Jeju Guide: Seongeup Folk Village

One of the most delightful stops we made in Jeju was to the Seongeup Folk Village. It's not really like any other folk villages you've been to before. Here, you probably won't see many actors dressed up pretending to live life like they did one hundred years ago, but you will see people actually living in some traditional houses, with a few modern amenities, of course. Scattered among this real village are many houses that you can enter yourself and look around. Without a guide it might be difficult really appreciate the area, but while English guides are free, they often expect you to buy something from one of the gift shops at the end of the tour so be sure you know what you're getting into before you take up one of the many guides  up on their offer.

We didn't get a guide, and we probably did miss out on a lot of the history, but we had a nice hour or so walk around the houses, exploring and taking photos.

 All these houses were actual houses, not reconstructions. While many are still inhabited, others have been abandoned and are now kept up just for tourism.

 

All the roofs here are thatched. Here is a closeup of one roof for you.

 

Ducks! 

Jeju is famous for the "똥돼지" or "dung pigs". These pigs lived beside the outhouse and fed on... well... everything that came from the outhouse. We had been hoping to see a 똥돼지 the whole time we were in Jeju, since they are quite well known, but by the time we came here on the last day, we had given up hope. Since, obviously, no one is feeding poop to pigs anymore we didn't expect to find anything. We found many pig pens attached to toilets in the village, but no pigs. But, just as we were getting ready to leave the folk village, we happened to look into one 똥돼지 pen and were astonished to see a real pig in there. Of course, it wasn't eating poop, but we were pretty happy anyway.

 

 Here's a demonstration for you on how it works...

As we were leaving the village, we stumbled across these tolharubangs. They are original to the city, not like the new ones you'll probably see everywhere all over the island.

Seongeup Folk Village, while not overly exciting, was a very nice place to visit. Unlike everywhere else we went in Jeju, we didn't have to pay any entrance fee here, so it's especially good if you're on a budget. You can get a tour guide for free, but you should expect them to push you to buy something once your tour is complete. For those interested in history, it's a must see.  Keep your eye out for the 똥돼지!!

Jeju Guide: Gates of Jeju

There are three things that, legend has it, don't exist on Jeju; thieves, beggars and gates. They say that Jeju was traditionally such a hard place to survive that everyone worked together for the common good that thieves and beggars were non-existent. And, of course, if there are no thieves or beggars, there's hardly reason do have a gate to keep people out, right? And Jeju's gates are quite unique and meaningful, so I thought they deserved a post of their own. You may have noticed already that the distinguishing feature of the Jeju gate are the three poles which cross the entryway. They are hardly going to stop someone from entering, but as there are no thieves that would never be a problem, of course.

When all three poles are removed from their vertical position, it means that the owner is home and all are welcome to enter.

 

When one pole is laid across as such, it means that the owner has stepped out, but is in the area and will be home soon.

Two poles across the entry way mean that the owner has gone and won't be back for a few hours, but should be back before the end of the day.

 
Finally, three poles across means that the owner has left town or doesn't expect to be home for a few days. This one seems to me to be a flag saying "rob me!", kind of like those people on Facebook who get their homes robbed after saying "I'll be gone for the next 5 hours" while posting their address on their profile. But, of course, there aren't any thieves in Jeju so I guess it's never been an issue for them.

These lovely photos were taken in Songup Minsokmaul 성읍 민속마을. I will post more on this village soon. I'm finally coming to the end of my adventures in Jeju, there's only a few posts left to write!

Jeju Guide: 성산 일출봉 Seongsan Ilchulbong or Sunrise Peak

Seongsan Ilchulbong is one of the most famous landmarks in Jeju. It formed as an under the sea volcanic eruption 100,000 years ago, but what you see today is a 600 stair climb to the top of a ridge overlooking a grass covered crater. Slow erosion from this ancient vent has actually connected it with the mainland of Jeju which is wide enough for a small, tourist centered village to arise along with a strip connecting the mainland conveniently just wide enough to fit a road.

Climbing to the top can be a bit arduous, especially if you happen to have climbed Hallasan in the days before climbing Ilchulbong. But, nice views await you along the way and from the top. Many come here to view the sunrise (no wonder, considering it's name) and we had planned to do the same, but were unable to get up in time. We weren't too bothered by this though, when we realized it was the first cloudy day we'd had since arriving in Jeju.

The surrounding area of Ilchulbong is quite nice to take a walk around as well. We saw some horses grazing in the fields and we wandered down some stairs to see this beach.

As one of the most famous sites in Jeju, you'll find yourself among millions of tourists climbing up along with you. As this is close to the ferry for Udo (cow island), a favorite among tourists as well, you may find yourself in the area anyway. It seems most tours consider this a must do, so when you visit Jeju, you may also feel the same.

Jeju Guide: Jungmun area part 2: Waterfalls and Cliffs

After finishing swimming at Jungmun Beach, we drove over to see Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. This is another popular destination in the Jungmun area because of its three tiered waterfall, bridge  and some other sights along the way.

Here I am at the first waterfall. It's hard to see here, but the water is actually coming out of the cave on the the sides of the main waterfall. I've heard that if you go after sunset, the cave is illuminated sothat you can see the water coming out of the cave in a new light, so to speak.

 The second falls. We were too hungry and never made it to the third.

The second falls from afar.

Seonimgyo Bridge. If you are able to get a glance of the sides of this bridge, you can see 7 nymphs in wrought iron.

On you way out, stop by the orange grove on the side of the parking lot. You can buy some overpriced tourist stuff here, but I just took a photo and left.

Jusangcheolli Cliffs are about a 10 minute drive from the waterfall and not far from the beach. The cliffs have a very interseting formation that would have been better viewed durring the day, rather than as the park was closing for the eveing. It is one of the few places in Korea that isn't illuminated at night.

Jeju Guide: Jungmun area part 1: Jungmun Beach

 Jungmun Beach seems to be a very popular place with foreigners and Koreans alike. I saw more (western) foreigners here than I did on any other part of the island. But I can see why. Beautiful views, world class hotels, a great beach where you can actually surf and a location very close to Seogwipo, the second largest city in Jeju.

 Here you can see us sitting on the 쉬리 (shwiri) bench. It sounds more to me like the "shitty bench" when you say it quickly, but there's nothing shitty about it. It's a bench made famous from a movie filmed here a while ago and people make a point to come by and sit in this bench and look over the ocean from here when they visit this spot. It's located near the Shilla Hotel, high on the cliffs above the beach.

As you make your way down to the beach, you may come across some of these guys. Harubang are protectors and gods of fertility on Jeju.

 Now for the beach! Yup, it's a nice beach, with lots of waves!

 The weather was actually just warm enough for me to get in. And the water temperature was not very cold at all. It was quite enjoyable.

 There were quite a number of surfers in the water. I can't vouch for how good the surfing is, but by the number of people trying to surf it must mean it's good enough. I didn't see many people getting up on their boards though.

 A view from above of Jungmun Beach. Be sure to stop by, especially if you're a beach lover.

Jeju Guide: 가파도 Gapado Island

가파도 is the second most southern point of South Korea. The most southern point, Marado island is quite popular to visit for it's one feature of being the most southern part, but from what I hear, there's not much to do there, so we opted to check out Gapado instead. The ferry to Gapado only leaves about every three hours or so, so you need to time your departure and return well so you catch your boat.

What's so great about Gapado? Well, there's not much to do there actually, but if you're seeking to escape the tourists and get in a peaceful walk, bike ride or fishing, this would be the spot to do it. We spent just under 3 hours on the island and we had enough time to walk around a good portion of the island plus eat lunch. Needless to say, the island is tiny. I wish I knew how many people live on the island. While the town seemed reasonably big for an island that you can walk around in 2 hours, we probably saw a total of 20 islanders while we walked around. Maybe they like to sleep in on Saturdays...

On the "Oleh Kil" or walking path in Gapado, with Hallasan in the background.

A place for yearly Shamanistic rituals

And lots and lots of stone walls and farms.

If you plan on coming to Gapado, you need to go to the 모슬포항 (Moseulpo harbor). Most people getting on the boat will be headed for Marado, but you can purchase your round trip ticket for about 10,000 won, and call 82-64)794-3500 for times. Our departure was at 9:00am. I timed the boat ride. It was exactly 16 minutes. There aren't many English websites that mention Gapado, it's not on Wikipedia or on most blogs. But, I found you a few links, here, here and the most useful here if you'd like to see a little more of this remote island off the coast of Jeju.

Jeju Guide: 용머리 해안 Dragonhead Beach

After getting our rental car later than planned, we took off to explore the south side of the island. About an hour drive through Hallasan National Park, we found ourselves at Dragonhead Beach. Here you can walk around the edge of a cliff formed with interesting rock formations and striations.



There are beauitful views of Hallasan and Sanbangsan.

There's lots of ajummas selling fresh seafood, if you're interested in that.... You can eat it on stools and make-shift tables right on the rocks.


Don't forget to check out a model of the Dutch ship that washed up here during the Joseon Dynasty. The sailors of the ship were brought to Hanyang (Modern-day Seoul) and eventually conscripted into the military. While, according to the stories, they were treated well, they were not allowed to leave Korea. Eventually, the some of the soldiers stole a boat and escaped to Japan and eventually made it back to the Netherlands where the captain published a book from the journal he kept during his time in Korea. It was the first book ever published about Korean life and culture and it was of great interest to Europeans.

Not to be confused with 용두암 (Dragon Head Rock) in Jeju City in the north. Admission to Dragonhead Beach is around 2,500 (I don't remember exactly) and I think it's well worth it. The sights are beautiful and you can learn a little history too!

Jeju Guide: 협재 해수욕장 Hyeopjae Beach

Hyopjae beach is by far the most beautiful beach I saw while I was in Jeju. White sand, volcanic rocks, turquoise water and views of Biyangdo, a small island off the coast.

It was quite windy when we went here in mid-September so I didn't go in the water. It didn't stop the boyfriend from getting in, though.

The only people we found hanging around here were three or four small groups of foreigners. Mostly, Koreans came, took a photo and left. Which, with the wind as strong as it was, I totally understood. But, at least the sun was strong enough that you could feel comfortable when the wind let up for a minute or two.

I highly recommend checking out Hyopjae beach. It was my favorite beach (for views) in Jeju. You can reach it by bus like we did by getting out at the Hallim Park (한림공원) bus stop, just after Hallim City. While you're here, you can check out Halilm Park as well, it's right across the street.

For more Jeju information, check out all the articles in my Jeju Guide. In the next few days and weeks you can expect even more posts about Jeju.

Jeju Guide: Hallim Park 한림공원

Hallim Park (한림공원) is a fairly popular park in Jejudo. Located in the town of Hallim on the west side of the island, and across the from Hyopjae beach (post to come soon about that). It's a little expencive and rather contrived, but could be worth a bit of your time if you're in the area.

When you'll enter you'll walk down a street of palm trees. It feels a bit like Florida, actually.

Next were some caves formed by lava flows. It's unsual to see lava flow caves which have stalactites, but because of the presence of sand containing shells and things, stalactites are able to form. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't remember what the signs said now...

They were kind of cool, but not overly impressive...


From here were some other random exhibits. A bonzai garden, a tiny folk village, botanical gardens and some exotic birds.

Hallim park is worth it if you're in the area, but don't go out of your way to see it. Admission was 8,000 won/ person and we probably only spent an hour and a half here. The beach across the street on the other hand is fantastic, so you might find yourself in the area anyway!