Chillaxin and Relaxin in Seogwipo, Jeju

Well folks, frankly not a lot to report, but I’m sure while I’m sitting here on an empty stomach just having finished a soju and beer I’ll come up with more than you care to read, LOL

So yesterday was a relaxed day, as is today by the way (its Sunday now) so I’m going to combine the two days as not much to distinguish them from each other. Lets summarize and say, ocean, lazy, coffee, beer, friends, food, hot and rain and relaxing.

Yesteray morning from my room I could see a place down by the water that looked like my ideal place to hang out and write. Well it turns out I was spot on. This place is RIGHT on the water with a beautiful little balcony overlooking the ocean. Well thanks to mom and her book club reading, I know something about what I see out on the ocean. The Haenyeo, women free divers who swim out amongst the rocks and waves and dive for the shellfish that live on the ocean floor. They are licensed by the state to keep from depleting the population of shellfish around the island by commercial fishing. These are truly some badass women. There can be nothing easy about wha they are doing. They are out there for hours up and down up and down. I didn’t get a chance to talk to any of them but I’ve also heard that the real working Haneyo are not fond of being bothered while they are working so I didn’t really try.

Well while writing yesterdays blog and sucking down two $7 iced latte’s (ouch), I did get to witness what to me was an entertaining scene. What I thought was father and two sons (I turned out to be wrong here) were trying to rig up a system to put beach umbrellas on the balcony forr shade. First it was obvious to me that the sunshine came from the wrong angles all day long for the umbrellas to really do much good. You see the balcony ran east west so the shadows from the umbrellas were just going to throw on the next umbrella and not on the benches to the north. Not my problem as they say. However, as I watch them use hose clamps to fasten the base of the umbrella to the railing (OK, this worked well) the older man chastizing and supervizing every move.. reminds me of a scene or two at home 😉

Well they get the umbrellas, which are quality umbrellas with nice vents at the top into the bases, it is clear that being right on the coast with the strong breeze they get that they would never hold on their own. So they break out some cordage to tie to the end of the umbrella supports and tie these down to the umbrella base. See the picture below. Well, watching them try and tie these things down just reminded me of the old sailing addage. If you don’t know how to tie a knot just tie more stuff. This was exactly what they were doing.

So eventually my helpfulness or whatever you want to call it, got the better of me, and I walked over and politely asked them if I could show them a knot that wold work to allow them to adjust the tension on the cords. Well one of the younger guys spoke english well and beamed a big smile and said YES! So I showed them how to tie a rolling grip hitch slip knot. I showed them once, let them try, showed them a second time then sat back down. On the next umbrella they got it wrong again so I got up to show them a third time and the young man (I believe his name was Tikwon) breaks out his phone to video me tying the knot for him.

Well Tikwon ??? turns out works for Korean airlines and he recognizes the close partnership with Delta and when I tell him I’m a 1.5Million miler flyer he beams at me and enthusiastically grabs my hand and shakes it and says thank you. I don’t know why but I found that really amazing that a young mechanic without much seniority would recognize the importance of loyal fliers.

Finally after helping out and chilling out for a while I take a walk down the coast, but it is HOT.. 90+ and after the mountain on Saryangdo my tolerance for walking in the heat is low. So I only make it about 30 minutes down the path, but I see several other very beautiful looking places on the water that I may go and visit today for dinner. I have to admit that the pizza joint sounds really appealing to me right about now. I just need some comfort food.

But I digress. Afterr my little stroll (can’t really call it a hike) I head back to the hotel and rleax for a bit with a little soju and beer in the aircon of my room. But I figured, I have a pool I should use it. So I throw on the Michigan bathing suit and head down. As I’m getting ready to get in the pool I hear, a Michigan man huh? Well it turns out there was an American ex-pat who teaches at the international school vacationing at the hotel. This gave me someone to talk to for a while which was nice.

After the pool I went up to my room, and got ready to go back to the place from the morning as they said they started serving cocktails and snacks around 4pm .. it was already 5:30pm. So I figured I was safe on timing. WRONG. I was the only person there and it was clear they were just starting to prepare their snacks but they did let me buy a beer and sit on the balcony and watch the late afternoon ocean and sun. It turns out they have a HUGE tide here and a massive part of the ocean was exposed with what I come to find out are spear fishers looking for octopus as they are a very lucrative catch. Well it turns out that I finally get to start reading some of my Stephen King book 11/22/63. I have to say that guy has a way of sucking me into a book and I’m quickly absorbed. This was about the time that Tikwon showed up again. He looked hot and tired so I offered to buy him a beer and he polietly declined saying he was not done working yet for the day.

It was about then that I rememberd Monta and his family said they would like to meet up for dinner tonight. This is awesome as dining as a solo diner in Korea is not something that they are used to and don’t know how to handle very well. Well Tikwon had given me a couple of choices but I had alreayd pointed Montana at the place behind my hotel Which was a traditional Korean BBQ. Think sit at the table with a hanging vent ove the middle and a red hot pot of coals underneath while they bring huge slabs of black pork, which is just pork from a large domesticated pig local to Jeju island, out to grill up in front of you. Basically pork belly grilled extrodinare. Of course with your traditional pairing of Terra, the budwiser of Korea. The only time I’ve seen anything other than this or Cass it was something like $9 a beer and frankly I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for a so so beer in Korea. But dinner was spectacular. Creamed corn and cheese, scrambled eggs, soup.. everything was delicious and the company fantastic.

After dinner I had the hankerin’ for some chocolate ice cream so I swang by the CU and grabbed one for last night and one for today along with a couple bottles of water. Then it was back to the room around 10:30pm and watched a movie until I fell asleep.

Today I woke up to rain at around 8am and promptly went back to bed until about 11. Then watched another movie as it was still raining. Got all my batteries for diving charged up and ready to go. And then came down to the pool to write this here entry.

After this I plan on finishing what is left of my soju and beer and heading off to find a pizza. I have to be up at 4am to get to the airport for my flight to Thailand tomorrow. It make be a bit of a time ’till my next entry so stay tuned.