I think jeju has become one of my favourite places to visit. I thought I’ll share some of my favourite memories and things:
friendly forest trails
So the story goes: we tried to do a “beginner-friendly” hike at Khao Yai National Park – we barely lasted fifteen minutes before my partner grew uncomfortable with some sensations on her legs. Turns out she was getting bitten by leeches…she wore pants and shoes and the leeches still managed to get up to her calf. We ran out of the trail and acknowledged that we are just not hikers.
Until jeju, I guess. They have a few of these forests with boardwalks. Some parts of these are even wheelchair friendly. We do have boardwalks in Singapore but the ones in jeju lasted the entire trail.
olle trails
The olle trails are my favourite thing in jeju. They circle the entire island. I just love seeing them and their hikers so much. The story of how they began is even more amazing. A journalist hiked the road to santiago, and felt like her hometown should have a trail as well. It is incredible this amazing well-run trail network was founded by a citizen, and she is a woman.
oreums
Oreums are found everywhere in jeju. They are less easy to hike, but still doable. Some parts can be really steep, and I felt like I almost had to crawl on all fours. There are many amazing views to be had along the way, and on top.
tangerine trees
Tangerine trees, tangerines, and tangerine-themed souvenirs/food are everywhere in jeju. We saw countless farms while driving, and stayed in an airbnb surrounded by tangerine trees.
persimmon trees
Persimmon trees are rarer, but when I see them it is like living in storybook.
green tea fields
It was a must to visit Osulloc tea museum as a matcha latte fan, but I would honestly say: go for the views, not the matcha latte. However Innisfree next door is worth visiting for affordable skincare and I really enjoyed a ham sandwich with peanut cream.
coffee with a sea view
There are plenty of cafes around jeju that has a pretty seaview. Many were gimmicky, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. It still feels incredible to be sipping warm coffee right at the beach.
ridiculously large cafes
My camera doesn’t have a wide enough angle to capture how large are these cafes, or maybe I am just a bad photographer. Most of them are just there for instagram photos, but we had a great meal at one.
ridiculously cheap seafood
I love abalones, and they are very expensive in Singapore. In jeju however, I had abalone pasta like any common dish, and these five grilled abalones cost less then S$30. In Singapore we get them mostly canned, so it was such a treat to have them fresh.
mackerel sashimi
Apparently it is not easy to eat mackerel sashimi because it is prone to spoilage, and jeju is one of the few places to eat it. I am not a fish person but I have been curious about korean sashimi for a very long time. Surprisingly this wasn’t fishy. I would love to try more korean sashimi if I have the chance.
amazing bagels
I never thought I would eat a bagel in jeju and proclaim to my partner: “best bagel in the world!”. Maybe it is just my personal taste. These bagels are baked in a pizza oven, and they are so soft and chewy.
haenyeo
I am a long-time admirer of haenyeos. It was a surprise to spot one in the wild, though it made me sad to witness an elderly woman dive around for seafood. It isn’t common for haenyeos to dive alone due to the potential danger, so I don’t really know what was going on. She did seem to be communicating to someone on land.
I am not sure if I’ve covered them all – I did this in a rush because it is sunday (my writing day) and I was out the entire day today. However I think sometimes it is just better to do rushed things than to lose momentum. Feelings are still fresh because I have just left jeju, so I wanted to share them as soon as possible without dragging it out.