Korea Trip | Outdoorsy in Jeju (Day 4)

2:12:00 AM mandy 0 Comments

Piano playing robotic teddy bear
Can I just say...I still can't get over how cute, fluffy, and humongous the teddy bears at Teddy Valley were. Let me take one home with me, please & thank you!



Our first breakfast at the hotel consisted of a Western and Korean selection buffet. I remember the food being very good!


After everyone stuffed their bellies, we all gathered in front of the hotel to take our group photo. I think I ended up in the back of the pack for this one. Oh well~ no need to push for a spot so early in the morning.

Stone statues (돌 하르방 dol hareubang)	Entrance

Jeju April 3 Peace Park or Jeju April 3 Peace Memorial Hall (제주4・3평화 기념관)
430, Myeongnim-ro, Jeju, Jeju-do
The first stop on our itinerary was to the April 3rd memorial. Prior to the visit I knew next to nothing regarding the date. Our tour guide gave us a little briefing on our way there and mentioned that April 3rd is referred to as both the Jeju Uprising and the Jeju Massacre. It's been awhile and I don't remember the details anymore so I'll leave a link for those interested in the memorial. Click here.

Saryeoni Forest (사려니숲길)
Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do & Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
Next stop! Compared to the next hike we did, the Saryeoni Forest path we walked was a baby hike. Since we were little behind schedule our walk in the forest was cut short. A quick Google search left me jealous that we didn't get to further on the trail. Hydrangeas were blooming all along the trail when we were there. I have only seen these kind of flowers after they have fully bloomed already in New York.


Spicy Pork (돼지불고기 Dwaejibulgogi)
More heat beating heat dishes for lunch! I remember this dish being very spicy.


Could you imagine the look on my face when we arrived to this destination? The scenery looks great! Then your eyes roam and see the long winding path leading to the foot of the mountain. Sure that looks doable. But it doesn't really hit you how difficult a climb the hike is until you're dragging each leg up what seems like a bajillion stairs.

At least that's how I felt. Then again...I wasn't (am still not) in the greatest shape. I definitely had to stop a couple times to catch my breath. Even the friends I started the hike with were way ahead of me. There were moments when I genuinely thought of giving up. Of course that was until I saw the "you're almost there" mark.



Once I reached the top, all was forgotten. The breeze and wind that hit my face made it worth the trek up. The ultimate game-changer was the scenery. The view at the top was impeccable. There are stairs for visitors to sit and enjoy the crater at the top of the peak. (Just Google "sunrise peak jeju" to see what I'm talking about! Or click here.)


While you can only see endless ascending trail of stairs on the way up, the path down overlooks greenery, water, and the nearby town below. Another reason why I would gladly go up Sunrise Peak again.



Just when we thought we were finished and close to where we started, everyone spotted another set of stairs leading to some buildings by the water. Being the curious souls we are, everyone quickly went down to see. What surprised me most was seeing guys carrying crates of (glass) soju bottles up and down the stairs!

UNESCO World Heritage Site - Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉 Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak)
284-12, Ilchul-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주특별자치도 서귀포시 성산읍 일출로 284-12 Female divers are pretty famous to Jeju. We were able to see them busily cracking open at their sea urchin catch. The buildings housed a restaurant (I think) and seafood stall that sold things like abalone, sea cucumber, sea squirt, and a bunch of other sea critters. The pile of conch shells were difficult for all the tourists to resist. Souvenir anyone?

This day was packed with one hike after another! The next one was to Seopji Coast.

Famous K-drama location	Lighthouse at the top of Seopji Coast

I don't recognize the building in the left photo but apparently it was a very famous filming location for some K-drama. When we were there it was being renovated into some kind of candy-themed building. Does it look familiar to anyone?



Seopji Coast (섭지코지 Seopjikoji)
261, Seopjikoji-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주특별자치도 서귀포시 성산읍 섭지코지로 261 Pyoseon Haevichi Beach (표선해비치해변)
Minsokhaean-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주 서귀포시 표선면 민속해안로
The last destination for the day: relaxing visit to the beach. Pyoseon beach was pretty quiet when we arrived. I wonder if this is just because we got there later in the day or if this is one of those hidden gems?


Souvenirs I picked up
Aren't they cute? There were many stalls selling other types of souvenirs as well but I sadly didn't have any room in my carry-on sized suitcase at the time. Otherwise I would have bought myself some of the Jeju tangerine chocolates. Silly me forgot to try the actual Jeju tangerine (한라봉 Hallabong)...next time!