Tripping With Toby: Jeju in slow motion

October 29, 2019- Jeju in slow motion

Today was not one of my favorite days. I found it tedious. Most found it relaxing. I must admit I did nap on several of our longer bus rides.

What can I say about a waterfall except that it was wet, high, crowded, and noisy. And there were two of them. We competed for viewing space with busloads of Korean high school kids over from the mainland. Jeongbang waterfall was down 110 steps, but the better view was midway. We opted for that.

As long as we were doing water, why not include a bridge? Seyeongyo Bridge was there for us. We walked across to a small island where birds were known to winter. It’s not winter yet, so no birds. We circled the island on the ¾-mile path and that was that. David calls it the bridge to nowhere.

I wasn’t looking forward to lunch. It was grilled mackerel. It’s usually served whole, which turns me off. David asked if ours could be minus head and tail. The others thought that was a fine idea. The fish had a smoky taste, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was served with the usual sides and soup. No one expected the soup to be ice cold, but again we really enjoyed it. There was a Korean pear floating among greens with half a hard-boiled egg staring up at us. The broth was clear, mildly sweet, and satisfying. At first, I thought there were sea urchins floating in it, but it turned out to be thin, clumped buckwheat noodles. Lunch wasn’t photogenic, so no pix.

What we needed to see was more water. The Jusangjeolli Pillars awaited. When lava flows reached the sea, they formed black basalt columns. They were impressive, but so were the many we’ve seen elsewhere. Fortunately, the 310 steps down were under construction at the ¼- way point, so we escaped that climb.

The day wouldn’t have been complete without seeing the Spirited Gardens. It was a collection of bonsai trees gathered by a farmer on his land. The park he created was peaceful and lovely, but I didn’t need an hour there. Several people were into that and grateful for the time. I must admit I was impressed by the 150-year old mini tree. On the way out there was a display of close to life sized stone African animals; why I do not know. Among them was a hippo. I’m glad I have one already. The stone one was way too heavy to take home.

I had a talk with Jinny this morning about how unsatisfactory the lack of guidance was regarding dinner last night. She asked what we wanted, and we said, pizza. With the help of the local guide she came up with Mr. Pizza. Several in our group were relieved and decided to join us. But when we met Jinny in the lobby, she said she’d checked out Mr. Pizza, and it was not a good place. She took us in hand and led us to Roost Place. It was fine. The crust was super thin so we didn’t feel stuffed and the prices were embarrassingly cheap. Pizza was $7 and beer was 70 cents for a large glass. We each ordered different toppings. Ours was bulgogi, one was Gorgonzola, and one pepperoni. Adequate. We’ve learned that the way to get the server’s attention is to push the button on the table. It sounds like a doorbell. It’s fun to do, but the sound of doorbells ringing accompanies each meal.

Evidently Jinny told one of the group that because of his heavy Jeju dialect she can only understand 60% of what our local guide says. That’s better than we’re doing. We probably get 40% of what she says.

David is the most enthusiastic traveler. It pained me when he said he wouldn’t recommend this trip. I think the guides were inept and there was too much down time, but, with the right travel company, it could be a better experience. Our fellow travelers were most compatible and a pleasure to be with.

Tomorrow morning we fly back to Seoul where there is a warning about invisible yellow dust from China. We brought our own dust masks.

Toby