A summer holiday to the beautiful island

The last full day of my Jeju trip had begun. As per usual, I got up early in the morning to save time. However, my condition was a bit poorly because I got blisters in my left shoulder area. I was having on a sleeveless shirt the morning before and as a result, my shoulder seemed burnt by the sun. Discharge exuded from the blisters during the night and I didn't fully recover from the mountain climbing.

Hauling myself up in order to head out, I felt like having some western-style breakfast at a cafe. Thankfully, there was a cafe, A'BOUT COFFEE right next to the lodging. After getting ready, I headed out to the cafe, hoping for the day to be very enjoyable.

1. 에이바우트 커피 (A'BOUT COFFEE)

The cafe brand was established in Jeju. There are approximately 30 branches in Jeju, 13 in Seoul and Gyeonggido. So, you can visit one of them almost anywhere in Jeju.

The best advantage of the cafe I can tell you about is its reasonable and unique price policy. You can have one drink with a complimentary pudding(Am. dessert), but if you don't want pudding, you can get a 50% discount for the drink. In addition to that, if you visit the cafe from 7 to 11 in the morning, a cup of americano only costs 1,200 won(appx. 1$ as of the time I visited) - if I remember correctly, no dessert was offered with the price.

Bacon English Muffin, Ham&Cheese English Muffin, Americano, Greentea Latte

2. 만장굴 (Manjanggul Lava Tube)

The island of Jeju was formed by the eruption of Hallasan Mountain a long time ago. You, thereby, can see lots of by-products of the eruption in Jeju; one of which is Manjanggul Lava Tube.

It is considered one of the largest lava tubes in the world. However, it's not only a lava tube but also the one that has a significant meaning itself because it was created thousands of years ago and has been preserved very well. In addition to that, Manjanggul Lava Tube is the largest habitat for bats. Thanks to its absence of lights and noise, it has become a perfect shelter for them. However, it will probably be very hard for you to observe the bats because they live deep in the cave, off the beaten path of the lava tube.

There are three entrances at the lava tube, but the only one that you can entre through is the second entrance. Because the ceiling is sinking, the other two entrances do not allow you to entre. Maybe about 13 years ago, when I visited Jeju for a field trip, it was possible to entre the other entrances if I remember correctly. The fact that you can look around as far as only one kilometre might make you feel a bit sad, but it's still worth visiting in that the lava tube exhibits a lava column which is the highest(7.6 metres) in the world, not to mention the beautiful lights in the cave which are also worth seeing.

The end of the viewing path and the highest lava column in the world.

Admission Fee

Adult - 4,000 won

Under 18 - 2,000 won

Rating

3.8 / 5.0

3. 비지곶식당 (Bijigot Sikdang Restaurant)

The air was quite chilly inside the lava tube. It made me crave something soupy and hearty, and because I like 국밥(rice with soup), I decided to head to the restaurant, 비지곶식당(Bijigot Sikdang Restaurant) for 해장국(Haejangguk, rice and soup usually for a hangover) after having done some research.

The restaurant is located nearby but the area is not well-known among tourists so it may be quite hard to find it. Although it even had no sign outside, it was crowded during lunchtime. I would say it's a genuine hole in the wall, which only local inhabitants visit.

The restaurant has only a single menu item, 해장국. Nothing else. However, the해장국 itself was lovely. The warmth and savoury, spicy taste of the dish was good enough to erase the chill from the cave. Even as I'm writing this post, my mouth is watering.

If you hired a car and were supposed to go to Manjanggul or Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, it would be a good choice to visit the restaurant for a lovely meal.

Take the meat off the bones, into the soup bowl.

Price

해장국(Haejangguk) - 8,000 won

Rating

4.7 / 5.0

Location

3002, Iljudong-ro, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, Republic of Korea

4. 성산일출봉 (Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak)

After having a lovely meal of 해장국(Haejangguk), I headed right away to 성산일출봉(Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak). Thankfully, the restaurant was located on the way to 성산일출봉, it didn't take me a long time to go. I arrived there within about 20 minutes by car.

When I arrived at 성산일출봉, a vast car park spread before my eyes. The car park doesn't cost you any penny so you can park wherever you want. Besides, many cafes and souvenir shops are located around the car park, which may offer you the opportunity for a good tea break and memorable goods to buy as souvenirs.

The entrance of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak

There are two sections for touring; a complimentary section and a charged section. If you want to climb up to the peak, you should purchase a ticket. I couldn't come here and not see the crest in person so I bought the tickets. In addition to that, I bought two different orange juices in case I got thirsty while climbing. One was 한라봉(Hallabong), and the other one was 천혜향(Cheonhyehyang), which are Jeju's speciality fruits. To my regret, I can't exactly remember how the tastes differ from each other, but I can confidently say that both were so good.

Endless stairs. It was such an exercise.

A unique rock and the view from the trail.

There were so many stairs to take and the peak was high enough to make me sweat and pant. I already drank up the juice and was soaked in my sweat. However, as there is an expression; "There is light at the end of the tunnel", I continued to take pains of walking up to the crest in order to see the peak's beauty.

To give you brief information about 성산일출봉, it was created by an eruption under the sea about 5,000 years ago. It was initially a volcanic island, but as time went by, sand and gravel came to be piled up between the main island and 성산일출봉. At the end of it, the tombolo was formed and has remained as it is. Out of its name, 성산일출봉; 성산 means 'castle-like mountain', 일출 means 'sunrise', and 봉 means 'peak'. Because of its beautiful scenery and geological value, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

The crest, seen from the observation deck.

I ended up reaching the summit and there was an observation deck. People were taking seats and relishing the beautiful view. So was I. It was a bit of shame that the beautiful view couldn't be accurately reflected through my camera lens. I dare say you should visit in person. The view was more beautiful when seen that way.

The crest looked like a green-tea gelato -- half-eaten with a spoon on the top -- in my eyes and I imagined running freely on it with my puppies, funnily enough. After the breeze from the sea cooled off my sweaty body while enjoying the view, I headed back down the mountain.

If you want to try fresh seafood such as conch and octopus, 해녀의집(Hae-nyeo-ui Jip, the House of Female Divers) would be there for you right next to the way out of the mountain. Conches and octopuses are served alive, cut into pieces. You can eat them with vinegary chilli sauce. It can be terrifying at your first try but so tasty that you will not regret it. [Octopus - 10,000 won / Conches - 10,000 won]