the dol hareubang
I’ve been to South Korea more than 4 times at this point, but it was my first time going someplace not in the mainland. Coming to Jeju, I really didn’t know much about the place except for the Haenyeo divers but the island’s vibe let me know immediately that this was someplace special.
I had pre-ordered a pocket wi-fi beforehand and went to pick it up at the airport.
Upon exiting the airport, I was immediately met with Jeju famous stone statues that I have come to know now as the Dol Hareubang.
I was dropped on a rotunda and I went to get some food first since I was terribly hungry. Korean restaurants really give you the best deals, so much food for so little money despite it being an island.
I then proceeded to my hostel to drop my stuff off and walked towards the coastal area where there were these alcoves and springs on perched rocks. I also went through a walking trail with a view of Oedolgae, a scenic lookout point for the sunset.
I enjoyed viewing the coastal areas of Jeju, there were caves, coves, beaches and cliffs. It was still winter so the air was pretty cold.
On the way back, I stopped by another park. There was a river flowing through and there were a lot of ducks swimming in the river, following the water led me to Cheonjiyeon waterfall, illuminated by the lights around. At this point, it was getting dark so I headed back to my hostel.
On Janelle’s recommendation, I got some cup ramyeon, two flavors: spicy and blackbean. Both were pretty okay and very spicy. I was actually too full so I ended up not finishing it.
I took my shower and headed straight to bed because I had to wake up tomorrow morning to conquer South Korea’s highest peak: Hallasan.
hallasan
I woke up very early the next day, took my shower and went out to find the bus stop. It was still very dark and cold. I waited for a bit and got on the bus. I tried to get whatever rest I could but I was quite nervous. I didn’t know what to expect since it was gonna be my first time hiking in the snow.
I arrived at the trailhead, a bit lost as to where the entrance was since I couldn’t see a thing but I followed where the people were going and found the starting point.
I was now hyped, ready to go and started a good pace going up, there were a lot of stairs and I found myself taking breaks every now and then but maintaining a steady momentum.
The sunrise started and gave me much needed sight, illuminating the dark forest and casting silhouettes on the trees, it was quite a sight to behold.
After an hour or so of constant uphill, patches of snow started to appear. The soil was slowly being covered up as I went higher and higher. It also started to feel a bit of the fatigue from the all the climbing but I was also excited as I wanted to see more snow.
I passed a few stations, eating my sandwiches along the way. Halfway through the hike, I realized I wouldn’t be able to find food or rent snow shoes at one of the stations.
I saw the signs that warned proceeding without crampons would be perilous. Now, I wasn’t just going to go up and turn back so I decided to push for it and continued onward through the now winter wonderland landscape of Hallasan.
trails as cold as ice
It definitely got harder as I found myself slipping on the slippery ice and snow, it took its toll on my body more as I had to really grip hard on the rope to support myself going up while others passed by me seamlessly.
This continued on for a long time with some flats in between. The final stretch was soon in front of me, there were soldiers also doing the hike but they were simply running through it like it was nothing.
As for me, the wind blared and the cold felt like a slap on my face, I clutched on the rope and did my best to put one foot forward and the next, slipping a bit each time. Eventually, I did make it to the top.
Here, the wind was at its most fierce.
I didn’t have much time to celebrate until the cold started to seep in my body, so I tried to see as much of the crater and summit as I could, I asked an old man to help me take my picture and I quickly hurried down.
Downhill was also quite difficult for me, I was tired and very hungry. I certainly did not bring enough food.
I managed to get to a view point and begged a middle-aged man for some food and got some kimchi gimbap from him. I was overjoyed, this could keep me going for a while.
Another guy overheard my predicament and also offered me some chocolate, which I accepted without hesitation. The kindness of strangers have filled me up and I found myself cruising for a bit more, encountering the chocolate guy several times in various resting points.
I have also devised a way to go down at a much faster and easier pace: sliding through the snow. As I laid my butt and pushed, I flowed like water downhill, saving my legs from a lot of fatigue and downhill pressure.
I continued to do this for who knows how long, there was a close call where I ended up gaining too much speed and crashed a couple of times, having to grab at some branches or rope.
There was one incident where I literally stopped myself before sliding off the cliff. It was at this point that I made the wise decision of stopping this tomfoolery and to just walk.
Walking also proved to be challenging with the slippery snow and ice and my shoes were not made for it at all, especially going through narrow cliffs. I wonder how many lives I would have lost if not for my sheer dumb luck.
serenity past adversity
Soon, the snow started to pave way to mud and it was back to good old soil. A very welcome terrain after such a hard experience.
I was glad the worst was behind me, there were beautiful rivers flowing, some caves by the valleys and lush vegetation again.
The only problem was some paths had such spikey rocks, it made it so hard and borderline painful to just walk. I kept at it for so many hours, losing my gloves somewhere along the way as I stopped by several resting points.
My legs were aching and I was very hungry again, eventually I made it to the exit. Finally, it was over and I still had much time to spare.
I decided to head to Gwaneumsa Temple, a Korean Buddhist temple following the Mahayana Tradition, since it was close by. I dragged my crying legs to more uphill slopes until I reached the temple grounds.
Just walking a few meters would already tire me out and I took every opportunity to just rest and sit down. The temple grounds itself was amazing, the main attraction was a giant golden Avalokiteshvara statue surrounded by hundreds of other Buddha stone statues.
I explored the place a bit more and waited for my bus back to town, praying I got the right one as there was no English at all and I just had to rely on comparing the Hangul on a Korean map app.
Fortunately, it was the right one.
see ya shoes
With my body all fatigued, I knew it was the perfect time for an onsen, or I guess in this case it’s called a jjimjiibang?
After a hefty lunch, I made my way to Jeongbang Waterfall just by walking as I couldn’t find any buses going there at the time, and it was just 2 kilometers or so, so why not I thought.
Big mistake.
Dragging my legs so far and in the end it was all for nothing because the waterfall was actually closed!
Feeling sorry for myself, I reconciled my thoughts that at least the hot bath was going to be so worth it.
Spoiler alert: I was once again, wrong.
The bathhouse was quite interesting because you had to leave your shoes out at the front, which was understandable, seems like everyone was doing it. So, I put mine in and off I went inside.
I noticed that there was definitely a difference in bathing culture, as there were people just using their phones while inside the baths, which is something unheard of in Japan. I guess Korean culture is just a bit different.
After I finished drying myself up, off I went outside to put on my shoes and head off for a relaxing night, but Jeju had something else in store for me.
“Ayo, where my shoes at?” Gone, buster. I checked again, and again, and maybe just one last time to make sure but yep, there they weren’t. Something I never expected to happen in South Korea, not even in the cities like Seoul but in Jeju Island of all places!
I told the old clerk about my predicament but she couldn’t communicate in English, she called her son and we talked on the phone, but long story short there was nothing they could do and that was understandable. It wasn’t their fault, but I definitely should have just brought the shoes inside.
The shoes were brand new, a birthday gift from my dad and it helped me tons in the Hallasan hike as they were actually thermal and insulated. Only got to wear them for a few months, but hey. I hope the other person’s happy with them and may they serve ’em well.
the lava cliffs
I got up and noticed that my body was hella aching. I had to cancel some of the places I was going to just because it required long walking and hiking and my body just wasn’t up for it after scaling a mountain unequipped with the right paraphernalia.
I took my shower and checked out and was walking around town for a while. I went to Jeongbang Waterfall again from yesterday and this time it was open.
The stairs really hurt but I was blessed with a wonderful view of the ocean and the waterfall that connects to it along with a rainbow. Jeongbang waterfall is the only waterfall in Asia that connects to the ocean, so there’s that too.
I went back to town after relaxing her for a bit. It was hard to find my bus and I ended up missing a couple of buses that pushed my schedule further and further, to the point where I was thinking maybe to just give up and head straight to the airport.
I decided to get some lunch and that also took a lot of time because I was having trouble deciding what to eat and at the same time fighting my hunger. In the end, I had some pretty good Jeju delicacies and was satisfied.
I headed to Jusangjeolli Cliff, a special rock formation formed by lava. It was definitely a unique landscape. I circled around the walking trails surrounding the park it was located in and headed towards Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls, this was a different one from before, having three different waterfalls in one area.
The hardest part about this was just climbing the stairs and making sure I was good on time with my slow pace. My legs really hurt for each flight, and going around the zone also took a few kilometers of walking notwithstanding the fact that I was also carrying my backpack with all my things.
There was also Seonim bridge, a very intricate red bridge laden with white sculptures.
Eventually, I made it out of the waterfall area and got on a bus heading straight to the airport where I got some Jeju tangerine chocolates as a souvenir for Janelle.
