All posts tagged: jeju

Jeju Island |Home of the Random Museums|

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I’m not exaggerating to say that Jeju Island has the wackiest, strangest, most random museums bunched together in one place in the whole, entire world. It seems to entice people to visit this once isolated, tropical island was to pop up some wierdo museum in hopes of squeezing tourists out of their money and away from the beaches. I really don’t get it. I know Koreans aren’t one for sunbathing but these museums have nothing to do with the island. The only reason I agreed to go to so many was mainly because it was either raining or I thought it would be a nice respite from the heat. Not that I didn’t have fun. I had fun. I just would have preferred some of their more relative museums like the O’Sollac Tea Museum, The Jeju Chocolate Museum, the Botanical Gardens or an art museum. But, my friend likes wacky, so we did wacky. Life is about compromise, right?

Iho Teu Beach | Jeju Island| 이호테우

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Our one and only real day on the beach in Jeju was worth the trip for the relaxation, cold beer and beach umbrellas to ensure I didn’t get a smidge of sunburn. This is the closest beach to Jeju-si and was about a 15 minute cab ride from where we were staying. Cabs are running in and out of the place so we didn’t have a problem getting one back either. The view is simply ocean and the beach is hot, grey sand. The surrounding neighborhood isn’t anything to write home about so don’t plan to eat there…unless you’re like us and plan to make it a CS25 lunch kind of day.  Which isn’t all that bad when you think about it. For more information and directions check out this description here: Jeju Mandarins We also got the additional benefit of being there while some Hanyeo, dressed in traditional clothing, were filmed doing some sort of demonstration. It made for a great experience!

|Jeju Island’s| Cheonjeyon Waterfall

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The Cheonjeyon Waterfalls are a beautiful, cool oasis on a hot Jeju afternoon. It’s an interesting walk to get there. You must cross the Seven Nymphs Bridge, Chilseonyeogyo (칠선녀교), which connects the Jungmun Complex to the waterfalls.  The bridge represents a folk tale in whcih seven beautiful nymphs descend from heaven each holding their own instrument. I don’t know what they do once they get there but they all stand and look pretty on a bridge now. The bridge also goes by the name Seonim.

Makgeolli + Pajeon |Korean Night!|

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I brought home some Jeju mandarin orange Makgeolli from my vacation and knew I wanted to share it with my fellow foodie friend Phil. (Woah, so many “f” sounds…) Makgeolli is not something I normally drink and I have rarely found one I liked.  It’s a Korean rice wine, originally considered a farmer’s drink,  made from mixing the rice with a fermentation starter. It has a milky color and sometimes has the taste of licking an Asian grocery store floor. Seriously. Sometimes its really bad. But, I went ahead and bought this one after the clerk in Jeju said it was very delicious. Traditionally with makgeolli you eat a Korean pancake called pajeon. Jeon means pancake. I wanted to make it, not buy it, but I cheated a bit. I used a premade mix from the store and only had to add water and the vegetables. I feel like I looked off my friend’s math test and only got a C grade…the mix wasn’t that great and it was so puffy for some reason. Next time …

Jusangjeolli Cliff | Jeju Island | 주상절리

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Cliffs formed by lava and viewing spots with picturesque oceanscapes…lols… makes Jusaangjolli Cliff a real nice spot to stop on by.  It’s a big tourist destination and it costs 2,000 won to enter. But you will get more than that in beautiful pictures, it’s pretty impressive. You may even be lucky enough to run into one of the famous diving women called Hanyeo, like we did. She was busy slicing and dicing some super fresh abalone. It was pretty amazing to see.  And its a sight that might not be available in the future as culture changes and the average age of these amazing women grows. From the Jeju Weekly:  Hanyeo, called the mothers of the sea, can holds their breath without any equipment and collect marine creatures such as abalone and top shells to sell and feed her family. Hanyeo dive without any equipment for more than 3 minutes. Many people think that the Hanyeo have their own special technique to hold their breath. But it’s not true. Hanyeo have been able to hold their breath for long time due …

Yakcheonsa Temple |Jeju Island| 약천사

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This is not an old place, it was built in the 1990s. However, the beauty of this temple is unmatched by any that I’ve seen.  It’s also huge. The largest in Jeju boasting a view of orange trees and the ocean. It’s gorgeous and serene. A definite must if you visit the island. It’s located in the Jungmun Resort area. Directions and information found: Here Admission is free. There are many pictures here but I have even more on Flickr!  Crystal’s Flickr Page I was mocked  endlessly for this pose. It was a bit rainy and deserted the day we came. Such a perfect combination to see a temple.

Shesokak |Jeju Island|

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This will be the first in a series of posts on my latest vacation: Jeju Island, Korea. Yay! Shesokak isn’t exactly a river, but it’s as beautiful as one and acts as a gorgeous entryway to the ocean off the black sanded coast of Jeju. Located in the southern area, near Seogwipo-si, this beach boasts smooth, flat rocks, lighthouses, green water and hot, black sand. This isn’t a place for swimming but you can go paddling in the small area of Shesokak in clear canoes, paddle boats or a large pontoon boat (from 5-10,000 won). We were there early and the wait did not seem too bad but I hear it gets quite crowded. Although we didn’t paddle or canoe, the scenery made the trip worthwhile. The walk down the “river” is green and lush.  While the beach looks very tropical, of course, with the palm trees, the land surrounding Shesokak is like a thick forest. It’s an interesting contrast and makes for beautiful pictures. You can see more pictures on my Flickr Page.  Shesokak, Jeju-do …

|Jeju Island’s| Famous Black Pork

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Ahh, my glorious trip to Jeju Island. Let’s begin where we will all be happy…the pork, Heuk dwaeji. In recent months, I’ve really tried to cut back on my meat intake at home, I rarely ever have it now. I like to save my protein for when it really counts, and this pork really counts. Heuk dwaeji is  a delicacy of the island and you can generally only find it here or some select specialty restaurants on the mainland. The pork is from a small, domesticated black pig. The meat is flavored by smoking it with hay before its ever cooked. The pieces are tender, buttery and full of fat. It makes for unbelievably delicious bite after bite. You don’t ever want it to end. As 1/3 of our party is allergic/had a traumatic experience with fish and seafood this was the only Jeju specialty we were able to eat on our vacation. Not that I’m complaining (that much). This meal was not at the most famous restaurant located in Jeju City, but a smaller …

Dreaming of Jeju |2010|

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In two days I’m heading to Jeju Island for summer vacation. It has been four years since I’ve been and the first visit, while relaxing and fun,  was in December and quite cold, windy and rainy. It was still beautiful and picturesque but I am looking forward to seeing the tropical isle during the warmest days of the year. To get myself into a cleaning/packing mood I decided to have a look at old pictures, dust them off and post them. I am looking forward to seafood, sunshine, touring, beaches and…probably…crazy crowds. |Jeju| A volcanic island off the south coast of Korea has been called the, “Hawaii of South Korea.”  I assume its only called that because more people know of Hawaii than Jeju but it seems like a silly moniker.  Sure they are both volcanic and tropical…but Jeju is still distinct. Jeju sets itself apart from the rest of Korea by culture and language since it has been isolated from the mainland for the most part. One of the most interesting aspects of Jeju is …