Jeju-do Part 4

Well, for our last day in Jeju we forced ourselves to wake up at 6:30am to go to the top of Sunrise Peak to watch the sunrise.  We didn't know it was going to take us 45 minutes or so to get to the top, so we actually missed the sunrise but it was a wonderful view anyway.

After we came back down from Sunrise Peak, we were so exhausted from the past couple of days that we went back to the motel and went back to bed for another hour or so.

When we woke back up and finally checked out of the motel, we started our exploring again.  This time, our first stop was the Folk Village.  Now, on Jeju-do there is a Folk Village Museum and and actual Folk Village.  We went to the village.  Here, people still live in the old style houses.  With the exception of 2 or 3 of the oldest homes that are now preserved and open for viewing the rest of the area is an village with homes, restaurants, stores, etc. 

When we first arrived, we were starved so we went to one of the restaurants there to eat. 

Many of the things on the menu were similar to other traditional korean restaurants but there were also things like pheasant and horse.  Which led me to saying something I NEVER thought I would ever hear coming out of my mouth:  "That horse was delicious."


After eating, we looked around and took a number of photos.  The traditional houses had small courtyards around them and often areas sectioned off for gardens and pigpens.  It was really picturesque.

Next we went to see the lava tubes.  Jeju has some of the longest lava tubes in the world which are supposed to be incredibly beautiful.  When we arrived at about 2:30pm, we were told that the last tour starts at 12 because it takes so long-- and you have to make a reservation 2 days in advance.  So, we didn't get to see the longest tubes, but they did refer us to a smaller one about 10 minutes away.... so off we went.

These tubes were interesting to see, but they only had one major formation.

When we finished there, we decided to head back up to the airport area to find a place for the night since planned to return the rental car that night then just take a taxi to the airport in the morning.  On the drive, we passed yet another beautiful beach and even though it was raining we decided tat we had to at least wade out into the water since we were on a tropical island and hadn't gone in the water even once.

Well, the water looked good but it was ice cold.

The raincoats did a pretty good job of keeping us dry, however as we were finishing taking pictures I slipped on a rock and tumbled into the water-- raincoat, leather jacket, cell phone and all.  I did keep the camera out of the water though!! lol

Well, after changing clothes in the car we drove on into Jeju-si (Jeju City) and got our motel for the night.  We found a place just a couple of blocks from the car rental company so it was easy to return our car-- and they let us take their free shuttle back to the airport the next morning for our flight out.

We rounded out our trip with one more really good fish dinner, a good night's sleep, then up in time to catch our 8am flight back.

All in all, a wonderful trip.  I just wish we'd had more time.

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Jeju-do Part 3

After climbing Hallasan, we were looking for a hotel for the night when we stumbled onto a part of the island on the southwestern coastline that was used as the set for a very famous (in Korea, anyway) drama named, "All In".

We stopped and took a few pictures, then ventured on our way to find a motel and get some food and a good night's sleep.


The next morning, we woke up late (and VERY, VERY sore) and decided to make our way east along the southern coast of the island and see the various sites as we came to them.  Our first stop was at a beach area that was composed of boulders instead of sand.  We didn't realize it until we were there but this was to be the third time in a row we just "stumbled upon" one of the sites we wanted to see.

Jeju is famous for its women divers.  These ladies, most of them elderly, go out early in the morning diving for fresh seafood. Some bring it back to different restaurants along the coast.  Others prepare fresh sushi for you right there on the beach.  As we pulled up, at about 11am, the little ladies were all racing up on their motor scooters, still in their wetsuits, with their baskets full of seafood on their backs.



There were plastic tables and chairs set up along a walkway beside the water where the ladies would prepare and serve what they had caught that morning.

Apparently the rules are that each diver is only allowed to serve one table at a time, so the sooner they can get there with their wares the more customers one can potentially have that day.

The little grandma who served us was 70 years old.  We ate conch, sea bream, sea urchin, and something else (maybe octopus, I forget).  It was really delicious.

Our next stop that morning was the volcanic cliffs, composed of hexagonal columns created when lava flowed into the ocean and crystallized.



From there, we stopped to see some waterfalls that were quite nice. 

Over the river containing the falls there was a large bridge with an incredible scenic view.

From there we continued on to an area designated as "Beauty Spot"... I'm taking that to be a bad translation for "Scenic outlook" or something of that nature.  The views of the cliffs and the water in that area were really beautiful.

Next was Sod Island...

 And finally, we arrived at Sunrise Peak... ironically just in time for sunset.

All of this was in just one day, so needless to say we were absolutely exhausted (again).  We got a motel just a few minutes away from Sunrise Peak and walked around the corner to find some local seafood.  The restaurant we ate at a meal of sea bream prepared 2 different ways.  One was roasted and the other was prepared as sushi.  Absolutely delicious again.

After a really good meal, we crashed... HARD!

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Jeju-do Part 2

Well, our first full day in Jeju we decided to climb Hallasan (Mt. Halla) which is the largest volcano on Jeju and is a Unesco World Heritage Natural Site.

While eating breakfast, we asked the owners of the restaurant which was the best hiking trail to take.  They told us to take the Gwaneumsa trail because it had the best views.  What they DIDN'T tell us was that it was also the most difficult trail.  We actually learned that from another hiker about an hour and a half into the four hour hike up the mountain.

It started up as a nice gentle walk  on a path under a canopy of trees:

Soon, however, the trail became a rough path of lava rock...

There were times when the terrain was so rough that there were wooden stairs or bridges (thankfully!)

And while the pictures make it look really nice... it was 8.4 kilometers of an uphill climb.

Needless to say, after about 3 hours of climbing (out of the 4 hours uphill), we felt like this:

Once we got near the top, however, there were indeed some beautiful views.

At the top of Hallasan is Baegnokdam, a small lake that is considered by the people of Korea as a "holy site"

The 4 hour hike down was a bit better and, since we decided to take a different trail down (this one was 9.6 kilometers), it offered different scenery.

Although, the path was just as rough most of the time:

There was a Unesco shelter on the way down that had some very basic refreshments for sale.  Basically, chocolate bars, Pocari Sweat (the Korean equivalent of Gatorade), and ramen noodles.  I must say, a bowl of ramen noodles has NEVER tasted so good before.

All in all, I'm glad I made the hike, although I have to admit that I would never do it again.  Once is DEFINITELY enough.

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