Mysterious Island

During Chuseok vacation (a blessed 5 days away from school), Tony and I took advantage of the free time to do some exploring of the country that has become our new home. At 11:50PM on Tuesday, September 13, we boarded a bus to begin our trip to Ulleung-do, an island off the eastern coast of South Korea.

After 4 hours on a bus, 2 hours waiting at the port, and 3 and a half more hours on the most seasick ferry ride imaginable, we arrived at the tiny island of Ulleung-do, home to only 10,000 residents. Despite its size, small population, and lack of an airport, this island provides the mainland with most of its squid (which may not sound like a big deal, but squid is a common and popular food source here). Of course Tony wanted to try some of the local dried squid that was present at each food vendor on the street, but I was more interested in the other item that makes this island famous: pumpkin! We tried pumpkin taffy, gummy candy, and even pizza.

We traveled with a group called Adventure Korea, which provided us with accomodation, many of our meals, transportation, an itinerary, and most importantly - English-speaking tour guides. We tried to make the most of our brief stay by...

...exploring the walkway that is carved into the volcanic rock up and down the coast

...taking a bus tour around the island and stopping for various photo ops at breathtaking views

...hiking the tallest peak on the island, Seonginbong, at 3,228 feet

... making a Buddhist-style rock stack at the beach before swimming in the chilly, clear sea

...taking a cable car up to a scenic viewpoint and visiting a museum dedicated to the controversial neighboring island, Dokdo, which the Japanese and Korean feud over.

What a beautiful trip it was to this destination that is coined as "Mysterious Island," and a welcome opportunity to explore the more hidden gems that make up Korea.