[Jeju] The First Day of A Bicycle Trip in Jeju

Summer 2009, I got a message from my friend who I met during the military services. He asked to me to do bike hike in Jeju Island. So, I accepted it, but the weather was obstacles. When we departed, it was rain. But the plane took off.

Fortunately, it was clear. I took the Eastar Jet which is one of low-cost airlines in Korea for the first time. It wasn't bad, but their English pronunciation is not that good for me. I don't know for native speakers.

Jeju International Airport

I think there are many shops for renting a bike in Jeju now since it is quite popular these days. So, I am not going to post the shops where I used. Bike was just normal bike, but I should have considered deeply.

Anyway, let's start to the bike trip.

Scene of Jeju

Whenever we took the pictures, we got off a bicycle. As you know, my butt was so sore from long riding. it was horrible when I got on the bike. But it was okay since I got a lot of nice pictures.

나그네 파전 Na-geu-ne Pajeon

나그네 파전 Na-geu-ne Pajeon is really famous among Korea University students. However, it was my first time to visit here.

I couldn't take picture of menu here. However, all the most famous food will be here with the pictures. Why? We ate all of famous food here. This place is for drinking, I mean it is sort of Korean style bar. So, we usually go this kind of restaurant after eating. None of us, five include me, didn't eat dinner.

막걸리 Makgeolli which is rice wine is good with 파전 Pajeon. Some friends of mine from other countries really like Makgeolli, but I don't like it too much.

고추튀김 Go-choo Tuigim (Fried Chili). I don't like chili itself and fried food too much. But it was really good. It is not that spicy. There is chopped meat and other stuffs inside of chili. It is 10,000 KRW for that one plate.

This is 파전 Pajeon. When I explain it to foreign friends, I usually said it as Korean style pizza or pancake. Pajeon here is really thick and big compared to other restaurants. And there are lots of see food there. 11,000 KRW.

왕동그랑땡 Wang-dong-geu-rang-ddaeng. According to Korean-English dictionary Dong-geu-rang-ddaeng is Korean style meatball. Wang is king in Korean. Because it is really bigger than normal dong=geu-rang-ddaeng, they attached Wang as a prefix to explain it is huge. 10,000 KRW.

At this time, I just ate a lot without drinking. Maybe later, I will go there again to drink with Pajeon.

Address. 193-3, Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea. 서울시 동대문구 제기동 193-3.

Phone. 82-2-926-9077, 02-926-9077.

Subway. Korea Univ. Station line #6, Exit 6 or Anam Station line #6, Exit 2.

추석 차례 Chalye on Chuseok (Ancestral rites on Korean Thanksgiving Day)

There are two different kinds of ancestral rites in Korea; 제사 Jesa and 차례 Chalye. All the process is similar, but the most different thing is that Jesa is done at night, and Chalye is done at morning. Jesa is a kind of celebration whose death like birthday. There is no more birthday for dead person instead they do Jesa on the date when the person died. On the other hand, Chalye is for all the ancestors (usually up to great-grandfather) of the family.

There is process to do the rites. There are order and rule when they put food on the table. But each family has little different rules, the food as well. Pour drink, and put chopsticks on Songpyun (on Jesa or Chalye on Seolnal which is Lunar New Year's Day, they put spoon and chopsticks), Keunjeol (Deep bow) twice, and wait for a while. They believe that ancestors eat food, so they give some time to their ancestors. Then take off the Jibang which is papers on the 병풍 Byungpoong (folding screen) and burn it. If ashes go high, it means good for family. Finally, it is time to eat.

Songpyung (Half-moon-shaped rice cake) is a sort of symbol of Chuseok

벌초 Beolcho (Tidy Up A Grave)

One of the biggest holidays in Korea is Chuseok which is Korean Thanksgiving Day. It is August 15th of the lunar calendar. Before holiday maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago, Koreans visit a family member's grave, and they tidy up a grave. We call it 벌초 Beolcho. Also they visit to their ancestral graves on the occasion of Chuseok. However, they don't mow the grass on Chuseok.

It is my family member's grave. We used to bury the coffin, but it is getting popular cremation.

After or before cut the weeds, they do simple ancestral rites. They have to do 큰절 Keunjeol (deep bow) to their ancestors twice. When they do deep bow to the death people, the number of bow is two, and for people who alive is one.

The room for my passed away grandmother and grandfather

A Butterfly

늘봄날 Neal Bomnal

A restaurant for 쌈밥 Ssam-bap (rice wrapped in greens) near Chungm-ro station

I visited here for the second time because it was really nice when I first came here.

There is a menu on the main gate, so people can decide get into this restaurant or not. Actually, the government demands this policy to all the restaurants. However, there are not too many restaurants where announce their food price yet.

We can enjoy the food here. I went to this restaurant for late lunch, so there was no customers.

Main menu of this restaurant is meat, but my purpose is eating 쌈밥 Ssambap which is rice wrapped in greens. I can eat many various of food with cheap price. It is only 6,000 KRW for person. We have to order for two persons as minimum (So, I paid 12,000 KRW total).

된장찌개 Doenjang-jjigae (Bean paste stew), 제육볶음 Jeyuk Bokkeum (Stir-fried spicy pork), and 꽁치구이 Ggongchi-gui (Roasted pacific saury) are main dishes and the other things are basic banchans. So, we can get more banchans free of charge except main dishes.

쌈밥 Ssambap eat like this. Put whatever you want to eat on the greens especially 제육볶음 Jeyuk Bokkeum.

Then wrap it up and eat in one bite.

It was so nice to enjoy the food with low price.

Address. 24-3, Pildong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea. 서울특별시 중구 필동2가 24-3.
Phone. 82-2-2274-4487.
Subway. Chungmu-ro Station line #3 & #4, Exit 1.

A Sweet Dream

During a volunteering activity...

For Myanmar children who study in poor surrounding, we painted and fixed the room. Many of us had never done those kinds of works, so we felt too tired. During short break, we tried to sleep lie down anywhere.

Short rest after hard working, we had a sweat dream.