Jeju Island: A Whirlwind Tour

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Jeju Island, Korea

Honeymooners Island… Korea’s Hawaii… A Tropical Paradise… “Very Famous in Korea.” All those adjectives, and more have been used to describe Jeju no matter who or when it has come up in conversation since we’ve been here. Obviously curious to see what this tropical utopia is all about, my friend Tom and I, decided to take advantage of some time off of school to down to this island off the southern coast of Korea. We spent four days there, slogging through the misty remnants of the typhoon that has caused so much destruction to Taiwan and China.

Somewhere along the journey, we realized that just about hit all modes of transportation possible, so, keeping in the theme of the trip (which is always a must) I’ll keep track here.

1 Bus, 1 Ferry

We headed down to Busan and caught the overnight ferry to the island. Little did we know what was truly in store for us with that decision, which seemed to be a reoccurring realization during our time there (we never really knew what to expect). It was a good sized carferry that took 11 hours, 47,000 Won, and a good nights sleep away from us. Hardly the info that we received from our travel sources. We did end up sharing some beers with some nice Koreans on the deck. Afterwards, we resigned to sharing a room with 50 other people, sleeping Korean style (on the floor with only a pleather pillow for comfort). This turned out to be more of a battle for territory keeping feet and heads at bay with contortionist type skills. Needless to say, we got off the boat, droopy eyed, around 6 a.m. found the nearest motel, and caught some zzz’s before exploring Jeju-si (Jeju- City).

2 Taxis, 1 Viking ship

After a mid day breakfast, we disappointingly walked around a city resembling nothing more than any other typical Korean city; as if Yeoju just got transplanted elsewhere. We decided to head to a black sand beach just out of town and come back for the evening to meet up with another friend that just happened to be finishing up her trip. I’ve definitely seen blacker sand in my life, but this beach had a really cool mix of black and yellow sand that gave off a kind of glimmer that was certainly unique. It also had some of the more interesting lighthouses I’d ever seen, two in the shape of red and white horses. The area had just finished up a weekend festival and was tearing everything down so paired with the misty weather it just wasn’t a beach going day. Once Tom fended off some local school children filming a ‘weigookin’ on their beach, we headed back into town to meet Suzanne, eat some grilled seafood, and give into our childlike inklings to go ride the Viking ship at the local seaside amusement park.

1 Bus

Finally getting our energy back sapped from the size nines digging into my ribs on the ferry ride over, we headed to one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island, the World’s longest Lava Tubes. This was surprisingly cool (literally and descriptively) once we got there; the bus to the tubes dropped us off on the side of the highway with a 2 KM walk to the entrance… weird. It’s hard to describe, as I’ve never been in a lava tube before. It was cave-like, and tube-like at the same time. The walls had evidence of lava flows in the form of ridges on the sides which formed different sized cylinders to walk through. There were very few formations you find in caves, stalctites and stalagmites and their variations, which I found odd, but soon realizing the geology- the surroundings are all basalt, volcanic rock- not the kind of stuff that leaches into a cave creating the formations. It was an awesome experience, one that reminds you of the power the earth holds, that everyone should try to experience. I’m glad I did.

1 Bus

We then caught a bus to the eastern tip of the island to a spectacular natural formation called Ilchulbong, a giant volcanic crater on the water’s edge with sheer cliffs to the ocean. It was a very neat sight and the pictures of it don’t do justice (as with most wonders like this). We climbed to the top along a highly manicured path. This rock is famous to those who visit to wake early and climb to the top just in time for the sun to rise over its rim. Unfortunatly, Mother Nature wasn’t on our side this week, and we didn’t have that chance, but it sure was a great sight. This is also the site of the infamous ‘Jeju women divers.’ For centuries, the women of the island dove to harvest fish and seaweed with no other equipment than a mask and basket up to 20 meters deep! I’ve told you stories about the powers of the Korean Ajumma, but this is some serious evidence. We didn’t get to see any of them in action, but saw their catch of seaweed picturesquely drying in the wind against the black cliff background.

1 Taxi, 2 Ferries, 2 Scooters

Just off the shore there is a small rural island called Udo Island, Tom and I decided to go check out. We didn’t know what the island contained, but figured the worst that could happen was a ferry trip with a great view of Ilchulbong and maybe a great seafood lunch. As soon as we got off the ferry, we saw a scooter rental, looked at each other with the same idea, and walked directly to it. We circumnavigated the island clocking in 13 Km on the scooters taking in the beautiful black coastline, the island’s crater, the many seaweed piles (soon to be soup, I’m sure), and the black soiled farm land of the interior. It was a cool way to see the little island and kept us there far longer than we would have otherwise. One stop we made, was a small beach not made of sand, but tiny bits of coral. It was something I’ve never seen before, they acted as sand and will become sand in time, but at closer inspection, all bits and shards of worn coral pieces. Pretty cool.

1 Bus, 2 Taxis

We then headed over to Seogwipo city to see some of the famous waterfalls that don the pages of the Jeju tourist literature. After finding them (we just gave up, grabbed a taxi and pointed to the name in our Lonely Planet Book), they were equally impressive. The first, a fall of nearly 20 meters onto a rocky beach is said to be one of the world’s few waterfalls directly into the ocean. It was fairly impressive if for that reason only. The second falls, was found in a great tropical park on the other side of town. We were dropped off at the mouth of this deep, lush, vegetation covered gorge to walk a few hundred yards along a goldfish filled stream. This was the falls we recognized from the literature, and we could tell this was more along the lines of what we expected Jeju Island to be like (which although seeing some amazing things up to this point, none of it really epitomized what was told to us); lush tropical plants, beautiful scenery, and great atmosphere. On our way out we read a sign saying this was the home to a special species of eel, which, upon closer inspection, we saw zillions of the creatures living in the upper pools of the river.

1 Taxi, 1 Bus

One day left so we decided to go to Jungmoon beach, what we found to be the resorty/touristy/everything-we-thought-Jeju-to-be area of the island. It had all kinds of things to do there, giant hotels, large beaches, mind blowing black cliffs to the sea, great food, museums, etc. Still misting, as usual, the energy of the area was more of a standstill than we could expect. We hung out on some rocks watching the monster surf crash some rocks, walked the harbor, took in the atmosphere which was significantly different than the previous parts of the island we had been to. After strolling a while, we needed to find the bus terminal (which there are none on the island, only random bus stops- something we wish we’d have known) and get ready to head home.

2 Buses, 1 Airplane, 2 Subway Trains

Did you think we were going to suffer through another of those ferry trips? Not a chance, on our day of bumming around Jeju City, we bought some cheap plane tickets to Seoul to avoid that experience again, and it was totally worth it! The trip was a total success in both our eyes. First, I got to spend time getting to know a good person and friend, Tom, and we both got to see and do all kinds of great things. Jeju surprised us in both good and bad ways. We both realized the Jeju people talk about isn’t the 2 K walks down a virtually abandon road to get to the lava tubes, or the sleepless night on the ferry coming over here, or the ‘every city in Korea’ style of Jeju-si. The ‘honeymoon island paradise’ is there and we saw it, but were quite thankful of our experience away from the commercialism, a far more raw, personal, and worthwhile experience. I am disappointed a bit that I did not get to climb Mount Halla, the extinct volcano that formed the island as well as Korea’s tallest mountain; the weather didn’t cooperate and sometimes that happens. Perhaps I will get here again, have a climb, and a proper visit to one of the beaches. Who knows.

Final Tally= 3 Ferries, 7 Buses, 6 Taxis, 2 Scooters, 2 Subway Trains, 1 Viking Ship, 1 Airplane

**Looking back, if we had time, we would've taken the submarine tour and parasailed while in Jeju... oh well **


Jeju, I mentioned in the last blog, is perhaps up for the distinction of the ‘7 Natural Wonders of the World’ (but I've got some conflicting info, so if that's not totally correct, I'm sorry). I’ve been having an inner debate in my head whether to recommend it as such, and I still don’t know yet. Anyone can see the finalists and vote for their favorites at sevennaturalwonders.org . I’m not sure of the criteria or rules just yet, but I do know it is up against some stiff competition. The feelings of awe are truly apparent on the island, and I know I didn’t even see Jeju’s crowning glory the entire time I was there, Halla-san. So, without a recommendation, I suppose you may have to just make up your own mind.

What I do know, however, is that in two days Cass and I will be heading to Hanoi, and to another area fighting Jeju on the list of Natural Wonders, Ha Long Bay. Perhaps after being there, I will have a little perspective on things and offer some advice.

***I hope summer is going well for everyone back home! I figure school is right around the corner and that means football season as well. Good luck to all my teacher friends, coach friends, and players. It’s always been an exciting time of year for me. I hear that Coach Rubick’s Memorial Run was a huge success!! Thank you all for that, he is giving us a fist pump right now, I’m sure- I just wish I could have been there! I’ll keep you updated on our trips in Vietnam and Hong Kong (and hopefully we can squeeze in Macau, too!!). We miss everyone!

p.s.-- I'm writing this from Yeoju, and it's an absolute brilliant day outside... the kind we were hoping for in Jeju. Makes me ponder a little, the meaning of the word 'paradise,' eh?? I can't sit inside anymore, I'm heading out for a run...

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Photos

Tube's wall
you can see the 'shelf' the old lava flows left behind in the walls