Happy Chuseok!

It's our first week of vacation since school began.  The students all returned home (or elsewhere) on Friday and many teachers followed suit, flying off to other areas of Korea or other countries.  I opted to stay in Jeju since there is still so much to see and do here.

I christened the break with a good 15k hike followed by another 8-10k the following day.  Though sweaty work, it was well worth the time and effort.  I don't have the pictures on this computer so I'll share some later.  Just know that with each adventure, I am finding it hard not to fall in love with this beautiful island.  

Today was Chuseok Day (추석) which is basically Korean Thanksgiving.  One of the other Teacher Dons at the school invited me to her house in Seogwipo and I was more than happy to go.  While I couldn't communicate with Misun's family, the food was delicious and the afternoon was fun.  

Just before we started eating.  The only food not featured in this picture was the steak which was still being grilled.

My artsy shot of the cutlery.

After lunch, we went for a short walk by the sea and stopped at Terarosa Café.  

This river fed into the sea.  Earlier in the year, you can go kayaking here.

A couple more lighthouses spotted!  I have lost count at how many I have now seen.

The last eventful part of the day occurred as we made our way back to the bus stop.  We were walking down side streets when a Korean man called out to us and asked if we wanted to see his garden.  He told us that he likes to talk to foreigners whenever he can and that he wants to learn English.  He explained a few details about his garden which Misun translated for me.  The whole exchange took maybe five minutes, and amused both Misun and me.  At the end, he really wanted to shake my hand and so I obliged.  

He did have a really cool garden and I wish I had taken a picture.  If you're thinking of a backyard garden, stop now.  Think of a table.  Now put a bunch of rocks on it followed by low-water plants.  That'll give you a better comparison.  The garden was maybe 3x1.5 feet and consisted of interesting and large pieces of Jeju rocks.  Each rock housed numerous air or low-water plants.  I didn't see any soil.  He kept it protected from direct sunlight by a black woven tarp-like thing suspended on wooden poles. Très cool.

And now, tomorrow I think I might climb a mountain.  We'll see.

Love and Hugs.