Mr & Missy in Korea Day 9 (24 May 2013)

SUPER EXCITED to be finally touring JEJU ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO

We left December Hotel around 8:30 am. Since the hotel was located in the central location of Jeju City, there was no problem with getting a cab to the airport. It was pretty near that cab fare was just 2,000-3,000 Won only. 

We had to take a shuttle bus from the airport to the car rental company's parking lot. As we we were walking to the shuttle bus, we saw cameramen getting ready to film at the airport! I wanted to stay around and see which celebrities will be filming but Mister reminded me about our packed schedule to see Jeju :( And I so very reluctantly got on to the shuttle bus which brought us to the parking lot of the KT Car Rental.

Mister was confirming our reservation and making payment. Did I mention that he booked a MINI COOPER for us??!!! I WAS HAPPY EXCITED AMAZED RESTLESS ECSTATIC EUPHORIC haha you get the idea. 

Initially, I was against it cuz it was really expensive. Renting a mini cooper for 24 hours would cost us more than 100,000 Won which was twice more expensive than renting the cheapest Korean car. Luckily, Mister signed up for the free membership and he was offered massive discount! Renting a mini cooper for 24 hours set us back for just 56,000 Won! That is less than SGD 70 for an entire day. We rented it for 3 days and Mister decided to purchase insurance as well. Better to be safe than sorry eh?https://www.ktkumhorent.com/eng/rental/rate_01_02.do

3,000 Won   : Taxi from airport to hotel when we landed in Jeju

3,000 Won   : Taxi from hotel to airport in the morning to collect our mini 

168,000 Won: Rental for 3 days (56,000 won per day)

90,000 Won  : Insurance for 3 days

80,000 Won  : 20 litres of fuel (4,000 won per liter)

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344,000 Won : Total transportation costs  for 2 of us in Jeju (3 full days, 4 nights trip)

We thought it was pretty worth it as renting a taxi from 9am to 6pm can cost 100,000-120,000 Won. For 3 days, it could add up to 300,000-360,000 Won and so 344,000 Won was a pretty good deal.  We could set out earlier than 9am and be back later than 6pm. And we got to enjoy a MINI COOPER! haha one way to save money is to get a cheaper Korean car such as Hyundai or KIA. Travelling in a group of 5 people can lower cost per pax since more people are sharing. 

Entertaining myself while Mister was settling insurance and payment for our ride!

We were then introduced to our companion for the next 3 days. I swear, it was the cutest car in the entire parking lot. After checking the entire car for scratches, engine, wiper, windows etc etc, the staff taught us how to use GPS. You can either key in the phone number of the place you want to go to or you have to type the name of the place in KOREAN! what?! We were in trouble. 

So we set out for our first stop Yongduam Rock with the help of old-fashioned paper Jeju Map!  It was pretty near to the rental office but you wouldn't believe how frustrated we felt. We had to keep taking U-turns whenever we realized we were on the wrong road! After making a few wrong turns and keeping our eyes wide open for the road signs, we finally reached. phew...

Yongduam Rock (more commonly known as Dragon Head Rock)

There are so many myths and stories about how this Dragon Head Rock had appeared.  Scientifically, it was formed due to strong winds and waves hitting the rock regularly over thousands of years. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see a rock looking amazingly similar to the head of a dragon. We enjoyed our quick stop as it was such a beautiful day to admire the sea, the sky and the rock. It was also on our way to other attractions as well. Some people might find it a waste of time to visit though. 

We then set out to our next stop and subjected ourselves to getting lost in Jeju City again. haha at one point, I questioned myself if we would ever get to see all the sights that Jeju has to offer :( After some trials and errors, we arrived at our second stop safely!

The sand here is really black! You can see the color contrast against some white sand present on the beach. In the summer, locals bury themselves in the iron-rich sand for the therapeutic sand bath!

This was just another quick stop too. It was such a hot day and the beach was deserted. We had our swimsuits with us but we were still looking for a nice beach to chill at. We decided to keep looking since we were not that impressed with the beach except the color of sand. Probably, it would be more lively in summer? Last week of May might still be an off-peak season as it was still spring.

So we drove on to another beach - Hamdeok. We decided that we had enough of getting lost and so, we tried to use GPS with our limited Hangul knowledge. To our surprise, we typed Hamdeok in Hangul and we were directed to the right place! Wheeee gotta use GPS from now on. No more getting lost in unfamiliar places and wasting our time!

On our way to Hamdeok beach, we passed by this beautiful place with a pavilion along the coastal area. The beauty of driving is that you can stop anywhere and anytime! This pavilion along the Sinheung Ri Coast was our impromptu stop to enjoy the sea breeze and savor the fact that we were on a relaxing holiday.

We grabbed a few drinks to recharge ourselves at the Hamdeok beach. Mister searched for beach slippers at the convenience store too. Despite being located at the beach, this convenience store does not sell slippers :(

Look at this beautiful place with turquoise water and white sand on an expansive beach!  It was much livelier than Samyang beach, while not overly crowded. We think it was one of the better beaches in Jeju island.

After driving for about half an hour from Hamdeok Beach, we reached the base of sunrise peak. As it was around 12:40 pm, we decided to stop for lunch first before exploring. Other than Tangerines / Mandarin Oranges as well as Black Pig, Jeju is also famous for their Gogi Guksu / meat noodles /고기국수  .  We didn't want to smell of bbq for the rest of the day so we decided to try Gogi Guksu and oh my! It was so yummy!!!

I was already happy with the side dish of 'roasted seasoned seaweed', even before I saw the main dish :D

With Pork Belly from Jeju Black Pig and abundant of side dishes, this was such a satisfying meal at just 5,000 Won per bowl!

After our tummies were happy, we explored the Sunrise Peak / Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak (성산일출봉).  As the name suggested, this extinct volcano is the best place to enjoy sunrise.  Several people would climb early in the morning to reach the peak (182 m) by 6 am to view this magnificent sight.  BUT we were (still are) the lazy tourists haha Not only we went there late, we didn't climb to the top of the peak ;p To our excuse, however, it was a really warm day at 28 C and there was no shelter from super strong sunlight.

With Sunrise Peak in the background

You can go down to the "beach" where speedboats can whisk you out to sea for another perspective on this nature wonder. You might even be able to spot Haenyeo / Jeju female divers going to dive for safood and seaweed, WITHOUT any oxygen tank! Amazing women! 

This is definitely my favorite picture at Sunrise peak - Such a beautiful place!!! Do note that I did not edit this picture at all! There was no filter. Just nature!

From Sunrise Peak, we drove to the nearby Seopjikoji.  It is commonly known as the filming location of Korean Drama "All In", starring Lee Byung Hun and Song Hye Gyo. There is nothing to do there except to appreciate THE Great View that nature has created. Enjoying the view with spring breeze and ice-cream while being held by the loved one was an amazing feeling. And I also felt very humbled as just one small being in this vast world. 

We stopped by at Shinyang Beach as Mister wanted to try horse-riding. On second thought, he decided against it as he doesn't want horse smell on him the whole day! This 1.5km beach is considered as Korea's best for windsurfing.

When spring arrives in Jeju-do (Jeju Island), yellow rapeseed flowers blossom in fields around this island province. Rapeseed flowers signify the arrival of spring in Korea with their sweet fragrance and brilliant yellow color. The flowers start to blossom in the beginning of March, and reach their peak at the beginning of April, creating a stunning natural landscape when rapeseed flowers come into full bloom.
- Visit Korea Website

One of Mister's contact lenses almost came out while driving.  He also needed a few minutes to get used to wearing glasses after wearing contacts for the whole day. So we decided to rest for about 30 min at Pyoseon Beach. It was slightly before 4 pm and still too hot for me to play in the sea. Hence, we just enjoyed sea breeze from the shelter of a pavilion. 

Pyoseon Beach
Look at that huge expanse of white sandy beach!

Pyoseon Beach

Once Mister felt better and his eyes were adjusted to wearing glasses, we set out to Seongeup Folk Village. It was not a museum type of display village. It was a real village with inhabitants. Yet, we felt that we traveled through time. Black lava rock walls, traditional thatched-roofed houses, Confucian shrine and school, local black-haired pigs and stone grandfather statues offered a contrasting image to the concrete jungle that we were used to! There was no entrance fees to the village. However, some friendly villagers might try to sell you local products such as tea and honey. They do not give you black faces if you don't buy, so don't worry (: 

Entrance of Seongeup Folk Village

Look at those houses! I'm not exaggerating about that time-traveler feeling yeah?

Entrance to the Confucian Shrine and School

Our next destination, Trick Art Museum, was just a short drive (around 10 min?) away from Seongeup Folk Village. Entrance fees was 8,000 Won per person.  We had LOADS of fun there! Just look at our photo. haha another good thing about visiting Jeju during off-peak season is that we did not have to fight for photo zones! :D

Trick art renders two dimensional paintings in three dimensions by creating illusion. Each work looks differently when seen from different angles or spots. Its magic magnifies when seen from camera lenses. Visitors can take pictures with various fun poses blending nicely with exhibitions. Cameras as well as video equipment are permitted in the museum.

- Visit Korea Website

There was a small cafe at Trick Art Museum and we didn't know what possessed Mister to buy assorted jelly beans and gummy bears. Normally, I am the one with sweet tooth, so it was surprising. Plus, we overpaid for these sweets when we knew that we would be going to E-Mart (supermarket like Giant in Singapore).

Initially, we wanted to visit Mini Mini Land in Jeju.  Let me tell you, Jeju is full of interesting and unique museums on top of gorgeous scenery! Unfortunately for us, we reached there around 6:30 pm and it was past the last entry time. *sob sob* Not to waste a photo op, Mister took a photo in his (temporarily) Mini Cooper! I thought it was cute - a picture of a Mini in front of the Mini Land :D

Since it was not hot anymore, we lowered the roof and made full use of renting a convertible.  Singing along to our favorite songs while letting the wind blow around us, it was such a carefree feeling!

You can't appreciate nature after the sun has set. Plus, all the museums close by 6 pm or 7 pm. There was nothing for us to do. And we needed snacks! Honestly, what is a road trip without lots lots lots of snacks, yeah? Also, we needed to find a pair of beach slippers for Mister, otherwise he wouldn't be able to enjoy the beach! So off we went, to E-Mart in Jeju City.  It was located next to the coastal area so we decided to watch sunset first before heading inside the supermarket. 

We were really hungry by the time food shopping was done.  There was a food court on the 2nd or 3rd floor of E-Mart. We saw quite a lot of people buying from this particular stall which sells huge set meals. We were like "why not?' and we tried. For 10,000 Won, it had udon soup, rice, pork cutlet, chicken cutlet, prawn tempura, fried dumpling, fried stuffed spring roll, coleslaw, radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi and even a bottle of Yakult! So worth it.

We were dead tired and we felt sticky with our sweat. It was considered a pretty warm day for Spring season. After a shower and a short discussion for the next day's touring, we called it a day (:

Here is a list of all the places we covered (tried to cover) today. Among them, only 3 places charge entrance fees:
2,000 Won per pax at Sunrise Peak
8,000 Won per pax at Trick Art Museum
6,000 Won per pax at Mini Mini Land

1. Yongduam Rock  (용두암)

2. Samyang Black Sand Beach (삼양 검은모래해변)

3. Sinheung Ri Coast
4. Hamdeok Beach (함덕 서우봉해변-함덕해수욕장)
5. Lunch - Gogi Guksu (고기국수)
6. Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉)
7. Seopjikoji (섭지코지)
8. Shinyang Beach
9. Yellow Rapeseed Flower Field
10. Pyoseon Beach (표선해비치해변)
11. Seongeup Folk Village  (성읍민속마을)
12. Trick Art Museum (트릭아트뮤지엄)
13. Mini Mini Land (제주미니랜드)
14. E-Mart
15. Dinner 

Adios!

xoxo

Miss N

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Korea Trip Itinerary

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/06/third-trip-to-my-favorite-city-seoul.html

Korea Day 1

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/06/mr-missy-in-korea-day-1-16-may-2013.html

Korea Day 2

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/07/mr-missy-in-korea-day-2-17-may-2013.html

Korea Day 3

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/07/mr-missy-in-korea-day-3-18-may-2013.html

Korea Day 4

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/07/mr-missy-in-korea-day-4-19-may-2013.html

Korea Day 5

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/07/mr-missy-in-korea-day-5-20-may-2013.html

Korea Day 6

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/07/mr-missy-in-korea-day-6-21-may-2013.html

Korea Day 7

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/08/mr-missy-in-korea-day-7-22-may-2013.html

Korea Day 8

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.sg/2013/08/mr-missy-in-korea-day-8-23-may-2013.html