being here for 3 years now, I finally found time to go to Jeju Island. initially, I really wonder what’s so great about this place. people talk to me about it and I have no clue how it is like nor what the attractions and cities are called.

so a little bit about Jeju would be that this island, which I guess should be even bigger than Singapore is a volcanic island. and no, the volcano isn’t dead. plus, the reason the whole island is filled with black stones is because long long time ago, the volcano erupted and all the black stones are.. yes, lava. chances are we wouldn’t live to see the next eruption but still, come here when you can!

Jeju is so huge that travelling from side to another takes more than 2 hours. and it is divided into two sections, Jeju(제주시) and Seogwipo (서귀포시). it’s pretty weird how Jeju is longer horizontally and the island is divided by a horizontal line as well.

so what’s famous here? nature. Jeju-do (do = island) is itself a natural world heritage site, making it a must-visit for many foreigners. it is famous for it’s black porous stones (you can also buy it and use it as scrub haha) and the awesome weather. the same sunny weather in Jeju is two times prettier than the sunny weather in Seoul. I don’t know why either. and the air.. it’s just so fresh.

DAY 1: since I only had 2 long days (sucks to be a student haha) to spend here, I prioritized the places I want to go to the most. I actually went to almost all the places I wanted to go to.

in case you were wondering, here’s the list of places I wanted to go to.

1. 만장궁 Manjanggul
2. 주상절리 Jusangjeolli
3. 한라산 Hallasan
4. 천지연 (천제연 추천) Cheonjiyeon (but it was boring please go to Cheonjeyeon instead heard it’s much better!)
5. 제주소인국 Jeju Mini Land/Jeju Soingook
6. 성산일출봉 Seongsan Ilchulbong
7. Loveland
8. 함덕바다 Hamdeok Beach
9. 도깨비도로 Magic Road

and I made it to 8,6,9 (in sequence) on the first day. I didn’t get to go to Loveland since I thought it wasn’t that appropriate. maybe if I have a big bunch of friends or if I go there with my boyfriend it’ll be fine. I also didn’t have time to visit Jeju Mini Land because I had plans to meet my friends whom are studying in Jeju University.

on the second day, I went to 1,4,2,3 on the second. but in my opinion, you should definitely put 1 (manjanggul) into the first day before no 9 if you start early. this will save you a lot of time on the second day and generate much more time and visiting one or two more sites would be possible. =).)I really wished I had more time. there are actually a list of NOMNOMS I would like to try, like the famous carrot cake shop and the peanut ice cream. other places I really wanted to go to was the famous church there, a bunch of museums (teddy bear, Davinci, Osulloc park which is not a museum ahah. but those places are best to go with a boyfriend), Marado (island) and that island next to Seongsan-ilchulbong.

so my first day, I was greeted with the Haru-bang of baggages haha.

I like the shortcut of the International world. makes Jeju more prominent. smart.

a Haru-bang with a hole in the middle. D=.

it feels like.. I’m in Hawaii. super pretty. you WON’T see trees like these anywhere in Seoul or the main part of Korea. it’s just too cold in winter to grow trees like these there I guess.

the whole place feels so tropical. so the best way to travel around in Jeju Island is.. rent-a-car. I know, it’ll sound risky. but as long as you learn how to read and write Korean (believe me it isn’t that difficult!) renting a car isn’t so bad. it’s the cheapest option too. but of course, if you’re a super foreign foreigner you should consider hiring a taxi which will cost 150,000won (I heard it was 150,000won a few years ago now it might be around 200,000won. heard from a friend his cab costs 200k now =S.) and above. so make sure you fill up the whole cab! hence travelling with 4 people will be the best! it will only take you around from 9-6pm on a usual basis so.. to have more freedom, renting a car would be the best. provided if you have international license!

and the last option is to travel around by bus. but it will cost you a lot of time since travelling from one place to another is.. very very far. there are no subways in the island either =S.

so what did I do? I travelled around with a rented car of course. heh.

FIRST STOP: HAMDEOK BEACH.

there’s actually nothing much to do here. but.. it is super pretty.

there’s a restaurant here though.

we made a short stop here but the view was so breath-taking this have to be my top recommendation of attraction.

crystal-clear water.

absolutely love it. =3.

the whole island is decorated with Haru-bangs, Haru-bangs 하루방 are the icon of the island. apparently they are shaped like a.. male ahem because they are supposed to be “pregnancy” sculptures. it is actually a grandpa. haha.

very pretty no?

those black volcanic stones brings out the beauty of the sea in my opinion. these black stones SHOULD be one of the reason why you should travel to Jeju really.

oh hello =D.

and more beautiful picture spams

ehehehe. couldn’t pick my favourite, so I posted them all!

and pictures from my compact camera. no matter what camera, it look amazing.

<3.

this should be the beach in Jeju with one of the BLUEST seas. hence, you should really put Hamdeok beach on your list =).

that light blue seaaaaaaa <3.

although small, I am very satisfied with this spot.

and one last picture to lure you to Jeju’s Hamdeok beach =3.