On our 3rd
day (2nd full day) on Jeju Island, we travelled to the south of the
island to the Seogwipo and Jungmun beach resort areas. To add to Jeju’s beauty,
there are a handful of waterfalls around the island and we visited 2 of
them. The first we visited was Jeongbang
Waterfall. We managed to get to the waterfall early in the morning before the
crowds. I don’t think I’ve mentioned but millions of people visit Jeju each
year and every 5 minutes a flight lands at Jeju International Airport (Literally,
we saw this. It’s crazy the amount of airplanes constantly landing.). My point
is, there are many tourists and tour buses you need to try avoid these. We didn’t
have too much problems with crowds luckily. Back to Jeongbang Waterfall, this 23m
high waterfall is unusual in that it runs from the cliffs directly into the
sea. It is the only waterfall to do so in Asia.
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| Strolling around the trails near Jeongbang Waterfall. |
After
wondering around the coast near Jeongbang Waterfall, we went to Cheonjiyeon
Waterfall. This is a beautiful waterfall that runs into a pond. The walk up the
river to the waterfall is luscious, calming and very pleasant.
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| Walking up to Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. |
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| Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. |
We reached
the “Lonely Rock” of Oedolgae just as it decided to start pouring. The weird
rock formations around the coast of the island are from the volcanic activity.
The rain was cooling and we welcomed it. This pinnacle like rock is believed to
have scared off the Mongolians and sent them away.
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| Oedolgae. |
Our next
stop was Jungman. This exclusive area is filled with 5 star hotels and quirky
museums. We visited the Teddy Bear Museum. After the rains, the weather became
extremely hot and humid and so being indoors was perfect. Korean people love
Teddy Bears and this museum is dedicated entirely to them. Teddies can be seen
portraying famous historical events and are dressed up as famous icons. The
museum is definitely worth a visit and although we were a bit sceptical at
first, we all enjoyed it. We popped into
Jungman Beach after the museum. It is one of the most famous beaches on Jeju
and has the biggest waves. It has even played host to a few surf competitions.
It was absolutely BOILING on the beach (like burn your feet on the sand type
boiling) and we were desperate to swim. Of course we got told to stay shallow,
even though we were in the swimming area, but the water was amazing.
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| Dying of heat on Jungman Beach. |
In the
afternoon, we went to O’Sulloc Tea Plantation. It was disappointing and I was
expecting a tea museum but there was only a few small posters about tea and
thousands of people trying to cram their way into the green tea café. Having a
car really gave us a lot of freedom just to explore the more rural areas of
Jeju and just drive around and see whatever. We had lunch at a Paris Bagette in
the small town of Daejeong and then tried to visit the Peace Museum.
Unfortunately the museum was closed for refurbishment. We really wanted to see
the tunnels in the mountains that the Japanese had built during their rule in
Korea. The man at the museum was kind enough to show us their entrance. I would
have liked to visit this museum the history between Korea and Japan is very sad
but interesting.
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| O'Sulloc Tea Plantation. |
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| The farms in Jeju are separated by these low walls made from volcanic stone. |
On our
last morning before we left Jeju, we had a quick swim at Iho Tewoo beach, the
closest beach to Jeju City. We arrived at the beach before anyone had begun
setting up for the day (there weren’t even swimming ropes out yet, yay). We thoroughly
enjoyed our holiday in Jeju and its natural beauty. Although there is an
endless amount of things to do in Jeju, I think stayed for the right amount of
time and we were pleased with what we did. The only other thing we would liked
to have done, was hike Mt Hallasan (the third UNESCO site on the island). Mt
Hallasan is a dormant volcano and dominates most of the island. Perhaps this
will call for a return trip.
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| A crisp morning on Iho Tewoo Beach. |
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| View of Mt Hallasan in the distance at the airport. |
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| At the airport-only in Korea. |
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