Jeju-do Adventures

After a long summer of camps, camps and more English camps, Matthew and I were finally getting to set off for some well deserved vacation time. Since we were traveling during the rainy season most tourist spots were either closed or not enjoyable in the downpour. A lot of our time was spent in cafés or under pavilions waiting out heavy rain but when we finally ventured out, our wet adventures were truly rewarding!

My birthday breakfast

Our destination: Jeju Island!!  The Hawaii of Korea, a volcanic island made up mostly of Halla-son (Halla Mountain). It is 1,950 meters making it the tallest mountain in all of Korea. Though exceedingly small, Jeju-do has a myriad of things to do.

Let’s start with my personal favorite- Lava Tubes!! Since it was my birthday the second day on the Island my lovely boyfriend took me to the places I most wanted to see! I really enjoy caving and seeing different rock formations so the lava tubes were just what I wanted! A few different lava tubes developed in Jeju but we were only able to visit one of them, the Manjanggul. Unfortunately, only 1km of the 7km is open to tourists. It was the end of August when we visited the caves so it was extremely hot and humid outside, however, once you walk down the stairs and enter the tubes the temperature drops significantly and it is said to never go above 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit). This is a MUST see destination but if you have more time than we had, you should definitely check out the other tubes as well!



interesting texture

Jungmun Beach- We were slightly disappointed with this beach. It is said to be the most relaxed surfer destination in Jeju but it is quite small and VERY busy. After reading some blogs about the Jungmun beach we had our mind set on camping directly on the sand and waking up to some surf. This did not happen. There is no camping allowed on the actual beach and instead there was a small patch of grassy area near the parking lot that was designated for camping. We enjoyed our night sneaking on to the beach and using a small gas burner to make smores while watching the sunset. When we woke after an angry storm and saw that our tent was no longer waterproof we booked on out of there and found a cheap motel for the next night.

Jungmun camping

rainy nap time

Even though it was raining, we did end up going to a fresh water waterfall that was absolutely gorgeous! Jeongbang-pokpo (waterfall) falls 23m into a pool directly next to the sea. Koreans say that it is the only fresh water waterfall that falls into salt water, however this is not true. Either way, it is a spectacular sight and worthy of visiting. Only about 30 meters aways is an outdoor restaurant on the rocks, run by a Hanyeo (women diver that collects shell fish from the bottom of the sea) that serves a variety of mul kogi (water meat or seafood). Matthew wasn't too keen at first and was worried about getting sick. With not much convincing, however, we bought ourselves some food and enjoyed a fresh tasting snack.

our scrumptious snack

Then there is obviously hiking Mt. Halla. With several different routes to take there is opportunity for both the athletic and more leisurely explorers to enjoy their day. This website is an excellent source to help find a route perfect for you.
http://www.chejuinfo.net/leisure/leisure_e.html

We were both excited about the Mt. Halla hike but when we woke up our final full day on the island and there was sun we decided on a well-needed beach day. Out of all the beautiful beaches in Jeju we chose the Iho beach which is closer to Jeju-si, Jeju City, so we could prepare for our departure the next day. It was beautiful and not that crowded but also there is nothing special about it. It was a waveless day with sweltering heat which is the perfect combination for a swim. Unfortunately, the lifeguards did not allow this since the forecast was predicting another storm and possibly an undercurrent. Many beach goers would sneak in the water cool off and run out before the lifeguards could catch them. It was a funny atmosphere that made our day great but I would not suggest this beach to anyone else.

On our last day our curious young minds lead us to the artistic and tasteful theme park, Loveland. It is full of sexually provocative artwork that is both beautiful and incredibly uncomfortable to see. I would suggest anyone with an open mind and sense of humour to check it out.

Buses- The best way to get around Jeju is by bus. There is one bus that follows the road around the edge of the coast and drops you off at any tourist destination. There are also buses that cut the Island in half and go around the edge of Mt. Halla. Other buses are easy to use but a little Korean would go a long way in finding there actual destinations.

There are two ways of getting to Jeju:
By Plane- Most airports in Korea have flights to Jeju. Daegu, Cheongu, Gimpo, Incheon, Busan, Mokpo etc. We went from Cheongu and our flight was a little less than an hour and about 80,000KRW.
By Boat- You can catch a ferry in a few different places such as Incheon, Busan and Mokpo. Mokpo is the fastest and cheapest way to go. It is 26,000KRW to 88,000KRW depending on which class you choose and it takes 3.5-5hrs depending on which boat you choose.

This is a good site to check out your options with both flying and ferry.
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_1_5_1.jsp

Even though there was some bad luck with weather we had an awesome time and we were sad to leave.