My parents came to visit for Chuseok break (Korean Thanksgiving), and the ten busy days they spent on the island with us were perfect in every way. We showed them around in true Limkefashion, and packed every moment with fun!
Their first day here was one of our favorite days we’ve ever spent on the island! After starting the day slowly with a drive along the coast, a short walk up Songaksan, and a yummy lunch at “Salonde,” we met up with some of our friends for a kayaking tour!
The tour was incredible. It was a completely new perspective on the island. We actually felt like we were vacationing in Southeast Asia rather than half an hour from home! We started off exploring along the coast and kayaking in, out, and through narrow sea caves. Steve and I were the only kayak to experience the small hiccup of flipping ourselves as we exited one of the sea caves (oops!), but I think it only added to our enjoyment of the day.
We left the coastal playground to explore our first island…and wow was it impressive! The island was shaped like a horseshoe with dramatic differences in geology- one particular section of rock even looked like a castle! After a brief stop for collecting sea glass and skipping rocks, we hopped back in our kayaks and were off to the next island!
The views were breathtaking. My favorite part was experiencing the unexpectedly beautiful scenes revealing themselves around every turn. A geometric stone pillar here, a sea cave there, groups of fisherman on the rocks waving to us, bright shocks of green on one hillside and red rocky surfaces on another…it almost seemed as if each paddle stroke added a new gem to my collection of kayaking treasures.
And all that was BEFORE Padre spotted the octopus! Steve and I saw one while snorkeling in Thailand, but it was nothing in comparison to Burt Macklin, FBI Octopus. Burt wasn’t hiding out in the rocks like the one we saw in Thailand, he was spreading his tentacles as he walked/danced to a rock, and then wrapping himself around a rock- it was so fun to watch! Oh yeah, and he got his name because he was able to evade our guide who tried to catch him for dinner!
Our tour ended with a long paddle passed the “Lighthouse of Death,” so named not because it was dangerous, but because it reminded us of Dr. Who’s Weeping Angels. Every time we looked at it again after looking away, it would appear to be closer to us…dun dun dun! Rend Collective’s My Lighthouse also made it into our inside jokes for the day….I mean how could we not sing it as we are paddling towards a lighthouse as we return from the sea?! |
Other highlights of our week included:
- Bring your parents to work day! I had fun showing them how to make pinch pots in Ceramics class, and Steve was thrilled to have Dr. Hughes as a guest lecturer in his Psychology and Ethics elective :)
- Bring your parents to work day! I had fun showing them how to make pinch pots in Ceramics class, and Steve was thrilled to have Dr. Hughes as a guest lecturer in his Psychology and Ethics elective :)
- The Computer Museum on a rainy day! We had fun trying out the Oculus Rift and playing old computer games like Pacman and Galaga. We also had a magical post-sunset stroll along the coast seeing only by the lights of the fireflies, which were plentiful!
- Waterfall Chasing! We took advantage of the rain the day before and went to as many waterfalls we could in one day! I think 7 waterfalls was our total count :) It was beautiful! Another highlight from that day was when a group of Chinese tourists mobbed my parents for a picture!
- Sunrise Peak, Udo Island, and Lava Tube Caves!
We woke up early to climb Sunrise Peak! After oohing and ahhing sufficiently at the beauty at the top, we rewarded ourselves with warm drinks and pastries from Paris Baguette at the bottom. :)
- Sunrise Peak, Udo Island, and Lava Tube Caves!
We woke up early to climb Sunrise Peak! After oohing and ahhing sufficiently at the beauty at the top, we rewarded ourselves with warm drinks and pastries from Paris Baguette at the bottom. :)
From there we took a ferry over to Udo Island, where we rented bikes and cycled around the whole thing, only stopping halfway to climb the lighthouse oreum and eat Udo’s iconic peanut ice cream.
After exploring the cool and spooky lava tube caves we decided that our final adventure of the day should be Indian food…for the second time of the week ;)
- Paddleboarding at our favorite beach!
On our final day together we went to our favorite white sand beach. The conditions weren’t perfect for paddle boarding, especially for first-timers, but we went anyway! They were pros!
On our final day together we went to our favorite white sand beach. The conditions weren’t perfect for paddle boarding, especially for first-timers, but we went anyway! They were pros!
Overall it was a fantastic visit and we were so happy to be able to share it with family!
Come back sooooooooooooooooon!
Come back sooooooooooooooooon!