Arriving at the foot of 한라산 (Hallasan notice the 'ah' vowel symbol on the right for all 3 characters?)
tourists and most visitors used the Eoseungsaengak Trail (?) which is on the east of the island (approx. 30 - 45 mins to the summit) The hike is not too diff; mostly stairs and steps, not those rough-it-out kinda trek in Msia. BTW, Hallasan is a shield volcano; itz slopes are shallow as opposed to stratovolcano
Along the trail, Marpig chanced upon a rock tt looked so much (to Marpig at least) like a wise 猿猴 looking out at the sea...
When Marpig was bout 1/2 or 3/4 to the summit, one would see a paranomic view of 제주, although Marpig noe naught which part of 제주 :P
Most of the time, the route for descending a climb is not the same. Descending the summit (no pic of summit bcos tt dae was abit cloudy and grey) via another route, Marpig came ax a beach with crystal clear water and 高不可攀的 cliff (for Marpig at least!!) as well as a shop selling...
.... eh... can any1 tell Marpig (if she/he recgonises) the above? They must belong to the Gastropods family just tt Marpig am not entirely sure if they are topshells or whelks... :P but itz edible though Marpig didnt try them... hmmm... do look delicious instead of eeewky (actually to Marpig, 什么都好吃除了 "seeharm"!!)Next, Marpig went to the Teddy Bear Museum but bcos of the large amt of pics (of bears), Marpig shall dedicate a separate entry just for the Teddy Bear Museum!!
Meanwhile, letz go to Hallim Park; a major tourist attraction bcos it includes:
1) Seongeup Folk Village (one of 大长今z 拍摄地点!!)
Cant be mistaken on tt one since the sign is so 明显 :P Oh, in ancient Korean villages, therez meaning to the 三根木 (Jeongnang) at the entrance of 一户人家. When all 3 are down, it means the owner is at home; 2 down means owner is out and will be back shortly, 1 down means owner is out and will be back in the evening
In this folk village, Marpig met her fren!! :D 黑猪~~!! 好可爱的小黑猪吔~~!! *beaming all over*Oh, here comes smth ironic/contradictory/cruel/etc; in 제주, the black piggies are considered as traditional food. Famous for itz chewy texture, itz nutritious and does not have the smell of pork, hence, they are preferred over the other types of pork. The black piggies have black hair (duh), long faces and narrow snouts. Their ears don fold like the pink piggies. They are also known to have strong resistance to diseases. In the olden daes, they were reared for food (as if they are not now!!) and are mostly fed with a-hem, humanz excrement (which contains vege, proteins, etc ma!!)
Hence, the toilets in the ancient Korean village houses were built adjacent to the STYlish stys of the black piggies (see pic above) so tt "food" for the black piggies were warm and "fresh" :PSpeaking bout the black piggies, lunch was 铁板黑猪 with fresh lettuce!! Really, Marpig am feeling 矛盾 bcos she loves piggies and yet, here she is commenting tt they taste nice?! 搞什么?!
... one wrap the pork with fresh lettuce, garlic, chilies, anchovies, etc... Ok, (quickly skipped tt part)2) Bonsai Garden
Marpig mentioned tt therez 2 distinct cultures in 제주 which are diff from mainland Korea and herez the 2nd one
Walking ard the Bonsai Garden, one came ax a few statues and a 돌 하르방 (Dol hareubang; literally, "stone grandfather") They are supposed to be gods offering both protection and fertility. In 제주, they are largely carved from porous basalt aka volcanic rock and can be as high as 3m!!As seen from pic above, they are widely depicted grinning and with slight smile xpressions, bulging eyes but no pupils, long and broad noses and also hands on the bellies with 1 hand always higher than the other. Oh, they also wear hat tt look like mushrooms. Much like the myth circling the 笑佛, itz said tt if one wants to give birth to a baby boy, one should touch the 돌 하르방z nose
Itz in this village tt Marpig bought 1 beeg bottle of honey and 五味子 tt are contained in glass containers of a grandpa and grandma 돌 하르방s respectively!!
Other statues in the Bonsai Garden includes a mother who went to 挑水 (the container shez carrying was used to contain well water. 长今 used tt too!!) and her crying son
A rock/statue tt looked like a very fat and short piggie/hog pouting... pretty subjective this is...
And therez also sm stacked stones which rep pple
Hallim Park also includes 4) Hyeopjae and Ssangyong Caves
Hyeopjae Cave is designated as Koreaz Natural Monument No. 236. Dont ask Marpig wat the other 235 are bcos shez as clueless. Gosh, so many UNESCO places and thingy to see!! Wherez the time and lollies?! This cave contained many stalagtites and stalagmites (Marpig am not so gd with this branch of Geography!! Hate it in fact... *yawns*) and is a actually a lava tubeSsangyong Cave is also a lava tube and boasts another cave within, which makes it the only 2D cave (cave in cave) in the world. The word "Ssangyong" actually means "double dragon" 哦
BTW, therez quite a few Xmas decorations in Hallim Park and herez just one tt Marpig posed with :P
Really, can use the pic to go 相亲!! hahahahahaha Aiyo!! Maybe should wear the cute sailormoon dress for better effect!! But oh well, itz cold (& Marpig only wear dresses for special occasions)!! :PFinally, local guide brought every1 to 천지연폭포 (天帝淵瀑布, Cheonjaeyeon Waterfall), 1 of the 3 famous waterfalls in 제주. The other 2 being 정방폭포 (正房瀑布, Jeongbang Waterfall, 23m high) and 천제연폭포 (天地淵瀑布, Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, 22m high)
Noticed how close the Korean names for both Cheonjiyeon Waterfall and Cheonjaeyeon Waterfall are. All 3 waterfalls are located south of 제주, near the coast. Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is in the middle while Jeongbang Waterfall is to the right of it and Cheonjaeyeon Waterfall (the one Marpig went) is to the left and slightly north
Cheonjaeyeon Waterfall is a 3-tier waterfall with the 1st fall at 22m high to a 21m deep pond then falling 30m again. Pic below is the 3rd tier with itz 清澈的 pond. Reminded Marpig so much of tt time when she went Outward Bound in Pulau Ubin and had to quarry jump... kinda scary bcos although the water is clean and clear (itz rainwater collected over years in the quarry) but bcos of the depth, itz DARK... who noes watz lurking at the seemingly bottomless bottom?!
Anyw, enjoy the lovely waterfall~~
From the waterfall and looking up, one would see the arch and red Seonimgyo Bridge aka 칠선녀교(Chilseonyeogyo, Seven Nymphs Bridge) As the name suggests, the bridge, with itz 100 guard rails and 34 stone lanterns (see pic below) has 7 nymphs carved on both sides. Each nymph being approx. 20m long (hence, the bridge will be bout 140m long) and shown playing their own unique musical instruments. Hmmm... think itz an idea similar to the 七仙女
Coming up next will be Marpigz last dae in 제주 as well as the interesting Teddy Bear Museum which houses the worldz smallest bear at 4.5mm and the worldz most xpensive bear!! Find out why in the next entry!! :D
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