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| Grottos at Mt. Sanbang, looking out to the ocean |
After staying for 3 nights in south Jeju, it was time to move to Jeju City (north Jeju). To make the move, I ordered a private taxi tour. Not only will the taxi transport us and our luggage to where we want to be at the end of the day, but it would also stop at a few places for sightseeing. Having agreed to about 5 stops ahead of time, we began our tour of the west side of Jeju Island. Our taxi driver was cheerful but spoke very basic English. He took fun photos of us both - encouraging us to pull silly faces and cute poses.
We started at Sanbangsan Mountain - a bell-shaped tuff lava dome that protrudes out from the flat landscape. Well-maintained stairs take you to the Sanbangulsa Grotto and temple. We lucked out with another amazing-weather day so the sea views along the coastline were clear.
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| Arriving at Mt. Sanbang |
After visiting the mountain, our taxi driver recommended another stretch of the Yongmeori coastline for a coastal walk. It was incredibly scenic and I was so thankful that we were being driven by a local.
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| Coastal Walk with Mt. Sanbang in background |
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| Tea fields at OSulloc |
We then stopped by the Osulloc tea museum where we took photos of the tea fields and indulged in the cafe. Osulloc is a well-known green tea purveyor in South Korea with the tea grown on Jeju Island. Next door, there is also the Innisfree Jeju House where you could browse products and eat in its cafe. Innisfree is a cosmetics/skincare brand by Amore Pacific with a "natural" concept. Many of its ingredients are sourced from Jeju Island.
Lunchtime! Again, our taxi driver came through and dropped us off at a lunch spot with the entire menu in Korean. We were able to work out the specialties though - Paul tried the belt fish (too many little bones) but I had a stupendous abalone and roe stone-pot bibimbap. As usual, the banchan was free-flowing.
After lunch, we took in 2 more vista spots before Hallim Park which included Hyeopjae beach - known as one of the most beautiful beaches on Jeju Island.
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| The most beautiful beach in Jeju? |
Our final sightseeing spot was Hallim Park - an all-in-one tourist destination that included botanical gardens, a folk village, various animals plus another underground lava tube system. The park was a treasure trove of sights and we wished we had longer than 2 hours to walk around. We must have spent longer than our driver wished as he didn't seem as cheerful as he did in the morning.
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| Bonsai Garden at Hallim Park |
After the taxi dropped us off at our hotel in Jeju City, our fun day ended with the requisite Korean black pork BBQ.
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