We booked two days of tours using Klook, an online booking portal, before we left on our trip. Today's tour is to the West and South part of Jeju Island. We meet at 8:30 in front of the LOTTE Duty Free area of our hotel.
We are going to 6 different places on the island. Daicy Kim is our tour guide. We learn that Jeju Island is an extinct volcano as compared to Hawaii which is an active volcano. It is oval shaped island. It is overcast and we have umbrellas in case of rain. It has the ideal conditions for growing citrus especially tangerines. Jeju is slow paced and more relaxed place to live compared to Seoul. Our first stop is the Mount Halla Visitor Site where there is a wetlands called 1100 Altitude Wetland on Mount Halla. It is designated as a Ramsar Wetlands. In 1971 in the city of Ramsar in Iran, an international agreements was reached that focused on the conservation of wetlands all over the world. The politicians of Korea agreed to maintain this area we are visiting as a permanent wetlands, affording it the destination as a Ramsar site. Standing on front of steps of the visitor center, she tells us about the two volcanic figures seen all around the island. 
They are always seen in twos with their arms folded around their bellies. 
They are called Dol Hareubang, Korean for stone grandfather. They have the dual role of protection and fertility. Legend has it that long ago the population of males became very scarce due to their perilous lifestyle. The original figures didn’t have a face or hands. If you can mentally visualize that, you can understand that it stands for fertility. Nowadays newlyweds will rub the statue’s nose to wish for a baby boy and the ears for a baby girl.
We walk on a wooden ramp that snakes around the wetlands.
It’s too early for fall colors, so it’s mostly browns and dull green. 
Lichen covered rocks dot the ground. 
Heading up the visitor center you see information about the wetlands on the second floor and go out to the balcony and see the wetlands from above. 
Downstairs there is a snack bar area. 
Outside the center is a statue of the white deer as well as the memorial and grave of Ko Sang Don. He was born on Jeju Island and was the first Korean to climb Mount Everest in 1977. He was killed on a climb on Mount McKinley on May 29, 1979. He was thirty years old.
The large statue of a white deer does not signify that Jeju Island has a population of white deer, rather it's because there is a crater lake on Mount Halla whose Korean name means "white deer lake". 
There is a legend about godly men descending from heaven to play with white deer. Next, we are headed to Cheonjeyeon Falls. A complex near the falls has a colorful observation deck and a fountain to throw money into; the Fountain of Five Blessings; Honor (Dragon), Sons (Carp), Longevity (Tortoise), Wealth (Boar) and Love (Mandarin Duck).
If you stand in front of the blessing/animal you want and toss a coin into the center lucky bag you will receive that blessing. Lisa and Doug hit their mark.
The coins are given to the under privileged of Korea. After crossing a bridge 
we walk past the beautiful Seonim, also known as Seven Nymphs bridge. All the nymphs are playing musical instruments. 
Daicy stops in front of a memorial for the Jeju 4-3 uprising and massacre in 1948. 
She explains how upwards of 30,000 people were reportedly killed during a crackdown on a leftist uprising in Jeju by the U.S.-backed government in 1948 following South Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule. April 3 is a very somber day on Jeju island but outside of Jeju, most Koreans are not aware of the tragedy. To get to the falls we climb countless flights of stairs back and forth. There are actually three falls but Daicy tells us that only one is flowing today. Waterfall number one and three only flow when there is enough rain. The water in the small pond is a stunning, beautiful aegean blue.
Cheonjeyeon Falls One Only Flows After Rain
As waterfalls goes, waterfall number two isn't very tall or wide.
Waterfall Number Two
It's not on my list of must see waterfalls but it is part of our tour. Fortunately we don’t have to retrace our steps when going back to the bus because there is a shorter path back to the parking lot. Stop number three is Daepo Jusangieolli Cliff. This is the volcanic rock formation in the south part of the island.
The dramatic black rocks forming columns makes for a very unique landscape. 
You can find these basalt columns all over the island but it is here that they are seen at their best. The formations are the result of the rapid cooling and contraction of lava as it poured into the sea. 
Before we head back to the bus we enjoy ice cream. 
Having only eaten some slices of the milk bread from Paris Baguette I opt for a chicken skewer. The fourth stop is a climb to Songaksang mountain to look at a volcanic crater and a stop for lunch. Our group enjoyed lunch at a dumpling restaurant. 
Our table with the Gees ordered a two portion hotpot set.
For the other table, there seemed to be a problem with the proper way of ordering portions. Fortunately, our tour guide, Daicy happened to walk into the restaurant and she talked to the server. For four people we were told all of us had to order a set. Daicy said the server would allow our other group to order 3 sets but not two for sharing. 
After lunch half of our group walked up to the crater which is a round trip journey of 40 minutes.
Teddy strikes up a conversation with a fellow traveller and tells her about the Netflix K/drama, "Our Blues" that featured a woman diver in Jeju. 
It sprinkled just enough to wet the ground. The Buddhist temple, Bomunsa Temple is located in Mount Sanbansan and marks our fifth stop. 
The last place on the tour is a tea factory and an Osulloc tea store. We walk past a large garden of Matcha tea plant. 
Osulloc was packed with shoppers. 
Samples of teas were available. 
After shopping you can enjoy dessert. 
By 4:30 we are back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. Saying “gamsahabnida” to the driver and Daicy we are dropped off at 5:45. Janet suggests that we go to a restaurant that has black pork the signature meat of Jeju. The concierge suggested the nearby 88 Pork. 
Black pork is derived from the black haired pig. It is premium meat with a darker red color and considered the Wagyu version of pork. We sit at 3 tables. 
For our table of 3 we order the 66000 KW combination of pork belly and pork neck. You know that the meat is from a black pig when you see the black follicles in the skin.
A bowl of rice is 1000 won and we order 3 bowls. A large assortment of banchan arrives first. Steamed egg wasn’t shown on the menu. It came out with the meal along with a bowl of spicy ramen soup. 
The server pours a basket of hot red coals over the center grill and put grate over it.
He uses a piece of pork fat to oil the grill.
A small tin of with a reddish sauce is placed on the grill to be heated. He places the pork belly around the perimeter and the thicker pork meat in the center, cutting the meat into pieces.
He flips the meat from time to time. When it’s almost done he hands the tongs to us to let us finish cooking it. When the meat starts to develop brown edges it’s ready to eat. I try my first piece without any seasoning. I like the crispy edges. The meat is chewy but not tough. The pork belly that looked like a fat piece of bacon with a thick layer of fat that I thought would be too fatty to eat had much of the fat dissolved away during grilling.
I ended up just lightly seasoning the meat with a few grain of rock salt but it was flavorful enough by itself. The steamed egg had been cooking in the hot clay pot and was less runny. I was perfectly fine with just the pork and steamed egg. Others in our group enjoy the grilled pork by wrapping it with lettuce, this is the popular way to eat grilled meat.
This featured blog entry was written by Helen K. from the blog South Korea and Japan.
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