Korean Adventure Day 16

Coffee and pastries. A quick and efficient morning stop. Except when 10 of us overwhelm the one person manning the whole shop. Then we get to take care of emails, texts and picture culling while our coffees percolate.

Our first stop this morning is the Yongmeori Coast. It means Dragon Head as the cliff line has that shape. The coast walk is closed because of the high tide but we still get some magnificent views and experiences. There are some Haenyeo women serving up their catch. We got to try some more Sea Squirt and Abalone?? I was very brave and not only did they allow me to try my hand at chopping it up, but I even tasted it!! Not being a seafood fan (at all) I did not go back for more. However, I also didn’t spit it out. So, there’s that.

We drive by Sanbangsan, a volcanic mountain near the coast—right beside Yongmeori, in fact. The legend of this mountain is that Seolmundae (the 47 km tall  creator of Jeju) cut the top off of Halla mountain and threw it away. At the top of Mt. Halla is a crater lake the same size and depth of Sanbangsan. Rumour has it that the group might climb it before leaving…

The timing of our day was affected by the weather. None of us were expecting rain, so when the skies pummelled us with a torrential downpour as we were driving to the east coast to see the Haenyeo divers, boy were we surprised. There would be no diving today.

So we pivot—we will pick up some snacks and go to Starbucks.  We go to a very cool bakery where you are allowed to sample everything they have to offer. Wow!!  It was awesome trying all the different breads and pastries and sandwiches. It worked too because we walked out of there with three huge bags filled with treats. It’s time to find a Starbucks.

Except now the rain is stopping so maybe we will try to go to the divers and just see. I don’t know how, but Paul and Sang managed to stop the rain just in time, and just long enough, for the Haenyeo women to do their dive performance. We were so happy. It started with a chant/prayer for safety and a good harvest. Then they made their way down the rocky shore and plunged into the sea. It was a shallow area so they didn’t have to hold their breath for very long but they still made it back to shore with a net full of treasure. Back on shore they negotiated with the tourists who wanted to buy it.

Truly amazing.

We are now excited to see the Haenyeo Museum. It was an extremely well thought out museum showcasing the strength, perseverance, culture, necessity, and talent of these women. It is a skill that is passed from mother to daughter so they can feed and support the family. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer daughters are interested in learning this tradition so the art is in real danger of disappearing.

It has been a long day, but it is not over yet!  We check into our hotel and find out it is one that Sang lived in for two months as he was transitioning to living in Canada. We marvelled at how compact everything was!  But it was clean and comfortable and in a very convenient location.

Supper tonight is going to be Korean street food!  We are steps away from the Seoguipo Ole Market. It is lively!  It is packed!  It is loud! And it smells so good. Sensory overload in the best possible way. Paul is very concerned that he is going to get to lose one of us so we get broken into micro groups. 2 people to a Korean leader. STAY TOGETHER!!

Turns out, he didn’t need to worry. We found all the food we wanted right at the front. So many options and the vendors are energetic and eager to get our attention. We get some lobster, black pork kimchi rolls, spicy black pork bites, mushrooms wrapped in black pork (see a theme here?), a black pork kimchi pancake, some dumplings (with, you guessed it…black pork!) a corn dog battered in potatoes and all kinds of fresh seafood. We took it all back to the hotel cafeteria and proceeded to enjoy.

It was my last supper (!!) and it was perfect. The wine was flowing, the chopsticks were flying and the conversation was fluid. It was a fun and relaxed night that we hadn’t experienced as of yet. How many new things are there to do and eat in Korea??