Island of the Gods- Jeju-do

http://lookatkorea.com/blog/korea/archives/jeju-map-in-english/

Ever since i arrived in Seoul, my number one place to visit has not been glittering lights of Japan, not been Shanghai, Macau or Hong Kong. It has been Jeju Island. I have read almost all of the blogs out there about the island, subscribed to everything about the place, have virtually seen most of the attractions in there, even bought five kgs of mandarins just because it said it was from Jeju. I am just crazy about Jeju.

Quick bits about Jeju-do

• Jeju-do, a volcanic island, was shaped due to the volcanic activity of Halla Mountain. Halla-san is the tallest mountain of South Korea measuring 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) Jeju volcanic island and lava tubes is South Korea's first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
• Jeju is acclaimed to be the "Island of the Gods", "Gift from Gods" and the "Hawaii of Korea". And is still remains one of the top honeymoon destination for the Koreans and for people all around the world. 
• Jeju city is the capital of this (only) autonomous self-governing province in South Korea. Climate here is warmer than the Korean peninsula because of the warm currents around the island.
• Cherry Blossoms bloom in blankets announcing the arrival of Spring first in the Korean peninsula at Jeju. It is also home to the King Cherry blossoms which larger and more luxurious and are open only for 2-3 days.
•  Matriarchal society of Jeju is home to the female divers (Haenyeo) to stood upto Japanese oppression in 1932.
• Jeju has the lowest crime rate in the whole South Korea!

Can't wait to travel to this magical place to get pictures to post on the blog and imprint in my mind.


ABC Wednesday -J for Jeju island

White Day

Following the Valentine's day in February where the girls were crooning over their special boys, March 14th is the White Day where the boys accept the girl's advances by giving them, usually, chocolates or something cute (and thoughtful :p ) of three times the value of what was given by the girl. Do you know that Koreans celebrate a "Day" in each month!

Yesterday, i went over to a store in Seoul, to find cutely dressed and decorated roses selling for 50,000KRW (Which is approximately $50 or Rs 2000) and lot of these pretty pastel baskets filled with sweet goodies. I was also really curious to see a lot of boys browsing through the shelves of the store which usually is deserted during the working hours. There were these bunch of just-out-of-college-boys just stuck in front of the plants section, picking up one pot, replacing it and picking up another flower pot, selecting and de-selecting until they burst out laughing at themselves!

White Day display to remind and help choose gifts for the confused male population!

So much fun to watch the men flock to these display and get overwhelmed by the choices.

White chocolates are a hot item on White Day.

Color Connection

Liebster Award

Thanks Astrid and Ashok for the Award :)

It is so great to be noticed and commended. I want to show my love to these amazing bloggers and present them with the Liebster Award.

 

1. Team G Square All about my favorite city in the world- Bangalore. With a lot of amazing snaps!
2. Farzanaliasmukhtiar Has a wonderful way of conveying a lot without many words but with lots of snaps! Way cool.
3. Health Benefits Good stuff for a healthy living!
4. Food, Travel, Living Just so much fun :)
5. Writing on the Go Awesome Mom on the go! 

Shots of Hearts

Hearts :)

Lighted Heart

Heart toppings

Mini metal hearts

ABC Wednesday: H for Hearts

Spring is in the air!

Quite suddenly, things have began to change. Birds are chirping, trees are budding, temperature is rising. Days are longer, skirts are shorter and the moods are much more cheerful. Spring is in the air :)

Birds flocking to the trees during dusk

Magpies chattering together

Skywatch Friday