. Sometimes they dont want to be photographed but the one we saw didnt seem to mind.
We then took a small minibus to show us around the island. Udo is called 'cow island' as its supposed to resemble a cow sitting down. A common thing on Jeju is natural formations resembling animals, which I usually dont see the resemblance. Yeungdam Rock in Jeju City is supposed to be a dragon head but I couldnt see the likeness.
There is a cliff rock sticking out one side of the island which is said to be a lions head. This was a good resemblance and easy to see. As we drove around there was another set of rocks that was supposed to resemble a gorilla face, again easy to see.
Next was the best part of the trip. We were going to take a speed boat ride to see the rocks and caves close up. Surprisingly the cost was only 10,000w ($10) as I thought it would have been much more expensive. The ride was about 25 mins and was quite fun. Aside from getting splashed a bit we got to see different parts of the rock formations close up.
Video : Speed Boat - Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiRR2mlv 8eQ
They were explaining the various parts of the cow which I really couldnt see. At one point we were by the cows nostril which I couldnt see the resemblance. Later there was a dragon head sticking out from a cliff which I eventually was able to see. We went into a cave entrance, then turned the boat around and headed back. It was great fun and I would definately recommend it for only $10.
Video : Speed Boat - Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leAdx0Vi RFI
After that we climbed steps down to a black sand beach. There were people collecting seaweed, I didnt know if they would take it home to cook it? We then got some ice cream. I got the regular one not knowing there were two kinds on sale. The second more expensive one for 4500w ($4) was a fruit pulp ice cream, not sure what kind. It was then a short ferry ride back after an enjoyable afternoons excursion.
-----------
You can read my first 4 day trip to Jeju in May of this year starting here
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ntries/londone7/1/1304504579/tpod.html
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