Jeju-do Part 3

After climbing Hallasan, we were looking for a hotel for the night when we stumbled onto a part of the island on the southwestern coastline that was used as the set for a very famous (in Korea, anyway) drama named, "All In".

We stopped and took a few pictures, then ventured on our way to find a motel and get some food and a good night's sleep.


The next morning, we woke up late (and VERY, VERY sore) and decided to make our way east along the southern coast of the island and see the various sites as we came to them.  Our first stop was at a beach area that was composed of boulders instead of sand.  We didn't realize it until we were there but this was to be the third time in a row we just "stumbled upon" one of the sites we wanted to see.

Jeju is famous for its women divers.  These ladies, most of them elderly, go out early in the morning diving for fresh seafood. Some bring it back to different restaurants along the coast.  Others prepare fresh sushi for you right there on the beach.  As we pulled up, at about 11am, the little ladies were all racing up on their motor scooters, still in their wetsuits, with their baskets full of seafood on their backs.



There were plastic tables and chairs set up along a walkway beside the water where the ladies would prepare and serve what they had caught that morning.

Apparently the rules are that each diver is only allowed to serve one table at a time, so the sooner they can get there with their wares the more customers one can potentially have that day.

The little grandma who served us was 70 years old.  We ate conch, sea bream, sea urchin, and something else (maybe octopus, I forget).  It was really delicious.

Our next stop that morning was the volcanic cliffs, composed of hexagonal columns created when lava flowed into the ocean and crystallized.



From there, we stopped to see some waterfalls that were quite nice. 

Over the river containing the falls there was a large bridge with an incredible scenic view.

From there we continued on to an area designated as "Beauty Spot"... I'm taking that to be a bad translation for "Scenic outlook" or something of that nature.  The views of the cliffs and the water in that area were really beautiful.

Next was Sod Island...

 And finally, we arrived at Sunrise Peak... ironically just in time for sunset.

All of this was in just one day, so needless to say we were absolutely exhausted (again).  We got a motel just a few minutes away from Sunrise Peak and walked around the corner to find some local seafood.  The restaurant we ate at a meal of sea bream prepared 2 different ways.  One was roasted and the other was prepared as sushi.  Absolutely delicious again.

After a really good meal, we crashed... HARD!