Loopie - Joop

Yes, yes, this is long overdue... I apologise for my tardiness. We spent a week in Jeju a few months ago.  The amount of fresh seafood there is UNBELIEVABLE!  Coupled with good grilled beef kalbi and some fantastic makgeolli, we were in heaven! For a week! Makes me want to coo Belinda Carlisle's song... We arrived in Incheon in the afternoon and took a train to Gimpo airport for our domestic flight to Jeju.  It was really short, like 45 mins max,  Then the shuttle bus took us to the car rental office, where we grappled with the Korean GPS After some mime and some patience later, we were off to Jeju city in our rented car. Here are some highlights...

Heading to Koh Samui at the end of next month.  Looking forward to a holiday after being stuck at home for the past 5 months...

Grilled Swordfish plus butternut squash and clam chowder Fresh Oysters Pei Dahn Sau Yoke Zhok Lian Rong Bao Penang Laksa, Cuttlefish Kangkong and Nasi Lemak Cold Stone Creamery - ICE CREAM!!!!

Besides Japan, Iceland is another country that does commercial whaling. Its quota ain't that high - just 40 whales a year. To those animal activists/whale protectors, 40 may seem a lot though, given that almost the entire world has pledged not to whale no more. We saw minke whale meat being served on skewers but didn't dare try it after our very enjoyable afternoon stalking the whales on the high seas. They are really smart and adorable creatures - so stop whaling before they go extinct.

Here's something we've never seen before - Basalt Columns. Rectangular blocks of basalt formed by the cooling of thick lava. Reynisdrangar, that's what they call these basalt stacks found at the bottom of Reynisfyall near the town of Vik in Southern Iceland. The Icelanders use these columns extensively in Reykjavik city. I initially thought they were carved by masons, but they turned out to be formed by nature!

Can you believe that huge, burly Vikings used to stay in such short, cute houses? Reminds me of Hobbiton if you ask me. This house was used all the way till the 70's. When we went in, the doorway was barely tall enough for Hao-e (and he's not tall, mind you). Just imagine. Skogasafn Museum near Skogafoss Waterfall, tries to replicate the life of Icelanders from Viking days till present. We were amazed at the creativity displayed by the early Icelandic people who struggled to survive in the harsh conditions with minimal resources. Fish hooks, double-thumbed gloves, waterproof garments stiff with oil (no goretex in those days), they braved the icy winds and unpredictable weather on this fishing boat to bring in some fish for food. More hobbiton-like houses. They are really short and cramped. The 2nd photo shows the interior with a fairly modern gas stove.