Finally visited Jeju

---

Four and a half years living in South Korea I hadn’t made my way south to Jeju Island. Therefore, when I got Fridays off for the semester and a Monday off at the end of September, I decided it was time to visit Jeju for a 4-day jaunt. In a subtropical climate, Jeju is the largest island in the country.



Overall, I enjoyed Jeju greatly. The island itself is very different from the rest of South Korea. The people were very welcoming and willing to interact with foreigners—perhaps because the island has been made to be a holiday destination for both Koreans and international travelers. In addition, the vibe of the island was very relaxed and carefree. The food was delicious. I couldn’t get enough of the grilled black pork,while mixing it with the local soju as I chewed. However, what I really loved about the island, and what is still calling my name to return, is the nature. It is gorgeous. Mountains, lush vegetation, and beaches all throughout the island are beautiful.



From Gwangju, there are two ways to get to the island. Either a 30-minute flight down to Jeju City, or a ferry leaving from one of the southern ports in the country. Travelling with a couple of buddies, we picked the ferry. We left from the port in Wando, a two-hour bus ride from Gwangju. After three hours on the ferry, we arrived at Jeju City. Dark once we got there, we finally navigated the bus system in order to make our way down to Seogwipo, the second largest city on the island. In Seogwipo, we stayed at the Slow City Hostel, a great place where most of the guests were foreigners. Seogwipo is a small beach town. It is relaxed and slow paced. There are also a few amazing bars and cafes. I definitely enjoyed the café at Backpackers Home and the Surf Bar. There is also a great food district by the hostel we stayed at. Our first night we enjoyed some of the local black pork with the local Halla Soju. The restaurant is located a block north of the hostel and owned by an elderly couple, which was very welcoming.



We wanted to rent scooters and explore the island. However, one of our friends didn’t have an international license. So, we settled on renting a car. It was amazing driving all through the island. The roads were well maintained, and the mountain and country roads were very fun to drive. The Kessington Hotel outside of Seogwipo has a great rental car locale that provides great service.



On our first full day, the first stop was Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong). After an amazing stew of more black pork with vegetables, we began the short hike up to the top. The site is beautiful and makes part of the UNESCO World Heritage and New7Wonders of Nature sites on Jeju Island. We had perfect weather for all of the four days we were there. After walking the site, we hiked a couple of oreums—a local word for hills/mountains. Oreums are also old volcano hills, part of the system of volcanic tubes/caves of the island. Halla San is the biggest mountain in South Korea. The third largest peak on the island is Darangshui Oreum. It was a steep hike but worth the views at the top. The other oream we walked up is Yongnuni (Dragon Eye). This was a beautiful walk. We capped off the first day with a dinner at a local vegetarian restaurant, Mulmegol. The ambience was great, but the food was a bit bland.



The second day, we started the day with a fishing trip off the western coast of the island. The fishing trip took us out toward Chagwi Do. We caught a couple of fish, ate a great bbq on the boat, drank bukbunja, and then ate what we caught. Afterward, we drove all around Halla Mt., and ended the afternoon in Jeju City. Back in Seogwipo we headed to the Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls in the late afternoon, and then we headed to another local black pork restaurant near the world cup stadium that was highly recommended by the hostel owner--ChoeGoJib. The ajummas working were loving having a foreigner eating at their locale.



The last day we walked the caves at Manjanggul. They were truly beautiful. After some local bibimbap, we jumped on the ferry to head back to Gwangju.

---