Day 2, Course 3

After doing some math with my pedometer, I saw that I really did do about half the distance I had originally planned to do yesterday: I was supposed to do around 39K, but I ended up doing only 20K. Today was much better: I maintained a decent pace of 4.4 kph and walked 26,592 steps for 282 minutes—slightly longer than yesterday. Today's distance was 21K; as I said, slightly longer than yesterday. 21K is still a modest stroll, but I did slow down to take battery-charging breaks, a snack break, and plenty of photos along the way—more than yesterday, in fact. 

While I'm still not sure what my plan is going to be overall, I did resolve to wake up a bit later so as to have daylight should I find myself faced with another nasty path. So I left the Aju Joeun Nal Pension (Really Good Day Pension) at 6:15 and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise for my effort. We're just past the autumnal equinox, so if the sun rises around 6:30 a.m., then sunset should be around 6:30 p.m. 

As bad as yesterday was, today was so much better. Course 3 is labeled as "difficult," but the difficult part is located on a loop that I didn't do. I hugged the coastline and followed Course 3 for most of the way, except for two small divergences, the first being intentional, and the second being due to circumstances beyond my control.

For most of today's walk, the Olle-gil and the Jeju Fantasy Bike Trail (제주 환상 자전거길) were essentially the same path (except for the aforementioned loop portion). As a result, I was on at least 90% of the Olle route all day. The first detour came when there was a split between the walking path and the bike path on Naver Map, but when I reached the spot where the trails supposedly diverged, I didn't see where the divergence was supposed to be, so I shrugged and simply continued along the bike path, which was kinda the plan, anyway. The second detour, though, happened because I popped out of a wooded area and onto a beach, and there was a family using the beach as if it were their own private little cove. How did I know this without reading minds? Because the father was ass-naked! It's not as though I've never seen naked guys before: like most American kids, I went through junior and senior high-school PE classes, so we guys all had the dubious honor of showering and changing together every school day. That said, I think I was more embarrassed on behalf of the family than I was for myself. 

I was also pissed off because Course 3 led right across that beach, and thanks to the eldritch warding power of a man's shiny, naked buttocks (or byoo-tox, as my brothers used to say), I had no choice but to backtrack and find another path forward. So for the second time, I found myself off the Olle-gil and on the cycling path. 

Given how short the overall walk was, I didn't chafe too much about the detour. And truth be told, I didn't have to backtrack far to find an alternate route. Also, as with all my previous walks, I knew it was impossible to get lost because there are always major landmarks: keep the ocean to your left and Halla Mountain to your right. How hard can that be, right? Well, that wisdom works as long as you're on the coast. It might not work as well when you're farther inland, as I was several times yesterday. 

Today, the weather was great right from the beginning, and while it did get warm and sunny, it was never unpleasantly hot. We've got rain and hot temps coming, though, so it's important to enjoy the good times while they're still good. I started the day with a little foot pain, but I ended up fine after a few hundred meters, and I haven't had to dip into my cache of ibuprofen even once today. Maybe this is a sign from the gods that I should stick with the bike-trail idea. 

But that's among the things I've learned over the past 24 hours: the bike trail, if I were to follow it, is radically shorter than the Olle-gil: for bikers, the Fantasy Bike Path is only 234 km long, about 110 km shorter than my intended path. Since I've already plotted out my lodging, what I'm thinking of doing is keeping with the Olle-gil as much as possible, avoiding loops and sudden jogs that lead inland (which, as mentioned above, was always the plan) and switching to the bike path when the going gets too tough on the Olle-gil. Course 14, which is mostly inland, will probably be skipped entirely in favor of following the bike path... unless I look at the course again and see that it’s mostly on flat ground. By walking this way, making compromises when necessary, I can technically say "I walked the Olle-gil," but when pressed, I'll have to confess that I didn't walk the entire path. 

The peripheral road that circles around Jeju Island is called the Ilju-dongno (일주동로) which translates nicely into French as a périphérique. We Yanks near DC might call the same sort of road a "beltway." This road parallels a lot of the bike path, but there's relatively little traffic on it, even as we move into rush hour. This is good to know if I do end up sticking more with the bike path. Unlike with my east-coast hike last year, being next to the Ilju-dongno won't be tragic. It helps, too, that bikers have their own separate lane at almost all times. Thus far, I've felt a lot safer next to this road than I did while walking along the east coast last year. 

So let's talk about that. After only two days' walking, I can already see some real contrasts between the east coast of the mainland and Jeju's coast. Jeju is much quieter, much more peaceful, and while I don't know what it's like inland, the coast here strikes me as very laid-back. All along the mainland's east coast, it's a madhouse of compacted civilization—ports, wharves, restaurant districts, pensions, hotels, and fish-related (수산, su-san) industries—with all the sights, sounds, and smells associated with those activities. If you're a people-lover, you might appreciate the Korean east coast, but I never got used to all that hustle, bustle, and pollution. True, there's a ton of pollution on Jeju's beaches as well, but the overall ambiance here is much more chill. Along the mainland's east coast, you have fishing-industry establishments practically every ten feet. Today, over a several-kilometer stretch, I saw only a handful of such industries—and no ports or wharves. 

Another difference between Jeju and the mainland is that the slightly hotter climate makes for a slightly later harvest. One of the most incredible things about the Four Rivers walk in the fall is that you get to see the harvest as it's happening, and you can really appreciate why countries need their farms. Over the past two days here in Jeju, I've seen plenty of growing plants and even some recently planted crops, but no harvest as of yet. Maybe the harvest will happen later in October, but I'm betting on early November. Maybe this is one reason why Korean Jeju tangerines always seem to make an appearance when the weather is cold in Seoul. 

I've also gained an appreciation for the nature of Jeju's soil. It's rich, loamy, and fecund as all hell. Here, too, I can see why mainland Koreans have such an appreciation for Jeju products. The volcanic soil, all chocolatey brown, produces robust agricultural products that are bursting with life and flavor—and higher up the food chain, I can only imagine that it's the same for animals as well. I have yet to try the famous black pig of Jeju (흑돼지/heuk-dwaeji), but when my buddy JW gets here, that's definitely going to be one thing we'll try together. 

Here's something amusing: during one of my rest breaks, I finally called Hanjin Deliveries to resolve a customs-release problem. Hanjin had been holding my order of methyl cellulose since September 6. I found out only when I went to Amazon to check my shipment-tracking after wondering what the hell the holdup was. I had tried contacting Hanjin several times before my Jeju trip, with no success. Today, though, I got through to a service rep right away, and she helped me sort out my problem. The whole thing was surreal: I was sitting in a shwimteo, enjoying beautiful weather and scenery, while talking to this lady about Customs bullshit. We resolved the issue, and barely an hour later, I received a text saying the package had been dropped off at my apartment building's front desk. So I've got something to look forward to when I get home: methyl cellulose is a major ingredient when making veggie burgers.

What else to mention about today? I keep expecting there to be crowds of tourists, but for two days in a row, I've seen almost no one except for occasional bikers and old people out for a stroll. I hope it stays that way, but I know that some famous sites, like Oedolgae (외돌개) along Course 7, will likely be popular. 

Tomorrow's path, Course 4, is also rated "difficult," but I'll hang by the coast and follow the bike path if I need to. I've become much more aware of mountains on Naver Map, now, so I can anticipate and avoid them. Naver Map used to feature contour lines (등고선 in Korean, I believe: "level-height line" or something like that), but I don't see them anymore. Charles said in a comment that he wasn't surprised my "normal" path included mountains, and he gave the example of a perimeter trail. I get what he's saying: last year, I had to fight the urge to assume the east-coast trail was going to be a flat, seaside path, and as it turned out, the trail was quite hilly. But my specific problem, this time, is that the Olle trails come with ratings for each segment, and I had a specific thing in mind when I read those ratings: easy = flat; normal = small hills on occasion; difficult = mountainous. So a mountain on a "normal" trail was something of a shock. But I guess it's better to be shocked now rather than later. Anyway, Course 4 varies between 19.5 and 24 kilometers, depending on which source you consult. While much of tomorrow's trail follows the coastline, there's a part that dodges inland. I'm thinking that that's where the "difficult" part of the trail is. I just looked at Naver and saw no obvious mountains there, but I may end up avoiding that bit and sticking to the bike path, anyway. 

Wish me luck! And now, for your photo essay, with 473 photos (just run through them quickly with the slide-show function). Enjoy.

I thought this was as good of a sunrise as we were gonna get.

They seem to be saluting, but...

...they're not.

next statue

and the next

seal of approval

the arfer waits

arfer off the chain

indolent arfer

See the plant inside the grate?

stairs to nowhere

sign for restaurant/pension

the place advertised by that sign

Whoa! Actual sunrise! It's a bit after 6:30 a.m.

I was lucky to get this shot.

Dilapidation attracts my eye. Decrepitude!

Among the creative things done with basalt—parapet-like structures.

that annoyingly shaped arrow

There's a ton of these pipe-covered buildings along the shore. Are these pumping/purification stations? Color me curious.

cute couple, moving at their own pace

The blue sky was something else.

lone figure in the distance

quite a character in his hat

building with bad acne

bad acne, but blessed by God

Muslim minaret? Giant dildo? Giant Muslim dildo?

I saw drying squid all down the mainland east coast. Only a few such racks were on display today. I guess Jejuvians (to coin an adjective) don't feel the same manic urgency to harvest the sea.

막내해녀 is, I guess, "youngest-daughter sea-lady," i.e., one of the famed female divers who manually harvest bivalves and other sea creatures to feed the human lust for piscine flesh.

The world is ruled by a giant cock. I think I understand the Freudian minaret now.

a very oddly placed bench

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm attracted to the interplay of colors and shapes.

I also love old-school Korean architecture, with its exterior stairs.

sashimi place

'Sup, Derrick?

Anyone else ever look at a fresh abalone and see a vagina staring back?

pado-sori/파도소리 = the sound of waves

It takes balls to build a glassy building on an island subject to typhoons.

But all of the building's dignity gets sucked out by Konglish. No proofreader said, "Wait! The expression is out of THE ordinary"?

a must unusual shwimteo

There might have been only one more rack of drying squid after this one.

Trying to figure out what purpose is served by lining the bench with reflective Mylar.

Arfer barked at me, rushing to the defense of his home.

Yes, there are branches of 4H in Korea.

I keep photographing these arrows and ribbons because I'm paranoid that some dickhead is going to accuse me of not doing the trail at all, when in fact today's walk was at least 90% of Course 3.

The sign on the rock is English: "Jeju Turning Point."

a left turn coming up

See? Very little traffic on the périphérique.

bus stop across the street

digital zoom

The first three syllables of the sign say o-chya-deu, i.e , "orchard."

more of that rich, loamy soil

solar farm, back

solar farm, front

Snake meets car tire, dies in mid U-turn.

This may be the shwimteo where I called Hanjin.

There are fields, Neo—endless fields...

Beach pollution is an ugly reality.

Take a little Viagra, ejaculate for hours.

Here begins one of the most idyllic parts of today's walk.

definitely not on the bike path

cows in the distance

cows without the help of digital zoom

Basalt peeks out of the soil.

reaching the end of the idyll

more animal assholes

a closer look

The bottom sign in the manhole cover indicates I'm still in Seogwipo after two days.

Chill arfer didn't arf once. Just stared, zombie-like.

screaming tumors

GoDaddy.com

7-Eleven coming up on the left

swimming pools already empty for the fall

a juxtaposition you'll never see in America

old haenyeo/sea-lady

lead on, weird arrow

a bit surreal, possibly kinky with the inflatables

I'm guessing Donghae Su-san, East Sea Fisheries.

yet more animal assholes

I saw a truck drive across this submerged portion of the path.

I figured, What the hell.

If animal assholes can cross this, then so can I.

I'm not duckfooted: that's just how I walk uphill!

All animals leave trails.

Here comes another truck.

Thought this was a menu at first, then saw it was Buddhist/fortune-teller terms.

Could the name here be Heavenly Castle Sea God Hall?

Lots of Buddhist motifs. The plot thickens.

Hodae-sunim, considered a Buddha, but not the Buddha (who was skinny).

해신사/Haeshin-sa = Sea-god Temple, which is an odd name for a Buddhist temple, but indicative of how syncretism works. Buddhism enters a country and, like water, takes the shape of its cultural container, incorporating local deities into its practice and expression. Western Buddhists, who tend to think of Buddhism as only a set of philosophical principles, confidently say that Buddhism has no gods, but organic Buddhism in Asia is a spirit-filled world.

pretty sure this is Gwaneum/Guanyin, bodhisattva of compassion

monk/nun-shaped stone grandfather/grandmother

another Hodae-sunim

another haenyeo statue

Google Translate suggests that this place is storing either dead languages or dead fish. Probably neither.

If you look carefully, you can see the road leads all the way to the other island.

born cursed with a huge head

picnic table... or sacrificial altar for Aslan?

some dude named Weondam?

Is the title saying "Black Woman, White Beach"?

the trail leading to an unknown horror

little did I suspect

distracted by estrogen

through the little, wooded area

More pollution. The easy route would be to make a tire joke, but instead, I'll just affirm that time is indeed a flat circle.

through more woods to the horror on the other side

my one shot of the beach... pan right for the NAKED MAN

back the way I came

the view while retreating

I ponder my encounter.

There’s no evidence of my encounter with the nudist. You'll just have to trust me. But it happened for sure. Oh, it happened. The buttocks happened.

taking an alternate route

What're the odds of finding two recently killed snakes on the same day?

picking up the bike path

breakfast menu: porridge, soup, and noodles

See the spiders?

They see you.

"a place for tradition and culture to live and breathe"

fig-leaf posture

"Yo! Whatchoo cats smokin'?"

Pyoseon Beach

PS = Pyoseon

This hilarious set of sculptures tells a story. The resting lioness tells her cub to watch carefully as the other lions and the lone human chase a mare and her foal.

"Are they gonna catch the horses, Mom?"
"Yes, dear. They will all eat well tonight."

"Those horses took my goddamn clothes! They'll pay for that!"

"I'm supposed to be so much bigger! Who ever heard of a dwarf lion?"

"Maybe if I open my mouth like a ramjet, I can increase my speed!"

"Honey, you need to take the fact that you're being pursued by three hungry predators more seriously."

"Hurry! The dwarf lion is almost upon us!"

20X digital zoom of a far-off jet ski

The final approach is where all the people are.

I must admire her little boobies from afar.

from this angle as well

Oh, noes! Zee peeple!

anatomically correct pig—part of a zodiac procession

dawg

cock!

mawngkay!

Blue frog demonstrates how I feel after eating too much.

"Worship us, little ones."

ram/sheep

more sea-boobies!

Can't help myself: gotta get one more shot.

snake

Boaty McBoatface

soccer, I think

dragon

rabbit

"Damn you, Photographer! Making me hump this rock just highlights my fat ass!"

admirably clear water

cow, I think

mouse after gamma-radiation treatment

on my way up to the end of Course 3

an otter family

super-hypertrophic snail will slime you

girl on dolphin jumps over dinosaur ribcage

She has no idea the dolphin is taking her to Joe Biden's secret lair.

"One time, at band camp..."

"Me, too. Same band camp."

"I hate this. Gimme my iPad back!"

nothing Freudian here

almost there

final ribbon

And here we are, at the end of Course 3.

...which is also the beginning of Course 4.

stamps inside

Heading back toward my pension now. This is a sign for a summer horror festival.

And here's a familiar sight. This is a cert center for bikers.

camping on the grounds

more tentage

I see sculptures, I click.

finally—a pair of more realistic boobies

At the restaurant where I stuffed myself, I ordered the maemil-guksu, the jeonbyeong, and the mandu.

my table

some of my portable tech

mandu and jeonbyeong

"Always have a good day!"

The cold noodles come out.

beach view from my pension, plus accoutrements 

more focus on the view

wide shot of the interior

no kitchenette, but I don't need one

stuffed after a good meal

And because I know some asshole will exort me to "cheer up":

Forgive any typos. They will be fixed when I have time to proofread.