Toe's Place: October 2010

Mt. Halla and Beyond

We started climbing Mt. Halla at about 6:45 am today. We got to the top 4-5 hours later and didn't reach the bottom until around 5:00 pm. The way up was easy enough, but we took a different path on the way down and it was very painful. Still, there were spectacular views on the way down. Yi-Kyong, her sister, my brother-in-law and myself made the climb.

The crater at the summit of Mt. Halla

The way down 1 (Jeju City is in the background)

The way down 2

The way down 3

The way down 4

Prelude to Mt. Halla

Tomorrow is the big day, that's when we climb Mt. Halla. The whole island is the result of volcanic eruptions, with Mt. Halla being the center and highest point:

Jeju the largest island in South Korea, came into existence 700 to 1,200 thousand years ago when lava spewed from a sub-sea volcano and surfaced above the waters. Then 100 to 300 thousand years ago, another volcanic eruption formed Mt. Halla. The final volcanic eruption that took place approximately 25 thousand years ago created the crater lake, Baekrok-dam, at the summit of the mountain. Mt. Halla rises in the center of Jeju to 1950m above sea level. The rest of the island slopes down from its summit and is covered with dark gray volcanic rocks and volcanic ash soil.

(from http://english.jeju.go.kr/contents/index.php?mid=01)

In the meantime here are some more pictures.

A replica of a cave showing casualties of the Jeju uprising that began in 1948. Mt. Halla had sheltered many of the civilians and guerrillas.

An ocean beach near Jeju City shows the volcanic origins of the island.

Another view of the beach.

Strange volcanic rock formations at the beach.

A "dol hareubang," which is Jeju dialect for "stone grandfather." These statues are carved from basalt and are seen throughout the island.

East coast

Yesterday we went underground into a lava tube formed by Mt. Halla, the big volcano which seems to define the whole island. The public section was about one kilometer in length. Unfortunately it was hard to get good pictures, since it was so dark.

On the east coast of the island we climbed Seongsan Ilchulbong, a crater which rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption many years ago.

Lave tube wall

Lava tube ceiling

Men in water near Seongsan Ilchulbong

View of Seongsan Ilchulbong

View from Seongsan Ilchulbong

Jeju Island A.K.A. "Quelpart"

After visiting my in-laws in Seoul over the weekend I arrived in Jeju-si, the largest city on the island with a population of around 400,000. Yesterday we went to nearby Kwan Um Sa, the island's largest temple. Here are some pictures of Kwan Um Sa.