Jeju

Wednesday, June 15

To get from Singapore to Busan we found that the cheapest option was actually a flight with a 25 hour layover on Jeju Island. We had wanted to go to Jeju anyway (I never went before when I lived in Korea) so we booked it. We thought maybe the flight was cheaper because it was overnight and a long layover but turns out it was because it was the first time Scoot airlines was flying direct from Singapore to Jeju.

We took off from Singapore at about 1:30am. Just seconds after the plane’s wheels had left the ground the right side of the plane dropped. My first thought was, “I forgot to tell my mom I’m flying to Korea today!” Wondering if we were about to die, Karen and I just looked at each other and didn’t say anything. The plane immediately corrected itself and we were ascending again. It only lasted for a few seconds but it was so terrifying. The way the plane had dipped it was like the pilot had dropped their iced coffee and had reached down to get it, accidentally steering right. Then they came over the intercom and announced that it was Scoot’s first flight to Jeju. We asked aloud whether it was the pilot’s first flight EVER.

We started to prepare ourselves to sleep but Karen noticed the stewards were all hustling about over something. We wondered whether the dip was a symptom of a larger problem…Then the curtains flew open and the stewards announced that they were holding a raffle to give away prizes as a way to celebrate the inaugural flight.

Remember, at this point it is nearly 2am, and anyone that was paying attention during take off thinks they just had a near-death experience. So while six overly-energetic, squeaky-voiced, smiling staff said ‘good morning ladies and gentlemen- we have prizes!’ we stared at them in disbelief. Then they announced that they would give out free round trip tickets to any Scoot airlines destination. We had no idea where Scoot flies to, but we perked up and paid attention.

They started by drawing seat numbers out of a bucket. They would say, “18A congrats!” and then run back to see who was sitting there. The first half dozen numbers they pulled were duds because either the seat was empty or there was a minor sitting there. So they kept calling numbers. We could tell the head steward was starting to get annoyed as she had to keep drawing over and over only to confirm that, again, no one had won yet.

We wondered how long it would go on for. Then they called the seat RIGHT behind me. “4E! Congratulations!!” There were three men sitting behind us and they were all completely passed out asleep. We turned around to watch as the steward violently poked the middle guy awake. He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked around in a kind of dazed terror as all the staff loomed over his head shouting, “congratulations!!”

When he finally realized they were waking him up for a good reason (not, wake up we are crashing!!) he smiled. They asked to see his boarding pass to confirm his seat number. He was still half-awake, bleary-eyed and probably thought he was dreaming as he fumbled through all his stuff to find his boarding pass. When he held it up for them, the mood changed. The man sitting in 4E, the middle seat, had a boarding pass saying 4F.

So then they woke up the guy sitting at the window. They aggressively jostled him awake to tell him he won!! as the guy sitting in the middle seat came to the slow realization that he was not actually the winner. The poor guy. First, he doesn’t even get the window seat that he was supposed to have, then he gets rudely awoken from a deep sleep, and then is immediately told he lost a game he didn’t even know he was playing. We watched the whole roller coaster of emotion play out in front of our eyes. Being so tired ourselves we nearly died crying with laughter.

Because we were so close to the front, the stewards saw us smiling and laughing and they laughed along with us. Then they passed out Scoot signs and had us take pictures for Scoot’s Instagram. Our hands and hair made it into the chosen photos, and they looked good.

Then they gave away more prizes to people that answered trivia questions correctly. The questions were easy but the steward didn’t see our hands up so we won nothing. Finally they wrapped up the games and we were relieved to be able to sleep. Then they said “food service time!!” It was past 3am and near halfway through the flight already. But, the food was only for those who had ordered it so, we put eye masks on and slept.

The South Korean COVID requirements and immigration was surprisingly easy. They asked for our negative COVID test results and scanned a QR code from an application we had to fill out. That was it. When we exited the airport there was a big crowd gathered to greet us. There were huge cameras with flashes attached and a large TV camera rolling. They handed us a bag of goodies and yelled, “Welcome to Jeju!” We realized it was a Scoot-sponsored event and they were keeping the inaugural flight celebrations going. We wondered if anyone knew why the plane had dipped.

The rest of our time in Jeju was no where near as eventful as the flight to get to it. When we showed up to the hotel they said the room wasn’t ready until 3. So we left our bags and went for a stroll.

We walked by a row of seafood restaurants that had all their fresh, still kickin’, sea creatures in aquariums out front. One woman gave me her business card and I gestured that we would come back later.

We walked out onto the pier and saw several people fishing and a few in wetsuits that looked like they were getting ready to dive. In South Korea the female divers of Jeju are famous for being the breadwinners in an otherwise patriarchal society.

An older man came down the pier riding a bicycle with a trailer on it. He said hi to us in English and we ended up talking to him a little bit as he set up a chair and table at the end of the pier. We tried to ask “what are you doing?” and he said he was setting up to eat barbecue later. “At 7pm! Party! Bbq!” We said we’d stop by later and see what he was up to.

We found a cutesie cafe with good WiFi to spend some time in while we waited to check in. We got so used to there being some English written everywhere that Korea was actually a mini culture shock again as we realized we would have to go back to miming and pointing at things. Carl pointed at a sandwich he wanted and later the guy brought him the wrong one. It ended up being tasty, so it wasn’t a big deal.

We finally could check in. We dropped our stuff off and set out to go see something in Jeju. We had wanted to go to Loveland, the honeymooner’s park that is full of erotic statues, but read that it was closed for renovations. So instead we got a taxi to the nearest, nicest beach. We decided to go to Hamdeok Beach.

We got a rice triangle as a snack and then walked along the mountain on the east side of the beach. We must’ve not been on a proper trail because it abruptly stopped as soon as we rounded the hill and found ourselves standing on a pile of black volcanic rock that spilled into the ocean. We doubled back and found a trail that wound through an area of low lying trees until this also abruptly ended. So we turned around for good and went back to the beach.

I wanted to put my feet in the water so we climbed over a berm of rock to get to the tide. The water was ICY cold. There were a lot of people swimming in the ocean and once I felt the water, I couldn’t believe it. I guess we got spoiled in our recent diving and beach trips. As we walked back to the main drag, Carl and I took different paths. I waded through the water but he still had his boots on so hopped over rocks.

I thought I overheard him talking to someone but when I looked, I didn’t see him. Turns out he had fallen and let out a deep “GAH” as he fell onto the rocks, into the water. He only got a little wet and nothing really hurt except his pride. His damp clothes didn’t even put a damper in his plan to not unpack his bag at all during our 25 hour layover in Jeju.

We walked a little further along the boardwalk and then suddenly realized how exhausted we felt. It took a minute to hail a cab, but then it was a smooth ride back to our hotel.

We went straight to a barbecue place on a notable street Carl had read about. Jeju is known for its oranges and for its black pork, which is a distinct species of pig found on the island. Lucky enough there was a black pork street right next our hotel so we went to the busiest looking restaurant there.

Another unique thing about the Jeju barbecue experience is that the grill to cook the meet on is a black volcanic stone. They tilt it slightly to one side so the grease can run off. We ordered the black pork combo special and they brought out all the banchan (sides) and multiple cuts of pork.

The waiter put the meat on the grill for us and got upset when we started moving it around so we let it be. Then a woman who seemed to be the manager stopped by and essentially took over in cooking the meat the rest of the way for us. We would’ve felt like loser foreigners except we looked around to see they were helping other tables cook too.

Satisfied with our meal and our Jeju experience, we went back to the hotel and I packed my bag (again!!) and Karen helped me dye my hair pink while Carl fell asleep watching a movie on tv.