I made a trip to Jeju-do on the 28th November till 2nd December 2019. I was thrilled as I love anything Korean (well, not literally all) and knowing that Koreans love going to Jeju for a vacay excite me more.
Salina and I joined a group tour and thought this was going to be that kind of "sit-back-and-relax" kind of vacay. Boy, was I wrong.
We reached the island in the afternoon, and after checking in, we went to Woljeongri coast. By the time we reached the place it was dusk. The wind was fierce and cold.
As we were walking, clutching our coats tightly, Salina mentioned a woman performing on the street. The woman was young, and we started chatting with her. She's a Russian psychologist who now travels around Korea, and earning some money by dancing using some pyro techniques. Must be nice to be able to just quit your job and follow your heart's desires. I envy her.
All throughout my stay, I sampled Korean s traditional 한식, and because of halal concern, we had a lot of seafood. Alas, I'm allergic to them. So, I did not really enjoy the food except for the halal dakgalbi at Cheonhaechon shabu shabu restaurant in Jeju City. I did try the braised saury and mackerel, dried haddock soup and the acorn jelly, as I often see the Koreans eat them on TV.
Koreans love to hike. You can say that it's their national favourite pastime, like playing badminton or soccer is for us. As I went to Jeju, I forgot about this, and suddenly I found myself hiking like a Korean (I normally avoid hiking like the plague, and this, my running groupmates know very well) going 산에 타요. It was actually very interesting, really, if only I had prepared myself for it. We went exploring the Manjanggul Lava Cave, and I had a hard time to walk as the ground was uneven because of the hardened lava. It was dark, as well, as conservationists do not want further corrosion or ecological damage to occur due to lighting.
We went to Seopjikoji as well, hoping to see haenyo 해녀 performing a dance and then dive into the sea, but the waves were high, and so we had to settle for the sight of them selling their catch.
Next, we went to a folk cultural village called Seongup Folk Village, and despite not being in the itinerary, I persuaded the tour guide to talk to a hanbok rental tauke, and voila'
I think the highlight of my tour is this, I've been to Korea 3 times, and this was my first time trying out a hanbok. So exciting!
We also walked into a cedar forest, and this was what i envisioned my Jeju tour to be.
We even went tangerine picking (which was in season) afterwards. Such joy!
We went to 2 other places - a waterfall and a clif which reminded me of Game of Thrones - all in the rain!
And we went to the teddy bear museum, and as I just finished watching 궁 drama, I was ecstatic to see the teddy bears in their likeness
Jeju-do is a nice place for a visit especially if you are a nature lover and love hiking. It is a beautiful island, with beautiful people who are thrilled when they hear you speak their language albeit a handful phrases.
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