For the week of midterms (October 19-23), we only had midterms scheduled on the first two days of the week and decided to go to Jeju for the remainder of the week because: 1. It would be a girls' trip, 2. We found very affordable airfare, and 3. IT'S JEJU. Before going, we actually tried to plan more and ask for others' suggestions to create a rough sketch of an itinerary.
Diane booked the Airbnb two weeks before flying out because it gets more stressful the more last minute we were on deciding on a place. The guesthouse was located in Seogwipo, which was about 40-50 minutes away from Jeju airport. When we landed, we made the mistake of getting into a black taxi because these taxis charge higher fares. Never, ever take a black taxi! We reached our place around 9 pm and the owner (really nice lady) greeted us and explained housekeeping. She also showed us a suggested itinerary that other guests have used which included directions and costs of transportation (by bus). Hunger got to us, so we walked about five minutes with the directions from our host to a small restaurant who had the nicest ajumma/halmoni (grandmother). She helped us decide what to eat and told us about her grandson who lived in England.
Day 1: Climbing the tallest mountain in Korea sounded like something we couldn't miss out on. We woke up around 7:30 am for homemade breakfast and she helped us figure out the bus routes to the tourist information center for our trail. http://www.hallasan.go.kr/english/?sso=ok We used this to decide on the shortest trail, Yeongsil Trail. The bus schedules were pretty fragmented especially buses to the info center. We made it to the center around 10:30 am. It was a 2.5 km walk to the start of the trail and then about 6 km to the top (not the summit). This was honestly, the prettiest hike I had ever done. The weather was perfect and the foliage was beautiful. Along the way, we had some friendly encounters with locals as well as foreigners. We met a group of four guys from California who were on a "bro trip" at the rest stop and we finished hiking the mountain together. When we reached the end of the trail, we were not sure if we could continue to the summit since someone mentioned it being closed off (but we could have actually made it to the top ):) and we were hesitant on taking the same trail back. So instead, we went down the mountain via Donnaeko Trail. In total, we hiked for approximately 16 km, legs and knees and ankles were very weak after. But we replenished our bodies with energy by feasting on yummy 흑돼지, black pig! We were lucky because we got into a taxi with a very helpful driver who told us that our original location was for tourists and a little pricey. He took us to 새섬갈비, really tasty and our server was actually from Malaysia.
Day 2: Another early morning started with a yummy breakfast. While eating, we looked at the map and decided on the places we could go and the order to minimize travel time/costs. First, we went to the Osulloc Museum which is famous for its green tea desserts. I am not a big fan of green tea flavored desserts, but I did try the roll cake and ice cream! The fields of tea plants and Innisfree store were definitely great for getting souvenirs and pictures. We caught a taxi to the Manjanggul Caves where the world's largest lava tube was located. We had lunch first where I decided that my favorite Korean dish was 비빔밥 (bibimbap). It was chilly inside, but a great tourist spot. We walked through the caves and took pictures of intriguing darkness. After the caves, we walked across to the Kimyoung Maze Park which took about 12-15 minutes. We actually ran into our Consumer Behavior professor and his wife and daughter. They had just arrived at the park and were preparing to go into the maze. He was really cool and bought all of us soft serve. Before starting the maze, we decided that we would not rely on the map....probably not the best idea because it led to us retreating and calling it a day after finding 2/6 of the designated stops. We walked out and decided we wouldn't be able to make it to Seopjikoji so we chose to find some food. Our next destination was "Noodle Street", an area of famous noodle places in Jeju City. With the help of a kind tour guide, he directed us to the bus stop and which stop to get off at. We found a restaurant that served quite possibly, my favorite meal from the whole trip, 비빔국수 (bibimguksu), spicy mixed noodles. It also came with slices of marinated pork, so good. It was the perfect meal to end the night.
Transportation: THIS IS IMPORTANT. If possible, get an IDP (International Driver's Permit) so you are able to rent out a car. Otherwise, the only way around is by bus and taxi which isn't too bad, but it is harder to coordinate an itinerary around the bus schedule. Taxis are convenient as long as you speak intermediate or some Korean.
Housing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3980466 Our host was very sweet and cooked us breakfast everyday. On our last day, we only had enough time to eat breakfast and check out the beach (5 minute walking distance) for a bit before we had to head to the airport. She called us a taxi for the airport and it would only cost us 20,000 KRW whereas we paid 36,000 KRW from the airport to the guesthouse. Side note, our taxi driver was super friendly!!! He told us that he met his wife, held her hand, hugged her, kissed her, and now they have two kids and are happily married. He tried to get us to talk more too which was not the usual case. Amy and I couldn't really understand, but Jasmine and Diane were pretty good at interpreting. Ended this Jeju trip on a bittersweet note.
Diane booked the Airbnb two weeks before flying out because it gets more stressful the more last minute we were on deciding on a place. The guesthouse was located in Seogwipo, which was about 40-50 minutes away from Jeju airport. When we landed, we made the mistake of getting into a black taxi because these taxis charge higher fares. Never, ever take a black taxi! We reached our place around 9 pm and the owner (really nice lady) greeted us and explained housekeeping. She also showed us a suggested itinerary that other guests have used which included directions and costs of transportation (by bus). Hunger got to us, so we walked about five minutes with the directions from our host to a small restaurant who had the nicest ajumma/halmoni (grandmother). She helped us decide what to eat and told us about her grandson who lived in England.
Day 1: Climbing the tallest mountain in Korea sounded like something we couldn't miss out on. We woke up around 7:30 am for homemade breakfast and she helped us figure out the bus routes to the tourist information center for our trail. http://www.hallasan.go.kr/english/?sso=ok We used this to decide on the shortest trail, Yeongsil Trail. The bus schedules were pretty fragmented especially buses to the info center. We made it to the center around 10:30 am. It was a 2.5 km walk to the start of the trail and then about 6 km to the top (not the summit). This was honestly, the prettiest hike I had ever done. The weather was perfect and the foliage was beautiful. Along the way, we had some friendly encounters with locals as well as foreigners. We met a group of four guys from California who were on a "bro trip" at the rest stop and we finished hiking the mountain together. When we reached the end of the trail, we were not sure if we could continue to the summit since someone mentioned it being closed off (but we could have actually made it to the top ):) and we were hesitant on taking the same trail back. So instead, we went down the mountain via Donnaeko Trail. In total, we hiked for approximately 16 km, legs and knees and ankles were very weak after. But we replenished our bodies with energy by feasting on yummy 흑돼지, black pig! We were lucky because we got into a taxi with a very helpful driver who told us that our original location was for tourists and a little pricey. He took us to 새섬갈비, really tasty and our server was actually from Malaysia.
Day 2: Another early morning started with a yummy breakfast. While eating, we looked at the map and decided on the places we could go and the order to minimize travel time/costs. First, we went to the Osulloc Museum which is famous for its green tea desserts. I am not a big fan of green tea flavored desserts, but I did try the roll cake and ice cream! The fields of tea plants and Innisfree store were definitely great for getting souvenirs and pictures. We caught a taxi to the Manjanggul Caves where the world's largest lava tube was located. We had lunch first where I decided that my favorite Korean dish was 비빔밥 (bibimbap). It was chilly inside, but a great tourist spot. We walked through the caves and took pictures of intriguing darkness. After the caves, we walked across to the Kimyoung Maze Park which took about 12-15 minutes. We actually ran into our Consumer Behavior professor and his wife and daughter. They had just arrived at the park and were preparing to go into the maze. He was really cool and bought all of us soft serve. Before starting the maze, we decided that we would not rely on the map....probably not the best idea because it led to us retreating and calling it a day after finding 2/6 of the designated stops. We walked out and decided we wouldn't be able to make it to Seopjikoji so we chose to find some food. Our next destination was "Noodle Street", an area of famous noodle places in Jeju City. With the help of a kind tour guide, he directed us to the bus stop and which stop to get off at. We found a restaurant that served quite possibly, my favorite meal from the whole trip, 비빔국수 (bibimguksu), spicy mixed noodles. It also came with slices of marinated pork, so good. It was the perfect meal to end the night.
Transportation: THIS IS IMPORTANT. If possible, get an IDP (International Driver's Permit) so you are able to rent out a car. Otherwise, the only way around is by bus and taxi which isn't too bad, but it is harder to coordinate an itinerary around the bus schedule. Taxis are convenient as long as you speak intermediate or some Korean.
Housing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3980466 Our host was very sweet and cooked us breakfast everyday. On our last day, we only had enough time to eat breakfast and check out the beach (5 minute walking distance) for a bit before we had to head to the airport. She called us a taxi for the airport and it would only cost us 20,000 KRW whereas we paid 36,000 KRW from the airport to the guesthouse. Side note, our taxi driver was super friendly!!! He told us that he met his wife, held her hand, hugged her, kissed her, and now they have two kids and are happily married. He tried to get us to talk more too which was not the usual case. Amy and I couldn't really understand, but Jasmine and Diane were pretty good at interpreting. Ended this Jeju trip on a bittersweet note.