Been listening to various Show of Hands CDs recently - with their West-country background the songs are understandably full of references to mining, fishing & the working person, themes for today it seems.The day began with a harrowing article by the BBC's John Humphries about the Aberfan disaster. After a late breakfast and a missed conversation class (a misunderstanding over the word 'next' as in 'next week') we decide to go sightseeing in the East of the island and set off in the rain towards the nearest advertised tourist entertainment offering shelter - a lava tube in this case.
The lava tube is exactly what it's name would suggest - a tunnel running through black rock. The rather organic looking water erosion on the walls and the small dalek-like concrete illumination pods give the place the feel of an underground car-park inside a huge horizontal root vegetable. Unsurprisingly, after about a kilometer or so the amusement fades - it's still a tunnel, it's still in lava. Not one of the world's most varied attractions. It's worth seeing, but once you've seen the first 200 yards it's time to head back to the surface and find the coffee machines.
After being chased around the souvenir shops we meander further east towards today's main event - the Hae-nyeo Women Divers' museum. Jeju has a long tradition (about 300 years recorded history) of women divers who swim unaided to depths of 20m, hunting for seafood - abalone, sea-slug etc. Although their number have dwindled in recent times it's still a common sight to spot a group of four or five women in wetsuits with a nets and floats, striding confidently across the volcanic rocks towards the sea.
The womens' long recorded history and the various traditions surrounding it - for example clothing, tools and other equipment - would be enough to make the subject interesting. But once you begin to understand that their story also has strong social and political dimensions it becomes truly fascinating. For example the part they played in the resistance movement under Japanese occupation and in the drive for improved education and school-building.
The ancient fading photographs of gatherings of proud fierce working women - embroidered banners declaring the collective or society they represent - reminded me of photos of miners and miners' wives co-operatives from the UK.
I have to confess I found it a strangely moving exhibition.
The museum building itself is also a nice piece of design - and definitely worth another look. Add to this the view from the observatory at the top of the museum which shows the nearby beach to be clean and sandy and sheltered and I suspect it's a future day out for visitors.
