Jeju Island is known as the "Island of the Gods" and is a popular destination for honeymooners. It certainly isn't enjoyed as much if you go alone!
The Island's symbol is the Harubang and you can see them everywhere. "Harubang" is a lava stone statue with bulging eyes and a big nose. Each city has their own unique harubang. They are a symbol of guardianship, and it is said that if you touch their nose and make a wish for a son, it will come true.
Many people wrongfully assume that Jeju is a small island...it is not, and needs at least 3 full days of attention if you want to enjoy some of the main attractions.
Must-see activities include hiking up Mt Halla, admiring the view from Seongsan Ilchubang, relaxing on many of the beaches, viewing the majestic waterfalls, crawling in the lava tubes, horse riding, ferry trips, museums (Green Tea, Chocolate, Sex), visiting Mini Land and Love Land...
Andrew and I arrived late on a Saturday night and went straight to our guesthouse ~ The Island Guesthouse.
We then sat down with a map and many brochures to plan our 3 days ahead. The guesthouse was situated in the south west part of Jeju so we decided to start there and work our way around.
Day 1: We relied on taxies (which was a bad and expensive idea - rather use the city buses) and first went to one of the Mini lands ~ Miniature Theme Park. We were the first to arrive so we had the place to ourselves for a while. This is a definite must see and great for photos.
We then headed to Jungmun beach. It was ridiculously hot so we didn't stay on the beach for too long, but left with a great tan. Usually this beach is filled with yellow tubes, but for some reason it was rather empty.
There are many natural waterfalls on the island. We went to Jungmun waterfall, which was super refreshing! A breath-taking view from far, and a cooling spray from down below.
That evening we took a short bus ride to one of the near by small towns called Moselpo. Craving pizza, we found a joint that looked pretty normal, only to discover it was another Korean style pizza place.
Yip...that's sweet potato. It's a favourite in Korea. It's not actually as bad as you'd imagine, but puree and pizza should never be combined.
Day 2: Because of the heat we decided to do something that require less activity and more shade. We took a ferry trip to Marodo Island - the most southern point of South Korea.
The ferry trip was great and took about 30 mins (30 minutes of a blissful breeze). Arriving on the island, we hired a golf car and rode around the tiny island taking pictures.
If we had known that there was more to do there we would've bought a later return ticket. There were many makoli and jajangmyeon restaurants with a relaxing vibe.
Later that afternoon we headed to the green tea museum ~ O'Sulloc, where we enjoyed green tea ice-cream and green tea roll cake.
Day 3: We were supposed to be leaving late evening, but luckily managed to change our flight. So we left the guesthouse early Tuesday morning in search of new accommodation in Jeju-si. Luckily it wasn't too long before we found a place that had a room available.
Once settled in we took a bus to Seongsan Ilchulbong - aka Sunrise Peak.
I love Jeju's landscape ~ being of volcanic origin, it has 368 secondary craters (with the 1950 meter Mt Halla in the center).
Sunrise Peak is a land mass that rose from under the sea as a result of a volcanic eruption many thousands of years ago.
The hike up wasn't bad at all and before we knew it we were looking at a spectacular view.
Anyone visiting Jeju is missing out if they don't visit this site. From far the hike looks daunting but there are many points to stop at and admire the view, as well as one or two small shops.
After a much needed shower we went for dinner at VIPS - a korean steak house with an amazing salad bar! Then headed to a place I was dying to see: Love Land <3
Jeju Love Land is open from 9am to 12pm so we decided to go at night, because it just seemed more approprate. The lights were beautiful and they created a less vulgar mood. We were very entertained and took many pictures which left Andrew feeling more than a little uncomfortable...
We left Jeju on the afternoon of Chuseok (thanksgiving). It was a gloomy day and the streets were bare! We had taken a chilled morning to get all our things together and left the hotel in search for breakfast... I had never seen Korea this quiet before, just about everything was closed, except for Dunkin' Donuts.
The airport was surprisingly busy (just as it is on Christmas day)... we left Jeju and went to quiet Seoul for the rest of our mini-holiday.
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