Jamboree in Jeju

The South Korean volcanic island offers a lot to the harried metrowallahs looking for a lazy holiday, says H KHOGEN SINGH

January 08, 2017 06:52 pm | Updated January 09, 2017 09:07 pm IST

RIDE TO RELAX Explore the vast expanse of sea in Jeju

RIDE TO RELAX Explore the vast expanse of sea in Jeju

A ny Indian tourist planning a vacation to Southeast Asia or the Far East rarely looks beyond Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand or Japan. These countries have been the favoured destination for years and realising this, many countries offer Indian visitors visa on arrival or even e-visas to make it convenient for last-minute travellers.

It is now time to add another idyllic, serene and fun-filled destination to the tourist map of Indians: Jeju Island in South Korea. Known to domestic tourists as the Hawaii of South Korea, the island has fabulous beaches, romantic walks along the coast, the highest mountain in Korea and a vibrant night life.

For beginners, Jeju Island is a self-governing province south of mainland South Korea. Unlike the mainland, Indian visitors to Jeju don’t require a visa for stay up to 30 days. So if you are keen to check out Jeju but wish to avoid mainland South Korea, there are flights from Hong Kong that fly directly to the island.

With a population of just over six lakh, Jeju is an ideal destination for the harried metrowallahs looking for a lazy holiday. They can soak up the sun in the island’s beaches during the day, shop late into the evening at Jeju City’s malls and neon-lit market places, and wrap up the day, rather the night, at its throbbing pubs and restaurants.

Crime is almost non-existent in Jeju. Tourists feel absolutely safe, allowing them to take strolls even at midnight. The snazzy shops and eateries that dot the main city only lock their glass doors for the night, unlike many places in India where even double shutters cannot guarantee full safety to shops from thieves.

Unlike the popular beaches in India, Jeju’s beaches don’t offer any water adventure activities such as water skiing, yachting or windsurfing. That is good for those who only want to laze around in its wind swept, green creeper-filled beaches and not be

Being a volcanic island, Jeju has many craters of extinct volcanoes. One of the most popular craters among tourists is the Sangumburi crater. Less than an hour’s drive from the city, the crater is said to have a circumference of about two kms and more than 300 feet deep. It is not known when the crater was formed but the tourist brochure available at the spot claims it was around 1,30,000 years ago.

On the well-paved walkway to the crater are numerous cemeteries in traditional Jeju style. Most of them, if not all, are private so it is not open to visitors. The same is the case with the rim of the crater. Only a part of the rim is open for those who want to walk along the crater’s rim, the rest has been fenced off as it is private property. Nonetheless, the view from the crater’s summit is simply breathtaking as it offers a good view of the plains that surround the crater.

Among the range of activities that is a rage with tourists is a ride on the submarine in Seogwipo, an hour’s drive from the main city. Measuring 22 metres in length, its operators claim that the submarine is the world’s largest for the purpose of tours. It began operation in 1988, the first in Asia and the third in the world, and claims an accident-free record.

The submarine dives up to 40 metres and gives tourists a breathtaking view of the underwater ecosystem of Mun Island, the world’s largest soft coral reef. As the submarine dives underwater along the island, a diver employed with the operator releases food into the water, attracting sea fish and other aquatic life such as abalone, octopus and jellyfish.

The highlight of the underwater tour is the view of a mysterious wrecked ship lying on the seabed. The ship is now home to countless fish and other underwater creatures.

In a sign of the ever growing popularity of Korean pop music, or K-pop in common parlance, Jeju boasts of a museum dedicated to its fans. The museum, Play Kpop, is a must visit for music buffs. Opened only last year, the museum offers hologram performances by K-pop’s top stars. Visitors can even take photos with their favourite idols, in the virtual form though.

For those who want to enjoy an hour of high life, a yacht tour of the Jungmun Marine Park is an option. The ticket price includes a range of alcoholic beverages while you enjoy the ride into the sea. Wine, soju, or Korean vodka, and beer are served on board and they come with potato wafers and other snacks.

Tourists can also do some fishing while indulging themselves. The tour operators provide fishing rods with the food to bait the fish. The best time for the ‘wine on the yacht’ is in the evening. Tourists can catch a view of the sun going down into the sea.

Perhaps the biggest attraction of Jeju is the women divers, or Haenyeo. In fact, Jeju is synonymous with women divers who go into the sea to gather seaweed, abalone and other shellfish from the depths of the sea.

The existence of women divers is unique to Jeju and Japan. It is unclear how the practice of women turning to diving started. But the first record of the existence of Haenyeo is found in writings about the Joseon dynasty in 1629.

As the men of Jeju, it is said, were busy fighting wars, it was left to the women to take to sea diving to earn a living. But whatever the reason, today diving to collect seafood is the sole profession of the women of Jeju, men have long given this up.

The Haenyeo also played a major role in the anti-Japanese movement in the 1930s. But modernisation is slowly dealing a death blow to this art, with more and more women giving up this job.

The Jeju administration, in recognition of the contribution of the women divers to the economy and daily life of the province, has opened a museum to preserve the Haenyeo culture.

(The writer was in Jeju on the invitation of Korea Tourism Organisation)

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