Jeju Island, Day 1

 This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to Jeju Island. It is known as "the Hawaii of Korea" because it is so naturally beautiful. I had heard of the amazing places this island had to offer but was in no way aware of the distinct beauty that I would encounter once we began exploring.

On the first day we saw a lava cave, a mountain with a huge crater inside of it, saw numerous cliffs with black beaches beneath them, and mountains coming out of the sea. One sight after another made me speechless, and all I could think was that these are places of hope. When you see such beauty you can't help but feel rejuvenated, hopeful, and inspired. On the simplest of streets you would see huge bushes of hydrangeas both in purple and in a deep blue. Something like that, which I do not see on a regular basis, calls for a moment of admiration. The beauty was majestic and miraculous, and as the day continued on and I got to experience more of this islands wonders. I felt more connected to nature than ever before. These sights were not man-made either; they were totally God's creations. The beauty only He can create was all around me.

First we went to a place called Ilchulbong Mountain.

 We climbed to the very top, which was a pretty steep climb, but once we got to the top it was incredible. We learned that once upon a time, water had gathered inside this mountain and pushed it's way upward creating a "hydro-crater." I have always been aware of the power that water can have due to the numerous hurricanes that hit the east coast back in NC, but this was a whole new understanding of it. The water was so intense it changed the shape of the mountain.

 I didn't quite know how to wrap my head around the history of the mountain and the beauty that it exuded, so I just sat at the top staring into the crater. You could see ocean, cliffs, and islands around us as you looked in each direction also.

After a little while admiring the mystery of this place, we climbed down.  Needless to say it was a steep climb and not one to be done by those with a fear of heights. But if you can get past the fear, it's worth climbing as I'm sure there is no place in the world like Ilchulbong.

At the bottom we were surprised by the gorgeous view of cliffs on one end of the mountain. There's just something about the harshness of the rock on the cliffs against the softness of the ocean waves hitting the bottom of them. It's breathtaking.

 We traveled onward to a place called Seopjikoji. Here we found a black sand beach which in actuality was a black rock beach. This is apparently due to the volcano on the island which has made these black rocks that look like huge pieces of charcoal. It may sound like it isn't worth seeing, and is a little bizarre, but it it just so unique. I was so happy to get to see what everyone had told me about that I found myself running on the rocks, hopping from one to the other, feeling totally excited like a little kid.

I walked along a path that lead up a hill away from the beach. I was amazed to find that the black rock beach was not actually the main attraction.

 There were cliffs at the end of our path that lead to a gorgeous mountain coming out of the water. The intensity of this place is hard to grasp as it is such a phenomenal sight. The bright green landscape against the black rocks on the beach, which then meet the white and blue colors of the ocean crashing into them, is nothing short of stunning. It was a place of peace, a place of hope, a place of utter beauty. It was nature at it's finest.

After some time at this wonderful location, we headed back to our hostel as we were exhausted after a day of amazing sightseeing. In Jeju it is very difficult to get around as the bus system is not frequent like in Seoul and there is no subway system. Also many people do not speak English so navigating this island was a major task. We had heard that raw fish was something that we must eat while in Jeju, so we asked our hostel manager for some guidance as to where we should go. Just like many of the situations we had been faced with when trying to get around, something was lost in translation. He accidentally lead us to the fish market and not a restaurant. So we googled places and had no idea where to go. Finally we found a cab driver who knew sashimi places and he took us there. We were happy to finally find a place after almost an hour of being lost so we sat down on the floor in this traditional Korean restaurant with our fingers crossed. When I looked at the menu I realized that meals would cost about $130 dollars for two people. I didn't know what to do, or how to feel, as I have never paid $70 for a dinner in my life! But it was this or not eat, as who knew if we would ever find another restaurant if we left. 

So we threw caution to the wind, and ordered the expensive sashimi dinner. My friend and I were optimistic about this meal as everyone looked like they were really enjoying it around us! Little did we know that our food would be so fresh that it would still be moving when it got to the table. Our first and second course was full of little plates of sides like salad or shrimp, and then a huge plate of raw fish.

 I started to get a little anxiety when I realized some of the sashimi was not de-boned and still was bloody. Then I poked this piece with my chopstick....

 ....and it moved!!!! I looked at my friend in shock at the fact they had served us something that was moving! Did people actually eat this? Was I supposed to dig in with an excited spirit? In horror I realized I was paying $70 for a meal I could not even eat! Finally I just started laughing at the circumstances leading up to this ridiculous moment. Our weekend may have been full of beauty, but it also was extremely challenging due to the fact we were so unfamiliar with the location and could not speak Korean. Everything was quite difficult to get done, and ordering this meal was looking like another moment of frustration.

Luckily I was incorrect as 3 more course of totally edible and delicious food arrived.

 The day had been full of amazing sights and we ended it with a totally full belly full of Jeju fish. We ate fish in every form it could have come in; raw, fried, grilled, in a soup, and hot and cold. It was ridiculous the amount of food that came to our table, but it was tasty and quite the experience! My first 5 course meal was on Jeju Island and was a total happy accident. The weekend was turning out to be one to remember, and it was only Day 1!