Jeju, an island to the south of South Korea is best known for having an abundance of stones, wind and women. It also happens to be an island jam-packed with attractions and activities for the willing tourist!
I could honestly have spent over a week on Jeju and not have been bored. Lounging on its beaches or taking scenic drives, visiting the numerous museums and parks, doing some water sports / activities, engage in a little horseback riding or climbing the tallest peak of Korea - Mount Hallasan. Then there is the food... I would have loved to devote lots of time gallivanting the various food places for all the delicious Korean dishes!
Truly there is something for everybody and I couldn't have been happier to visit Jeju Island with Mr Chan. We spent a total of 9 days in Korea, 5 of them in Jeju and the other 4 in Seoul from 22nd - 30th of September. Because we were super unproductive in Jeju, I thought the itinerary could be cut to just 4 days, hence the title of the post.
I have split the Korea itinerary into two posts, one for Jeju and the other for Seoul. Do check out my 4 Days in Seoul post if you are planning to visit the capital city as well. In addition to these, I will also churn out a post on Climbing Mount Hallasan in Jeju. Which was essentially one of my first mountain treks!
To get started... (SKIP if you have read my Seoul post)
The currency used in Korea is the Korean won. 1 USD converts to roughly ₩1,200 while 1 SGD converts to about ₩850. I will be stating prices in won throughout the post.
September to November is autumn season in Korea and it starts to get a little cold. If you are like me - you freeze at 15 to 18°C, bring some warm clothes because that's how cold it can get.
Disclosure (You could SKIP this part too)
Some of our vacation dates fall during the Chuseok holiday, which is their biggest holiday. Be warned that some of the places of attraction and stores are closed during this period. It is also almost impossible to book domestic flights as most Koreans fly back to their hometowns. Other modes of transport like ferry might be fully booked too.
So without boring you further...
I could honestly have spent over a week on Jeju and not have been bored. Lounging on its beaches or taking scenic drives, visiting the numerous museums and parks, doing some water sports / activities, engage in a little horseback riding or climbing the tallest peak of Korea - Mount Hallasan. Then there is the food... I would have loved to devote lots of time gallivanting the various food places for all the delicious Korean dishes!
Truly there is something for everybody and I couldn't have been happier to visit Jeju Island with Mr Chan. We spent a total of 9 days in Korea, 5 of them in Jeju and the other 4 in Seoul from 22nd - 30th of September. Because we were super unproductive in Jeju, I thought the itinerary could be cut to just 4 days, hence the title of the post.
I have split the Korea itinerary into two posts, one for Jeju and the other for Seoul. Do check out my 4 Days in Seoul post if you are planning to visit the capital city as well. In addition to these, I will also churn out a post on Climbing Mount Hallasan in Jeju. Which was essentially one of my first mountain treks!
To get started... (SKIP if you have read my Seoul post)
The currency used in Korea is the Korean won. 1 USD converts to roughly ₩1,200 while 1 SGD converts to about ₩850. I will be stating prices in won throughout the post.
September to November is autumn season in Korea and it starts to get a little cold. If you are like me - you freeze at 15 to 18°C, bring some warm clothes because that's how cold it can get.
Disclosure (You could SKIP this part too)
Some of our vacation dates fall during the Chuseok holiday, which is their biggest holiday. Be warned that some of the places of attraction and stores are closed during this period. It is also almost impossible to book domestic flights as most Koreans fly back to their hometowns. Other modes of transport like ferry might be fully booked too.
So without boring you further...
Day 1 - Renting a Scooter, Manjanggul Cave, Sunrise Peak
The first thing we did in Jeju was get the pocket WiFi (WiFi egg) from SK Telecom. Cost us ₩29,700 for a total of nine days, including VAT (value-added tax). That is ₩3,300 a day including tax. There are SIM card options too if you prefer those.
Because we were travelling to Seoul after, we could actually return the WiFi egg to the SK Telecom shop at the Seoul Incheon Airport. In fact, you could actually return it to any of their branches around Korea. Super convenient!
Having settled our WiFi, we contacted our Airbnb host, Bok, for our free airport pickup. The accommodation was really close to the airport about 10 minutes drive away at Myeongju-gil. The Airbnb came with free airport drop-off too.
Bok's home was a really cute place that was well furnished with refrigerator, microwave oven, television, couch among other basic room amenities. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture of the lovely place but I do have a polaroid of it.
Getting around Jeju Island
We had decided that the best way for us to get around would be to rent a vehicle which we did. Jeju Island is huge, at least when considered to tiny Singapore, almost twice its size and the attractions are pretty far away from each other. And we did want to have some flexibility while travelling like ending the day late, etc.
The island itself has no trains / MRT / subways but it has extensive network of bus services. Do make sure to get the T-Money card which can be bought easily at any convenience store like 7-eleven, CU, GS25, etc. Tap the card twice during your bus trip, once when boarding and then again when alighting to take advantage of transfer discounts.
The problem with travelling by bus though is the long waiting times that can be as long as half an hour to an hour. This is especially so at the Mount Hallasan Trail where frequency of bus services is every hour.
If you feel you rather rent a vehicle like us, then make sure you have an International Driving License. This is really important and it's the only way you are going to be able to rent a vehicle. In Singapore you will have to send in a special application for this at an additional fee. The license expires after a year.
We found June Bike by doing a quick search online and it was rather close where we were staying. Address is 9, Ora-ro, Jeju-si, Jeju. Cost us ₩25,000 to rent a 110 cc scooter. Remember to bring along your license, passport and credit card!
It was honestly quite difficult to communicate with the staff there because of their minimal English and our non-existent Korean. It really helped that Bok kindly offered to call them to handle most of the details for us before we headed over.
We still had to make use of Google translate to help us through signing the agreement. So help yourself and download the Google Translate app.
June Bike also provided use with complimentary head covers and gloves! Really sweet of them too.
Suggestions:
Because we were travelling to Seoul after, we could actually return the WiFi egg to the SK Telecom shop at the Seoul Incheon Airport. In fact, you could actually return it to any of their branches around Korea. Super convenient!
Having settled our WiFi, we contacted our Airbnb host, Bok, for our free airport pickup. The accommodation was really close to the airport about 10 minutes drive away at Myeongju-gil. The Airbnb came with free airport drop-off too.
Bok's home was a really cute place that was well furnished with refrigerator, microwave oven, television, couch among other basic room amenities. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture of the lovely place but I do have a polaroid of it.
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| I am standing beside the bed. There is a couch in front of the TV to the left. Bathroom is just in front. |
Getting around Jeju Island
We had decided that the best way for us to get around would be to rent a vehicle which we did. Jeju Island is huge, at least when considered to tiny Singapore, almost twice its size and the attractions are pretty far away from each other. And we did want to have some flexibility while travelling like ending the day late, etc.
The island itself has no trains / MRT / subways but it has extensive network of bus services. Do make sure to get the T-Money card which can be bought easily at any convenience store like 7-eleven, CU, GS25, etc. Tap the card twice during your bus trip, once when boarding and then again when alighting to take advantage of transfer discounts.
The problem with travelling by bus though is the long waiting times that can be as long as half an hour to an hour. This is especially so at the Mount Hallasan Trail where frequency of bus services is every hour.
Hiring a driver to take you around Jeju is another option as well. A friend of mine engaged a driver while she was there. Bok, actually provides that service too. It should be quite simple to find one online.
Or you could take the taxi around. It is definitely a costlier option than the buses. But it might not be much more expensive than hiring a driver.
Or you could take the taxi around. It is definitely a costlier option than the buses. But it might not be much more expensive than hiring a driver.
If you feel you rather rent a vehicle like us, then make sure you have an International Driving License. This is really important and it's the only way you are going to be able to rent a vehicle. In Singapore you will have to send in a special application for this at an additional fee. The license expires after a year.
We found June Bike by doing a quick search online and it was rather close where we were staying. Address is 9, Ora-ro, Jeju-si, Jeju. Cost us ₩25,000 to rent a 110 cc scooter. Remember to bring along your license, passport and credit card!
It was honestly quite difficult to communicate with the staff there because of their minimal English and our non-existent Korean. It really helped that Bok kindly offered to call them to handle most of the details for us before we headed over.
We still had to make use of Google translate to help us through signing the agreement. So help yourself and download the Google Translate app.
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| And then we had ourselves a scooter to scoot around on! |
June Bike also provided use with complimentary head covers and gloves! Really sweet of them too.
Suggestions:
- Download the Naver Map app to help you with navigating around. Really it is one of the most important things you will need in Korea!
- Google maps are essentially useless in Korea! It shows literally nothing. Try navigating around with it and I am pretty sure you are going to spend more than half your time lost.
Lunch at Sagaehyang
Honestly, we just sort of stumbled into this restaurant because it was so close to the bike shop. Their ginseng chicken was so good! That is one of the dishes you gotta try in Korea!! This is just one of the restaurant options. There are many more you could try! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the food:(
Honestly, we just sort of stumbled into this restaurant because it was so close to the bike shop. Their ginseng chicken was so good! That is one of the dishes you gotta try in Korea!! This is just one of the restaurant options. There are many more you could try! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the food:(
Manjanggul Cave
Into the Manjanggul cave we ventured... Admission fee is ₩2,000 per pax with discounts for children, teenagers and students. But the entrance fee might have doubled in reent times.
The name here is a little misleading. It’s not so much a cave as a lava tube. A really long lava tube that is quite chilly inside at temperatures around 10 - 21°C and humidity of 99.9%. That makes conditions inside rather wet so make sure to wear shoes and not slippers or sandals. Might also be a good idea to bring along a jacket / scarf if you get cold easily.
I can’t say that the tunnel was visually spectacular in any way but it is an important site and a part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Jeju’s lave tube is special because despite it being old, the passage shapes and its internal micro-topographic features are well preserved.
It was my first time in such a lave tube so I was intrigued. What is interesting is the fact that at 7.4 km long, it is one of the longest lave tubes in the world but visitors are only allowed to explore 1 km into the tube. The star attraction though is right at the end of the path where the highest lava column in the world (7.6 m high) is located!
Lava columns are formed when lava pours down from the ceiling to the floor and congeals. The colours in the column are artificial, lit by coloured lights.
The ground can get quite wet and water might sometimes drip from the ceiling.
Do take note that the closing time is at 6 p.m. Most attractions in Jeju close around that time or even earlier.
Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Point)
Another UNESCO World Heritage site also around the east end of Jeju Island is the Seongsan Ilchulbong, also called the Sunrise Point. This is a tuff cone, a small volcanic cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions onto a shallow seabed over thousands of years ago.
It was close to evening when we reached Sunrise Point. Admission fee was ₩2,000 per pax but I believe it has now been increased to ₩5,000 for tourists / non-locals.
You might find it a little strange to find that we are visiting this close to the end of the day and not the start. But it was close to Manjanggul Cave and besides, I didn't think we would ever manage to get up early enough to catch the sunrise.
But if you are interested, it might be a good idea to reach the entrance to the site at least an hour before sunrise. The hike up this tuff cone of height 182 m is about 30 minutes for an averagely fit person like myself.
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| Trail leading to the base of Seongsan Ilchulbong |
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| View from the top |
An added advantage of heading over to the Sunrise Peak early is for the chance to watch Haenyeo (sea women) doing their dives to catch seafood. The shows occur at 1.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. only.
It was a real bummer to have miss the show especially since I have been very impressed with these incredible women having watched a documentary about the diving women in Jeju, many of whom are quite elderly.
You could also wait around to purchase their catch after their dive!
If you wish to learn more about the history of the Haenyeo, a visit to the Haenyeo Museum would help.
Nearby the Sunrise Peak there are several restaurants where you could partake in a bit of dinner. One thing that really impressed me is the variety of side dishes (banchan) that comes with the meal, no matter which restaurant you visit.
Tried the famed abalone porridge and honestly didn't like it. Maybe it just wasn't in this particular restaurant. I will still be open to trying it again though.
Day 2 - Dongmun Market, Jeju Folk Village, Jeju Love Land, Mysterious Road
Dongmun Market
We
started the day with a visit to the Dongmun Market, located towards the north of the island. This is Jeju's largest and oldest permanent market with a large range of goods and merchandise for sale. Seafood, fruits and vegetables, dried food, clothes are just a handful of those items.
It was not its usual colorful self when we were there. A number of the stores were closed. Might be due to the Chuseuk holiday.
It was not its usual colorful self when we were there. A number of the stores were closed. Might be due to the Chuseuk holiday.
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| One of the livelier sections of the market during our visit |
There were lots of stores selling snacks. Bought some cute little Hallabong pastries at 7 for ₩3,000. It was really delicious when Hallabong orange fillings are warm. These are sold it in boxes too that one could actually fly back with. Can’t really remember the price now but if I am not wrong, the boxed ones are 15 for ₩10,000.
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| Me and the Pastry |
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| Close up of the Cute Pastry |
One of the food you should definitely try while in Korea is Dak Galbi, spicy stir-fried chicken. I absolutely loved it!
This restaurant is called Hwanggeum Dakgalbi and is located close to Dongmun Market at 9, Gwandeok-ro 15-gil. The Dak Galbi here was relatively cheap and good. But then again Dak Galbi is just such an amazing dish in itself!
Jeju Folk Village
Next stop was the Jeju Folk Village. Here we had the chance to explore Jeju's traditional past. The houses and facilities have been reconstructed to resemble those from actual Korean villages of the past. A sort of elaborate outdoor museum that is fascinating if you want to learn of Korean culture.
This attraction is quite a long ride away from Dongmun Market. **Do read the Suggestion at the end of Day 3 to rearrange some of the attractions such that they are more time efficient**.
Admission fee is ₩11,000. There are discounted tickets for children, teenagers and senior citizens.
Jeju Folk Village was also the site of filming for the Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace).
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| Me and the Scarecrows |
There were live animals about as well like piglets, cows and horses.
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| Hard at work with my mortar and pestle |
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| Peeking into the single pillar house |
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| Delving in the history of woodcraft workshop. Ok not quite. Merely getting a picture taken there. |
Found not just within the Folk Village, Dol Hareubank are found widely within Jeju Island. The name is derived from the Korean word for stone (dol) and grandfather (hareubang). They are believed to be gods that offer protection and fertility.
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| Mr Chan with a Dol Hareubang |
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| Peeking into a classroom |
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| Taking a rest. And why not, a great photo opportunity! |
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| There wasn't much of anything at the top |
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| Swing away... |
Jeju Love Land
Jeju Love Land, a risque-themed sculpture park, was our last attraction of the day and we visited it rather late in the evening/night. Only reached there around 8 p.m. Like I mentioned getting around Jeju really takes time. Took us about an hour to reach from Jeju Folk village.
Admission fee was ₩12,000 per pax which I did think was a little pricey. You could try to see if it's possible to purchase online with discounts.
I would really recommend taking advantage of the late opening hours of this attraction (until 12 a.m.) and visiting it at night. The place was really devoid of crowd. Not that I will know if it is crowded in the afternoons since this is my first visit there.
But I honestly felt like I had the privacy to take as many pictures as I liked without embarrassment and boy did I snap away. I don’t really know now why I took so many pictures since I don’t intend to post the explicit ones here (and most were quite explicit).
I guess it was just good fun to just wander around the sex-themed park and click away. To be honest, some of the sculptures were really impressive with creative names to accompany them.
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| I absolutely love this picture! The park was surprisingly well-lit even at night. |
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| And nope, I don't know what you're talking about. This is all very innocent... |
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| Impressive gigantic sculpture |
There was a convenience store just outside Love Land's entrance where we grabbed some warm drinks. The weather was getting pretty chilly by then. We had to brace ourselves against the strong cold wind.
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| Us - decked out warmly to protect against the cold wind |
Mysterious Road
An interesting stretch of road that seems to defy gravity. A downward-sloping hill appearing as an upward incline.
Being very close to Love Land, we took a detour to Mysterious Road before heading back. The whole stretch of road was so dark and I will be honest, it felt quite creepy. We decided to go only a short way because it was kind of hard to try anything with the scooter.
Might be better to do it before visiting Love Land while there is still light. And with a car you could actually put it in neutral gear and observe it rolling downhill upwards. If that makes any sense to you. Or you could even use a bottle / can to test. Simply place it on the road and see which way it rolls.
An interesting stretch of road that seems to defy gravity. A downward-sloping hill appearing as an upward incline.
Being very close to Love Land, we took a detour to Mysterious Road before heading back. The whole stretch of road was so dark and I will be honest, it felt quite creepy. We decided to go only a short way because it was kind of hard to try anything with the scooter.
Might be better to do it before visiting Love Land while there is still light. And with a car you could actually put it in neutral gear and observe it rolling downhill upwards. If that makes any sense to you. Or you could even use a bottle / can to test. Simply place it on the road and see which way it rolls.
Day 3 - Jongdal - Sehwa Coastal Road, Maze Land
Today was really one of the more relaxing aka unproductive days of our time in Jeju at least in terms of visiting
attractions. We went to the Maze Land and … That’s it. Just Maze Land.
Waking up late and setting off late usually result in that. Anyway before venturing to Mazeland, we decided to have ourselves some grilled abalone for lunch and to have a romantic ride alongside the beautiful ocean.
Jongdal - Sehwa Coastal Road
Back at the East of Jeju Island, there is a stretch of road that span to about 10 km and located alongside the ocean. The drive / ride makes for a very scenic view.
There are also a couple of beaches along the drive like Hado Beach and Sehwa Beach if you are inclined to have a beach day! Sehwa Beach especially sounds like a must visit.
There are coastal ride bike tours that you could also look into! Cycling from Sehwa Beach to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) through a two hours scenic route. Sounds like great fun!
In fact there are many other coastal roads all over the island that you could drive / ride along for really great views. Like Hagwi - Aewol at the NorthWest of the island or Gimnyeong - Woljeong, also known as the Windmill Coastal Road located to the West of the island.
Lunch at Jong Ga Abalone Restaurant
Feel like having some grilled abalone? Head over to the Jong Ga Abalone Restaurant where you are guaranteed to have your fill of it.
It is located near Sehwa Pogu (Sehwa Port). Address is 1306 Haemajihaean-ro, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
If possible check out Myeongjin Jeonbok which is located nearby as well. That was where we initially wanted to go but it was closed.
I really enjoyed the abalone! In Singapore abalone is really expensive and here for such big, fat juicy ones. Totally worth it!
We also tried some raw abalone bibimbap. Not a fan of it though. The abalone was really hard.
Outside the restaurant, there was a really nice view of the ocean.
Markets
If you happen to be at Sehwa on the 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30th of the month, you could visit the Sehwa Folk Five-Day Market that sells a wide variety of goods at cheap prices. This is located really close to Sehwa Beach.
Bellongjang Market, the local flea market located close to Sehwa port is another market that is open only on certain Saturdays of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Maze Land
And on to Maze Land, another attraction like Love Land. We visited it purely to have some fun! And take some pretty pictures because it has some really picturesque spots. Admission fee is ₩11,000 per pax.
There are three mazes that we had to conquer, each reflecting the three things most abundant in Jeju - Wind, Woman and Stone.
Wind Maze was the first of our challenge! It was a relatively simple maze.
But then things got more challenging at the second maze - the Woman Maze.
The final maze (Whinstone Maze) was rather interesting because it was made of stone and wood found in Jeju. It also happens to be the longest stone maze in the world at a length of 5.3 km!
And the most challenging maze!
But we did end up triumphant in the end.
Apparently Maze Land was featured in the Korean drama, The Legend of the Blue Sea. The variety show, Running man also featured this theme park in one of its shows.
We found a pretty spot while walking along the outside perimeter of the mazes. This is at the Light Labyrinth.
You could check out the Maze Museum as well which details the history of mazes from the 14th century when they first originated.
Jjajangmyeon and Jjamppong for Dinner
Waking up late and setting off late usually result in that. Anyway before venturing to Mazeland, we decided to have ourselves some grilled abalone for lunch and to have a romantic ride alongside the beautiful ocean.
Jongdal - Sehwa Coastal Road
Back at the East of Jeju Island, there is a stretch of road that span to about 10 km and located alongside the ocean. The drive / ride makes for a very scenic view.
There are also a couple of beaches along the drive like Hado Beach and Sehwa Beach if you are inclined to have a beach day! Sehwa Beach especially sounds like a must visit.
There are coastal ride bike tours that you could also look into! Cycling from Sehwa Beach to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) through a two hours scenic route. Sounds like great fun!
In fact there are many other coastal roads all over the island that you could drive / ride along for really great views. Like Hagwi - Aewol at the NorthWest of the island or Gimnyeong - Woljeong, also known as the Windmill Coastal Road located to the West of the island.
Lunch at Jong Ga Abalone Restaurant
Feel like having some grilled abalone? Head over to the Jong Ga Abalone Restaurant where you are guaranteed to have your fill of it.
It is located near Sehwa Pogu (Sehwa Port). Address is 1306 Haemajihaean-ro, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
If possible check out Myeongjin Jeonbok which is located nearby as well. That was where we initially wanted to go but it was closed.
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| Our meal! |
I really enjoyed the abalone! In Singapore abalone is really expensive and here for such big, fat juicy ones. Totally worth it!
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| Abalone shell |
We also tried some raw abalone bibimbap. Not a fan of it though. The abalone was really hard.
Outside the restaurant, there was a really nice view of the ocean.
If you happen to be at Sehwa on the 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30th of the month, you could visit the Sehwa Folk Five-Day Market that sells a wide variety of goods at cheap prices. This is located really close to Sehwa Beach.
Bellongjang Market, the local flea market located close to Sehwa port is another market that is open only on certain Saturdays of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Maze Land
And on to Maze Land, another attraction like Love Land. We visited it purely to have some fun! And take some pretty pictures because it has some really picturesque spots. Admission fee is ₩11,000 per pax.
There are three mazes that we had to conquer, each reflecting the three things most abundant in Jeju - Wind, Woman and Stone.
Wind Maze was the first of our challenge! It was a relatively simple maze.
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| Into the first maze I go... |
But then things got more challenging at the second maze - the Woman Maze.
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| Venturing deeper into the Woman Maze |
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| But at least we can still smile |
The final maze (Whinstone Maze) was rather interesting because it was made of stone and wood found in Jeju. It also happens to be the longest stone maze in the world at a length of 5.3 km!
And the most challenging maze!
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| Desperate to find a way out! |
But we did end up triumphant in the end.
Apparently Maze Land was featured in the Korean drama, The Legend of the Blue Sea. The variety show, Running man also featured this theme park in one of its shows.
We found a pretty spot while walking along the outside perimeter of the mazes. This is at the Light Labyrinth.
You could check out the Maze Museum as well which details the history of mazes from the 14th century when they first originated.
Jjajangmyeon and Jjamppong for Dinner
Our host, Bok had recommended a Korean / Chinese fusion food place to us and here at the Jungwon Chinese Restaurant, we had our first taste of the much heard about Jjajangmyeon - noodles in black bean sauce. And it was really good!! That is the black dish in the picture.
We also got the Jjamppong, spicy seafood noodle soup which was a bit too spicy for me. It did give me a certain rush though that I could actually get addicted to. But overall the food was really quite good here!
We ended up retiring early today because tomorrow is going to be an early start.
We ended up retiring early today because tomorrow is going to be an early start.
**I understand how my itinerary can be a little messy. We sort of just went to Jeju then decided what we wanted to do and started with the sights we wanted to see most.
But here I have rearranged the itinerary a little. The attractions are all the same but now I have taken into account distance between attractions. And also that Day 1 might be when most of you land in Jeju and hence might not have the full day for sightseeing.
Suggested Itinerary:
- Day 1 - Dongmun Market, Mysterious Road, Love Land (visit at night)
- Day 2 - Seoungsan Ilchulbong, Jongdal - Sehwa Coastal Road, Manjanggul Cave
- Day 3 - Maze Land, Folk Village, [Add another attraction of your choice - Waterfalls maybe?]
Day 4 - Mount Hallasan
Our last day in Jeju and the day we are to hike up Mount
Hallasan. The plan was to wake up early so that we could set
a more leisurely pace rather than having to race to the top.
Unfortunately we overslept and got up only at 7.30 a.m. Do note that you have to reach the second check-point by 12.30 p.m. or you won't be allowed to hike all the way to the top! Read Climbing Mount Hallasan for a more detailed account.
Gimbab for Breakfast
Before heading over to the trail path of Mount Hallasan, we rushed to get ourselves some gimbab (similar to but not quite the same as Japanese sushi) from Mujigae Gimbab. Address is 294-25, Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju.
The person selling us the gimbap was a friendly ‘auntie’. She made it in front of us. We ordered two regular and two cheese ones.
The weather started to turn for the worse soon after with rain droplets plonking down onto our heads and mocking us. The ‘auntie’ hurried to pass us chopsticks, our packed lunch and an advice... To not climb today because the weather looks bad and up the mountain it will be cold and raining.
How I wish we could heed her advice but it was our last day in Jeju and hiking Mount Hallasan was one of my MUST DOs!
Unfortunately we overslept and got up only at 7.30 a.m. Do note that you have to reach the second check-point by 12.30 p.m. or you won't be allowed to hike all the way to the top! Read Climbing Mount Hallasan for a more detailed account.
Gimbab for Breakfast
Before heading over to the trail path of Mount Hallasan, we rushed to get ourselves some gimbab (similar to but not quite the same as Japanese sushi) from Mujigae Gimbab. Address is 294-25, Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju.
The person selling us the gimbap was a friendly ‘auntie’. She made it in front of us. We ordered two regular and two cheese ones.
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| Friendly 'auntie' preparing our gimbab |
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| The cheese gimbab |
The weather started to turn for the worse soon after with rain droplets plonking down onto our heads and mocking us. The ‘auntie’ hurried to pass us chopsticks, our packed lunch and an advice... To not climb today because the weather looks bad and up the mountain it will be cold and raining.
How I wish we could heed her advice but it was our last day in Jeju and hiking Mount Hallasan was one of my MUST DOs!
Things just got worse on our ride to the Seogpanak trail because it started to rain in earnest. Undeterred, we pressed on and made in to the second checkpoint on time! But due to weather conditions they closed the path to the summit. A true bummer!
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| Standing at the blocked path of the second check-point |
The hike really does take the whole day for the climb itself and the journey back down. And after it's done, all you will wish for is your bed so no attractions after, just dinner. At least that was the case for me.
There is a reason I placed this on the last day. I knew I was going to get all sore and achy from the climb and didn't want it to affect the rest of the trip. But the bad thing is you can't really control the weather. Maybe keep the day you climb flexible based on weather condition so you will definitely make it to the summit.
Barbecue Beef and Black Pork for Dinner
Having returned the bike, we had to find a restaurant at walking distance to the Airbnb. Bok recommended a barbecue place to us,
The black pork was not bad. The beef not so much. Was hoping for much more tender beef but it was rather tough.
Try to find a well-reviewed barbecue place because you absolutely don't want to leave Jeju without trying their barbecue beef and pork!
**And that's it! My four days Jeju itinerary though we actually spent 5 days there but we took it really easy. Here is my Four Days Seoul Itinerary to help plan your Seoul vacation too! Meanwhile, have fun planning your Jeju trip!
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