Jeju offers many interesting things worth noting:

• Grandpa Statues, Dol Hareubangs, Harubangs: All around the islands there are these large mushroom-shaped statues made of volcanic basalt rock that are considered to be gods offering protection and fertility (rub the nose  if you want sons). They are placed outside of homes to protect the family from demons traveling between realities. Three gate poles are placed in between the two statues meaning different things (home, short time gone, and long time gone).
• Jeju Women Divers, Haenyo, Sea Women: Back in the day, many men went to sea or war for work, and so the offshore diving jobs became more of the women’s role. The sea product (seaweed, shellfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and octopus) gathered would account for a significant portion of revenue for the family. These women divers will routinely dive in shallow water, but they’ve been observed going 15 to 20 meters deep with no oxygen tanks. In the 1950s, there were approximately 30,000 haenyo women on Jeju, and in 2014 there were only 4,500 registered women sea divers, with the majority over 60 years old and still actively working.
  

  Grandpa Statues, Dol Hareubangs, Harubangs

  

  Jeju Women Divers, Haenyo, Sea Women

Sunset in Seogwipo, Jeju Olle Trail

Jeju Olle Trail, Jacob & Adam

Saeseom Island Saeyeongyo Bridge (새섬 새연교)

Saeseom Island Saeyeongyo Bridge (새섬 새연교)

The next morning Jenna and Damin had to fly back home, so Jacob, Adam, Mom, and I had a day to plan logistics, explore the local market, have a kimchi fried rice, and walk along the port and beautiful Saeyeongyo Bridge (새섬 새연교). We arrived prior to sunset and walked along part of the Jeju Olle Trail. This trail includes 25 routes that meander along the island (ranging from 5 km to 23 km). Throughout all of South Korea and Jeju, I’ve been extremely impressed with the  illumination, cleanliness, and modernity of the walking paths and trails. On our way back we crossed the bridge at night (all lit up and changing colors) and had soju at the base of the bridge with some locals. We walked up the hill for dinner where I had another batch of kimchi fried rice. Yum!

Seongsan Ilchulbong/Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉)

Seongsan Ilchulbong/Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉)

For our last day in Jeju, we took the city bus to the east coast. It was roughly an hour bus ride ($3 USD) to Seongsan Ilchulbong (성산일출봉). When we got off the bus, Jacob realized he left his phone on the bus. We were able to call it (and with the help of some very nice Koreans), he was able to get conversations translated and have a plan to meet the girl that found it. Once that was sorted, we started up the mountain to Seongsan Ilchulbong/Sunrise Peak, an iconic site that you often see on pictures of Jeju. It was a very steep 600+ steps, but the views along the way were very pretty.  The site is a tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions.  The top is a giant grassy circle pasture, and it is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. At the bottom of the site, we were lucky enough to catch a 3:00 PM performance by the women divers and walk through the tide pools.

Manjanggul Cave 만장굴

Manjanggul Cave 만장굴

Jeju Olle Trail

Snacks Outside Manjanggul Cave 만장굴

Outside Manjanggul Cave 만장굴

I thought this was funny.

Bibimbap

Udon Soup

Jacob had to hover behind to get his phone, so mom, Adam, and I took a cab (had to stop by the bank) to another UNESCO world heritage site, Manjanggul Cave 만장굴.  This cave is one of the best lava tunnels in the world. It long thin shape looked like a dragon lair out of the Hobbit or Harry Potter movies. The tubes were formed when the deep lava peaked and rose to the surface. The cave had tall lava stalagmites, and only 1km of the 13,422m of the cave is open for tourists. Jacob met up with us mid-cave, and then we hopped back into our cab to head to the airport. We tried to stop along the way at the Gimnyeong Maze Park (made by cyprus trees), but it was closed for the day. Our flight to Busan was a quick and easy flight.