Seongsan Ilchulbong, Jeju Island

Seongsan Ilchulbong literally translated to Chinese is 城山日出峰 or the Sunrise Peak of Seongsan. It is situated at the eastern tip of Jeju Island and is one of the favourite places of the tourists. Formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions in shallow seabed, the geology is unique and the scenery is spectacular. This area was designated as a natural monument in year 2000 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

Many come early well before sunrise, trek the trails and hike to the peak to see the sunrise. But on the day of our visit on 30 April 2023, the trial to the peak was closed for visitors. Weather on the day of our visit was perfect and we felt very comfortable with a jacket on. Spring from March to May is reckoned to be the best time to visit Jeju. By early summer in June, weather would become hot and humid and the temperature might soar to 80 degrees F come August.

Well built and well maintained footpath with sturdy
handrail that leads to the bay below.

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Geologists who come here would be fascinated by the unique geologic formation and the stone outcrops formed by the volcanic eruptions in shallow water millions of years ago. A signboard gives a brief description of how such unique formation was formed. 

Tephra (fragments of rocks ejected from volcanic eruptions) ejected from a vent rise up into the air by pyroclastic surge and then fall back to the ground. Deposits of these pyroclastic surges then move along the ground surface like a desert sandstorm. Once cooled, the formations show planar, inclined, wavy or U-shaped beddings as what we see at the bay.

One cannot fully appreciate the uniqueness of
Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone until it is seen from the air.
Photo downloaded from Wikipedia.

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Jeju Island is known for a special group of women called the Haenyeo woman divers who dive to gather abalones, sea urchins, octopus, seaweed etc for a living. They dive 10m without the aid of oxygen masks. These women are a dying breed. Nearly 90% are over the age of 60 and many are in their eighties. Korea is still very much a patriarchal society where men dominate in politics, works and homes. Woman's duty is to stay at home and produce sons. Hence, becoming a haenyeo is not viewed very positively.

Photo of Haenyeo women downloaded from

thisiskoreatours.com.

Visitors can savour raw oysters, sea urchins,

octopus etc sold at the shops at the bay.

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After ascending from the bay, we trekked for a short distance northward to reach another small peak. There, we had a glimpse of another small island, the Udo Island to the east of Jeju Island.

Dongmun Traditional Market in Jeju Island

Food is a vital aspect of experiencing the local culture. Our very first destination in Jeju Island is Jeju Dongmun Traditional Market. This is where locals and visitors come to savour local delicacies and street food. 

My first impression of Dongmun Traditional Market is that it is really huge. This is the oldest and largest covered market in Jeju. It is a street market, night market, traditional market and seafood market packed under one roof. It houses all sorts of stalls. Once inside, it's easy to lose your way within a labyrinthian network of alleyways. There are stores selling dry goods, fresh produce, live seafood, fresh meat, instant meals, snacks, souvenirs and general merchandise.

Huge covered market place.

Store lady was hyper happy when the sale was concluded.

A highly promoted fruit is the Hallabong mandarin orange. This is a special tangerine that grows near Hallasan Mountain in Jeju which has become the representative fruit of Jeju. 

Queuing up for our BBQ prawns.

Barbequing the prawns.

Like many visitors who come to savour some of the delicacies, we chose BBQ prawns and BBQ octopus as our pre-dinner snacks. 

BBQ prawns.

In Another Shock & Bewilderment at Changi International Airport

We were at Terminal 3 of Changi International Airport just before 11.15am on 29 April 2023, well before the departure time to Incheon International Airport, Korea scheduled at 2.40pm. Before we arrived at the airport, we were certain that we had all the necessary documents ready to check in and to board the flight.

After presenting our passports and flight confirmation to the counter staff, we were told that my wife did not have the K-ETA approval, a document mandatory to enter South Korea. Instantly, we were in shock and bewilderment! How could this happen when our niece had earlier secured these documents and had even WhatsApp the K-ETA to us.

Caught in this unexpected situation, we were told by the staff to immediately apply online for the K-ETA and hopefully, approval could be granted before the departure gate closed.

For a moment, the idea of an aborted trip did creep into our minds. But, we did not give up and immediately contacted Junshi, our DIL who fortunately was at home then. She immediately proceeded to check online and noted that an K-ETA had in fact been granted to a person matching my wife's name. However, her date of birth was incorrectly entered causing a mismatch with her date of birth stated in her passport as we checked in. 

Junshi proceeded to apply for a new K-ETA for my wife. A short while later, she called to ask us for our accommodation address in Korea. We had no idea of where we would be staying and immediately contacted our niece. Miraculously, she answered the phone and told us she had just landed at Changi Airport from KLIA. With the contact established, we secured the hotel address and passed it on to my DIL. Application was finally submitted at 12 noon, just 2 hours and 40 minutes before departure time. A check with the counter staff indicated that approval if granted may take 45 minutes to an hour. If it's granted within an hour, our chance of flying would still be possible!

It was a tense one hour of waiting. Finally, at 12.50pm, we received a message from Junshi confirming the K-ETA has been approved. With that piece of good news, we managed to check in and entered into the departure hall.

In the departure hall, we finally met our niece who had endured an equally stressful time. She felt really bad for the error made in applying for the K-ETA earlier.

In the end, everything turned out well and the ensuing flight and trip have been both wonderful and unforgettable. 

A few things we reckoned were crucial in turning the unfortunate event around.

My idea of always going to the airport early has not always been accepted with approving nods. For once, my going to the airport early this time in fact saved the day. This extra time that we had was the key factor in turning this situation around. Had we arrived the airport just two hours before departure time, that window of time for applying the K-ETA may not have been sufficient.

Initially, my niece was to have arrived from KLIA to Changi Airport in a later flight. That day, she arrived KLIA early and managed to change to an earlier flight. Her flight landed at Changi Airport at 11.30am instead of 1.05pm of her original flight. We would not be able to contact her to secure the hotel address if she had flown in the later flight.

Thirdly, it was perfect timing when we called Junshi for help at 11.44am that morning. She told us later that had we called just 15 minutes later, she would have left the house and it would be difficult for her to help in the online application.

There seemed to be so many coincidences to turn thing around. But we see it as divine intervention! :)

As a side note, living with my wife is never short of unexpected events and emergency. This is just another one of some of past unexpected events. Read Here and Here.

The Youngest Grandchild

Birthday or no birthday, we made sure little Maddie did receive presents from the Sabah's grandparents. Looking at her delighted response upon receiving the gifts, it's obvious she enjoyed the attention and the gesture. The content of the gift is probably secondary!

Observing her at her sister's birthday party at her home, we sensed her anxiety and a bit of irritation after seeing the lots of presents given to the birthday girl.

Just a lapse of five months since we last saw her in Sabah in July 2022 (Read here), she has definitely grown. But learning to handle sibling rivalry is still a long process along the path of growing up!

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Enjoying the birthday cake at the sister's birthday

party at her Uncle's home.

Livvie Turns Six

We left Perth for Singapore on 2 January 2023. This trip to Singapore was particularly special because we were going to celebrate the 6th birthday of Livvie. I remember the only time the grandparents from Sabah celebrated her birthday in Singapore was during her 4th months birthday in May 2017 (Read here).

Though we would love to be able to be physically present to celebrate some of her birthdays, but flying out of town to another country in early January has not been easy. But we finally made it after six years.

The celebration on 7 January was also "historic" because it was held at her Uncle new home.

All smile before blowing the candle on top of the birthday cake topped with macaroons!

Finally, with her Sabah grandparents and her little sister by her side....

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Kids nowadays are privileged to have multiple birthday celebrations. Earlier on 4 January, her family organized one which was joined by her kindy friends.

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Deeply engrossed with the present from the grandparents.