Thankfully, today's site inspection programme comprised of all indoor locations.
First stop was a darling home of many celebrity teddy bears and stuff toys. If you are a big fan of Korean dramas and movies, you might recognise this:
Or how about this?
Super cute, eh? The first scene was from Winter Sonata, while the second was from The Legend - both productions that starred Bae Yong Joon.
These teddy bears are masterpieces of Joanne Oh, owner of Joanne Studio/Joanne Bear Museum in Daepo-Dong, Seogwipo, Jeju. She created a bear that resembled Bae Yong Joon in 2005 and sent the TV star's fans in Japan and South Korea into a wild frenzy. His fans bought the bear, called it Joon Bear and brought it along with them on their travels. They took photos of Joon Bear against tourist landmarks and sent the photos to Joanne.
Since then, Joanne has gone on to create bear doubles of well-known personalities such as Lee Min Ho (the bear is called Minomi) and Barack Obama.
Leveraging on her fame and growing popularity of hand-crafted stuffed toys, Joanne became actively involved in conservation efforts by running campaigns to protect polar bears and sun bears. Adorable polar bear and sun bear stuff toys were sold to raise funds.
Joanne Studio/Joanne Bear Museum is a very fun place to be. One could buy a beautiful toy, look at displays of her collection, take loads of photos with super-sized teddy bears that are as tall as I, and enjoy complimentary cups of herb tea and home-made soft cookies at a cosy area on the top floor.
And even if you did not buy anything, Joanne and her team would still present you a thank you gift of a palm-sized bear. :)
Anyway, while Joanne was showing us around her museum, I spotted a soft toy that featured in the popular Korean drama Boys Over Flowers.
"Hey! I know this fella!" I exclaimed, and went on to gush about Lee Min Ho and Koo Hye Sun, and how much I enjoyed the drama - TWICE. And when we were about to leave, Joanne gave me an additional surprise.
Yup! She gave me one to take home! :)
Next stop, we went straight into the pulsating heart of Africa.
Yes, you read me right. We went to Africa. Well, the Museum of African Art in Daepo-Dong, Seogwipo, Jeju to be exact. The imposing structure was built to resemble the Grand Mosque Djenne in Mali, West Africa (see photo below).
The museum houses African artefacts from the 18th century to the early 20th century. My tour guide said the museum was a joint project of a famous South Korean photographer and a gentlemen who lived extensively in Africa. Much of the artefacts belongs to the latter.
There is also a very inspiring photo gallery that showcased photos that celebrated the vibrant colours of the continent... and the photographer's brilliant skills.
Visitors to the museum can take a step deeper into Africa by attending one of the three daily performances (except on Mondays) by the Banaya band from Senegal.
Gosh, the quartet are just bursting with energy. While the men worked their drums maniacally, the lady unleashed a frenzied traditional dance. The audience loved them!
We moved from the museum to lunch, and then to Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
Because Ripley's was screened several times on TV in Singapore, I found most of the exhibits familiar. As expected, the museum featured all things weird.
I liked this best:
Ancient Chinese were punished for lying by being tied to a metal stack and roasted on a fire burning below. Mega ouch!
With some extra time leftover before our next stop, we swung by The Shilla Jeju, one of the most expensive hotels on the island, to look-see, look-see. It is a truly beautiful and classy property, and I can imagine escaping into its bossom for days on end for some peace and quiet.
The Shilla Jeju has an expansive garden and walking trails that look out towards the sea. The atmosphere sent a nice tingle down my spine, as I imagine the husband and I walking hand in hand through the area on a misty morning, and then stopping at an observation deck to take in the sights and sounds of waves lashing at the shore, and stealing a kiss.
After standing in awe of nature for a long while, we skipped off to Marine Park, where we said many hellos to dolphins and made our own stained glass (it was actually plastic).
There! My masterpiece! I found it rather therapeutic to do this. It was nice to do something that did not require much brain power and I felt like a child again. I remembered how much I enjoyed sitting alone in class to work on my colouring book, while my noisy classmates played.
Next, we went to Halim Park, where many grandfathers live.
I mean these grandfathers:
Dolharubang is what these stone statues are called. It literally means stone grandfather. Dolharubang are native to Jeju, and they are commonly found at doorsteps. Their bulbous eyes serve to watch visitors closely, and as guardian spirits, they keep bad things out, if you know what I mean.
Dolharubang are sculpted out of volcanic stone, something Jeju is not short of, as it is a volcanic island.
Halim Park is also full of other stone creations, such as this:
Digressing here, let me tell you about three things Jeju has in excess, which are also the very things that shaped Jeju's culture, history and way of life.
First, rocks. Some 90% of Jeju is covered by volcanos. It has 368 oreums, or extinct volcanic cones, and the famous Hallasan shield volcano. Jeju is so rocky that farming is difficult, as one would hit rocks after digging just 50m into the ground.
Second, wind. As a result of the strong winds and typhoons that whip through Jeju, the locals don't like staying in high-rise apartments. In summer, the wind from Russia is cold and dry. Low-rising houses are preferred, and the roofs are anchored down with ropes and nets to prevent them from being blown away. Hence, skyscrapers are non-existent in Jeju and commercial buildings don't rise too high up.
Third, women. In the past, Jeju's population was dominated by women. And because the men eked out a living from the sea, many perished while on fishing trips. The women had to stay strong to feed the family, and many became expert divers. They were able to dive up to 200m into the sea to harvest abalone. The women were so strong - emotionally and physically - that they fought off the Japanese during the war, my tour guide said. Hence, on Jeju, elderly women are very much respected.
After checking out all the Dolharubang Halim Park offered, we took a breather at the nearby Herb Cafe. The cafe's exterior is heavy with rosemary and other herbs, making the air very fragrant.
Herb Cafe is famous for its mega-sized black pork burger, according to my tour guide. I was told that each burger can feed four adults. I did not try it today. Perhaps next time. :)
Our last stop was Jungmun Beach, which is known for its year-round clear, emerald waters.
It was a pity the Olympus Pen was not able to capture the emerald shades of the sea. Nevermind. Here's yet another Dolharubang, this time sitting by the sea, to say goodbye and good night, as I end my post now.
More photos of Jeju on Facebook! :)
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