Jeju, South Korea - Was it Yes or No?
- Paul Hallman
- Apr 10
- 6 min read
Jeju, South Korea. You probably have never heard about this place. Both Jan and I knew nothing about it, nor where it was, or what was there for us to visit. So here is a little geography lesson for everyone that feels the same way we do.
Jeju is the largest island in South Korea and although it is only 714 sq. miles it has a population of 670,000 people. It is one of the few places in the world to hold a "triple crown" of UNESCO designations - World Natural Heritage, Biosphere Reserve, and Global Geopark. Although it is part of South Korea, it lies 50-60 miles south of the mainland and about 250 miles west of Nagasaki, Japan.
These places came up as designated sites and areas for us to visit while in Jeju.
Hallasan Mountain: A dormant volcano at the center of the island with a crater lake at its summit.
Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak): A majestic tuff cone formed by an underwater eruption, offering panoramic ocean views.
Manjanggul Cave: Part of a massive lava tube system featuring one of the world's largest lava columns.
Oreums: There are about 360 "parasitic cones" (small volcanic hills) scattered across the island, popular for light hiking.
Women Free divers
While I was researching Jeju I came upon Women Free divers as it is a very popular thing. It is called Haenyeo and they are Jeju’s traditional women divers who harvest seafood without oxygen tanks—abalone, sea urchin, octopus, shellfish, seaweed.
Many Jeju haenyeo today are older—often in their 60s to 80s, and some are in their 90s. There are still a few younger divers, but they’re a small minority.
The work became strongly associated with women over the last few centuries as they took on diving as a primary income source in many coastal villages. They’re known for tight-knit cooperatives, shared rules about where/when to harvest, and passing knowledge down through generations. Their culture is recognized by UNESCO (Intangible Cultural Heritage) for its community traditions and sustainable practices.
How do they do this?
They dive on a single breath, repeatedly, often in cold water and rough conditions.
Traditional gear was simple (cotton suits); modern haenyeo typically wear wetsuits, fins, masks, and carry a float for rest and to hold catch.
They use tools like a small knife/pry bar to detach shellfish and a net bag for collecting.
Safety and coordination matter: they often dive in groups, follow local conditions closely, and use established routines to reduce risk.
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That's all for your Jeju history and geography lesson --- Jan & I had to resolve our day.
Do we go or do we stay - YES OR NO ?
The ship was docked in a Navy yard, far away from anything and for a $20 US charge each way they would shuttle us to a mall in a nearby town.
But we could not get off the ship till 9:30 am and it was a 35 minute bus ride- a short day
The weather forecast was for 95% rain all day.
Hence the question - YES or NO?
Both Jan and I said no, let's just stay on the ship today because we had been walking in rain for the past two stops and we were totally done with Malls and Markets - it was an easy no.
In late morning the sky turned very dark as if it was midnight. The rain kept pouring down but the weather looked even more wicked. Following the darkness setting in, the winds picked up and started to howl. Then Thunder and lightning rolled in and that was the point when we received a text alert on our phones about Gale Like Weather. Translated, it says the following and we were glad we stayed in our cabin for the day.
Public Safety Alert
"Heavy Rain Warning for Jeju today at 14:15. Do not enter dangerous areas such as riverbanks, valleys, steep slopes and irrigation canals. Evacuate immediately if advised to do so.
(Ministry of the Interior and Safety)
Lets start with Jan's day
From the get go, she was adamant NO MORE MARKETS. Easy choice for her to stay inside and make it a "pajama day in the cabin". It's easy to call room service and order some food, add some alcohol drinks, curl up on the couch and watch a movie. I never asked her how she arrived at her choice of entertainment but it kept her occupied for the better part of the day. She watched the Ryan Reynolds new movie called IF.
In this enchanting tale, a young girl named Bea, played by Cailey Fleming, and The Man Upstairs, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, embark on a quest to save the IFs from being abandoned forever. The movie is described as a heart-warming, family film that taps into the nostalgia of childhood dreams and ambitions. Jan gave it an Eight Rating and a Thumbs Up!
Paul's day in the Cabin
When I visited the harbour area in Port Keelung one of my interests was the abandoned building that once was a manufacturing site for the American boat builder Chris Craft. I took lots of photographs when I was there but wanted to learn more about the history and why it was so interesting and historical in Taiwan. I sent an email to the original photographer who published the article that I read and asked him if he knew any history or did he just take photos. Surprisingly, he sent me a reply with a very long history of the building including a link to a website so I decided that I would make a special blog post with my findings. I will do this on our next sea day.
I have been admiring the quality of photos that people on the ship are posting on the ship Facebook page and decided to "play with my cell phone" today and figure out settings to take better photos and improved ways to edit them. Basically, I started using a RAW setting instead of an auto setting for taking pictures.
RAW settings on a phone camera allow you to capture uncompressed, unprocessed image data directly from the sensor, usually in a .DNG format. Unlike JPEGs, which the phone automatically sharpens and compresses, RAW files retain maximum detail, offering greater flexibility for editing colors, lighting and shadows later.
Staying in the cabin today, I had the perfect setting to practice. The sky was grey, cloudy, and boring and the ships in the navy yard were perfect subjects. I took some photos of a ship that was barely visible with the naked eye but in RAW setting and with editing, it is visible. I also took some photos as we sailed out of the port in the dark and was able to figure out settings to improve the photos I take. It is all new, yet but continued study and trial will help me.
All the photos on this blog today were taken in RAW format and edited.
I took this photo of a tug boat preparing to assist our Captain as we left the dock and headed into Gale Force winds
As we were about to depart the water in the bay started to turn brown from all the rainwater flowing into the area and the winds blowing at our ship
This is a South Korean Naval Ship docked across from our ship. When I took the photo I could barely see the ship but in RAW format the image is visible and then I edited the photo
This photo was taken at 6 am in the morning as we entered our first Japanese port. The tug boat is assisting the Captain and the area behind is a covered walkway to the main terminal with customs and immigration
This South Korean Navy ship was docked across from the Coral Princess and I edited the photo to make it appear as an older picture
Our ship departed the dock at around 3 pm and as we started to push away from the dock the winds picked up a lot. The Captain came on the intercom and announced our departure and added that it will be a rocky road to find Japan in 50 plus mph winds. I took a few photos as we sailed out and was worried I might lose my phone in the winds.
Jeju was a quick stop for our ship and given that we only had five hours on shore and with rain, we were happy to have stayed in our room. After dinner later that evening we ended up at a game in the Explorers Lounge called Yes or No.
Explorer Lounge Yes or No Game
Basically, a contestant takes a seat and begins a conversation with a challenger and the contestant cannot say Yes or No or anything similar like Yup, Shake your head left, right or up or down during the three minute conversation. Tonight, it was the Entertainment Staff asking the contestants questions and start the conversations while bright lights beam into the contestant's eyes.
Jan put my name in as a contestant and I had to go first. You can watch the video and see what happened. It was a painful experience to avoid those critical words.
I only lasted 24 seconds as he tricked me into saying the wrong word. Later in the event Jan took the stage and mastered the challenge. She lasted the full three minutes and stumped the game although she did say it was a pressure cooker. Overall there were about 10 contestants in total and only two made it through the three minute challenge.
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