Ocarina

You can read about this woman and in my article in The Jeju Weekly. She's playing an ocarina. I've never actually seen one before, but it seems that I've heard of it. I thought it was a really cool thing because it seemed like a simple instrument to play. When we were in elementary school back in the states, we played the recorder, but the ocarina seems so much more practical because of its size. The round shape puts the ocarina into a small and managable instrument that you can take wherever you want to go. It made for a really lovely surprise to listen to while I was hiking.

Hydrangea

Jeju Weekly: Woodland Stroll

Here's my newest contribution to the local English newspaper, The Jeju Weekly

Woodland Stroll

Walk the Saryeoni Forest Path

Jeolmul Recreational Forest

Ring

Monsoon

I still remember when I was a little kid and we learned about the monsoon season in school. I had this picture in my head of torrential rainstorms, lasting all day and all night for days, weeks, even months at a time. There were probably thunderstorms and tornadoes. The whole summer in my head was one endless hurricane.

Now that I've actually experienced the monsoon season in person, the excitement of an endless hurricane has been washed away. To be honest, and as you might guess, the rainy season is actually pretty boring. The rainy season is just that, it rains....a lot. Mostly there's a steady rain all day and all night, and sometimes it fades to a light drizzle. You've always got to carry an umbrella because even though the sun might poke out, an hour later, it'll pour. Finally, when you're inside at home, you've got to fight the ever present and quickly spreading mold.

I do like the rain though. I really try to take advantage of the non-rainy days and get out as much as I can. Then when it rains, it gives me an excuse to stay inside and get some work done or just relax and read a book or watch a movie. I can even have a great time outside once I get over the fact that I'll get wet. Once I get outside, I usually find that it's not raining as hard as I thought. The colors are deep and the pictures can be incredible. Some days here in Jeju, there's no rain, but the fog is so thick that you can't see ten feet ahead.

Picnic at Dodu

I went to Dodu for sunset yesterday to take some pictures of the oreum, Dodu Bong, and ended up having a walk around. Dodu is the closest fishing town to Jeju City. It's just a 5 minute drive from Shin Jeju on the way to Iho Beach. It's a great place to take a walk along the coast, hike up the small oreum, or have some fresh seafood. The locals here were enjoying some Korean style barbecue, samgyupsal and soju. It smelled delicious.

The weather has been pretty fantastic in Jeju lately, but the summer fog and haze are starting to settle in. Halla mountain has been covered and barely visible for the last couple of days. I've got some time off, so there should be many more pictures and stories to come of the hiking around Jeju.

Chillin' at Gwakji

Summer has finally come to Jeju! Everybody has been saying that it's been a cold spring this year. Winter just seemed to last forever, pushing spring back week after week. The flowers bloomed, but it was hard to believe you were on an island. The cold wouldn't go away.

Finally, this week the weather was spectacular! It was clear and sunny every day this week. Wednesday was election day, so everyone was on holiday. I went on a motorcycle cruise down the west coast, but I forgot my camera so there's no pics to share, just memories.

Saturday was my friend Jason's birthday, so he invited a bunch of folks to go camping on the beach at Gwakji. Gwakji has always been one of the nicest beaches on Jeju and they've really cleaned it up this year. The weather was beautiful and the sunset was spectacular. I didn't stay and camp with the crew, but had a beautiful time drinking some wine and hanging out with friends.