Jeju

The customs of the indigenous population are also quite original. For example, the island has a long tradition of a kind of matriarchy, in which the main "breadwinner" in the family is a woman, and the man is more engaged in household chores. And such a profession as haenyeo ("sea women"), who collect shellfish and seaweed from the bottom of the sea is still preserved to this day.

Until the early 1960s, the islanders lived in poverty, subsisting mainly on the gifts of the sea. But Jeju-do is an amazingly beautiful island. And when its natural wonders were appreciated, the tourism industry began to boom here. The first "big" group of tourists, 100 people, visited Jeju-do in 1958. And 13 years later, Newsweek magazine already wrote about it as "the island of the Gods. Accordingly, the island's main city, Jeju, was rapidly turning into a tourist center. Today, about 80% of the island's population is engaged in tourism, and more than 4 million (!) tourists visit the main resort of Korea every year.

Beach holidays can be considered quite comfortable from June to mid-October. But if we mean only walks in the city and its beautiful surroundings, you can come from May until the end of October.

On the first full moon of the new year, according to the Korean calendar (first half of March), Jeju hosts the traditional Festival of Fire. It begins with the burning of a huge wooden structure on the Saebyeol Oreum volcano cone (20 km from the city center) in the evening. And then - three days of folk festivals - music, dances, games, various contests, and competitions. And, of course, every evening - fire shows.

• Explore Hallim Park, which is west of downtown Jeju. This huge nature reserve is divided into several areas. These include palm and water parks, a collection of succulents, a rock garden and mineral museum, a bird garden, a greenhouse, a small botanical garden, caves, and a waterfall! It turns out as a dozen pleasures in one.
• Think about eternal things in the Spirited Garden. It's a large outdoor bonsai garden. Although we're more accustomed to seeing ornamental bonsai trees growing indoors, while here you'll find them in the open air. Pines, pears, quinces, camellias, and maples! You can see more than 100 species of trees and over 2000 compositions of them. Nowhere, nowhere else in the world will you find anything like this!
• Visit Samseonghyeol ("three clans holes"). It is an archeological, historical, and cultural landmark of the city. This place is considered sacred. There are three hollows on its territory. There is a legend that they originated when three half-gods, Ko, Bu, and Yang, descended to earth from heaven. They fired three arrows in different directions, thus dividing the island among themselves. After that, three maidens emerged from the waters of the sea who, together with the demigods, gave rise to the three families of Jeju.
• Buy a tolharuban or, rather, its miniature replica. Funny stone sculptures with perpetual smiles on their face are the symbol of the island. You'll find them literally on every corner, near every house. It is believed that the tolharuban brings good luck and protects from adversity. Of course, you can't take a two-meter-high idol home, but it's worth bringing a small figurine. It will remind you of the island of miracles.
• Appreciate the local cuisine. "Jeju's specialty is "black pork," or more precisely, black pig meat. As a rule, it is roasted in different ways. But most of the local cuisine, for obvious reasons, is related to the sea. These are dried calamari, all kinds of soups, fried fish, raw fish, octopus, and even more! Considering that each restaurant prepares dishes with its own characteristics, the palette of flavors is almost limitless.
• Walk the "paths of love." No, no, it's not what you think. There's a very popular place in Jeju called "Love Park." It is a large (more than 140 sculptures) exhibition of figures on sexual themes. The figures are not limited to people (in all poses); you will also see some animal sculptures. Of course, this is not for children. But it is worth going there just to make sure you see something "special" in Korea.