Jeju, South Korea Part II

 This post is part 2 about our trip to Jeju Island. You can read the more of Jeju's history and about our trip here. Sangumburi Crater Day 2 started out much colder and cloudier than day 1. But after a great nights sleep we were ready to go! We headed to this crater, that our tour guide was really proud of, because it is one of the only craters that has vegetation in it. Uhhhh, ok. Cool. Yeah, I didn't even take a picture of it, I don't think, because it was just some dead-ish looking shrubs in a dip in the ground....But! The scenery around it was beautiful! This was another quick, but fun stop. We walked around the grounds and got some great shots. PS, another reason to love Korea is that no matter where you are they will always have a small convenience store or snack shop with tasty treats and hot chocolate or coffee.   Tangerine Picking   This was one of everyone's favorite stops for sure. The sun came out for us to enjoy our day in the orchard. (what do you call a tangerine patch? orchard? farm?) EVERYWHERE you look in Jeju there are groves (Groves?!) of tangerines everywhere! Huge trees just on the side of the road and then huge expansive fields full of them. We went in and harvested as many as we could eat and then were able to bring a bag full home with us. They were delicious. Apparently they are more sour as soon as you pick them and you should let them sit for 3-4 days so they can sweeten up, but they were just so delicious right off of the trees. Needless to say I've eaten at least one for breakfast every day for weeks now. These farms are everywhere and you can easily walk up and set up a picking/tasting and/or just buy a bag and some orange flavored treats. The orange chocolates are the best I've ever had!   Haenyo: Sea Women Divers Presentation    Jeju is famous for its women. And not in the creepy, gross sense you are thinking. Their women are known for their strength and work ethic and lung capacity. The Haenyo are women between the ages of 50 and 90 who free dive for sea creatures for food. We were able to see a presentation they did and it made my lungs hurt just watching them. The little old ladies go out daily in the frigid water and bring back octopus and all kinds of creatures. They were truly mind-blowing and made you question your abilities and commitment to hard work as a twenty-something and forget my plan to retire at 30... They are deeply engrossed in their rituals and we glimpsed some of them. They sang a traditional song before diving and below you can see some of their haul, oh and taste it....Read more about them here.     Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak After lunch we stopped for this perfect photo. It was so fun, then the tour guide said 'Ok lets go climb it'. Whomp, Whomp. It was 523 stairs UP and then 523 stairs DOWN. This view reminded me so much of a little greek village with its colorful roofs on the sea. This view reminded me of how I was going to die.  The view at the top was really gorgeous, the town and inlet on one side and the sea on the other. But It was really crowded up top, but there are lots of friendly people up their, especially ones who like to take photos with foreigners... Oh, Jeju, you have my heart. Let's move there ok?! TERRELL?! OK?! There are hundreds of museums and tourism sights, how else will we ever see them all?! We will be back when its warmer and we can enjoy the beaches more!