During my second visit to Jeju island, one of my plans was to visit Marado, an island 8 km off the south coast of Jeju island, South Korea. It is the southernmost boundary of South Korea, having an area of 0.3 square kilometers with a population of less than one hundred people. I have heard that Marado has only one of almost everything: one school, one temple, one police station, one lighthouse and one museum along the coastal road, but it has many jajangmyeon (the most popular Chinese noodle dish in Korea) restaurants.
It was a very windy day and I knew that the sea would be rough. I woke up early and reached the port to catch the early morning ferry to the island. I purchased the ticket and decided to take some rest as there was plenty of time before the boat departure. Five minutes prior to boarding, there was an announcement that all the ferries were cancelled due to inclement weather and rough seas. I felt like jumping into the sea and swimming 8 kms! It was indeed a disappointment. The ferries were cancelled not only for the day but for the coming few days too, thereby ending my dream to claim that I visited the southern most tip of South Korea.
Disappointed and dejected, I drove around the coast line and decided to have a cup of coffee at a Starbucks near Songaksan mountain. I saw a trail that goes around the mountain and decided to take a walk to clear Marado from my mind. Mt. Songak is a monogenetic volcano, comprised of a outer tuff ring (surtseyan explosion), inner cinder cone (Strombolian explosion) and lava pond. In the early stage, erupted magma met seawater in the shallow sea and a low angle ring shaped volcano (tuff ring) was created. Afterwards, seawater was blocked from the crater, lava explosively spewed like fountain water, fragments (scoria) piled up around the crater, and then a scoria cone was created. The lava filled the space between the tuff ring and the scoria cone. Considering that there are many trace fossils of creatures that lived in the tidal zones and footprints fossils of birds found on the tuff beds, it is presumed that at the time of explosion, Mt. Songak volcano was once the home of seasonal birds.
I started walking and soon noticed caves on the sides of the cliff. These caves were made by the Japanese for suicide attacks using small boats against the fleet of the allied forces when they faced defeat in the pacific war. There are seventeen caves along the coastal cliffs of Mt. Songaksan on the southern side of Jeju. They were constructed by the forced labour of Jeju residents.
The views were spectacular and I could see Mt. Sanbangsan, Mt. Hallasan and Hyeongjeseom (Brother Islets) at a distance. The wind from the ocean hugged me non-stop and the grass on the mountain ridges danced rhythmically. Soon I came across horses grazing leisurely. As it was a cold windy morning, I was alone on the trails almost the entire time.
At the end of the hour long hike, I felt totally rejuvenated, as this expedition was not on my to do list. I could never make a trip to Marado during my stay in Korea and it still remains on the to do list. I lost the opportunity to visit Marado, which was the first priority during that trip. I realized that loss is a fact of life. Sooner or later, all is lost. We have to come to terms with the reality. Impermanence is everywhere. With every breath, the old moment is lost; a new moment arrives.
Thank you Bindu Chechi
Good read!!!