Welcome to Jeju Island! (Pt. 1)

Ahhhh, island life! What a much needed respite from the hagwon humdrum.

Jeju International Airport

After a week of kicking in Seoul with Laura, who graciously traveled halfway across the world to come check out life in the Hermit Kingdom, we decided it was about time to get a change of scenery. Enough with the high rises and scooter delivery boys hauling around metal lunch cases. Bring on the beach, we want fun in the sun!

With Joseph's help, Laura was able to book us two tickets on Jeju Air to the island of the same name, lying just south of the mainland peninsula. While other carriers offer flights to Jeju, most through Seoul's fading Gimpo International Airport, Jeju Air offers by far the best deal. Seeing as how the flights are only an hour it's hard to understand why someone would pay double for a ticket just to fly on a 'reputable' carrier. The only issue is that as of yet, their website, www.jejuair.net , is still only in Korean, so, you'll likely need a friend to help you book the tix.

By taking a week off we were able to travel Monday through Friday which not only beat the hoards of Korean travelers who book it down to Jeju every weekend but also save on mid-week hotel specials. . .sweet deal! This I would highly recommend doing as apparently the island literally becomes overrun every Saturday and Sunday as busy Seoulites take to the sky to escape their shared fate of Monday's impending doom.

Monday morning we grabbed bagels for the road and hopped on the subway towards Gimpo. Apparently there's an airport bus we could have grabbed not too far away but our early afternoon flight left us plenty of time to just cruise the rails, and that we did.

Once at Gimpo (two stops from the end of purple Line 5), we simply followed the orange signs to Jeju Air. Check in took no more than a minute or two and no passports are needed as it's a domestic flight. Though don't forget your drivers license or some form of ID at least. With an hour to spare we were easily checked in and ready to rock well ahead of time. Security at Gimpo is also a breeze as no one makes you take off your shoes, dump out your shampoo or touch your toes.

I did get a kick out of the clear trashcans however. Remember, the reason Seoul lacks such receptacles is because once upon a time a bomb (or supposed bomb) was placed in one. Hence, ever since then, garbage cans have been viewed as a threat to public safety. Go figure.

Follow the Orange to Jeju Air

Hoping aboard our little twin prop 15 minutes prior to departure, we were soon bound for clear skies and smooth sailing, or, flying.

All Aboard for Jeju

As we headed out over the South (or East China) Sea the clouds dispersed and we were offered our first view of the world below. Not long after, the giant peak of Mt. Halla came in to view, marking our soon arrival on Jeju.

Hallasan from the Sky

We left in the rain and landed in the sun. It's hard to ask for more than that on vacation!

Welcome to Jeju!

We quickly gathered our luggage (only one bag between the two of us, not bad) first off the belt and headed towards the rental car kiosks. After checking prices with a couple it became evident that operating in such close proximity have forced a price equilibrium and that no bargains were to be had. While I've heard of the possibility of picking up a car from someone outside the terminal, I can't recommend or advise on doing so.

Deciding to go with Avis, simply because it's a known company and they (almost) spoke English, we were able to secure the hottest little compact on the lot for about 45,000 won a day, plus insurance (no tax?). We were given a reservation number and told to catch the Avis bus outside of Gate 4. A short ride later we jumped off the bus ahead of everyone else and were lead almost immediately to our new home for the week, a stylish yet sophisticated Hyundai Avante: leather seats and navigation system included at, well, no extra charge!

Kicking it in the Avante

With a little help from a kind Avis representative we plugged the nearest beach in to the Navi and headed out on our own. Well Navi pretended to know English by offering the option 'Search' this in fact turned out to be a lie as she clearly spoke, and understood only Korean. Luckily, while I'm far from understanding Korean, I am literate in the Hangeul alphabet and thus was able to successfully manage a Navigation system in another language for a whole week. To make things easier, LP Korea offers the names of most places in Hangeul and English so to find your destination, simply copy the characters from the book into the Navi. Sure, it might take a couple minutes but it's worth it in the end!

Perhaps the best part of our little companion is that traffic speed in Korea is monitored not by police but by cameras at specific checkpoints. Here is where Navi comes in handy as she is already programmed to know the exact location and limit of all these 'speed traps.' Thus, as long as you pay attention to her when she starts to ding, one never needs to worry about a speeding ticket. Simply pass through the checkpoint below the posted speed and then gun it out the other side as fast as you want, it's the Korean way!

The Washington Monument, Korea Style

Heading east out of Jeju-si we tried to stick to the 'coastal road' as much as possible. While Highway 1132 (all roads are very well marked) does a straight shot around the island, the small coastal roads that shoot off towards the water are markedly more interesting and well worth the slower speeds. Though the later isn't even a given as the 'checkpoints' are primarily only found on the highways.

While we hit the road with a rough itinerary in mind, we needn't have planned even the minimal amount that we did as the English maps that one can pick up at the airport are incredibly detailed and show not only every road on the island but also any possible attraction that one might be searching for.

Our first stop was at Hamdeok Beach, known for 'its sand, water quality, safety, sights, and the kindness of the local people.' Here was hopped out and enjoyed a walk along the nearly deserted white sand beach. The seaside restaurant seemed open but without a patron in sight. In fact, the only other person we encountered was a solo Korean traveler who identified himself as Paul and took the below picture for us! Thanks Paul!

Across Hamdeok Bay

The White Sands of Hamdeok Beach

Before heading back to the car we popped a squat outside a GS25 to munch down some snacks and purchase a two litre of Jeju's famous Samdasoo bottled water. Refueled we again took to the road, this time without a given destination though east was our general direction. It's a shame the carnival at Hamdeok beach wasn't open but then again, it might be a good thing that it wasn't!

Carni Time!

All along the coastal roads we were treated to the sight of the many haenyo returning home, still dripping in their wetsuits. For over a century, these female divers have been feeding not only their families but the island itself by hand picking the many treasures that the South Sea has to offer. Their lifestyle is both impressive and admirable as they literally fight the elements each and everyday to sustain both themselves and the traditions that they represent. Dive on ladies!

While we didn't end up with any snapshots of these brave women, I think it might be for the better as it's now up to you to get yourself to Jeju if you want to witness these remarkable legends. Below is just a taste of the many sea-crops that they harvest each day and lay out to dry along the almost deserted coastal road.

Sea-Crops?

As we rounded the north-east corner of the island the sun began to drop quickly over the horizon, signaling to us that it was time to head in for the night. We had Navi point us in the direction of Seongsan-ri and took off for this narrow peninsula jutting off the eastern coast like a coathanger.

Hold on

Along the way we poked our heads into a few roadside hotels to inquire about price. While one that we stopped at with two story rooms that over looked the sea seemed prefect, it predictably fell a tad outside of our price range. Oh well! Guided by our trusty LP Korea we eventually made it to Seongsanpo Village where we landed a room for 30,000. Not a bad deal for a balcony, kitchenette, two bedrooms, tv and computer. It's a shame that the batteries in the aircon remote were so corroded that it didn't turn on but, hey, sometimes you just have to live with a sea breeze!

Windfarm at sunset

After settling in we headed out to the small strip to grab a bite to eat. As our only options were Korean bbq (samgyeopsal) or raw fish (hwae), we decided to go with the more recognizable former. What a treat it turned out to be as the acclaimed Jeju black pig tastes remarkably like, well, pretty much like it's main land counterpart. Which is to say of course that its always delicious and ever fun to eat as you get to cook your own on an indoor mini-grill. Sidedishes of course are a standard and, as my experience has it, the further you are from Seoul, the better they get!

Dwaechi-galbi

It was early to bed as after a day of traveling we still somewhat carried (false) hopes of rising early enough to catch the sunrise from the nearby Seongsan Ilchulbong, or Sunrise Peak!

Bring on day two!