Jeju island-II

Jeju is famous for its "three plenties" -- wind, rocks and women. The second of these is due to its formation from an outpouring of lava. Ninety percent of its surface is basalt.  Dry-stone walls protect fields from storms. Then around 1750, to scare off invaders, masons started carving rocks into forbidding black "grandfather stones" (dolharubang). There are Forty-five originals that still exist -- but there are many replicas too. The stones remain a symbol of a distinct ancient culture furnished with many gods and legends In years gone by, when Jeju's men disappeared for weeks in fishing boats, someone had to stick around to haul those rocks and put dinner on the table.

As rice won't grow on this wild, windy island, women learned to dive for octopus, abalone, clams, squid and seaweed. Nowadays, the powerful sea-women (haenyo) who dive 10-20 meters without any breathing apparatus, are renowned throughout the country. The haenyo's average age is 65, with some diving into their 80s in darned wetsuits. You can see them at work in various locations across the island, including Jungmun Beach, Seogwipo.

There are plenty of things to see in Jeju .Jeju folk village is on of these .With a total of 117 houses and facilities, Jeju Folk Village Museum has restored the scenes of the village to that of the 1890’s. Among them are Mountain Village, Hill-Country Village, Fishing Village and Shamanism Village.On land of more than 40 acres it has been reconstructed following long-term research and analysis of experts. Some of the extensive range of folk items on display are 1,627 woodenware, 1,046 bamboo ware, 1,699 earthenware, 1,544 porcelain ware, 765 wax candles, 921 ironware and 579 other items.The Jeju Folk Village Museum is the island’s main tourist attraction where customs of the old days can be explored.

Jeju Haenyeo Museum showcases the haenyeo diver womans lives .Exhibition Hall 1 is entitled “Haenyeo Diver’s Life” and has a restoration of a traditional haenyeo’s home, and her meals. Also on display, to show a more realistic view into their daily lives, are the various utensils used by female divers.

Exhibition Hall 2 displays a pair of haenyeo divers’ goggles and the fishing spheres they often use underwater. Her traditional working outfit is also on display along with various historical records and haenyeo-related materials.

Exhibition Hall 3 has an underwater theme called “The Sea” and displays the fishing industry’s culture. Traditional fishnets and fishing equipment are on display including small ship models and salt farm model.

The Jeju Haenyeo Museum also has an observatory from where visitors can see an excellent view of the Hadori area, which has a garden with various sculptures and a resting area. The first floor lobby has a souvenir shop where visitors can purchase a variety of souvenirs related to haenyeo female divers.

Olle is another place to see the scenic beauty .Olle in the local dialect means a winding path to your front door, and Olle coastal trails now wind around much of the island. From a lush, ambling south coast route overlooking craggy islands, clamber down to the sea over strange rock formations and see the caves that islanders were forced to dig by Japanese occupiers to hide weapons. The massively popular historical drama "Jewel in the Palace" was filmed here.

Jeju being the island obviously has a number of beaches. Jungmun is probably Jeju’s most famous beach. A long strip of soft sand is bordered by palm-studded dunes on one side and clear blue water on the other. There is good snorkeling along the rocks. There are many other beaches but i could only see jungmum because of shortage of time.