After an exciting first day in Jeju, we were ready to continue our adventures with a packed day of exploring Seogwipo. I started my morning early, going for a quick run around a park near our hostel, and I was pleasantly surprised by the scenery. Palm tree lined paths allowed look out points cut out from the greenery, and I finally found the view of Cheonjiyeon Waterfall that we had such a hard time finding the day before.
Following my run I met back up with the girls for a quick coffee, and then we were off chasing another waterfall. We grabbed a bus that took us to the entry point of Jeongbang Waterfall and then let the pathway guide us to the falls. I let my eyes glance down the staircase taking us to the edge of the waterfall where I saw colorful spots of people along the rocks lining the water.
Ironically, the day before I had been dying to escape the hot humidity that is Korea in July and dive into the water at the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. Little did I know that was exactly what was allowed at Jeongbang. I couldn’t have gotten my shoes off any faster.
Once we had taken 100 or so photos we decided to leave the refreshing mists of the falls and start making our way to Sanbanggulsa Temple.
Our directional skills failed us slightly on the way to the temple, but that simply gave us an excuse to explore the countryside streets of Jeju. After a bit of a walk back from our mistaken bus stop, we set eyes on a giant golden Buddha and knew we had made it to the right place.
Sanbanggulsa Temple is known for a few different reasons. One is the immense golden Buddha we could see from the street, but another is the grotto which houses another Buddha statue. We toured various corners of the temple and eventually decided to start the hike up Sanbanggulsa Mountain towards the small cave.
We donned our hard hats as a precaution for falling rocks, followed the stairs, and about 20 minutes later we found ourselves in front of the cave. A woman was there devoutly making her 108 bows which was fascinating to watch as she must have been in her 80s. The idea of her making it all the way up to the cave and then proceeding with her bows is incredible dedication. We let her finish and then, as respectfully as possible, took some pictures and soaked in the space.
In my travels I must have visited dozens of various temples at this point, but each one grabs my attention in a new way. They are so beautiful and feel so sacred and offer such an interesting insight into the beliefs of those who follow the respective religion.
After making our way down from the grotto we walked around the grounds a bit more. Then we were back on a bus headed towards our hostel once again to grab dinner – a delicious black pork burger which the island is known for.
The next day would be a busy one of traveling up to the northern side of Jeju.
bbm travels 