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South Korea - Autumn Colours (Part 2/2)

Jeju Island, Jeonju, Seoul (Oct./Nov. 2022)

By Beyond All Maps - Portraits of our Planet by Thorsten Mehret

May 14^th, 2023

Honestly, before planning the Korea trip, I have never heard about Jeju, but the 73 km by 31 km big island is extremely popular with Koreans, and considered as the honeymoon and leisure island. It's probably best described as the Hawaii for Koreans. It's so popular that in fact the air route between Seoul and Jeju is the highest frequented in the world, with 218 connections per day in peak times!

The island was formed two million years ago by the eruption of an underwater volcano, so it has a very interesting topography and even lava tubes that can be visited. The temperature is generally moderate even in winter.

The flight from Busan to Jeju is a short hop of just one hour. After some research, it became clear to me that Jeju Island is best explored by car. So I booked a car ahead at Avis via rentalcars.com for my five-days stay. Avis works together with SK car rentals on Jeju. Just a bit outside the airport following the signs, a SK car rental shuttle is waiting to bring me to the close-by rental station. To my surprise, everything is perfectly organised and the staff even speaks English... perfect! Within 20 minutes, I sit in my car and off I go.

Hamdeock Beach

My plan for today is to drive along the coast to the east side of the island. My first stop is Hamdeock Beach, enjoying the scenery and having an overpriced coffee at the popular Café Delmoondo. Definitely not a place anyone would expect in Korea. Almost tropical!

Manjangul Cave

This 7 km long lava cave is the 12th longest lava tube in the world. About 1 km one way can be explored from the main entrance. Explanations boards are even in English. A nice stop.

Jeju Haenyeo

There is a community of women in Jeju, some aged in their 80s, which goes diving 10m under sea level to gather shellfish, such as abalone or sea urchins, for a living - without the help of oxygen masks! With knowledge of the sea and marine life, the Jeju haenyeo (female divers) harvest for up to seven hours a day, 90 days of the year, holding their breath for up to two minutes for every dive. The first record about the Haenyeo catching abalone is dating back to 1629. Watching the Haenyeo live can be done at the Seongsan Ilchubong, at 13:30 hrs and 15:00 hrs. Unfortunately, this timing is not fitting into my schedule, but at least the Museum is a worthwhile stop to learn more about the Haenyeo culture.

Seongsan Ilchulbong

In the late afternoon, I arrive at the Sungsan Woori House Pension, which is perfectly located to explore one of the most famous places in Jeju, the Seongsan Ilchulbong, also known as the sunrise peak. This 182 m high tuff volcano is shaped like a large pie with a diameter of about 600 m. It's just 5,000 years old. It's a world natural heritage site since 2007 and one of the seven new natural wonders in the world. It's impressive shape is best photographed with a drone from the seaside.

As its nickname "sunrise peak" already indicates, Seongsan Ilchulbong is extremely popular for the sunrise. So I'm not the only one when I start my 20 min. climb up at 6:00 A.M. Unfortunately, the sun is hidden behind the clouds today... however the cloud formations are spectacular!

Bijarim Forest

After my check-out, I drive along the coastal road and then inland to the Bijarim Forest. It's highlight is a group of about 2,800 nutmeg trees between 500 and 800 years old. It's a nice walk of few kilometres through the forest, but less impressive as expected to be honest. Probably would skip it next time. Close-by is the Bijahyang restaurant which serves the excellent Jeju black pork. Some of the best food on my trip, and very reasonably priced!

Cafe Heotgan

Another very cool and cozy cafe. The owner of Cafe Heotgan is originally from Seoul, but wanted to escape the busy city for a more relaxed place. He bought this place a couple of years ago and has redecorated it mostly by himself. Well done!

Jeju Stone Park

It's already late when I arrive at the Jeju Stone Park, so I have to hurry up to explore the huge area, which is dedicated to the Jeju Stone Culture. I like the place, as there are so many great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, I have just 1.5 hours until closing time. Next time, I'd plan for at least two, better three hours.

Seogwipo

Seogwipo is the second biggest city on Jeju, and I base myself for three nights in the Good Day Pension. I start the morning with a hike along the Jeju Olle Trail, which runs - separated into 27 sections - 437 km around the island. The entrance to section 7 is very close to my pension. The area along the coast is really lush and beautiful. The smell of jasmine is in the air, and I pass some areas where Jeju Tangarines are cultivated, which are extremely popular in Korea. The path is perfectly managed, and I enjoy every minute of the morning walk... until I see and especially hear a guy with his leaf blower! Damn, must be the brother of the guy at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple! Are they stalking me? Fortunately, this time he quickly passes.

Not the best coffee at the 60 beans, but the best view and very friendly and funny ladies keen for a chat, despite limited English skills. After the amusing stop, I walk on, but unfortunately after a while the path along the sea is closed for maintenance. The detour doesn't look too appealing, so I decide to take the bus back.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

Seogwipo offers several waterfalls in its proximity. Cheonjiyeion is a very popular one, and as today is Sunday, I find myself between hundreds of Koreans on a day trip, taking selfies like hell.

Seogwipo Town

Walking along the coastal road of Seogwipo, I pass the harbour with plenty of fishing boats. The big lamps are used in the night to catch octopi, which are drawn towards the strong light.

Some teens trying to become the next K-Pop stars... I'm impressed by their perfect choreography. I must admit that I had no clue about K-Pop before that trip, so I downloaded a playlist of the best K-Pop Songs. To my surprise, I like the music much better than expected - and even back in Germany I'm listening to it from time to time.

Walking along the street, I find this picnic spot, which is perfectly located to make use of the drone to get some great shots of the town, including the shore line.

Yakcheonsa Temple

Today, I decide to make a day-trip from Seogwipo towards the west side, starting with the impressive Yakcheonsa Temple.

Next stop is the Cheonjeon Waterfall, which actually has three steps which are a bit separated from each other. All three can be visited, which includes quite some up and down walking. However it's worth the effort! The waterfalls are located inside a park, and there is an entrance fee required, which is reasonable.

Sanbangsan Bomunsa Temple and Yongmeori Coast

A bit further on is the Sanbangsan Bomunsa Temple, which I find less impressive, but I like the walk around the Yongmeori Coast, which is close-by and offers a very nice coastal scenery.

Osulloc Tea Museum

A bit more inland there is the Osulloc tea garden. The attached café is totally overrun, so I decide to walk on a bit further to the Innisfree Jeju House, which is beautifully surround by tea plantations. The place is a mix of a shop selling the diverse K-Beauty products of Innisfree and a café. A worthwhile stop, once you are in the area.

Songaksan

As it's getting late already, I leave for the Songaksan peninsula a popular sunset spot. I really enjoy the walk around the peninsula along a perfectly maintained path. All in all, it takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, including some photo stops... and there are plenty of them!

Today, I start with the Jeju version of the Greem 2D Café. It's located inside the Jeju Aerospace Museum and much bigger than it's Seoul sibling.

Hallim Park

Hallim Park is a botanical garden that also includes the entrance to two lava caves. I like strolling around the park, although the lave caves are less impressive than the Manjanggul cave. I especially like the Bonsai Garden. Somehow it looks strange seeing bonsai trees having full-size fruits.

Hyeopjae

I have lunch at an eatery that is popular for its dumplings and especially for its abalone soup. Abalone is a kind of sea snail and considered as a real delicacy. The greenish soup immediately reminds me of the sea, it somehow looks like it, smells like it and taste like it. Fresh, not bad but also not my favourite. Well, at least worth a try.

Hyeopjae Beach

Wow, what a beautiful beach! The contrast between the black lave rocks, the white sand and the blue and greenish water is stunning.

Bomnal and Noeully Café

Bomnal is another nice and popular café next to the shore but.....

...I like the Café Nouelly with its fancy interior even more.

Jeju

The last night on Jeju, I stay at the Ventimo Hotel, which is close to the airport. I especially love the toilet. Yes, I've seen these kind of toilets before in Japan, but 13 buttons is an all-time record! Took me 20 minutes to try everything out but ...hey! ... that was fun!

Flight and train to Jeonju

The car return is done within five minutes! The boarding of the flight is scheduled 9:58 and - wow! - that is exactly when the boarding starts, and only 17 minutes later off we go. That was fast. In Yeosu, I take the bus to the train station, and just 15 minutes later, I'm in the train to Jeonju, which only takes one hour. Everything works so smoothly, really amazing!

Jeonju

The Starlight Guesthouse is built in the old Hanok Style. The room is a bit on the small side, with floor heating and a futon mattress. It smells like in a sauna, I like it. The owner is also very sweet and explains with his limited but understandable English what to do and where to eat.

Korea’s famous national dish, bibimbap, has a 200+ years history that originated in Jeonju. The dish consists of rice with a variety of different colorful and nutritious toppings including beef, eggs, bean sprouts, red chillies, and more. I have it in the Hanbook Jib, a traditional and famous restaurant.

Jeonju has the largest Hanok village in South Korea with over 700 houses. It's quite popular, especially with local tourists, and many of the Hanok homes have been converted to either an exhibition space, a museum, a cafe, a restaurant, or a gift shop. A lot of people make use of the many hanbok (historical clothing) rental shops and wander around the scenic streets taking selfies. It's somehow nice to see, but overall Jeonju feels a bit like a huge historical theme park, kinda artificial. And I'm here only on a weekday... the weekends are totally crazy due to the visiting crowds, I hear.

By far the best part is watching the people!

Some more typical Korean dishes are Gimbap and Jjigae. I try both of them in a small eatery run by some elder ladies. Gimbap is a kind of sushi role made from cooked rice and ingredients such as vegetables, fish and meats that are rolled in dried sheets of seaweed. Jjigae is a kind of stew which exists in different varieties. The one I have is with Kimchi, noodles, some vegetables and an egg. The food is not cheap but fabulous! I really love it!

Not to be missed in Jeonju is the Jaman Mural Village. It's just a 15 minutes stroll from the Hanok Village. Although not large, it's easy to spend one or even two hours around to discover the many murals.

There is also a cute, stylish café.

More murals are constantly added.

My favourite café in Jeonju, due to it breathtanking view over the hanok village, is the Jeonmag Cafe. Especially great to enjoy the sunset.

To my surprise, there are no more seats available on the next train to Seoul. As I don't want to wait for another rain today, I decide to stand for two hours in the aisle. And I'm not the only one, the train is really busy.

Seoul

Nansam Tower

Back in Seoul, I decide to go to the Nansam Tower for the sunset. The 236 meter high tower is a well-known land mark and offers fantastic views over Seoul. There is no need to go to the top of the tower, as the platforms around it already offer great views.

Itaewon

From Nansam Tower I walk down a dark path to Itaewon, a popular neighbourhood especially with expats. It's also a popular party area, and as it's Halloween and after the long Covid-19 lock down, the streets are extremely busy with the party crowd. In some areas, it's almost impossible to move forward. I decide that this is too busy for me, and manage my way to the Metro station.

One day later, more than 150 people will be killed in a mass panic in the area. One of the biggest tragedies in Korea for decades.

Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden

My first target for today is Changdeokgung Palace, which was created in 1405 as the secondary royal palace. After the Japanese invasions destroyed all the palaces in the late 1500s, it was the first palace rebuilt and became the primary royal residence for almost 300 years.

What makes Changdeokgung a unique palace is its design. Architects designed the palace to work in harmony with nature. When they worked on the Secret Garden, they kept artificial landscapes completely minimal to better highlight its natural setting.

Especially with the autumn foliage I find it very beautiful. The Secret Garden can only be visited by tour. Half of the tickets can be reserved six days ahead and are sold out quickly in autumn. The other half can be bought on the spot, and I'm lucky enough to get one for the English speaking tour.

Ikseondong Hanok Village

Not far from Changdeoggung Palace is the Ikseondong Hanok Village with plenty of restaurants and cafés. Nice for s stroll around.

Autumn foliage between Skyscrapers

Art in the Metro

Gyeongbokgung Palace Guard Change

Korean National Museum

Well, it's for people that like Museums and want to learn more about the Korean history and neighbouring countries. A huge building with interesting architecture and many nicely displayed ancients artefacts.

EWHA Women University

Great architecture, especially the underground glass hall. The EWHA Women University is worth a brief stop while in the area.

Ginko Tree Lane

After a relaxed morning, I take the Metro to the Olympic Park. After some internet research, I found out that the Wiryeseong-Daeo is lined with bright yellow ginkgo trees but not so well-known, and therefore not overrun by locals and tourists. And indeed, it is a fantastic photo location!

Aquagarden Café

The Aquagarden Café in the Lotte Tower is the last one on my long coffee mission through Korea. It's expensive with 9 EUR for a cappuccino, but I like the idea and the aquariums need to be managed. They are all well cared of. Water splashes, birds sing... it’s like in a rain forest. Cool place!

Final Shopping - K-Beauty

Korea is famous for it's beauty industry and the Korean skin care routine seems to become the next trend in western countries. Myeong street is the Mekka for all K-beauty shoppers with myriads of shops. Great presents for the ones back at home, of course especially the female section... but honestly, and now I'm outing myself, even I enjoy a face mask from time to time. The skin just feels so relaxed afterwards. A good feeling!

Final Dinner - Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ is usually only served for two or more people. As I don't want to leave Korea without that experience, I ask my host Li and Kim for a good place and invite them to join me. The place we go is well-known for it's Jeju black pork and it tastes really, really good. At home, I'm not a fan of pork belly, but here it's considered as the best meet for the BBQ and I have to admit that even the fat, which I usually don't like, is very tasty and not chewy at all. A really nice evening and at the end! Li even insists on paying, and my protest cannot change her mind. I’m the boss, she replies. They are so sweet and incredibly helpful! So I would definitely stay again in the Oh My Guesthouse, it really feels like home away from home.

The End - Final Verdict

Wow, what an intense time! There is a reason why this three-weeks trip resulted even in two sections of the travelogue. For a relatively small country, South Korea has a lot to offer and accordingly, my days were not only fully packed with activities and experiences but also myriads of new impressions for all senses, be it exotic food I’ve never tasted before, the surprising café culture, the lively K-Pop, K-Beauty and party scene, the selfie enthusiasm beyond anything I’ve experienced before, the contrast between modern (skyscrapers, 5G, …) and tradition (temples, hanok villages and hanboks), the tragic history between North and South Korea, the friendly, helpful but never obtrusive locals, the excellent travel infrastructure, beautiful and diverse landscapes, including the stunning autumn colours, … I could go on and on.

So for the curious travel souls, I can only recommend to book your flight asap and start filling your own list with new exciting and interesting impressions: South Korea will deliver!!!

Back to Part 1

South Korea - Autumn Colours (Part 1/2)

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