Edit from Hannah: Okay, okay, everyone, sorry for the delay. You'll now notice the appearance of things such as capital letters, punctuation, and standard English spelling. You're welcome. My apologies if the post has become less witty as a result of my participation. ; )
Welcome to Chujado, a wonderful island just a 2 hour boat ride north of Jeju!
Even though it's not on Jeju itself, it still has one of Jeju's famous Olle trails, which takes you on a 17.7-kilometer, figure eight-shaped hike around the whole perimeter of two islands connected by a bridge. We were invited along for the adventure by some awesome friends Beth and Victor, accompanied by Charlotte and the always-vivacious Julia. In case you're thinking that it looks extraordinarily nice outside, it was, in the 60s on the first day and high 50s on the second and this was during Lunar New Year (February 1 and 2). (Sorry, all you States-siders still huddled in your igloos.) We did the hike over 2 days, and let us tell you...
It was beauteous maximus.
Panorama time! The Whole NORTH SIDE of the island. It's worth a click to see bigger.
At the harbor where we came in. This fishing boat seems more about flags than fish...
Just a preview of the way we felt on Day 2, which was much, much hillier than Day 1!
Our friends are still on that mountain doing this.
Ah, the beginning of the hike on Day 1 started off with this small, colorful shrine to a general who was stranded here back in the 1300s.
Hannah goes here? (This was supposed to be my Got Milk? endorsement, but... you can't really tell I'm drinking milk. Which is a good thing since it was actually Wildberry Yogurt. More often than not, that comes in a drinkable form here.)
Fish farms.
Pull-ups were on the menu now that we hiked up a mountain... Beth is pretty awesome.
Eyes on the north, looking out at all those islands. There are 4 inhabited islands here, and 38 uninhabited ones.
The roofs here are rather primary.
"KILL THE ENEMY!!!!!"
All was not sea-vistas along the way. There were a few woodsy trails we walked.
And now, on top of the hill with the lighthouse, it's panorama time!
No words to describe. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to be here.
Point!
This is right before the giants ants lined this up with the sun
and took their revenge...
Point!
No, someone didn't lose their hair ribbons. These Olle trail markers were scattered along the way, letting us know we hadn't completely gotten lost.
Nom nom nom.
One fish Two fish, Red fish, RUN!!!!
Hannah, Jonah. Same Same.
Yes, we all agree! ...We don't know where we are.
Actually, we spent a refreshingly good amount of time not being lost.
This bay had flying fish.
This plant had a flower.
This sitting area had sitters.
This harbor had boats.
I think they get it.
We stayed close to the harbor here in a little guesthouse and dined at a restaurant on the harbor. Apparently, in lieu of a menu, Ben, Charlotte, and Victor just pointed at a fish they wanted in the fish tank outside. The restaurant owner shook his head and promptly took out a different fish, slapped it down on the sidewalk, and unceremoniously whacked it with a mallet right in front of them. That's one way to order your meal...
Day 2, which looks like it started on the Tundra! Lots more nature views today, and lots more hills. If we didn't understand before why this was called one of the most challenging Olle trail hikes on Jeju before, we definitely did today.
Seems friendly.
Boop.
Look what the tide dragged in...
So when's the next Snow Row?
Point!
Looking down at one of the outcroppings of civilization on the island.
Sooo, this is gonna end well...
Point!
Woooooooooo!
(Ben was disappointed that it's hard to tell exactly how high he was, so just look at this closely so he won't have risked life and limb for nothing.)
Ta da!
Stairs make me grumpy, too.
Along the Olle trails are a dog-shaped wooden statue that holds stamps so that you can fill up a book with the Olle trails you've hiked, passport-style. Needless to say, this was our #1!
2 negative doors make a positive door.... Sort of.
This fisherman is brave.
You may finally be getting the idea now that We. Walked. A. Long. Time.
All smiles on the bus back to our guesthouse. We made it!
Hmm, sky and winds are looking a little ominous for our boat ride back to Jeju...
One last hike up a hill for a picture!
Requirement number 1 for hiking: BEARD.
Yes, a warm drink...
...and a CU convenience store selfie. (Yes, yes, see you at the CU, ha ha ha.)
Now a few last highlights before our doom-filled boat ride back...
The water looked good.
The way back to Jeju from Chuja-do was about 45 minutes longer than the ride there due to high winds and high seas. It was a bit like being on a very hot, very unpredictable roller coaster, except with Korean men spread out on the floor next to you gambling and drinking while most other people were otherwise occupied. I'll let you imagine how. Let's just say Ben and Victor spent most of the ride with their faces inches from each other's, pressed up against a porthole. Oh memories!
We did feel pretty close to kissing land when we finally docked, so if we had to reckon with another miserable boat ride like that, I'm not totally sure we would go again. But those views are really tempting...
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