Hello, Jeju! My First Blog Post
Hi everyone,
I am so excited to be writing my first blog post! My name is Ming, and I live on the beautiful island of Jeju.
As a new blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about what I hope to write about in the future.
Living in Jeju has been an incredible experience.
I have fallen in love with the natural beauty of this island, from the stunning beaches to the lush forests and mountains. In my blog, I want to share with you all the little moments that make up my daily life here.
From exploring new cafes and restaurants, to hiking in the mountains, to simply enjoying the beautiful views, I hope to give you a glimpse into what it's like to live in Jeju.
But that's not all! I also want to share some tips and recommendations for anyone who is planning to visit Jeju. I know how overwhelming it can be to plan a trip to a new place, so I hope my blog can help make your trip to Jeju a little bit easier and more enjoyable.
I am so ecited to start this blogging journey, and I hope you'll join me for the ride.
Thank you for reading, and I can't wait to share more with you soon!
Best, Ming
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Jeju: The treasure island
Photo by Arrigo Lupori on Unsplash
As information on Jeju island is limited in western sources, we made research directly from Korean sources (Korean history books and books about tourism) then we translated the information ourselves in this article.
As a result, we present you an exclusive article, one of its kind.
Jeju the treasure island( 제주도 ).
Image by HeungSoon from Pixabay
Jeju island is the largest island in south Korea it is situated south-west of the korean peninsula.
It is a volcanic island and its highest mountain is a dormant volcano called Hallasan a crater lake is situated at its summit at 1.950 meters.
Furthermore, Hallasan mountain is looking down on a 224 kilometres semi tropical forested national park not to forget the large coastline with waterfalls and the longest lava tubes in the world.
Jeju has moderate temperature, even in winter, the temperature rarely falls below 0 degrees Celsius.
Jeju is a popular holiday destination, even though most visitors are domestic!
The population of the island as a whole is 692.032 (2018) while the largest settlement is Jeju city with a population of 501.791, the island is an autonomous province.
Protected by UNESCO is the manjang cave more than eight kilometres long, from which one kilometre is accessible for walking.
Formed by cooling lava, the cave is narrow and cold, not to forget wet and slippery.
Bats are often hiding inside, it is definitely no place for the claustrophobic.Worth mentioning is also that 90 % of its surface is basalt.
In the past, from fear of invaders, the inhabitants of Jeju carved figures, or statues, resembling people, which they called “grandfather stones”. ( Dol hareubang in Korean (돌하르방) )
These statues were supposed to serve two main purposes; the first is for invaders to mistake the statues for soldiers, or armed inhabitants ready to defend the island, thus causing the invading armies to give give up their attempt.
Their second purpose is as protecting gods, not only against invaders, but also as general protection.
Another unique feature are the ‘“diving women””, these women dive 10-20 meters without any breathing apparatus, they do this to collect shellfish and octopus etc.
The average age of these breadwinners is 65-80 years old, extraordinary!!!
Jeju island is a world renowned treasure island worthy of worldwide attention.
Image by LUISIENA REX from Pixabay
Additionally Jeju has the Jeong bang waterfalls, these waterfalls are the only falls in all Asia that falls directly into the ocean, situated on a high cliff by the sea they are probably the most famous waterfalls in Jeju.
The history of Jeju.
Image by WONHO SON from Pixabay
Up until Jeju was called “Tamna” and was its own independent kingdom sometime in the 7th century A.D, Tamna subjugated itself to the Silla kingdom (one of the three kingdoms in Korea in that time).
During the time of independence, out of fear of invaders, the inhabitants carved statues on the mountains, visible from the sea, these figures were called “”grandfathers stones”” they can be mistaken from far for people or soldiers.
However by 935, the silla kingdom fell thus Tamna became independent once again.
This was short lived as in 938 with the rise of the kingdom of Goryeo(from here the name “Korea”).
Tamna was once again put under the control of the mainland and by 1105 it was officially a part of Goryeo kingdom. The island remained self-governed until 1404 when the rule of Joseon (Joseon being the new kingdom established after Goryeo kingdom fell ) formally brought an end to the island's kingdom.
In current times Jeju is thought of as the island of “natural wonders” and is known for its beautiful waterfalls and mystic forests, thought to have healing benefits.
The island is considered to be an “undiscovered” destination as most visitors are domestic.
The most relaxing activities that can be done in Jeju are Tangerine picking and visiting local forests.
Tangerine( 제주감귤 ).
Photo by Hoyoung Choi on Unsplash
Jeju is famously known for its tangerines, from the 13th century onward, kings of Goryeo and Joseon kingdoms have had boxes of these tangerines specially delivered to the royal family.
In earlier times these tangerines have been saved and used for making special medicines.
In modern times, these fruits are still used for making medicines, but are also used for a variety of different products such as cosmetic products and food products including chocolates, teas, and jams.
A fun and memorable activity that can done, which is also fairly inexpensive, is tangerine picking session where visitors are allowed to pick up to one kilogram of tangerines, have a snack consisting of either yuzu tea or tangerine tea with some crackers for the price of only 2000-6000 won equivalent to around 2-5 euros.
Interesting is also to compare this article about Jeju island and the earlier written article on our website about Canary islands. Both are volcanic islands, both were autonomous then later subjugated, both have semi tropical forests and crater lakes etc.
Further Readings:
https://www.natashathenomad.com/jeju-island-things-you-need-to-know
https://thelazyholiday.com/quick-guide-to-tangerine-picking-in-jeju/
https://jejutourism.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/jeju-nature-saryeonisupgil-jeju-islands-number-one-forest-walking-trail-saryeoni-forest/
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