The second day in Jeju is planned for the Southern part of the island.
We will leave the Ilchulbong area, probably after a last visit at dawn,
and we will head to the city of Seogwipo, where most of the places to
visit are concentrated.
We have a hotel with sea views very close to the
Jusangjeolli
cliff, which could be the last visit of this day or the first of the
next.
I get up early and, shortly before 8 AM, I am on my way to the
climb to Seongsan Ilchulbong. Since Eva feels unwell and the climb is
demanding, she stays at bed.
I pay the 5000 won for the ticket and begin the climb among
vegetation and flat, wide stairs, in the first part which soon becomes
more vertical and demanding, with steep stairs that wind between rocks
and trees. I stop to rest quite often because the heat doesn't help and
I'm drenched in sweat. With each section the views of the island become
more spectacular.
I reach the top, with the green mantle that covers this ancient
crater. The way back down is much faster and by a different path. It
seems that I have chosen a good time, since those who go up to see the
sunrise were already gone and I have barely find people.
When we leave the hotel we stop at the foot of the crater so Eva
can see it and take some pictures. The huge parking lot is full and the
flow of people getting in is not stopping.
We head South to stop at the small Seopjikoji cape. The idea here is to
get good views of Seongsan Ilchulbong and we get them at a nice beach.
We have to drive for a while until we reach the city of
Seogwipo, where we follow the plan stopping at the Jeongbang waterfall,
which is easily accessible. It is a small and beautiful waterfall that
what makes it special is that it falls directly on the dark rocks of
the beach, in the middle of a beautiful volcanic coast.
We drive to the hotel so Eva can eat something soft that we
brought from a nearby supermarket. The room has sea views and a huge
bathroom with a jacuzzi.
I leave to drive back to Seogwipo to complete the remaining
visits we have there. I park the car in the parking lot of the Olle
market and I look at the cars leaving to see how it works, since I
haven't got any ticket at the entrance. It seems that they
automatically capture your entrance time and at the exit they tell you
the amount at the booth so you pay them directly.
Once in the market I get a squid, which they "burned" in front
of me by 13000 won. There is a lot of different food that looks good,
but since I'm almost full, I choose a stall where locals line up to get
some stuffed pasta balls by 6000 won.
I do some more shopping before leaving the market.
The last visit of the day is Cheonjiyeon waterfall, very close
to here. I have been killing some time because I wanted to wait until
dusk as it seems that the place improves with the lights.
There is a path next to the river through the jungle of about
500m that is already beautiful in itself and to which they have
incorporated bridges and sculptures. Especially the hareubangs, which
seem to be the icon of the island and can be seen everywhere in Jeju,
like in the first photo above this page.
After some time at the waterfall, I head back to the hotel, from which we will not leave.
