Korea Trip Day 6 (09/06/2014) - Jeju

We had free breakfast at the lounge of Forest Hostel at the basement level. They had coffee/tea, bread and also an electric stove. There were some other tourists there and from their accent we could tell that they were from Hong Kong and Malaysia. We also knew a guy from China and he was about to depart to another hostel at Seogwipo. The lounge was cozy. We had a couple of bread spread with jam to go along with coffee and off we go to meet the taxi driver who we had arranged a day tour with. However, the driver who greeted us was another driver. He said he was yesterday's driver's friend. To convince us, he called his friend and we talked to him. We agreed to let his friend drive us since he couldn't make it. The driver's name was Mr Yang. We had a short discussion on our schedule and he added a few more destinations like "Yong Du An", "San Bang San", Osulloc Tea Farm, Glass Castle and Mount Halla. We will be touring from the northern part of Jeju and make a loop around the western part of the island.

We started off with Yong Du An (Yong Du is dragon head) along the shores. Mr. Yang parked his taxi and asked us to walk on the rocks until we are in front of the dragon head rock. He was kinda rush and asked us for our smartphones to take photo for us. He was really helpful but we thought that we could have given us more time to sight see. We then went to a beach, I forgot the name but it was nearby. Very few people there and we just took some photos and left.

Yong Du An (Dragon Head Rock)

After that, we visited Osulloc Tea Farm. The sight was beautiful and so relaxing. There's a tea cafe/museum where they sell teas and also allowed us for free testings. I tried the tea with tangerine seeds. It was awesome so I bought one pack for mum they all to try. We also saw this really pretty girl who works there. I asked her for a group selfie together. She is Korean but she can speak Mandarin. She asked "是自拍吗？我喜欢自拍”. Till today, her sweet voice still rings in my head.

Osulloc Tea Farm

Then we went to a couple of theme parks, Glass Castle and So In Guk (小人国). The glass castle was full with art works made from glass by various glass artists. Some were really beautiful. We wanted to go for the glass making class but the we missed the glass making schedule. It was not very fun there. We had lunch at So In Guk theme park. It was a Korean Buffet with many buffet dishes and soup. The driver expected us to pay for him but we didn't know about that until we have gone in. The food was great and unlimited supply including meat. We had a really sumptuous and filling lunch buffet there before entering the theme park. The theme park was basically scaled-down monuments from all over the world. We even found a mosque from Malaysia but had no idea it was from Malaysia. There was also a mini train and we took a ride. But it went for two rounds which was quite puzzling. Anyway, the park was not very well maintained, and more suitable for kids i guess. It certainly wasn't the highlight of that day.

The highlight of the day was our next destination - San Bang San. The shape of the mountain was unique with a temple at the foot of the mountain. On the mountain there was a hotspring but we didn't go there. Instead we went to a rock-cave opposite the mountain. The view was breathtaking. I was awestruck by the beauty of it. Sea waves flapping on the rocks. We spent a good two hours there I think, just walking about, embracing the works of mother nature. I will recommend this place to anyone who is visiting Jeju.

Breathtaking views at San Bang San 

by then it was already around 5pm. We then proceeded to Cheonjeyeon Falls. Mr. Yang asked us to "Pali pali" which means hurry and only gave us 25 minutes. There were three falls in Cheonjeyeon fall. We went to the second fall and the site was so beautiful. The water was so clean. The photo of the fall looked as if it was being photoshopped. We also crossed the "Seonimgyo Bridge" (Seven Nymph Bridge) to get to the falls. After that we went to Jusangjari, a famous tourist spot in Jeju. At the site, there were numerous lava tubes sticking out from the shores. The rock formation was very unique. But we didn't spend much time there. I think if you are interested in geology, you might find Jusangjari very interesting.

2nd fall of Cheonjeyeon Falls

After Jusangjari, we headed back north to our hostel through Mount Halla or Hallasan. The road was winding and steep and Mr. Yang sped through the mountain roads like Initial D. By the time we reach near the peak Mr. Yang stopped and asked us to explore the mini garden there. It was super cold as we were at about 1100m above sea level. We spotted many unique plants there and also a lonely deer. Then, we continued down hill due north. Before we reach the hostel, we passed by the Mysterious Road. It was the Mysterious Road that we couldn't find yesterday. Mr. Yang turned off the engine and pushed the gear into "N" and let the breaks go while we were uphill. Miraculously, the car slides forward slowly. It was as if we were at an anti-gravity mode. We also saw a couple of tour buses moved slowly uphill beside us. It was amazing.

By 7pm, Mr. Yang sent us back to Forest Hostel and we paid him 120000KRW. But we told him that the next day we would like to explore Jeju on our own. One reason being we wanted to experience bus services in Jeju (which was notoriously difficult) but also today was kinda rush. That being said, we wouldn't have managed to visit so many places if Mr. Yang hadn't rush us. He tried to convince us to engage him again the next day but we already made up our mind.

That night, we had dinner at a famous BBQ restaurant near Forest Hostel. It was delicious and the restaurant owner, an aunty even taught us the method to eat Korean BBQ. It was the second of our three BBQ meals in Korea (one each at Seoul, Jeju and Busan). Then we explored around the town. There were many shops around there but most of them were closed after 9pm unlike Seoul which was still vibrant at night. Shi Keat and Quan Yen wanted to play the Tagada at the fun fair but strangely that night no one was playing. Those who came played the pirate ship and bumper car. We decided to play the next night.

It was a fun and tiring day today. We couldn't believe that we managed to communicate with Mr. Yang with our broken Korean and sign language. We really thank him for being a good day tour guide for us today. It was a wonderful experience. The next day we will be exploring Jeju with a mixture of taxi and bus to save cost. We did some research before dinner and asked the hostel staff. She was really helpful and searched the bus information for us. She even called the tourist information centre to ask for more details. We really met lots of helpful Koreans during the course of our trip. That night, we played Dai Dee in our room while having some Hallabong. Can't wait for the next day to arrive as we will be visiting the two most famous places in Jeju.