Windy Jeju

I should write more in my blog. I do so many wonderful things.

Hit up Jeju Do last weekend for Fire Festival. It was the windiest I'd ever seen it on Jeju and it was a chore to do stuff. My company was Stu, Stu's girl, Virginia, and Victoria. We set out bright and early in the rental car Stu picked up and headed out for our adventure. Stu got into a fight with the provided navigation system which punished him by not giving directions to the maze park. After Stu apologized Wendy ( her name) forgave him and started doing her job again. Women.

The maze park was a place I'd been before but was happy to return too. This time I made a conscious effort to actually get lost in maze and succeeded almost too well. It was embarrassing being one of the last to ring the finished bell considering I've actually navigated the stupid thing. Everyone was kind and didn't berate me though.

I had a humbling experience afterword though. Just prior to entering the maze I saw a Korean man attempting to throw small spears into a target container; no easy task considering the high winds. Anyway, I told Victoria how much he sucked and how stupid he looked as missed shot after shot after shot. As we left the maze I decided it would be pretty hypocritical if I didn't have a go after what I said. So I confidently collected the darts lined up shot... and missed every single time. As if that wasn't bad enough Victoria took a turn and actually made one of hers. I was very quite and sheepish as I took the walk of shame to the car.

After that we went rode quads. They have places all over the island to do this and as you can imagine, is pretty fun. We got suited up and had a pretty good ride on the trail. My only problem with it is you have to follow a guide the whole time. It's a very controlled experience and while fun, is not particularly exciting. The funny part though came at the end. We lined up for picture and I asked Victoria who I just met how she liked her first experience riding quads. She smiled and said "it was fine". The problem was when she smiled she had all this black gunk surrounding her teeth and I looked pretty revolting. "Man I didn't notice how bad her teeth where" I thought. "She should get some dental work done". Then it hit me. Our riding single file, combined with the high winds had kicked dirt into our unprotected mouths. Everyone had dirt on their faces. Victoria, apparently riding with her mouth open was the only one with dirt inside her teeth.

After a quick bite to eat we journeyed to Sangbangsan crater. The crater is impressive enough but what I wanted to show everyone was the walk along the coast. You walk on this rock that is in the advanced stages of erosion and visuals are amazing. I happy to see everyone enjoyed the hike, we got some excellent pictures out of it. The wind continued to howl and the gusts provided some amazing views of the water as it got churned up. Were talking 40MPH with 50MPH gusts which you could see coming by watching the water

The Fire Festival was a total wash. Bitter cold near hurricane like wind made the experience miserable. Although I really wanted to see the event I sided with the group and beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of the car. I was regretting my decision as I munched unhappily on Pizza Hut pizza, I was wishing I had just sucked it up and stayed. Just then Stu's friend called and told him the show had been canceled at the last minute. All the hardcore people who bore the brunt of the bitter wind were basted with the golden shaft. I was so happy it got canceled and learned later it would be rescheduled for next week. I could go then if I wanted.

The next day Virginia and I took the late ferry and went to the Sex and Health museum. This place was more educational and artistic than Love Land which was designed more for "Shock Value" There was even a coffee shop with hundred of nude magazines to read including some class playboys. A real positive experience and great way to finish off the trip.