Jeju Island Day 2 and 3

Two weeks after the actual trip I finally get around to posting about the last two days of my Jeju Island adventure! Life of a University Student...busy...well, actually not that busy, but I've been struggling with a bit of a cold. Well, really I have no excuses for posting so late!
So, without further ado, here is my last post on Jeju Island:

Day 2 Part 1

After the weather fiasco of our first day on Jeju Island, we decided to go to the opposite side of the Island to see if the weather would be any better! And it was, praise the Lord! We had no rain, and even a little sun! It was beautiful.

The grass of Sangumburi made beautiful music!

 On the morning of the second day, we took the bus to inland south east. There we visited Sangumburi the world's only flat-land crater. It is over 250 meters deep (800 ft) and simply breathtaking! The fields around the crater are some sort of grass that rustles in the wind and turns silver in fall. When we arrived the fog was just lifting, and it gave the whole area a rather mystical air. I will attempt to capture it in a painting one of these days, but I haven't gotten around to it yet! :D

The crater itself. It seemed like the footprint of a giant.

 Day 2 Part 2

My first thought upon seeing Ilchulbong was,
"This is gonna be hard to paint!"

The steps of doooooooooom

After the crater, we took the bus a little farther to the actual coast, and I was not prepared for the sight. It was stunning! The Lord truly is artist of artists! Connected to the island by a thin strip of land rises a dormant volcano. It is over 250 meters high (800 ft) and can be hiked via steep stairs. The hike was tiring, but only took 20 min. (however 20 min. of continuous stair-climbing is exhausting!!!). At the top of the volcano our view was breathtaking.

The now dormant volcano.
You feel as if you are on the top of the world

The view overlooking Jeju Island from Ilchulbong volcano

Before us the blue of the ocean faded into the blue of the sky, creating a palette of hues. Behind us the island stretched out far; mountains rose gently in the distance, and a wall of fog and clouds could be seen miles off. However where we were the sun warmed us in the cold wind. It was magical!

Nature is hard to describe. I think that is why I like painting it. Painting comes closest to capturing the beauty of nature. Perhaps better writers could aptly describe the magnitude and underlying meanings nature holds for us humans. I'm sure Lewis or Tolkien could have done justice to it. However I can't. So I'll stop trying! Let it suffice to say, that I was in awe: In awe of nature, in awe of beauty and in awe of God who created it all.

The cliffs of Ilchulbong  

Day 3

Our last day on the island was once again spent in the southern part. We visited one of the three main waterfall sites on the island (Cheonjeyeon). The creek flows through a deep ravine into the ocean and is split into three waterfalls. The first one, seen below, only flows after heavy rains. 

The second is the most idyllic. I felt like I had entered a cove of the Pirates of the Caribbean! 

The third one took a while to climb down to, and was a little smaller and less magnificent. However it was fun gazing into the blue pool of water below, imagining the 6 foot eels swimming below. Supposedly they are a very delicious delicacy....I'm not sure I'll try that....

(I actually didn't take a picture of the third one....guilty as charged!)

Our last night in Jeju we went out and ate Korean Pork BBQ for dinner. It was very good! Our waitress served us seafood as a treat, including little baby octopus-like fish. I ate them! I am very proud for eating the tiny little tentacles! They were good, however I had to close my eyes to keep my imagination in place...

And that's all for tonight, folks!

The ocean on our second day at Jeju Island, at the foot of Ilchulbong