#BBMTRAVELSJEJU

JEJU ISLAND {DAY ONE}

Finally it was summer vacation. One thing I’ll say about Korea is that there’s a descent amount of public holidays, but they really don’t space them out efficiently. I joyfully boarded the small plane that would be taking some friends and I to Jeju Island. Known to some as the Hawaii of Korea. Two hours after boarding we landed in what is now my favorite part of this little country. Hands down.

We decided to split our six days between the northern and southern sides of the island. Just as we hopped off of the airplane we hopped into a bus for a quick ride down to Seogwipo. We were dropped off next to our hostel where we quickly left our bags before going off to explore.

We knew that the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall was within walking distance and at some places could even hear it. Finding it was another task entirely though. We walked around the island following maps and street signs for what felt like hours. Eventually we made it to the park for the falls, where we walked along the path stumbling upon little bits of character all the way.

Jeju is known in part for its gorgeous waterfalls and this one was just a taste of what we would continue to see on the island. We basked in the mist of the falls while taking our pictures before heading back into town to find a spot for lunch.

Once again we found ourselves wandering through the streets before coming across a little husband and wife run restaurant where we ordered something unknown in Korean just happy to sit and relax in the air conditioning. Next thing we knew, dozens of side dishes were brought to our table and lunch was served.

After lunch our group split up. One friend and I decided to brave the 90 degree heat and walk the town.  Along our way  we found a bustling street market and a charming café filled with vintage books and tropical leaves on each stainless steel table top. I also had the best coconut ice of my life.

A couple of hours later we headed back to the hostel for a quick nap and dinner where we would  make a plan for the following day in Jeju.

 

JEJU ISLAND {DAY TWO}

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.

 

JEJU ISLAND {DAY THREE}

After a few days exploring Seogwipo we would be traveling back up to Jeju City, but not before paying a quick visit to Art Street and stopping  by the sweetest little tea shop we had seen from the street the day before. We drank our tea and bought our home-made knickknacks and then went to board our bus back to the northern side of the island.

Once we made it to Jeju City we took some time to explore, found a great Italian sport for dinner, and walked along the coast as the sun set. Something I loved about this particular stretch of the coast was that it reminded me a lot of Chicago. While the lakefront of Chicago has some beaches, most of it is a walking path which was similar to where we found ourselves in Jeju City. It was a wonderful little unexpected taste of home.

JEJU ISLAND {DAY FOUR}

On our first full day in Jeju City we decided to venture out to Udo Island, a smaller island off the coast of Jeju known for its peanut ice cream and serendipitous delights. It was an adventure getting there, two busses and a ferry, but it turned out to be one of my favorite days that I’ve had in Korea thus far.

Minutes after exiting the ferry we were eating our first helping of their famous ice cream, just before renting scooters to tour the island on. We scooted our way all around Udo until we found a beach to settle on for a while.

At the end of the day we returned our scooters, got another serving of peanut ice cream, and boarded the ferry once again ready for our long bus ride back into the city. It was an incredible day spent frivolously enjoying island live and gloriously taking in a healthy dose of nature that we generally are lacking in mainland Korea. For anyone who travels to Jeju Island I sincerely recommend visiting Udo Island, its well worth a day trip.

 

JEJU ISLAND {DAY FIVE}

After a few wonderful days in Jeju City, our vacation was dwindling down to just two more days. We had a few things left on our to-do list, one of which was visiting Manjanggul Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage sight that is a cave formed from a lava tunnel.

We started our fifth day in Jeju City making our way to Manjanggul via a journey of bus rides and transfers. Once dropped off at the bus stop we continued on a mile or so walk that was actually quite picturesque. We followed a long and sleepy tree lined road, speckled with wildflowers, until finally making it to our destination.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a vine covered staircase entrance into the cave.  We followed along the one kilometer path through the lava tunnel enjoying the chilly climate that was so different from the sweltering streets of Jeju.

Though dark, the tunnel acted as a museum at some points, sharing information of how the cave was formed thousands of years ago. We explored for a while taking in the dimly lit scenery and appreciating the great, nearly unimaginable, stalactites.

Later we headed back into the city towards our hostel and geared up for our final day on the island.

JEJU ISLAND {DAY SIX}

Our last day started with us packing our bags and quickly dropping them off at the airport before catching a cab to the beach to soak in some sun before boarding our flight that evening. We had an incredible cab driver pick us up who tried his absolute best to communicate with us in his broken English and we attempted our best broken Korean. Though we had to act out words for ‘beach’ and ‘swimming’, he had no problems telling us his opinions of what was at the time the upcoming 2017 presidential election.

We spent a few hours on Iho Tewoo Beach swimming, snacking, and reading before grabbing another taxi back to the airport.

After six glorious days, we boarded the plane with salt-water in our hair and and sand in our bags.  We watched from the airplane window as the sun set and we flew back into Incheon, and back to our regularly scheduled lives of teaching English. Though short, it was an incredibly rejuvenating summer vacation and exactly what we all needed.