Jeju Island Tour - Day 1

I guess sleeping in will have to wait until school starts up again.   Our kids continue to awake pretty early and they are exhausted by mid-morning.  This has led to some untimely naps and less than pleasant behavior, but overall they're doing really well considering the massive time change and our fairly active schedule.

Our new home in the Jungmun Resort Area

Today was no different as Ian and Cami were both up early.  We went into our hotel's lobby and used the free computers for a bit so Dana and Ben could continue sleeping.  After everyone got up and going, we had our breakfast.  The hotel included a light breakfast of orange juice, tea/coffee, cereal and toast.  Not quite what we had been spoiled with at the Hilton Millennium Seoul, but something to start off our day.

When we planned our trip to Jeju, we were attracted by the natural beauty and the milder weather since our travels to Korea always seem to happen in the cold, winter months.  So, we were a bit disappointed to hear that the weather in Jeju has been colder than normal as of late, while Madison, WI is way above normal. Today's Jeju forecast calls for highs around 50 with a chance of rain.

Jusangjeolli Cliffs - columnar lava in the background

A little after 9:30am, we loaded into the van with four other hotel guests and started our tour.  The weather was a damp and breezy 40 degrees and we encountered a bit of rain on our drive.  The first stop was the Jungmun Daepo coastline where we saw this amazing columnar lava rock called the Jusangjeolli Cliffs.  Jeju was formed by volcanic activity and in this area, the lava cooled in these polygon-shaped tubes.  It almost looks engineered, and then you realize it was designed by the Master Engineer.

Ben on rocks of Dragon's Head

Ben standing next to a Dol hareubang

Our next stop was Dragon's Head on the Yongeori Coast.  The rock formation, again cooled lava, that juts into the sea looks a bit like a dragon laying down if you look at it from up high.  The drive to this area put Cami and Ian to sleep, so Ben and I ventured out on the rocks while Dana stayed behind with the kids.  On the way down to the rocks, I had Ben pose for a picture next to the Dol hareubang, which are all over the island.  Dol hareubang translates as "stone grandfather", but they are supposed to be protectors or guardians.  You'll find these statues all over Jeju in driveways, stores, tourist sites, and especially tourist shops and they are almost always made of the island's volcanic rock. 

While at Dragon's Head, Ben enjoyed climbing the rocks and watching the waves crash into the shore.  As we were returning to the van, Cami and Ian woke up so they got to see the view from the higher roadside.

Driving east, we went into the city of Seogwipo to the Cheonjiyeon Waerfall.  By this time the weather had shifted and it was warming nicely and the sun was even peaking through at times.  The kids enjoyed walking on the path to the waterfall and even took off their jackets for a while.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

"Stone Grandfathers" or Dol hareubang at Cheonjiyeon Waterfall area

After the waterfall, we went to lunch.  Cami and Ian ordered Gimbap, Dana ordered a dumpling soup, Ben ordered a spicy vegetable and meat soup, and I had a bibibap variant with spicy rice and pork. 
During lunch, rain started to fall again, but it stopped on the way to our next stop at the bridge.  This coastal bridge connects to the small island of Saesom.  We walked across the bridge and around the island and took in some gorgeous seaside views.  We saw a naturally shaped heart shaped pond - the perfect spot for lovers.  By the time we had finished our walk around the island, the wind had picked up and it was starting to rain.  Just in time to jump in the van for a ride to our next destiation - a green tea plantation partway up Mt. Hallasan, the extinct volcano in the center of Jeju responsible for much of the island. 

Ian at Samseon Bridge

Naturally heart shaped pond on Samseon Island

Tea Time!

When we arrived at the plantation, it was still lightly raining so we went inside and sipped some freshly brewed green tea.  As we sipped our tea, the sun came out and we went outside to the green tea maze which was harder than it looked.  After a casual start and a few wrong turns, we heard thunder nearby and getting out of the maze became more urgent.  Everyone made it out just fine and mostly dry.  Our big purchase at this stop was some green tea cookies which we later determined were basically a fairly dry, green colored sugar cookie.  It wasn't bad, but nothing that I'm planning to buy again.

Green tea plantation - a-maze-ing

Green tea cookies - not that great.

Then it was back to the hotel.  Instead of getting a ride into town that night, we decided to stay at the hotel and order a pizza.  So, pizza isn't exactly Korean cuisine, but we did try a bulgogi pizza which we all enjoyed.  We did some laundry before heading to bed so we'd be rested for our second day of touring Jeju.  When asked about how they'd rate Jeju on a scale of one to ten, the answers ranged from 9.5 to 100.

Wow - Bulgogi Pizza!