The little temple in the woods, Jeju, South Korea

December 18, 2008 by Marcie Miller · 1 Comment
Filed under: Jeju & Korean Culture, Things to See

Chonja-am temple is worth the trek
Story and photos by Marcie Miller

The Yeongshil hermitage rests in the late afternoon light | Credit: Marcie Miller

Looking for a truly unique Buddhist temple experience? Then take a hike. Really. Chonja-am temple is located 1,200 meters above sea level, at the foot of Pollae oreum, and is accessed by foot only from the Yeongsil trail lower parking lot.

After about a 20 minute leisurely uphill stroll through the open forest, the temple suddenly pops out of the trees, an imposing structure built and decorated in the classic Chosun period style.

Tags: , JEJU, marcie miller, SOUTH KOREA, yeongshil

Alddreu Airfield harbors occupation memories, Jeju, South Korea

November 8, 2008 by Jim Saunders · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Jeju & Korean Culture, Things to See

Pastoral present belies airfield’s dark past
Story and photo by Jim Saunders

Winding down the window of the car, we shouted across to the farmer tending her field in the late afternoon sun. “Which way to Alddreu Airfield?” we asked. Straightening up a little and turning to look at us: “You’re in it!” came the reply. “And, to see the hangers, you have to keep following this road straight!” she added while waving the tool in her hand a little. We looked around slightly incredulously. Fields of crops stretched in every direction with only Sanbangsan standing tall in the near distance. We started off again down the single track road in amongst the fields with dried mud kicking up from our car’s tires. A few minutes later, the first of the remaining structures from the airfield appeared- reinforced, concrete aircraft hangers, overgrown with long grass swirling in the light breeze.

Tags: , alddreu airfield, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

How to visit Gapado, Jeju, South Korea

October 19, 2008 by Jim Saunders · 2 Comments
Filed under: Outlying Islands, Things to Do, Things to See

In the distance I see two weather beaten, elderly ladies bracing themselves against a tall, stone wall, lost in a squawking conversation about some mundane topic. As I get closer and louder, empty seashells crunching under foot, their heads jerk up. Suddenly I’m the topic of conversation. It’s a foreigner! I give a small wave and say “Annyeong Hayseo”. More astonishment from the ladies - the foreigner speaks Korean! This is Gapado, the last but one islet on the far southern reaches of South Korea. And this is the reaction I get anywhere here, because it’s so under visited by foreigners. With the absence of mass tourism it’s like stepping back to a Jeju of twenty-five years past.

Tags: Gapado, Howto, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

When Mongolia ruled Jeju, Jeju, South Korea

September 13, 2008 by Brian Miller · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Jeju & Korean Culture, Things to Do, Things to See

In 1270, Kim Tong-jeong’s Sambyeolcho army landed in Jeju. It was a motley assortment of Korean freedom fighters and liberated Mongolian Prisoners of War who had continued to fight Mongolia despite orders from the Goryeo court in Seoul to lay down their weapons. In pursuit were the Mongolian army and their new Goryeo allies, who had assembled a force of 10,000 men to hunt down and destroy them. With the help of local residents, Kim overtook Jeju’s indigenous army and erected a fortress near Halla Mountain. They held Jeju until 1273, when Kim and Korea’s resistance to Mongolia came to a bloody end. The Mongol-Goryeo force annihilated the Sambyeolcho at Hangpaduri, and Kim was forced to flee to the wilds of Halla Mountain, where he later committed suicide.