Palace Jeju

Jeju Do Tolharubang or Stone Grandfather Guardians

by Hmmmm

.Jeju Island; a place of myths and legends, is an island, so rich in the beauty of natural scenery and exotic in culture, that it keeps attracting tourists both from home and abroad. Among the things representing traditional culture in the island is the "Tolharubang" or Stone Grandfather Guardian; stone images of man with a humourous smile on his face.

The Tolharubang or Stone Grandfather, which has become a symbol of the island, stands at the entrance of a traditional village or a house, serving as the guardian deity driving away evil spirits. Tolharubang looks a little different from one another, but all of them appear majestic, with their portionately big eyes bulging out, their lips neatly closed, a cap on, and their hands resting on their stomachs.

It is unknown when the stone images began to be made. Sadly, today they are regarded by most visitors as a curiosity, but in days days gone by they were regarded a powerful fertility god.

One little bit of superstition for you. If you rub the nose of a tolharubang, you will have a son. Perhaps is why Jeju is famous for honeymooners, thet all want to rub the head of these dwarflike stony phaluses...

Udo Island

by D_Shannon

Next day we got up even earlier (I’m sure poor Ben was wondering why he’d decided to be my tour guide!) and took a series of buses to Songsan, and then a ferry to the tiny island of Udo. Udo is just 20 minutes from Cheju and, like the larger island, is made up of lava from a volcanic explosion 25,000 years ago.

Except for the ludicrously large tour buses (why anyone needs a full size tour bus to explore an island only 17km in diameter is beyond me), it’s very quaint. We did a bit of walking, had a fabulous lunch (I managed to find a restaurant - with a "good restaurant" sign, very near the pier - willing to serve me a vegetarian dish so I wouldn’t have to eat any fish), and rented bikes to race around the scenic perimeter. And we spent a couple of hours drinking beer on the white coral beach, swimming fully clothed in the salty sea, and getting sunburned.

Udo is famous for its diving women. These hearty women, even today, dive for shellfish and seaweed all year round. A photo at one of their statues is almost mandatory.