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Jeju, an island of love and romance Day 1

Jeju, is an island off the southern coast of South Korea. Known as the "Island of Gods", the island is a popular vacation spot for many and also a top choice honeymoon location for many newly weds. Travelling to Jeju ca be a little tiring because there is no direct flight from Singapore and we had to transit from Korea Gimpo Airport. It only took 40mins to fly from Gimpo Airport to Jeju Airport.

Upon our arrival at Jeju Airport, we headed to the car rental counter to hire a car as we intended to explore the island by self-drive. Although we cannot speak a single Korean and neither do the staff know English, we had to communicate by pointing at the pictures of the car and prices shown on the brochures. And so, we were able to hire a car with GPS at a reasonable rate. Soon, we were on our way to our pre-booked motel.
Energetic me, getting excited for my trip ahead
The only Instagramable picture of the motel 
Jeju island is such a beautiful island. Over the years, many hotels and resorts have developed across the island, whether inland or by the seaside. Tourists are spoilt with an array of hotel and resort choices. However, the prices of most of the hotel and resorts by the sea are steep. Nonetheless, it is always important to book your accommodation way in advance as the island is always crowded with pouring tourists from all over the world. I really regretted not booking some of the nicer hotels along the seaside as the views were splendid. Instead, I'm left with no choice but to check in at a motel that is conveniently located in city centre. The only consolation is that the accommodation is cheap , clean and spacious. At just SGD50 a day, the room was also equipped with a PC and provides free Internet connection.

We started the day visiting the museums located at Seogwipo area. Again, all kinds of museums were concentrated at the same area which made visiting so much easier. We visited three museums, the Teddy bear museum, Ripley's museum and Alive Museum. Out of these three, I enjoyed Alive Museum most. There were lots of interesting 3D pictures which made the pictures looked so alive. One can take as many imaginative or creative pictures as you can, only if the museum is not crowded. I thoroughly enjoyed taking silly pictures without pressure since it was not crowded.

 @Teddy Bear Museum 











@Alive Museum 








@Ripley Museum







We spent a full day visiting the three museums. I would recommend Alive museum if you do not have the luxury of time. In fact, the museums are quite big and we felt rush to visit all three in a single day.

Our fast food lunch at Teddy Bear Museum

Jeju is a fabulous place for us to enjoy nature. Some of the must visit places include the famous Seongsan Ilchulbong (one of the UENSCO Hertigae Site), Cheonjeyeon waterfall, Mt Hallasan National Park. 

 1. Seongsan Iichulbong 

 This has got to be the main highlight of the trip in Jeju. The place was windy and hence cooling for us to trek and ascend to the top through countless of steps. Once we reached the top, the view was simply mind-blowing. Up at the very top, you will see the crater of the dormant volcano that was covered with patches of green grasses. I would say the climb was not difficult but definitely not suitable for those with poor stamina. I strongly encouraged you to have a proper meal at one of the many restaurants near the park before you attempt the hike. We had one of the nicest seafood hotpot at one of these restaurants before visiting the park. However, our meal was a little too  sumptuous for 2 people.  











This is the crater of the dormant volcano, doesn't look like one right?





 As we descended from a separate track, we arrived at the famous woman's diver quarter. On designated timing, there will be performance by the woman's diver at the seaside where they will demonstrate their skills in fishing the abalones or seaweed. It was quite a sight and I was pretty amazed with the stamina of these grannies and often wondered if it was scary to dive in the dark black sea that looked so uninviting. Of course, if you wish to savor their freshest catch, you may visit their restaurant. 











I've heard that Seongsan is a perfect place to catch sunrise and hence some tourists would stay at nearby hotels so that they can reach this place as early in the dawn to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunrise. 

 Near Seongsan is yet another famous site for the filming of a Korean Drama - Full House. Although I've never watched that show, the famous little church really caught my attention. It feels so romantic to visit this little red-roof church perched at a cliff by the seaside. Not to mention, there is a walking trail not far from the church along the sea cliff, where the sight is one to behold. See the pictures and you will know what I meant.












 2. Mt Hallasan 

 Mt Hallasan is Korea's highest mountain and there are several hiking trails from the easiest to intermediate and challenging ones. In total, there are 5 hiking trails. Since there is this saying that one has never been to Jeju if he/she has not visited Mt Hallasan, we decided that this is a place not to be missed. 

 We decided to try the Yeongsil trail which was supposedly for the beginners and we thought that should be easy as the map said that once can complete the hike in 2.5 hrs. Holy shit, it was the most challenging hike I ever had. I was breathless halfway and I couldn't made it to the top or complete the route. Nevertheless, the mountain was spectacular, as if I was in a landscape portrait or something. 



 

























If not for the Korean Drama - Kim Sam Soon, I would not have known about Mt Hallasan. And unlike Kim Sam Soon, I did not have the determination to complete my hike. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have climbed this mountain partially with my love one. It was equally romantic!

 On our way back to our motel, the fog came all of a sudden and instantly blinded our vision such that we cannot even see the road ahead. It was quite dangerous and definitely freaked us out. Kudos to my hubby for staying focus and safely drove us back to our motel!





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