Jeju Day 1

(Courtesy of LookatKorea)

Jeju Day 1

Hi guys! It is September!!! We only have 2 weeks left in Korea! It has been quite the adventure. For our Chuseok holiday (Korean Thanksgiving), we had a five day weekend so off to Jeju! The Jeju post will be split up into five parts. Well let me start off by saying... do not go out with your coworkers, have your boss buy you a bottle of Bacardi, and have to go on the ferry the next day... VERY BAD combo... just ask Alan... hehehehehehhe ;). 

After dragging Alan out of bed, wow that's a first... We made our way to the ferry terminal for our 9:00 am ferry. Good thing we picked up our tickets beforehand because there was a huge line so would I highly recommend you do so. We took a taxi, were dropped off at the International Ferry terminal and boarded our gigantic ferry. If you have read our Island hopping post, this ferry is much larger in size. We got economy tickets which will group you into a room big enough for 10-15 people. Thats pretty much all you get, so bring a mat, pillow, and blanket to make yourself a nice bed for the 4-5 hour ride. Also, try to get there early so you can claim some space for yourself, otherwise you maybe left with very little room. If you get seasick like me, your best bet is to just try and go to sleep for the duration of the trip. Other class tickets are available for purchase as well, which will get you a private room if you like your personal space. 

Alan's alive ;)! After what seemed like forever, we finally docked and got off the ferry. There is no system for exiting the ship. Once you hear the first announcement close to the 4 hour mark, start packing up and get yourself to the exit (where you boarded the ship). If you wait until the ship has docked you will be in line forever. Passengers will start lining up an hour before. Once off the ship, make your way out of the ferry terminal and either inline for taxi or bus. By the time we got off the ferry, the line for the taxis was so long and we didnt want to wait. We decided to hike up the road. Keep in mind taxis will turn you down if your destination is close by. It might have been worth the wait at the line, but we didn't know if they were turning customers away there as well. After getting turned down by about half a dozen taxis, we finally got into one and headed to our rental car company. We rented from KT Kumho and highly recommend it. Check out our ride below!

Gwakji Beach

Once everything was sorted out, we were on our way to our first destination, Gwakji beach. We decided to travel west of the island hitting the two famous beaches along the way before checking into our hotel. The first one was Gwakji beach. Both beaches had black volcanic rocks, clear blue waters, and nice sand. Gwakji is a lot less populated so if you like the calm I suggest stopping here.

Hyeopjae Beach

About 30 minutes away from Gwakji is Hyeopjae beach. This one is a more well known and a lot more populated both in people and amenities. Restaurants line the beach with a couple convenience stores along the main road. Great view of the nearby island, Biyangdo. 

Hotel Familia

After the beaches we headed to the south of the island where our hotel was located. We chose this location because it was the center point of everything we wanted to see in Jeju. Familia hotel is located near Jungman area, close enough for a drive into the busy Resort area, but far enough to get away from the crowd. This hotel is brand new, clean, and family owned. It was a great stay and we definitely recommend it. Simple breakfast is provided everyday, which consist of toast, cereal, juice, coffee, boiled eggs, and soup of the day. However, keep in mind there is no onsite restaurant for anything other than breakfast. 

Part 2 of our Jeju adventure will consist of a day tour of Seogwipo and Jungman resort area. 

Island Hopping: Heuksando and Hongdo Part 2

Hongdo

Heuksando -> Hongdo

Day 2 of our island hopping weekend. We got tickets for the 9:50 ferry and checked out of the motel. We arrived in Hongdo at around 10:30. The first thing you will notice between the two different islands is the state of the buildings. The Hongdo ferry terminal looked brand new and was the first building you see. It also had English on it! Another noticeable difference is the amount of English signs throughout the island. 

After buying our tickets back to Mokpo we ventured around to find the boat tour. Since Hongdo is part of a marine national park, most of the island is restricted. There two ways in which you can explore the island. There is a hiking trail which takes about 4-5 hours or a 2 hour boat tour. We opted for the boat tour since we had limited time. To purchase tickets for the boat tour, just walk underneath the ferry terminal building and you will see ticket booths selling boat tours. Prices were 22,000 but we got a discount and it ended up being 16,000 per person. There were two times for the boat tour, early morning around 7:30 and at 12:30pm. We had a couple hours to kill before our boat tour so we decided to walk to one of the lookouts on the map.

 

There are three main looks outs on this part of the island, two to the right of town (toward the trail) and one to the left. We headed towards the left of the map at the center of town and followed the uphill street. You will see this sign on the left after some buildings, it doesn't look like a normal path as it is semi-hidden and runs through some houses back alley. But, if you are having any issues finding it, the inhabitants of this island seem very friendly and helpful - you can either ask them, or if you look too lost they will come assist with out you prompting them. As we followed the path we passed houses and an orchid/bonsai nursery, eventually ending up where the concrete cuts off and the nature trail starts. Follow the trail up and you will hit a set of beautiful stairs once you are close to the look out. Once you see the stairs you have 300m to go to the look out (there are some markers along the way). The trail also continues along around the mountain and down to the other side of town for another 450m. 

After 500m you will come to the look out and all the sweat and mosquito bites will soon be in the past as you take in the magnificent view. The weather was on the cloudy side so it wasn't as hot which was good for our small hike. We were definitely sweaty and the sun wasn't even out!

After heading back down the mountain, we headed to the other side of the island (to the right of the map). Following the road we passed the school and made our way to the other look out where you can see more of the town. This one was a lot easier to climb since it was just stairs and much shorter. The trail does extend further up the mountain to the second town of the island and is 1700m to the top. We did not get to follow it since we were on a time limit. 

We headed back down to the ferry terminal at 12:20 to board our vessel. It was open air with a little indoor seating area. The boat ride was a great way to see the island and its many natural structures. We saw different rock striations and little caves and even tiny waterfalls. Near the end of the tour there is a fishing boat that stops alongside the boat that sells fresh sashimi. You literally see them take the fish, clean it, filet and serve with dipping sauces and soju. Since Alan is not a big sashimi fan, I just watched all the other passengers line up and walk off with their sashimi in hand. I didn't know what fish it was, only that it was white in color. 

After our tour ended, we had roughly 30 minutes before our 3:40pm ferry back to Mokpo. We walked along the harbor and looked at the many creatures for sale. After watching customers come up and pick out their meal, we saw the seller cut up and clean all different kinds of sea animals. Conch, mussels, calms, sea cucumber, abalone, and octopus. Most of the seafood was eaten raw, in fact all that we saw served up was raw served with gochuchang (red pepper paste). 

All in all it was a great weekend filled with beautiful views. Heuksando and Hongdo both have their own charms with beautiful scenery to boast. I definitely recommend visiting one or both to get away from the hustle of city life. 

Tips and Recommendations:

How to get to Heuksando and Hongdo

Make your way to the Mokpo coastal ferry terminal and buy your tickets (check ferry times below/call in advance).

* Wear your comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, and sun protection - even though you might think of the beach when you think of and island, these two are more of the hiking variety and all the beach you will see are filled with pebbles not sand.

* Bring your camera.

* Bring food - unless you are a big skate and fish person. 

* Plan your trip accordingly to ensure you get the most out of your island hopping adventure.

Ferry Timetable 

(Please verify with ferry terminal, changes and cancellations may occur due to weather)

Ferry Route: Mokpo -> Bigeumdo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo

FROM MOKPO

Mokpo 목포 -> Heuksando 흑산도 

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

7:50

8:00

13:00

16:00

Mokpo 목포 -> Hongdo 홍도

2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

7:50

13:00

FROM HEUKSANDO

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

9:00

11:10

15:30

16:20

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Hongdo 홍도 

30 minutes - 11,200w

9:50

14:50

FROM HONGDO 

Hongdo 홍도 -> Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

Total: 2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

10:30

15:30

Island hopping: Heuksando and Hongdo Part 1

Heuksando

It is September! My how time is flying by. We officially have one month left in our contract. For the weekend we decided to explore some nearby islands off the coast of Mokpo. Korea consists of around 3000 islands! Heuksando and Hongdo are two of the more well known ones off the coast of Jeollanamdo. Heuksando is known as the black island because of the different types of trees that inhabit the island. Hongdo is known as the red island because of the sun casting it's color upon the island as it sets. Both islands has its own distinctive charm. So this was our plan: 
Mokpo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo-> Mokpo.

Mokpo -> Heuksando

Starting our day off bright and early at 7:40, or so we had planned, but since Alan accidentally decided to set the alarm for a weekday instead of Saturday... We woke up at around 9:00 am missing the 7:40 ferry to Heuksando. Well, just go with the flow and catch the next one at 1:00pm! Bought our tickets from the Mokpo Costal Terminal to Heuksando and off we went! I've read many blogs about the seas being very rough and that seasickness was inevitable. Thankfully, that wasn't the case for our trip, so it definitely depends on the day. Lucky me! The ferry ride takes about 2 hours stopping at Bigeumdo along the way.

Ferry Terminal

We arrived just after 3:00pm and headed straight to the information booth. Here, a friendly man speaking not an ounce of English came out, handed us a map (all in Korean of course) and pointed us to the direction of the buses and taxis. Our first objective was to find out when the first ferry to Hongdo was the next morning. We found the disheveled looking ferry office in the middle of the port and went up to ask our information. First ferry is at 9:50 and you have to purchase your ticket the day of. Ok, so that was done/on pause until the next morning. Now it was off to find a place to stay. Right behind the ferry office was a motel with the only English sign around the entire area, Hanyang Motel. Along the entire strip were restaurants that had motels attached to them on the upper floors. This one appeared new, clean, and had a bed... although it was literally made of stone... for 40,000 won. A few doors down is a CU for all your essentials :) 

Hanyang Motel

Now that our accommodations were set for the night, we were off to find a tour around the island. There is one main road that encircles the entire island. This is the best way to see the island and honestly the only way, unless you want to walk. A lady pointed us in the directions of the taxis and buses after watching us look completely lost staring at the map LOL. After asking around, a bus tour is the way to go for 15,000 won/ person. Taxis would be a good deal if you are a group of 3-5 and ranges from 40,000-60,000. The whole tour took around 2 hours going up and down the mountain ranges, swiveling around the many hairpin turns. 

The first main stop is this lookout over the mountain. The view is priceless! As the bus zooms around the island make sure you have your camera fully charged and ready. Around every turn there is a gorgeous site to see. Heuksando is definitely a fishing village with its own gorgeous charm. Just sit back and enjoy the ride and magnificent views!

After our tour we went back to our room and decided to have a quick and easy dinner of ramen. Then it was off to bed to prepare for next day's adventure, Hongdo!

Ferry Timetable 

(Please verify with ferry terminal, changes and cancelations may occur due to weather/season)

Ferry Route: Mokpo -> Bigeumdo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo

FROM MOKPO

Mokpo 목포 -> Heuksando 흑산도 

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

7:50

8:00

13:00

16:00

Mokpo 목포 -> Hongdo 홍도

2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

7:50

13:00

FROM HEUKSANDO

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

9:00

11:10

15:30

16:20

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Hongdo 홍도 

30 minutes - 11,200w

9:50

14:50

FROM HONGDO 

Hongdo 홍도 -> Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

Total: 2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

10:30

15:30