Jeju Island: The Hawaii of South Korea
Before arriving at Jeju Island, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard from friends that Jeju has beautiful beaches, delicious black pork and great hiking spots. But besides that, I was ready to be surprised. Day one in Jeju Island was a fun packed day. The first thing I did was grab lunch at a Korean BBQ restaurant. I was familiar with the Korean style of having small side dishes such as Kimchee, raw garlic, seaweed, raw onions, fermented pink turnip, etc., but what I really wanted to try was something new. One of the main dishes I ordered was Naengmyeon (cold noodles). I had heard about this dish beforehand and wanted to give it a try. I mean cold soup?! I couldn't miss out on this oxymoron of a dish. Turns out that cold soup is delicious! There is the fresh taste of the noodles with the chilled broth as a backdrop. I was definitely used to my soup being hot since it was what I've had for the past 25 years, but I could appreciate Korea's version of a chilled soup.
Afterward, I decided to go to a place that I have heard of from several friends but had to see in person for myself: Jeju Loveland Museum. There are over a hundred sculptures outdoor that consist of different sex positions, sexual body parts, as well as a masturbation cycle for women.
Many people like to call Love Land "Korea's sex museum" but I like to give it more credit than that because on a deeper level it holds a lot of unique art as well as history since the idea of the museum began back in the 1970s; a time in which Jeju Island became a popular honeymoon destination for Korean couples. Later that night, I decided to take a stroll down a street that was along the ocean. This specific street had many raw seafood restaurants, which was what we were craving. They all looked great so I decided to randomly pick one and ordered several items off the menu. I ordered fish with rice and my friend ordered octopus tentacles that were still moving on the plate.
It turns out that octopus tentacles still react up to an hour after being severed from their bodies. Frog legs have a similar effect if salt is put on them. I could handle the fact that the tentacles were moving since I knew that they were not alive, but the texture was a little too much for me. I tried one tentacle and I was done. My friend, on the other hand, ate the whole plate. Day 2 on Jeju Island was when the real adventure began. Since Jeju is notorious for its beautiful waterfalls and beaches, we had to have a look. We took a bus to the south part of the island, about an hour from where our hotel was, and saw Jeongbang Falls first.
What sets this waterfall apart from the rest is the way that it falls directly into the ocean. I loved walking along the giant rocks and feeling the mist from the waterfall on my face. This waterfall reminded me of Minnehaha Falls, a waterfall back in my home state Minnesota that I frequently visited. My next destination was Jungmun Beach, a place where I got to both tan in the sun and collect seashells. The water temperature unfortunately was a bit too cold for me to do more than a dip.
My third and final day in Jeju was probably my favorite since there was so much that I saw and learned. My first stop was Jeju Stone Park and luckily it was Cultural Appreciation Day, so there was no entrance fee. The park featured various stone structures as well as a Sky Pond. There is a famous legend at Jeju Stone Park that tells the story of Grandmother Seomundae, a woman who threw herself into a cauldron to save her starving children.
My last stop on this final day was Eco Land Theme Park, conveniently down the road from Jeju Stone Park. This pretty gem features an old fashioned train that takes its guests through the park and every stop has a different theme. Throughout the train ride we saw beautiful gardens and plantations, a windmill and a galleon ship.
There were several trails that took us through the woods and allowed us to enjoy nature. At the end of one of the trails was Ecoland's Therapy foot bath. Since it was late September, the foot bath was freezing cold, but Yan and I decided to put our feet in anyway. After awhile it wasn't so bad because our feet became numb, but the Korean's found it entertaining that we did this despite the water's temperature.
