The summer has been a mixed bag. July was insanely rainy and so humid. I have never experienced anything quite like it. And i found myself seeking shelter most of the time. Fortunately school was still in and it was in pre-vacation and classes became extra easy. August snuck in with a little bit of cool, but we were not fulled long as the sun came out and the humidity did not disappear. I generally hate A/C but i find myself longing for it here and even got a little sick from it (i like to think anyways) The island is so beautiful however and i have been cruising around on my scooter, Isis and spending lots of time on the beach. I have had lots of couchsurfers and it has felt like i am travelling.
My greatest adventure has definitely been my trip to Udo with Justin (a couchsufer from the states). We packed up little Isis with nearly 400pds and set off, but not even 30 mins into the ride driving up a rather steep hill something snaps and isis comes to a halt. In an attempt to fix her ourselves we ask some Korean workers for some tools and in Korean fashion they begin to examine the bike and talk amongst each other. Oblivious to what is going on Justin and I watch the men decide what is to be done with these to weiguks and the painted pink scooter. Finally one of them actually puts isis into his truck and drives us back to the city to a bike shop. Naturally he refuses payment and leaves us with a smile. Turns out it was the belt and it it speedily fixed for under $30. So we hope back onto the bike not allowing this to deter us and drive along the much flatter coast until we reached the island.
Udo is incredible and so magical. You can ride around it in about an hour and there are three beautiful beaches. It is hard to imagine that there is a place more chill than Jeju but Udo definitely is. We rode around the island with Laurie, Caitriona and Caitriona's mom and went for a dip in crystal clear torquise water. We ate amazing fish and drank beer beside the sea. oh what a life. As dark approached we wondered off to find a beach to sleep on and as we cut through the small roads on the island we could feel spirits watching us. When we finally made it to the beach we had a lovely dip and after setting up camp we quickly realized bugs were everywhere. Attempting to cover ourselves with bags and sarongs was a good enough defense and soon we had to give in and hunt for a Minbok. What lucky folks we were just around the corner was one with rooms and the woman was still up at 1am. So we slept on the floor Korean style. and woke to an amazing view of the ocean.
The next day was spent wondring about the island by foot and soaking up the beautiful serene environment. It was the most divine and relaxing little vacation.
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