4/13 - 4/17:
This past week, my friends and I traveled to Jeju Island, which lies south of the Korean Peninsula and is a popular vacation destination for a many Koreans. Over the course of the 5 days that we spent on Jeju Island, we explored attractions on the south, east, and northwest sides of the island. Because we only booked one hotel to stay in throughout the entire duration of our trip in Seogwipo City (in the southern part of Jeju), and because none of us had an international drivers license through which we would be able to rent and drive our own car (meaning we would need to taxi or bus everywhere), we had to be strategic with the locations that we went to each day, hitting as many attractions as possible within each area that we visited.
We arrived in the evening at Jeju airport in Jeju City, the capital and largest city of Jeju Province/Island. We immediately visited the Black Pork Street, to try Jeju's famous prized black pork for our dinner. The restaurant that we went to was called 'Dombedon,' a Michelin Star black port restaurant.
The following days we visited sites such as Jeongbang Waterfall, Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market, Jungmun Daepo Jusangjeoli Cliff, and Osulloc Tea Museum on the south side of the island. On the east side of the island, we visited Seopjikoji, Seongsan Canola Flower Field, Seongsan Sunrise Peak, and Orda Cafe. On the Northwest side of Jeju, we did go-kart racing at 9.81 Park, and we visited Arte Light Museum, Gwakji beach, Aewol Cafe Street, and Dongmun Night Market.
Unfortunately, for the first half of our trip, the weather in Jeju was incredibly cold, windy, and rainy (as was the weather basically everywhere else at the time), which wasn't the most pleasant experience, especially since most of Jeju's attractions are outdoors and in nature. In the last 2 to 3 days of our time in Jeju, thankfully the weather lightened up and the sun came out, which allowed me to more fully appreciate the beauty and atmosphere of Jeju, without having to constantly worry about being cold and trying to stay dry. Thus, unsurprisingly those last few days (Saturday and Sunday, since Monday was just us flying back to Seoul) were my favorite days out of the whole trip.
If I had to rank my top 5 favorite places/activities from the entire trip, I think it would be something like this:
Aewol Cafe Street
9.81 Park (go-kart racing)
Jungmun Daepo Jusangjeoli Cliff
Seongsan Sunrise Peak
Osulloc Tea Museum
Just as a tip for anyone looking to travel within Korea to basically anywhere outside of Seoul or outside of any big cities in Korea, please do yourself a favor and get an international driver's license, which you can easily apply for at your local DMV before leaving for Korea. If you don't have an international driver's license by the time you have gotten to Korea, you may also apply for a temporary Korean license here. You will have to take the Korean Driving Exam written test (they have an English version), but in the long run, I would say that it would definitely be worth it to have if you don't already have a friend or person who is able to rent a car and drive in Korea. Again, it is extremely helpful for any sort of travel outside of Seoul, if you would like to more freely explore the country!
