86
{
}
rooftop room equipped with an LCD
TV, personal fridge, floor heating, and
running water, which my maternalistic
host demonstrated was safe to drink.
“
This is great,” I told her, surprised by
the amenities offered in this faraway
abode. She smiled, and affectionately
patted my cheek in reply. The small
terrace outside afforded pleasant views
of soaring cliffs that dwarfed the town. I
could not have asked for a better home
on the island.
It was already late in the afternoon,
and after settling down at my minbak, I
decided to chase the retreating sunlight
along the Haengnam Shore Walkway,
a scenic seaside path that threads its
way through the steep and jagged cliffs
between Dodong-ri’s pier and the next
harbor town. The coastal trail is lined
by wind-warped Chinese juniper, from
which aromatic wood is used to create
a variety of traditional woodwork by
local craftsmen. Halfway down the trail,
an uphill turnoff leads to a lighthouse
overlooking the rest of the walkway
that becomes a series of arch bridges
spanning craggy inlets towards the
magnificent breakwater of Jeodong-ri.
At the lighthouse, a Korean tourist in
his mid-twenties asked me to take his
photograph at the view deck, prompting
the usual exchange of introductions
M Y S T E R Y I S L A N D
Take shelter from
the rain at a
tumakjip house
like this!
Getting there
Ulleung-do is four hours away
by ferry from Donghae or
Pohang, both three hours by
land from Seoul and Busan,
respectively. Daily ferries are
operated by Dae-A Express
(
and Seaspovill
(
.
For
assistance, visit
english.
visitkorea.or.kr
,
or call the 24-
hour hotline 1330 (dial +82 2
1330
if you’re overseas).
between travelers. His name was
Jae-hong, and he, most marvelously,
spoke good English! He was amused
to learn where I was from, having been
taught English by a Filipino teacher
through a cell phone language learning
service. We got along well, and he
readily agreed that I tag along with him
on his hike the following day through
the island’s mountainous interior. “And,
in the meantime, we can practice more
English!” I said to him, relieved that
I no longer had to resort to animated
gestures and descriptive doodling.
The next morning, wet weather
escorted us on a full-day hike. Dense
fog, incessant drizzle and gale winds,
however, failed to dampen our spirits
as we scaled Seonginbong Peak, the
highest point of Ulleung-do. The island
was born from a large stratovolcano
rising from the seafloor, resulting in
dramatic topography, soda-flavored
mineral springs and fertile soil suited for
vegetable farming.
We reached the summit in three
hours, taking turns posing by a stone
marker for obligatory tourist photos.
