– Marielle
Hi Reader!
Since moving to South Korea two years ago, I’ve now experienced three holidays. My first holiday was spent hiding away at the dorms, while my second holiday was spent on a “weekend getaway trip” with a group of my friends in Namhae… This holiday, however, I went on an Enjoy Korea trip to Jeju Island.
Before I tell you more about this year’s vacation, I’d like to share Enjoy Korea’s website with you, in case you’d like to check them out and go on a future trip with them: http://www.enjoykorea.asia .
Our trip began at 3 AM on Wednesday, when we met in downtown Daegu to catch the bus going to Mokpo. From Mokpo we caught the ferry to Jeju Island, and by 2 PM or so we made it to the Blue Hawaii resort, where we were staying:
The trip down to the island was so much fun! Not only did it offer us the oppertunity to rekindle with already familiar faces, but it also allowed for us to make new friends.
Upon arrival on the island, after settling our belongings into our allocated rooms, we made a trip to Hyupjae beach which was also a great time.
On our way back from the beach, we were lucky enough to catch a beautiful sunset:
On Thursday, we explored the Cheonjiyeon waterfalls, before visiting a few nearby museums, and then walking over to Jungmun beach. Due to poor weather conditions, we didn’t stay at the beach for too long… the waterfalls, however, were truly breath-taking:
In the evening, we went to the Monkey Beach bar that featured an indoor waterslide and small ball pit. (As part of the Enjoy Korea tour, we received discounts on drinks at the bar.) Again, we had a great time!
On Friday, we made a trip over to the volcanic crater in Seongsan Ilchulbong where we also got to see the famous diving women of Jeju, aka the Haenyo. While there, we also tried some local foods, such as the Jeju Black Pig pork skewers and grilled octopus skewers. Both were very delicious! The view from the crater was quite nice too:
As you can see, I really enjoyed my time there:
Afterwards, we adventured over to the underground lava caves at Manjung Gul. I really enjoyed this part of the trip because something about it reminded me of the Jeita Grotto in Lebanon, bringing back a renewed sense of nostalgia. While both were very different, something about the lava cave just reminded me of home.
To wrap up our day, we went to Loveland, which is Korea’s kinkiest outdoor park. It was a quite interesting, R-Rated experience…
On Saturday, some people had planned to hike Halla Mountain, while others wanted to visit the beach one more time. Neither of the planned activities really ended up taking place due to poor weather circumstances, so instead we went to the MagPie Brewery where we got to hang out and take a brewery tour. More information on the brewery can be found on their website here: http://www.magpiebrewing.com
While some people went to downtown Jeju after the brewery, I chose to go back to our resort and just relax before Sunday’s trip home.
On Sunday, we left Jeju Island with many fun memories and lots of newfound friends. All in all it was an amazing trip. Not only did we get to experience many new places on the island, but we also got to meet a lot of new, amazing people.
Whatever brings you to Korea, if you get a chance to go on a trip with Enjoy Korea, I highly recommend going!
Wishing you a wonderful week,
Marielle
PS. As this holiday is all about showing gratitude, I would like to extend my sincere thankfulness to all of the readers of the Daegu Diaries, all of the people I’ve met on this trip, and of course to my friends and family.
Author:
Marielle Marktanner
Bio:
I’m Marielle… and for the most part, I’m pretty average. I like dogs, reading books, and sipping tea. But what maybe not so average about me is that I’m a full-time student at Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea.
Website:
https://daegudiaries.wordpress.com/