Cheju (part 2)

Up early on day two in Cheju to wish 'bon voyage' to Andie before she jets off to Croatia. Lucky to find no one else using the sole computer in the hotel, and lucky to figure out how to type in English on a Korean computer.

Mum had a wander round the hotel garden as I typed, and managed to find a water lily pond (obligatory flower photo below). The garden, in the humid air, smelt amazing; really citrusy and floral. Reminded me a lot of Singapore.

Promptly picked up by Onesimus who put us in the hands of his curate to act as our guide around Cheju City's market. It's massive, one of the biggest in Korea, if not the biggest. Everything imaginable under one roof - flowers ...

fruit (especially Dad's favourite, big Asian apples) ...

mice ...

albino hedgehogs ... !

Traditional fashion on Cheju revolves around galot, cotton soaked in green, unripe persimmon juice to turn it into this lovely terracotta, orange/brown colour.

Hanboks on Cheju are often made out of this material. Mum decided to buy one and we browsed the various stalls trying to find the just-right one. Eventually it was found and can be viewed in all its finery at the next Borrowdale Vicarage social gathering!

The most mandatory activity for the trip to the island was a visit to one of its pristine beaches. We suggested Hyeopjae (site of a particularly gruesome knee against rock incident, and where the Pyes attempted to launch an Airfix speedboat on an "around the Korean peninsula" sailing effort, only to be halted prematurely by a kindly Korean fisherman). Onesimus suggested a beach slightly nearer to us and just up the coast, called Kwakji. Strict Korean adherance to the summer holiday dates means that in September the beaches are perfectly deserted, despite them remaining shimmeringly white and the water being warmer than we can even imagine back in Britain. We, all three, took the plunge.

Onesimus and Tim rush out to save a drowning dog, only to find it is a buoy

Going, going ...

Gone.

One should never visit the beach without one's parasol

Two lovely swims later (and an ice-cream each) we took a stroll along 'Olle,' a walking trail that skirts the coast of the island. To make sure you don't wander too far off track the way is marked by two ribbons - blue and pink - attached to the nearest stone, brach or even pained on the kerb.

The perfect place to catch a glimpse of the waning sun

The day was rounded off with the best meal of the holiday so far, and one that is going to be hard to beat. Our guide guided us to a small, traditional restaurant serving bibimpap, Buddhist temple style. It was simple but at the same time incredibly sumptious, and so tasty. I tried to remember the basics of it to have a go at replicating it back home, but I doubt it will taste as good as it did on Cheju.