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7/9/2017

Today was our last full day in South Korea and abroad.

We packed up our gear and headed to the beach. We parked our car and went to Paris Baguette one last time for breakfast before walking across the street to the beach. Hyeopjae beach was filled with blue umbrellas and people. We walked to the other end so we wouldn’t have to pay for an umbrella and sat down on our towels. I shared with Isabel since I didn’t have one. We basically people watched for the next few hours. The scene in front of us was entertaining. Everyone was fully clothed in the water and there were tons of inflatable animals (unicorns and swans) that kids were playing on.

We watched people do their thing and we were kept amused. The water was colder than I expected, about as cold as east coast water. I took a very quick dip twice but that was about it for me. Tamara waded in a few times as well but Isabel stayed put on the towel. After a few hours, we’d all had plenty of sun and got in the car. We drove an hour back in Jeju city to find another beach but our GPS didn’t bring us to the right spot and we drove around awhile since parking in the city is impossible. We stopped at a Lotteria, which is a fast food restaurant very similar to McDonald’s. After filling up and feeling refreshed, we tried to put a few addresses in the GPS to go to but the GPS wasn’t having it so we gave up and headed to the hotel.

We reached the hotel (same one as the first night in Jeju) at 3:30pm and collapsed on the beds. We were in the exact same room as last time. We were all tired and ended up watching Spider-Man 2 in bed. We then walked up and down the walking street outside and found a cute restaurant that overlooked the street from the second floor. We had a nice last dinner in Jeju and then headed to 7/11 for our chocolate fix. We are now repacking our gear and getting ready for the airport tomorrow. The time has come to say goodbye to the island of white cars, small towels and no number four buttons on elevators. New York, here we come.

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7/8/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/8/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/8/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/8/2017

Today we got the usual breakfast and checked out. We drove half an hour to our first destination of the day: Jusangjeolli cliffs. We parked the car and walked into a little park area with dolphin statues that had signs asking you to not climb then. We followed signs to the cliff overlook. There were a decent amount of people at the overlook trying to take their perfect selfie. The cliffs were black made up of rectangular pieces. They were cool to look at but we wished we could go closer since the lookout was fairly far away. We left and headed to the Yongmeari coast. Upon arriving, I realized our next three destinations were all right here: Yongmeari coast, Mt. Sanbaksan and Sanbanggulsa grotto. We followed a path down the coast first but once we reached the entrance, we were told the coastal cliffs were closed due to the current weather conditions. There was a large boat in the distance, so we walked to that instead, passing horses along the way. We walked on the boat and explored a bit but there wasn’t too much to see. Behind the boat, we could see the large mountain. We walked up a different path to two different monuments, one made of marble and the other of stone. 

We then crossed the street and headed to the Sanbanggulsa temple. The temple looked like all the others but we got to see another large buddha surrounded by white stone sculptures. We then enjoyed tangerine ice cream before getting in the car. We tried finding Jeju stone park but the GPS would only bring us to another place on the other side of the island. We put in directions to a horse theme park that was near the stone park, hoping to find signs for the stone park. Well, we made it to the horse park but after driving down a few roads, couldn’t find the stone park. We gave up and ate some snacks in the horse park’s parking lot before continuing on. Jeju is filled with random attractions and museums and we passed many on our way to O’Sullacs Tea Museum. We saw signs for a miniature park and decided to check that our after O’Sullacs. 

O’Sullacs is well known and therefore, crowded. The museum wasn’t much and the gift shop was larger. We took an elevator up to an observatory and from there could see the tea fields as well as these three women set up a tripod and pose for pictures. They were the real entertainment. We then walked around the outside, following a few different paths before being led into the original Innisfree (a beauty store). In there, we made our own postcards, checked out their products and I misplaced my phone. Luckily, a worker had found it and we got it back. We walked through the tea fields, wary of the beware of snakes signs and then headed back to the paths. We passed a small structure with wooden drawers and each time you opened one, there would be a different sound. You could write a note wishing for something and leave it in one of the drawers. I wished for mac n cheese bites.

We went back to the Innisfree store and ate our dinner in there. They had a cute cafe with great food. I had a pasta salad with delicious pesto, Isabel had a hot dog and Tamara had shrimp and avocado in a bun. We then ordered Jeju’s famous tangerine shaved ice and the thing was enormous (and delicious after figuring out the flavored stuff was at the bottom). After eating it all, we got in the car and headed to miniature park, not really sure what to expect. 

The park was weirdly awesome. Everything in side was a smaller version of a famous landmark. They had everything from the Eiffel tower to the Egyptian pyramids to the Great Wall of China to the White house. We had way too much fun walking around and seeing everything. Isabel and I took some nice prom pictures under the Eiffel tower, some nice family photos with Shrek and then traveled to Italy to sit on the edge of the Trevi fountain. We then drove to our hotel, did another face mask (of course) and went to bed. 

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7/7/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/7/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/7/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/7/2017 Today we woke up and went down to breakfast. The restaurant was busy so we had a bit of a wait and then we were seated. The buffet had the usual toast, cereal and Korean things. After eating, we got ready and our car was retrieved for us. We drove 45 minutes to Hallasan National Park. The farther into the mountains we drove, the foggier it got. About five minutes away, it magically got sunny and we parked the car near our trail. We first walked into the visitor center and found a photo booth where you could choose your background and print a picture, as if you made it to the top of the mountain or hiked in the snow. We entertained ourselves with this until we found out you had to pay for the picture. We circled through the visitor center and then started our hike. We hiked the eoseungsaengak trail - the shortest one in the park. Korea wouldn't be Korea without stairs and the hike was all stairs, all uphill. The steps were certainly easier than the temple so it wasn't too bad. The lack of humidity today certainly helped. Along our hike, Isabel stepped on a snake, let out a high pitched scream and the snake didn't really run away. It slithered a few feet and stayed put as we walked by it. We made it to the top and we're rewarded with a strong breeze and 360 views of the city on one side and the mountains on the other. The mountains were engulfed in fog, but we could see enough to know they were pretty. We spent some time at the top, resting and appreciating the wind. The wind eventually picked up a lot and it started to sprinkle, so we headed back down. It was easy on the way down and we got back into the car. We drove to Jeju's Green Tea Maze. The place was in the heart of all the fog. There were three mazes to choose from. We skipped the first one because it looked too easy and walked into the second. It turned out to be harder than we thought and after an embarrassing amount of time and a slightly frustrated Isabel, we made it out. There were little look out points but the fog was too thick to see anything. We walked under the bridges the farm had and found many "I ❤️ U" signs to pose under. We just always like to look like we're on our honeymoon. Then we found goats. They were amusing. We kept going and found ourselves in a little tea cafe where we were able to try free green tea. The place was adorable with little notes covering almost every inch of the cafe. I think it overlooked some tea fields but the fog was still too thick to see anything out the window. After enjoying our tea, we went outside and found three hammocks. Ah, they were comfortable. I figured out how to do a flip in one. Isabel cocooned herself in hers. We swung for awhile as Tamara took pictures of many things - her favorite were these old wooden vases. We circled back around and headed out, passing the goats once more. Isabel was hangry at this point so we went on a hunt for food. We went to McDonald's. I feel a little guilty about eating here a lot but we've found it difficult to order at local restaurants due to the fact we can't read the menus and if there aren't any pictures, we're screwed. We stuffed ourselves and then headed around the corner to see the World Cup stadium. The inside was actually smaller than I expected it to be because the outside makes it look large. Wikipedia says it's roof is in the shape of nets of traditional fishing boats in Jeju. Good to know. We circled it, found some more large stone men, and found ourselves inside the emart next door. We walked through it, trying to find the exit where we parked our car. We found tons of Simpsons and Captain America beauty products. We eventually had to walk out of the emart and around to find our car. We then drove to the Seogwipo markets. The markets were indoors and crawling with food vendors. We walked through and saw tons of different fried sea food and fish, even a guy smacking a fish with a mallet in front of us. We walked through and headed to Olive Young first to stock up on more face masks. After buying way too many, we walked along the Main Street. We found this store that was smaller than a closet and we liked what they had in the window, but the door was padlocked. It was super strange. We then walked back into the markets and bought a variety of food for dinner. We got Korea's famous fried chicken, vegetarian gimbap and fried donuts. We headed back to our hotel and watched Moana for the first time. Not my favorite. We then tried another face mask and went to bed.

[simonestudyabroad]

7/6/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/6/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/6/2017

Today we woke up and ate scones we had bought yesterday. We checked out and drove to Ilchul Land. It was a place with themed gardens and Micheon cave. It was slightly raining and very very humid. My camera kept fogging up. We followed the blue line through the gardens, passing stone statues and palm trees. As we approached the cave, we could feel the temperature start to drop. Walking down the steps into the cave, the temperature dropped a good ten degrees. I was shivering as we stepped into the dark cave. The cave was lit up with colorful lights and had odd things inside such as fake, light up flowers and a projector playing a little movie. We walked 365m into the cave and then there was a plaque saying we couldn’t go any farther into the 1.7km long cave but that we would be healthy for the next 365 days.

We turned around and went back out into the humidity. My camera took awhile to recover from the temperature change. We kept following the blue line and passed more sculptures along with dogs, rabbits and chickens in cages. They were a bit random. We made our way out and drove to Jeju folk village. The price was a little steep so we decided to skip it and headed to Jeongbong falls. The falls had stairs leading down to the ocean. The waterfall was right on the edge of the ocean and it emptied into it. We spent some time before trudging back up the stairs to the car. Tamara bought Jeju’s famous tangerines from a stand at the top of the stairs and we all had a few. They’re delicious.

We then drove to Cheonjiyeon falls. When we got there, we found out there were actually three different falls. The first one was a calm, blue pool surrounded by squared cliffs. This one was my favorite. It was beautiful. I stepped in the water and it was freezing though. We then continued onto the next falls. The path led to a platform that overlooked the falls and this one was pretty too. We climbed up all the stairs we had just climbed down to reach the path for the third one. We stopped at a bridge along the way. Isabel and I humored Tamara and skipped along the bridge. We then started the path for the third falls. This one had the most stairs and it led to an overlook. We couldn’t actually see the falls that well from the overlook, so it was a bit of a disappointment. We climbed back up all the stairs and were drenched in sweat as we reached the top.

We bought another tangerine drink from a stand and it was amazing. We got in the car and drove to a nearby Paris Baguette (our usual) for lunch. Afterwards, we headed to Oedolgae rock. It’s a huge rock not far off the coast and we walked along a path that circled the large thing. We then checked into our hotel and rested for about an hour before heading to dinner. Tamara had researched places before hand and we settled on a western place that was back by the waterfalls. The place was good and we devoured our food, along with our chocolate cake. We went back to our hotel and the little parking lot that we were in before, had filled. As we were backing out, a hotel employee told us he would park the car for us somewhere else. He got in the car and drove off but we then realized Tamara had the key and a few minutes later, the guy returned and we gave it to him. We went back to our room, did a face mask, and went to bed.

[simonestudyabroad]

7/5/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/5/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/5/2017

[simonestudyabroad]

7/5/2017 Today was our first full day on Jeju island. We woke up and headed outside to find breakfast. We walked up and down the street that was bustling yesterday but today, it was completely empty. We walked a ways and didn't see many breakfast options so we returned to the cafe that was below our hotel and ordered waffles. They were great. We then packed up our gear and checked out. When I asked for a taxi, the lady pointed outside and we started walking to a different street. We wound up inside another hotel and asked them if they could call a taxi for us. It was a bit awkward because they asked if we were guests but they called it for us anyway. We shoved all our gear into the taxi and headed to AJ car rental. We filled out the usual stuff and found our car. After being taught how to use the Korean GPS, we were ready to go. To use the GPS, we put in the phone number of the place (since everything else is in Korean) we want to go and that's how we'll be getting around the next few days. I got in the car and started driving. It was weird to be driving on the right side of the road again and driving through the city was crowded. We headed to our first stop of the day: Loveland. Loveland is Jeju's sex museum. It's an outdoor park of sex sculptures. It was highly entertaining. The best part of everything was the names of the sculptures. One was titled, "What Mrs. Kim Ordered for Takeout." I'll leave the rest to your imagination. We also got to witness about 12 older Korean women all pose/get on an enormous penis for a once in a lifetime picture. After exploring the entire park and laughing at pretty much everything, we left. The day was incredibly hot and humid and Isabel had a heat warning pop up on her phone multiple times. We put in directions and headed to our second destination: Manjanggual cave. Along the way, it started thundering and lightening outside. We headed right into the storm. We got to the cave and noticed it was fairly empty. We tried walking inside and realized the place was closed. Upon further research, we found out that the cave is closed the first Wednesday of every month. Just outta luck. It started to sprinkle and we went back to the car. We started driving to our next destination, looking out for lunch along the way. The rain picked up and soon it was torrential down pouring. We stopped at the first restaurant we saw and ran inside. Unfortunately, it was all sea food and we couldn't read the menu, so we left. We drove a few more minutes and saw a small cafe and stopped there. The place was cute and had paninis, so we settled in and each ordered one. The rain started to let up as we ate our lunch. The rain stopped by the time we returned to the car to finish the drive to Seongsan Ilchulbong peak. The peak is an archetypal tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about five thousand years ago. It looks like an enormous crater. I didn't realize we had to walk to the top of it but here we were again, faced with more stairs. We started the climb and it wasn't nearly as bad as the temple. The steps weren't as steep and there weren't nearly as many. It was hot though. We were drenched by the time we made it to the top. The view was definitely worth it but impossible to capture in pictures. We rested at the top, taking it in before heading back down. Once at the bottom, Isabel bought a tangerine drink that was delicious and made from some special tangerines that only grow on Jeju. We got back in the car and decided to check into our hotel since it was so close. We found it easily and it was a cute and colorful place. After a slightly confusing check in, we were in our rooms. It's the nicest room yet. Our beds aren't as firm, the room is large and our view is awesome. Right outside our window is sprawling grass fields with mountains in the backdrop featuring tons of white birds. I went and flew my drone over the grass, getting some attention from hotel guests from a higher floor. They waved and watched the drone. After cooling down in the hotel room, we headed to Seopjikoji. It was a nice area with paths that followed a rocky coastline up to a lighthouse and beyond. We walked along the path and saw a candy house that looked like something from Hansal and Gretel. We walked along the green grass and up to the light house. The cliffs and the green reminded us a bit of Ireland. We explored some more, messed around, jumped over puddles, and stayed here until sunset. The day had become strangely misty. Isabel and I found ourselves on a little hill as the sun started to go down. We did cartwheels and handstands as the sky changed colors. We then headed back towards the parking lot, passing horses along the way. Once in the car, we drove towards food. We made a quick stop at Starbucks before settling on good ol' McDonald's. After a delightful dinner of cheese sticks, chicken tenders, fries and ice cream, we went back to the hotel. The mist had turned more into a fog as we drove back. We returned to our room and went to sleep.

[simonestudyabroad]

7/4/2017

We woke up and had breakfast, sneaking Tamara food again. We then packed our bags, now over the weight limit, and left them in the hotel lobby as we headed out for our hike. The day was misty and the air felt nice. Once inside the park, we followed signs for the waterfall hike we wanted to do. We crossed another bridges and were soon surrounded by lush green trees. I played country music from my phone as we walked, getting a few looks as we passed other hikers. The hike reminded me a lot of the Pacific Northwest with the fog and the trees.

We walked about 2km and after some rocky steps, we were at a bridge that crossed the falls. There were multiple bridges, one looking like a small, cute Golden Gate Bridge. The water was a yellowish color but clear and clean looking. We stayed here for a few minutes before heading back down as it started to sprinkle. On the way, we let two cute old Korean men pass. They stopped and asked us where we were from and how we had found Sokcho. They were quite enthusiastic to our answers. It was adorable. I stopped to use the bathrooms along the path and it was hands down the nicest public bathroom I've ever used.

We made it back to the center of the park and stopped for ice cream before returning to hotel. This is when I realized I didn't have my debit card and it must've fallen out at the bathroom. Isabel covered me and I canceled my card as we ate our ice cream. We then headed back to the hotel and called two taxis again. We got to the bus station and hopped on the bus back to Seoul. I just love how comfortable that bus was. We drove through the beautiful mountainside, going in and out of tunnels. The TV at the front of the bus was talking the entire time about the missile that North Korea successfully launched today. It was all over the news for the rest of the day.

After a few hours, we entered the land of smog again. The sky went from blue to a grayish color and we were back in Seoul. We got off the bus and followed signs to the subway, lugging our bags behind us. Once at the correct platform, we boarded a very crowded subway with our large bags. It wasn't very comfortable but after a few stops, the train cleared out a bit and by the time we got to the airport, we weren't squished in. We tried to check in, but we're too early, so we waited an hour. Once allowed to, we got our boarding passes and headed inside. They luckily didn't charge us for the overweight bags.

Once through security, we tried to find food but we didn't have many choices so our dinner was an assortment of food from 7/11. I mostly had string cheese and chips. We waited to board, seeing the missile news on the TV as well as Trump's tweets about it. We then boarded and headed to Jeju. On the runway, our pilot missed our turn and screeched the plane to a stop before taking a hard right to turn the plane down the right runway. The flight was a short with a rough landing. We were all able to squeeze in one taxi and get to the hotel. Our hotel is in the middle of a bustling walking street. Our hotel room had a bed for me tonight! What a blessing. However, we only have hand towels for showering. It’ll be interesting. Time for bed.