Relax - Korean paradise

Relax

Features

Article

"There are three special things here: wind, rock and women," stated Park Sei Young, a veteran public relations officer with the South Korean Yonhap news agency as soon as we landed on Jeju Island.

We could all feel the wind right after stepping off the plane at the airport which hosts more than 300 flights a day.

President of the South Korean Journalists' Association, Kim Kyung Ho, almost missed his flight from Seoul as he was kept grounded by the strong winds.

"I had no choice but to pray for the wind to calm down so the plane could take off and I could meet you," he said. He finally arrived in Jeju where he hosted a typical Korean drinking party.

I could sense the velocity of the wind when standing at an area called Estuary, only a stone's throw from Lotte Hotel. It was so strong it could snatch things from our hands. For thousands of years, the wind has increasingly battered the steep cliffs and eroded them into magnificent images as if they were sculptured by talented artists.

Visitors here often practise a local tradition - making wishes aloud in - to the wind is believed to help them come true.

A view of cherry blossom trees on the sides of a road in Jeju Island, south of Seoul, South Korea.

Jeju rocks were created by Hala volcano, the tallest mountain in South Korea. It erupted two million years ago and gave Jeju another name - the Volcano Island. Jeju porous and dark brown rocks provide material for roads, walls and houses. A popular souvenir here are small statues of an old man carved out from Hala rock.

"And what is special about Jeju women?" I asked Victor Ryashentsev, a Russian from the Far East, who has a good understanding of the region.

"For centuries, the search for oysters and other food on the sea bed has been the main livelihood for islanders," he said. "The divers have to be able to survive hours in the deep and cold water. The work is best suited for women. In the old days, good female divers ventured as far as the waters of nearby Japanese islands in search of pearls."

Jeju island in South Korea

The next morning, near the famous Cheonjiveon waterfall which plunges directly from mountain into the sea, we saw Jeju women in black diving gear with orange buoys. They were doing a job that requires courage and strength. For generations, they have been the main breadwinners in families and a major attraction for visitors.

We also discovered other beautiful characteristics of Jeju women. With kindness and charm, Ko Dae Su, owner of Green Tea Garden, offered us a green tea found nowhere else but here. It is infused in water taken from springs streaming from Hala Mountain. Ko was delighted to learn we were from Viet Nam, and asked us to add some lines in Vietnamese for the wall of her house which carries the handwritings of many people from around the world. And at Seaside Restaurant on the beach, Ho Young Ho demonstrated her skills in preparing dishes from the large variety of seafood found only in the island waters.

All this has created an attractive tourist complex in a warm maritime climate. The unique cuisine is a wonderful attraction. Together with forests, mountains, lagoons, caves and villages linked by narrow roads and lined by mandarin plantations, the island is a tribute to the creativeness and industriousness of the islanders.

Jeju is now a familiar destination for tourists from South Korea and around the world. According to Ryashentsev, who was managing the Discover Korea tourism company, the island welcomes more than 600,000 tourists a year. They include honeymooners and older people fleeing the northern climate. The international conference centre in Jeju is always busy. And the number of visitors did not fall much even during the recent global economic crisis.

Hallim Park surprised us with its big collection of fauna and flora. Manager, Song Boug Gyu, brought it here from all corners of the world: emus from Australia, special rocks from South Africa and rare cactuses from Mongolia, etc.

We were also amazed by the wild beauty of Manjang Cave, about 3km east of Jeju’s capital, and the efforts to preserve it. Another surprise in Jeju was an image of De Chang Gum from a film of the same name that had won the hearts of millions of Vietnamese. The whole site for the film had been turned into a tourist spot with an image of De smiling, despite upheavals in her life. A verse flashed in my mind:

"Dynasties have gone by
Happiness, sorrows fading into the long past
After upheavals,
You're still beaming with glistening eyes."

Our Yonhap colleague Park Sei Young totally agreed with what I meant after a brief translation by VNA Seoul bureau chief Tran Khanh Van.

During our days in Jeju, we met deputy mayor Park Seung Bong. A native of the island, he spoke about achievements and difficulties in developing the island into a tourist attraction. He told us about plans for a new airport and on developing tourism on the environmental lines. He had a special fondness for Viet Nam: his wife had visited the country and developed a great love for the landscape, people and fruit.

Park Seung Bong said the number of Vietnamese tourists to Jeju was a modest total, only 60, including us. However, there are more than 1,000 Vietnamese brides on the island. "Vietnamese wives are very hardworking and have created a nice image in the mind of islanders. That is why many young men from Jeju want to marry Vietnamese girls," he said.

Treating us to Sochu liquor, Park said: "Back in Viet Nam, please convey our message that the Jeju people look forward to welcoming Vietnamese friends. Our arms are wide open waiting for you!"

Korean paradise

By Tran Mai Huong, Viet Nam News, ANN | Thu, Feb 4 2010

Jeju Island is Korea's answer to Hawaii, with its 11 beautiful beaches and 12 neighbouring islets.

Keywords

island

"There are three special things here: wind, rock and women," stated Park Sei Young, a veteran public relations officer with the South Korean Yonhap news agency as soon as we landed on Jeju Island.

We could all feel the wind right after stepping off the plane at the airport which hosts more than 300 flights a day.

President of the South Korean Journalists' Association, Kim Kyung Ho, almost missed his flight from Seoul as he was kept grounded by the strong winds.

"I had no choice but to pray for the wind to calm down so the plane could take off and I could meet you," he said. He finally arrived in Jeju where he hosted a typical Korean drinking party.

Visitors here often practise a local tradition - making wishes aloud in - to the wind is believed to help them come true.