Peter Mak (left) and Karen Van Toor | Credit: David Holmes
Cycling the world, one revolution at a time
Story and photos by David Homles
They cycled nearly 38,000 miles in six years through 38 countries. They survived severe malaria, rampant rats and stone-throwing Africans. But it took the global financial crisis to end the cycling odyssey of Peter Mak and Karen Van Toor. Last stop: Jeju Island.
Mak and Van Toor arrived on Jeju-do via ferry on Oct. 14, the last stop on an epic personal odyssey that was put into motion eight …

Decent western food at decent prices
Story and photo by David Holmes
Folks, in Jeju it’s is no secret that American style family restaurants are few and far between. There is unquestionably a culinary void that is often pseudo-serviced by the occasional Western-style Korean restaurants (also known as “fusion cuisine”). You know the scenario: a restaurant looks deceptively good from the outside, but the menu tells a different tale: It speaks of candied yam pizzas, cream cheese stuffed crust, a garnish of sweet pickles and the inexorable side plate of kimchi. Or …

Effective July 1, 2006, Jeju was designated by the central government as a special self-governing province. Since this time, the island has had 2 years to utilize its special status and implement its corresponding legislative mandate. Ostensibly, the purpose was to individuate Jeju as an autonomous provincial entity, but what was the impetus for this in the first place?
Jeju-do accounts for roughly 1% of the Korean population, but is, by all accounts, a geographically and culturally distinct part of the Korean peninsula. Beginning in the late 60s and early …

THE JOINT: La Vie

A small foreigner haunt serving wholesome western food, La Vie provides both good food and atmosphere at very affordable prices.
THE DIRECTIONS: From the Jeju Grand Hotel in Shin Jeju, head east on that same street (towards Gu Jeju). After passing the Sing and Sing bar on your left, turn left and then take your next right (across from the Show Noraebang) and La Vie is a few doors up on the right hand side.
THE FIRST BITE IMPRESSION: Any better and it would be a foodgasm. …