101 things to do in Jeju on 1000 won...*

*1000 won = R8






The title of this post refers to the somewhat inauspicious start of my Summer holidays. I decided to spend 3 nights of my treasured vacation week in Jeju island, the Korean honeymooner's paradise. No honeymoon here, I was going solo. The day before my trip, I ignored the warning Korean messages on the ATM and typed in the wrong pin. So time to go to Jeju, and Jenni can't draw a cent from her account. The banks were closed and I left for Jeju with a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The flight was about 45 minutes in a little squashed Asiana plane from Cheongju airport (which surely rivals my hometown airport in EL as the world's least impressive airport!)

Arriving at Jeju, it felt like the Eastern Cape in terms of weather, beach and foliage. I felt right at home. On Jeju airport I met the first of many Dolharubang - the stone guardians that litter the island with their round flat faces and monkey-arms. In Jeju I was able to find an sympathetic bank and explain my dilemma. The bank manager apologised profusely (when it was obviously my fault!) and I got the money I needed. No begging on the beach-front for me!

I managed to find and check into the Milano Crown Hotel in Jeju city and felt like royalty. But Jeju city is kind of Korea-slummy, as port cities go. Very little English spoken, but lots of Chinese and Japanese to accommodate Far East tourists. So, like a good Korean tourist, I went to see Yongduam dragon-head rock. This rock really does look like a dragon (but I was always one for Rorschach tests!), and the jagged rocks and calm blue sea made it a dramatic setting.

Next, I went to the Jeju Culture and Nature museum and got to learn a bit more about the Jeju-Koreans. I saw and read about the diving women of Jeju (dressed in their off-the-shoulder diving suits). It seems like the life of your typical Jeju person is still much more connected to the earth and the sea than other Koreans. Clearly not an easy lifestyle to follow in a such a modernized country. I spent some time walking through the gardens of the museum, and looking at the flowers, huts and pots that formed part of the outdoor display.

As night fell I took a bus home ... except that it took me in the opposite direction. I ended at Samyang beach - beautifully lit up, and had a quick swim under the stars. After that, I followed the advice of Tourist Information and went to check out the Jeju port summer nights free concert.

On a big outdoor stage, a Korean orchestra entertained a very receptive crowd (clapping, commenting, singing along) with some traditional Korean songs and sentimental Western ones. I got myself "adopted" for the night by a Korean family now living in Macao. They came to sit with me and chatted to me and said "Lets enjoy the music together", which we did. I was so touched by the genuineness of their kindness that it left me close to tears. After the concert we spent some time walking and chatting through Jeju and then they took me back to my hotel. Truly some of the nicest people I have met. Random acts of kindness can change the world.

Thus ends the first day of my holiday. And I wasn't taking it alone. Not only did I get to meet some wonderful people, but I had God as my constant travel companion. When I think of all that can go wrong because of my foolishness, my shyness, my temper, or the mistakes of others, I remember all that went right because of Him. Today He has blessed me. He has not forsaken me. May I remember Him in the noise and the chaos, as much as I remember him now, in the stillness.