SOUTH KOREA IN SPRING (Contd)

The 'ocean view' from our hotel room in Soegwipo, Jeju. The sea is not far off but the view is marred by the rain and fog that morning. We arrived in Jeju the night before in the rain and it continued the whole of the next day. The tree in the centre of the pic is a tangerine tree which is grown widely in Jeju. There are many types of tangerine and they are all very sweet. Jeju is an island south of the Korean mainland, about four times the size of Singapore. From Seoul, it's about an hour away by air. It's also accessible by sea-ferries from the mainland. Jeju is one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and a self-governing province.

The Catholic Church of Soegwipo.

The Cheongyejeong Waterfall of Soegwipo. The waterfall is made up of three sections and this is the terminal one. The pic is made fuzzy by rain and water spray. This waterfall and 8 other sites in Jeju are considered part of the UNESCO global geoparks. Of the 9 sites, Hallasan, Manjjagul Cave and Sunrise Peak are classified UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The walk in is quite long but made pleasant by scenery such as this with Sakura (Cherry Blossom) trees in full bloom

Sculptures of the Jeju Stoneman or Dol Hareubang in Korean, "dol" being Korean for stone and "hareubang" being the Jeju dialectic word for grandfather. Several theories abound as to how these stone structures became revered but whatever, it is supposed to have something to do with the role man played in spawning of humans in Jeju Island. There is a museum dedicated to the Dol Hareubang.

Part of the walk to the waterfall which got us all soaking wet in the feet because of rain. What a way to see Jeju.

And because of the rain, we chose to visit the Soegwipo Central Market instead. Fruits are widely available in the market but they are quite expensive but nice. It is better to buy the fruits in a basket than to reduce the quantity for cost considerations.

The market is neat and tidy too.

We opted to eat snacks along the way in place of lunch. This stall offered barbecued black pork (famous in Jeju) for 5k Korean Won. It was delicious. 

Trudged in the rain to see Jusangjeoli Cliff which came into existence after Hallasan (Mt Hallasan) erupted and lava flowed into the sea forming the tuff lines. It would have been nicer to capture this image with bright sunshine; the mood was also affected by the rain.

This view to the right shows that the cliff stretches over quite a distance. The raindrops on the camera lens bear testimony to the weather that day.

A stretch of beach on the coastal road as we drove from Soegwipo westwards.

Our accommodation after Soegwipo - an AirBNB place called Citrus B & B. This place is located in a tangerine farm, We liked the place a lot as it was peaceful and serene and our host was a nice lady. She would make nice Western breakfast for us with bread purchased from Paris Baguette which is popular in S Korea. Some days we got Korean b/f too.

Mother and daughter just couldn't help stopping to take the Sakura trees in bloom.

Sakuras welcomed us to the O'Sulloc Tea Museum.

The museum proper which is famous in Korea and around the world for tea lovers.

History of the museum.

Obviously, she is more concerned about her WhatsApp messages than green tea.

A section of the tea plantation next to the museum.