I did have little orange tabs to mark each day's new adventure plan, but each plan was just loose enough to allow for some extraneous exploration. Right after landing, we boarded a series of buses followed by a series of walks that eventually led us to the Manjanggul lava tubes. As if the bus rides themselves didn't feel different enough from the rest of mainland South Korea, the 40-minute walk through the brisk and drippy lava tube felt like a different planet altogether.
I've noticed a pattern here where, maybe in an effort to illuminate the natural beauty of something, or perhaps to serve as a distinct contrast to it, there will often be hyper-artificial lighting installations. These lava tubes were no exception. After moseying around underground awhile, we resurfaced to the reality of heat and a new destination. We made our way to Seongsan-ri, where we stayed at a reasonably nice hotel with the most ridiculously beautiful view of Seongsan Ilchulbong (aka Sunrise Peak).
Even though Seongsan Ilchulbong was named a UNESCO world heritage site, I feel it was severely understated, as was the town it's a part of. This town is my favorite place (so far) in all of Korea because the relaxed island culture was tangible... Cars actually stopped for me to cross the road. The next morning we climbed to the top of Sunrise Peak and, appropriately, watched the sunrise. It. Was. Beautiful.
People were only allowed on this stadium-like setup off to one side, leaving the rest of the tuff cone--which resembled a bowl from the top, full of different greens and life--untouched. Of course, the fact that I couldn't climb down into the green bowl of life and frolic among the unknown made it that much more impossible to stay off to the side on the bleachers. For me, nothing beat that sunrise that weekend, although the innumerable and unexpected acts of kindness we experienced on the island, as well as the Indian food we enjoyed in Jeju-si, did come close.
