Cows are Bigger than Old Volcanoes

I'll try to keep the most recent happenings short and sweet, and start with the most recent off-duty event: a long weekend on Jeju Island, in Korea.

On the ferry to Udo Island, just off the east coast of Jeju-do.  In the background is an expired volcanic mountain, currently a UNESCO heritage site.

Like our January trip to Shanghai, this was another last-minute group trip, 4 days long and under 2 hours away.  I didn't know much about Jeju-do (Jeju Island) before we left.  I knew that it's just off the southern coast of mainland Korea, and that it's a common destination for vacationers and honeymooners.  It also hosted 3 games of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which has been called a failure because it brought in far fewer tourist dollars than expected.  The 2009 ASEAN conference is currently happening where the World Cup happened years ago.  I also knew that nearly all Korean students I've taught who have been anywhere outside of Seoul, have made their way to Jeju.  Doing this trip would make us ultra-cool with students, which is, of course, why we do everything.

Kidding aside, travelling to Jeju is the Korean equivalent of going up north for the weekend - but in a plane, rather than in a car.  Sidewalks felt empty; taxis were less expensive; locals paid attention to the big foreigner crowd; and the oranges - oh, the oranges! - were fantastic.  Locally-grown stuff I was even allowed to take with me on the plane.  After living in the middle of Seoul for so long, knowing that it takes more than a little while to drive produce from the countryside into Gangnam, I'm tired of throwing out rotting veg only a few days after purchase.  Jeju - oh, Jeju! - actually had farmland for oranges, peanuts and goodness knows what else.  *Sigh* It made me miss being home for a bit.

We arrived at about 10pm on Wednesday night, and after about 10 minutes of looking for a hof (Korean-style pub) with empty seats, Jon, Jay, Richard and I happened upon basement-level screen golf.  Now, I'd never heard of this thing before, but maybe some of you golfers have given it a try during the off-season.  Imagine: a large room dominated by a massive projection screen stretched floor to vaulted ceiling and about 20+ feet wide; a rubber tee mounted on a moving platform to mimic a real course; and a system of lasers and sensors that accurately reflected how terrible our golfing skills are.  Jon aside, of course.

Great fun.  We lasted until about 3am - 4 hours for a foursome to complete 9 holes.  Don't even ask about the score ...

L to R: Jay, Jon and Richard sitting on the fence singing their usual song: "So, where should we go next?"

Day 2: Off to Udo Island.  Thats right - Cow Island.  Only 4km from the mainland, I'm surprised it has its own name, and that those in Seoul know what and where it is.  I was even more surprised after we rented a 4-wheeler and toured around the island.  Many little convenience shops, lots of tour groups of hagimas (middle-aged women noted for wearing visors and having sharp elbows), lots of local peanuts and seaweed snack, and only a handful of small homes.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Udo is the diving women who practice off its southern coast.  If it wasn't for dozens of pairs of legs waving from the sea, we would have missed them. I even initially mistook them for someone flailing their arms in the water, needing help.  We stopped for a few to watch them dive.  I believe these women have turned seaweed picking into an endurance sport.  Sporting retro snorkeling masks and wetsuits, they submerge and resurface hundreds of times per day.  Rumor has it that some are able to stay underwater - unaided by SCUBA gear - for two minutes or more.  Their technique is unusual - their breath sounds as if its come from a whale's spout and they often talk to one another with this bird-like whistle that, Jon told me, apparently helps them improve their lung capacity further.  And I thought these women were just a myth ...

The trip to Udo was ... short, to say the least.  After a few hours, we caught the last ferry back to Jeju along with many day laborers who must have picked peanuts, many in matching pink bonnets and all of them very tiny (some elderly in Korea suffered from malnourishment earlier in their lives).  Then, off to a UNESCO heritage site - an expired volcano.

The rest of the trip was ... food- and drink-oriented.  When David, Yuri, Brian and Joo-Yeon arrived, we ate local Jeju specialties - black pig with hair in the fat; local oranges and orange chocolate; and late-night McDonald's.  Half our party of 8 tried horse, which looked mighty lean next to pork.  I didn't try it.  I wouldn't have been able to withstand the questions from two horsey families upon our return to Canada; nor could I have looked at the beautiful horse paintings this restaurant had mounted on the wall.  Only in Korea will smiling cartoon animals encourage you to eat them...