Sightseeing around Jeju

The day tours around Jeju island are normally packaged into two options. Tourists could choose either to spend the day at the east area or the west area of the island. Our group opted for the east area tour, as it covered most of the major attractions we've been planning to see. It's okay to pick and choose your itinerary items as long as those are in the chosen routes and within the 8-hour time limit. Surcharges apply on extended tour duration. 

We didn't manage to secure an English-speaking driver to guide us through the  tour. Amazingly, we got through the communication barrier with little English mixed with bits of Korean...I laughed at myself thinking about the sentences that I tried to construct while talking to the ahjussi. No, it wasn't that awkward..I think. It's remarkable how all of us and the driver got through the day. 

Manjanggul (Manjang Cave) 

Our first destination was the Manjanggul Lava Tube, known as one of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. It's a 7.4km-long lava tube, one of the largest in the world. Inside, there was the largest lava column in the world standing at 7.6m high. The temperature in the cave was constant at 13°C throughout the year, and so it was cooler than the outside air in the summer while warmer in the winter. That didn't matter much to us, we were shivering all the same. 


Dark and cold, I initially thought that we're walking through the tube and exiting it at the other end of the tunnel. But nooo! We're walking in to see all those formations and back to where we came from. It's 2km back and forth. Honestly, I kept thinking about the possible exit points should anything happen that day. Err that's the safety conscious in me, but I was glad that I went in there at least once and got the chance to experience this myself.  

My camera shots were limited in quality, so this is the shot-of-shot

Note: Bring your jacket along.
Admission fee: KRW2,000 (Adult), KRW1,000 (Youth 7-18 years old)

Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak)

Next stop was the volcanic crater, another UNESCO World Natural Heritage. It's known as a popular spot to watch the sunrise in Jeju. If you want to catch the sunrise, you've gotta spend the night nearby the area and climb up the hill in the wee hours of the morning. Never mind that, we settled for the morning sunshine. 
And after walking into the cave and back just then, we've got to climb the hill next?! Gosh, what did we sign up for? The cool breeze eased the anxieties we might've felt, and thank god we had a hearty breakfast in the morning. The mesmerising view as we climbed up (steps weren't steep), and the new acquaintances we made along the way more than compensated any tiredness we felt. Moreover, we stopped by every 3 mins for photo sessions so it's not so bad. At the top, we couldn't get the same shots as those in the published photos of Ilchulbong. That's a bit of a letdown.

As we descended, we also got the chance to watch a performance from the haenyeo (women divers) singing before they went off to the sea. Tough grandmas! 
Admission fee: KRW2,000 (Adult), KRW1,000 (Youth 7-18 years old), Cheaper if in a group more than 10 pax


Along the way towards the next destination, we stopped by for an adhoc photo session amongst the stunning yellow flowers ♥♥♥. You wouldn't believe our squeals of delight! Note: The smell of fertiliser was kinda strong. I wonder how much did they put in to get such a beautiful scenery like this! 

Seopjikoji 

Seopjikoji was a cape, and located at a slightly higher altitude too. Well, seemed like it's a leisure workout day, huh :P This place was known for the filming set of the All In drama. There's also a small set of Boys Over Flowers so fans, plenty of drama moods to suit your appetites. Regardless, the scenery of the cape could hold itself pretty well. Wonderful view all around the land, the sky and the sea. We hiked further up to the lighthouse. I bet this was part of some drama scenes as well. 

Admission fees: Only applicable if you want to get into the All In church and BOF cafe set

Jeju Folk Village Museum 
The last destination of the day was the Jeju Folk Village Museum. The area housed many types of villages dated back to the 1890's. It displayed the various socio-economic lifestyles in Korea back then, and how some of the ancient culture and practices live on until today.

Note on kdrama: There were sageuks that I never watched before being filmed here
Admission fees: KRW7,000 (Adult), KRW3,500 (65 and over), KRW4,500 (13-18), KRW3,500 (7-12), less if in a group more than 20 pax


And so that was the end of our day tour with ahjussi. The next time I come to visit, I'd definitely take the chance to visit Seogwipo, the southern city of Jeju. Nearby the city would also be the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. Maybe I'd hike Mount Halla just like Sam Soon did. And maybe, I'd have my Sam Shik there already waiting for me. Okay, this is getting out of hand :P 


Note on kdrama filmed in Jeju: There were just too many! I've mentioned several titles already, there's the all time favourite My Girl, and more recent ones like Secret Garden and Lie to Me.