May 1 - 25 (Part 10) Jeju Island Continues; Hallasan, Hallabong and Humility
May 11th Our last full day on Jeju Island How is it possible that time both stretches and flies at the same time? When we arrived, everything felt new and wide open. And now suddenly, we were (almost) saying goodbye. Today was supposed to be big. We wanted to go inland to meet the giant of South Korea: not from afar this time, but properly. The one and only Hallasan ( 한라산) . Formed around 1.6 million years ago when land rose from the ocean floor, Hallasan is more than just a mountain. Its name means “a mountain so high it can pull down the Milky Way”. At 1,947 meters, it is the highest peak in South Korea. That alone tells you something about how she has been perceived for centuries: sacred, powerful, untouchable. At its summit lies the crater lake Baengnokdam (백록담), “White Deer Lake”, wrapped in legends about heavenly beings descending to play with white deer. Myth and geology intertwined. Fire and water. Heaven and earth. Hallasan forms the heart of Jeju itself. There’s eve...