Korea Diary | Field Trip to Jeju (Day 3)
Day 3 in Korea was a whirlwind of a day. It marked the end of my pre-school travels, the start of the study abroad experience, and traveling to a whole new city.
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We flagged a taxi in Hongdae early in the morning after leaving our AirBnB studio and headed to Yonsei University. Luckily the taxi driver this time around was much nicer and more patient than the first one we met. Even the random strangers on campus were super nice to help us with our luggages whilst trying to find the correct building. What a lovely start to our morning!
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Once on-boarding and orientation were through, off to Gimpo Airport we went. Since I wasn't placed on the same bus as Bestie C I had the chance to befriend some new faces from all over the world. My bus partner for the field trip was from the U.K. and spoke Cantonese as well (definitely help relieved me some awkwardness).
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I don't remember the exact number but there were a total of 4 tour buses full of us students on the YISS field trip to Jeju. But those tour buses were something else! Usually buses like these have microphones for the guides and the fancy ones have small screens for videos. These buses had a flat screen monitor up front!
Everyone was starving by the time we landed in Jeju. Luckily lunch was the first thing on our itineraries. I think we had kimchi stew (김치찌개 kimchi jjigae) with pork for our meal. Korean's have an interesting idea where they beat (hot weather) heat with heat. I wasn't too sure about the idea then and sweating during the meal isn't my cup of tea. But I guess that's the point? To produce sweat as a natural way to cool the body off.
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OSULLOC Tea Museum (오설록티뮤지엄)
425, Sinhwayeoksa-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주도 서귀포시 안덕면 신화역사로 425
We were taken to the OSULLOC Tea Museum afterwards. It must have been a pretty popular destination at Jeju since tourists were aplenty here. Lines for their cafe and gift items were very long, which did us no favor since we were running on a set schedule. Luckily my new friend and bus partner and I were still able to grab one cup of green tea ice cream to share.
For those that will also be visiting Seoul or probably any other major city in Korea, don't fret! OSULLOC has cafes and shops as well. While the selection isn't as vast, it might not be worth the wait to stand on line in the Jeju museum. Take your time to wonder their museum (inside and out) instead, ENJOY! I wish we were able to spend some more time here since there seemed to be other areas of the museum which I didn't get to see.
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421-1, Songakgwangwang-ro, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주특별자치도 서귀포시 대정읍 송악관광로 421-1
Visiting Songaksan was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the tea museum. There weren't many people. If anything our big group was temporarily disrupting the quietness at the mountain. I enjoyed the hike here. Nothing too difficult and paths were clear. (If only I wasn't lugging around my backpack full of electronics though!)
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2007 Sangchang-ri, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do
Boy was I glad to finally be at the hotel after a big buffet dinner. My level of excited-ness was overwhelming once we got into the hotel lobby. I remember there being a Teddy Bear Museum at Jeju, which we couldn't go to. So to see that our hotel was teddy themed was just as nice. However I was most surprised once I reached by room. This was by first time seeing such a fancy toilet and a place that had a separate tub and shower. We even had a nice roomy walk-in type closet. 5-star is definitely something else!
I ended up with different person as a roommate due to the way YISS buddied everyone up. Since we were only sleeping at the hotel for a couple of nights it wasn't all too bad. Even though she partied with her friends, I usually slept late enough to not be bothered. It was nice to have the room to myself for a while too. I am not sure if I will ever be able to stay in such a nice hotel in the future but it has set a new standard for me.
Tip for future YISS attendees: If you are planning to attend the field-trip, have a separate suitcase ready (whether carry-on or check-in). You will be able to leave the rest of your bigger luggages at Yonsei University for the few days that you are away. A carry-on was enough for me because I ended up not buying much or anything big from Jeju.
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