Jeju Island

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Before going to Jeju, my impression of it was mainly from the Korean drama that I watched. The locals used to honeymoon at Jeju when overseas honeymoon was not "in". Then, there was "San Shun" (from My Lovely Samsoon" who went to Jeju to climb the Mt Halla alone to mark her birthday. In the strong wind and cold weather at the peak, her beloved surprised her with him waiting for her and celebrating her birthday with warm seaweed soup. Well, dramatic plot aside, it piqued my interest setting foot on Mt Halla.

Anyway, I wasn't honeymooning in Jeju. It's definitely not just a place for newly-weds. And, sadly to say, climbing Mt Halla was not on this trip's agenda. I would love to do it some time later but not too late. Otherwise, I might not have the might to do it.

Nevertheless, I had covered some really beautiful places there. Jeju is a volcano island. So, instead of sand, the shorelines were covered by remains of the black lava rocks. Hence, it was a pretty usual sight of black against the blue sea.

I really enjoyed the coastal walk along Yongmeori Cliffs. The locals said that the cliff was formed by dragon's movement across it. So... now I know what kind of grooves dragon make... ;s As it was low tide, the coastal walk was opened for visitors. It was pretty amazing to walk between the cliffs and sea. The pathway was rocky and, at some parts, it a little narrow too. So, I was really glad I wore my pair of trusty campers. Else, my feet would not do so well. Along the way, there were a few Ahjuma selling fresh seafood (perhaps these ahjuma were the women sea-divers). Their product was simply too exotic for me.

R u wondering where's the dragon? It's trapped at the Yongduam Rock. (Just kidding) The rock was a natural formation. But, who knows if the legend about the dragon was true....

Also visited the Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise) Peak which I didn't do in the wee hours. It was exhausting to walk to the peak which provided a view of a crater and bird's eye view of part of Jeju. I believe it's not named sunrise peak for nothing coz I wasn't amazed by the crater view.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall area was a nice park of sorts. Tot it would be even more beautiful in autumn. The waterfall fell short of being as magnificent as its name which signified connection between sky and land.

Besides enjoying the scenery, I had an activity-filled trip at Jeju. I tried the horse-riding which was just a brief exposure of getting on the back of horse and having the horse on auto-pilot mode in moving slowly around a rather small circuit. And there was the ATV (all terrain vehicle) ride. Initially I tot I could control this bulky vehicle on my own. Hah! I overestimated my ability and needed reinforcement when i drove into the railings. Having a pillion driver, who took over the control, was cooler as I was brought slightly off the tracks for some trails.

As Jeju Island is developing into a retirement village of sorts, I can probably visit again (in different season) when I am much older. Hopefully by then I can still conquer Mt Halla.

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Photos

Yongmeori Cliffs
Dragon leaving its mark

Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise) Peak
Flowers blooming on the hillside

Jusangjeolli Cliff
Pillars formed by lava rocks