Second day in Korea (4)

Following directions from the owner of Jeju Hiking Inn, we were told that Jeongbang Waterfall took 10-15 minutes walk from the guesthouse.
Unfortunately, what he meant was, we would reach the main entrance within that time limit.
From the entrance, it was another 1km walk, which took us nearly an hour.
Lucky for us, the weather was cool and the clouds were busy hiding the sun.
The long walk was well worth it.
The view that greeted us was breathtaking even from afar.

Jeongbang waterfall claims to be the only waterfall in Asia that falls into the sea, well, to be exact, a cove by the sea.
At 23 metres high, legend has it that a holy dragon lives underneath it. There's even a story about a convoy sent by 秦始皇 to search for eternal youth encountered these falls along the way.
We had to walk down a slight of stairs to reach the falls. Peering down the the side of the banisters, we saw what appeared to be people having a picnic on the rocks by the sea.

Definitely envious with the activity these smart people thought of having, we realised upon reaching the bottom of the stairs that it was a makeshift eating place set up by the haenyo (meaning sea women), women divers which Jeju is well-known for.

As many young women do not really take on the trade of the haenyo as it is a dangerous and strenuous job, many active haenyo are of the older generation, doing what they do best by catching and selling raw seafood by the sea.

The seafood, consisting of abalone, sea cucumber, and some shell fish I don't recognise are prepared fresh on the spot. At 30,000 (approximately RM85) won per plate, we tried haggling the price by asking for only one or two seafood varieties. Unfortunately, language really is a big barrier.
While we thought we had succeeded in conveying our message by asking for 20,000 won for the meal, the plate eventually went to another customer, which was a result of miscommunication among the haenyo themselves. Oh well......

We took our seats on the rocks by the sea, preparing to have our 'picnic' as well.
The dish, was eventually served and accompanied with garlic and bean paste. You can even order a bottle of soju to go with it if you are in the mood.

It might come on a bit strong for the light-hearted.
And after a few mouthfuls of the abalone, I was left alone to finish most of it as the other three couldn't stand the raw flavour.
But it was also too much for me and much of the seafood had to be wasted.
We even an earful from the three haenyo in Korean, playful chiding us on the waste.
After the meal, which left a long-lasting taste of the sea in my breath, we headed on to the waterfall.

It was an extremely grueling task trying to get close to get a picture.
First, it was because of the rocks, which tend to be slippery.
Second, it was the droplets of water splashing at the camera due to the waterfall that kept on blurring my spectacles as well as the camera lenses.
It was so cold standing near the waterfall that I had to move away after a while.
After a while of being fascinated by the view and cooling off on the rocks, we headed up the stairs and prepared for our next destination.

Note: The entrance fee for Jeongbang Waterfall is 2000 won per person. This time round, I've made the pictures extra large but it clashes with the sidebars which can be annoying, so bear with it for a while...hehe...

To be continued......