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Photo essay: Seongsan to Daejeong

(90km, 56mi)
Points of Interest:  Sunrise Peak, Seongeup Folk Village, Film Museum, World Cup Stadium, Sculpture Peak
  Sunrise from Sunrise Peak It is a ritual to climb Sunrise peak in the morning to watch the sunrise.  Clouds on the horizon made the sun work pretty hard to make an appearance this day.
  Sunrise from Sunrise Peak Sunrise from Sunrise Peak A good size group made it up the mountain on this day to watch the sunrise.  My favorite part of the experience was a woman who arrived about a half-hour before any of the others.  She hauled a thermos of coffee, bottled water, energy drinks, snacks, film, batteries, etc,  up the mountain.  Besides selling her wares, she took pictures of groups so everyone could be in the picture and assured people that the sun would in fact rise this day, even if it was being temporarily delayed by the clouds.
  Traditional house on Jeju Island Traditional house on Jeju IslandTraditional house on Jeju Island.  Most distinctive about the houses is their roofs.  The roof is thatch, and then the thatch is held down with ropes that criss-cross the roof.  The roofs are also very low profile -- no high peaks -- to give Jeju's famous wind less of an opportunity to blow them away.  There are a couple "folk villages" on the island -- one was created specifically for tourist, and while it has good interpretive information it is very sanitized.
  Confucian Seowan (shrine) at Seongeup traditional village, Jeju. Confucian Seowan (shrine) at Seongeup traditional village, Jeju.  The memorial tablets commemorate past Confucian leaders in the community.  They are placed in chairs set before tables.
  One of Jeju's claims to fame is its orange crop.  The orchards are planted in small sections surrounded by taller trees that act as wind breaks.  At harvest time the trees are heavily laden with fruit (rignt).
  caravan of a dozen tour buses This is the middle of a caravan of about a dozen tour buses -- it took me a while to get the camera out.  I saw several other caravans at least this long and one parade of buses about three times this long.  While it is better than move all these people in private automobiles, the motorization of tourism on Jeju Island make it tougher to be a non-motorized tourist.
  south coast of Jeju Island Seogwipo HarborThe roughed (think hilly and picturesque) south coast of Jeju Island (left). Seogwipo Harbor (right).
Oedolgae Rock Hallasan (1950m), the highest peak on JejuOedolgae Rock (left).  Hallasan (1950m), the highest peak on Jeju (right).
  Last small patch of natural camphor forest (left) -- mixed with many other species.  Dry river bed ready for the next typhoon rains (right).
  Jeju World Cup Stadium Jeju World Cup Stadium: Because legend and imagery is so import in Korea and I had been steeped in it for several weeks, I love the explanation of the symbolism in the design of the stadium that much more. "The stadium itself is designed in the shape of an Orum - secondary volcanoes - found all over Jeju Island.  The roofs shape symbolizes Teu, traditional fishing boats.  The stadium's entrance represents Ollae and Jeongnang, which are the entrance and gate of a traditional thatched-roof home.  All these things symbolize progressive spirit of Jeju's people sailing smoothly toward the 5 oceans and 6 continents in the 21st century... As an environmentally-friendly stadium, the Jeju World Cup Stadium was built in harmony with the natural environment.  It is regarded as "the most beautiful stadium in the world"."
  west end of the Jeju Island, highway 12 On the west end of the island, highway 12 doesn't have as much traffic as in some other parts.  For some sections there are coast roads, which are an attractive options.  But in rural areas the highway is pretty good itself.
  prickly pear cactus farms In a small section on the west end of the island there were a number of prickly pear cactus farms.  This cactus is indigenous to the Americas, but it can be found in southern Europe and all regions of Africa as well.
  factory on Jeju Island The only factory I saw on Jeju Island.  The only good that I noted was manufactured on Jeju was toilet paper, but I could determine if this factory was connected with that fact.
  farmer spray some chemical compound on her cabbage patch A farmer spray some chemical compound on her cabbage patch.  The wind was blowing enough to bring the smell to the road.  The farmer seem to be wearing only a cloth around her face for respiratory protection.
  group of older South Korea bicycle tourists A group of older South Korea bicycle tourists.  They had come from Busan, rented bikes, and tied their bags on top of the rear racks.  I saw a few groups Korean cycle tourists on Jeju, but only when I was on highway 12 -- they might be missing the best of the island.
larger than life sculptures of Jeju's famous women divers Almost at the end of the journey, it time to start thinking about souvenirs to buy.  This factory on the outskirts of Jeju City manufactures larger than life sculptures of Jeju's famous women divers -- if you would like a very unique souvenir to bring home for your front yard.
Jeju City expands out into the farm land We made it full circle as we collided with the west end of Jeju City expands out into the farm land as half a dozen new high rises residential apartment buildings and a broad avenue.
 

Seongsan Seoul

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