Unforgettable memory in Korea: Jeju tour

By Park Sae-jin Posted : April 29, 2013, 10:50 Updated : April 29, 2013, 10:50
Studies reveal that we remember 80 percent of what we personally experience. Hence, one cannot deny the fact that traveling or seeing places is an important part of our education. One cannot believe a fact to be true unless one sees it. Travelling provides the benefit of sightseeing and gives pleasure to the visitor. One cannot appreciate the work of art created by master hands unless one visits places and things. A visit to a place imparts practical knowledge of important places, persons, things and the nature of people. The world outside becomes clearer than what it would have been under other circumstances by traveling.

So, this inspired me to visit the famous island of Korea - Jeju

Jeju - paradise on the beautiful land of Korea

Jeju Island is the perfect getaway destination for travelers to Korea. Jeju is an island shrouded in mystery, culture and tradition which is best experienced by the wonderful sites you can see along one of our many first class tours. These sites are set amongst some of the most beautiful surroundings in all of Korea whilst still keeping their traditional identity. Jeju on the first hand has the natural beauty such as lush subtropical forests, lava caves of all shapes, sizes and lengths, sandy beaches, spectacular craters and also the grand Mt. Halla poised silently in the middle of the island.

After I came to Korea in March 2011, I had a keen desire to see Jeju and its people. But since I am a graduate student here in Korea, it’s difficult for me to take out time and plan for a trip to such a nice place except on my vacations.

I am really thankful to Hyundai who gave me this chance to visit Jeju Island. My trip was completely supported by Hyundai. My group consisted of four girls and we were total 15-20 people who went together to Jeju.

This was my first trip to an Island, a foreign land and all I remember about it has been penned here as the memories lie deeply embedded in my mind even today so many days after the visit.

My pleasure knew no bounds when I heard that we were all going there, the land of my dreams. After a long wait as it seemed, the D-Day came and my heart was pounding hard against my chest bones as it was to be my first trip through ship. So, I got up early that morning to get ready for my trip to Jeju. I had started packing a few days before because I was so excited.

Journey by a ship can be a very interesting experience but, it can spell danger as well. This is what I have learned by my one and only and the first experience at ship. My excitement knew no bounds as we moved towards the ship. I was absolutely thrilled and my pleasure knew no bounds when I went inside the ship and after sometime, it starts heading towards Jeju. On the way, I saw a lot of jelly fishes from the ship deck.

Thereafter, we reached Jeju in the evening around 6 p.m. The first thing which I saw in Jeju was Palm trees. It was still overcast that first day but we were lucky to not have any rain. Then, we went to a restaurant to have dinner together. And, I found a very strange thing while talking to Korean people in restaurant that Koreans in Jeju Island speak a different Korean dialect. Koreans from the mainland can’t understand it. It does, in many ways, feel like a different country. We took dinner and went to hotel to relax. The view from my room in hotel was so refreshing that I forgot all my tiredness.

Next day morning, we got up early. Then, after taking fresh breakfast, we started our journey with Jeju National University as per our plan. We went there to visit the labs and professors working on the spa developed by the natural heritage available in Jeju. I talked to the professor and his students about the specialty of this spa. They told that they are using all the natural plants, leaves and other vegetation found in Jeju to make the ingredients for this spa. He also offered me foot spa and head massage. The experience of that magical spa was unforgettable. It was really very relaxing when I had that foot spa. Truly telling, all my tiredness, fatigue went away in just 5 minutes. It was too soothing. I also had head massage. After having that, I was feeling like in some other world as all the worries, tensions, mental fatigue flew off due to this head spa. They also offered us a very adorably decorated gift as a memory.

I also met another professor in other department who is working on making a road where he is planning to display the information, statues, photos of all the people who came to Jeju as an exile punishment in traditional period of kings. He told many more things about this plan and also gifted me one book related to this plan. It was really nice to talk and know about the things which are in process to make Jeju the world’s number 1 tourist attraction.

Then, from there we moved to Dragon Head Rock, or “Yongduam.” The wind was intense, but we had a great time climbing the rocks along the shore.

We went around one of the walls of rocks and found a fish market right there along the coast.

The next day morning at 5, we went to Mt. Seongsan or Sunrise Peak. It‘s quite a hike up. We hiked 1-2 km to sunrise peak to see the breath taking sunrise. It was really a wonderful experience. Sunrise was too beautiful from there. It was really one of the wonderful moments of my life. I can never forget the feelings aroused from my heart after seeing that amazing colors around the rising sun. Those intense feelings encapsulated my heart at that moment and cannot be described in words.

We went to the observation platform partway for photos, then went down one of the alternate paths. There we found a huge rock with a little cave in it. We had a nice time in the sun watching the people hike by. On the way back down the mountain, we saw another path that took us down to the coast. This was one of the places where women divers of Jeju work. They were selling live seafood. The sea and rocks were gorgeous! We had a fun time talking to some of the other Koreans there. We felt special that we’d found the Korean hot spot.

We also went to see one waterfall. Near to that waterfall, there was a very famous shop where we had mouthwatering cake and juice made from fresh Jeju oranges. I took an interview of that shopkeeper and he offered us the cakes for free. Still, the taste of that cake is hidden deep inside my taste buds. We took several interviews of interesting people while traveling.

Jeju is famous for its crystal clear blue water beaches. So, I dedicated my last day of trip to Jeju sea. On the last day of my trip, I did steamer boat ride and enjoyed the refreshing touch of the Jeju sea water. It was really very exciting and thrilling experience.

Thereafter, I played many water sports and also talked to the women who go underwater to get the fresh seafood, including different kind of fishes. It was really good and different experience to know about their life in Jeju.

We took an underwater trip by submarine, too. The submarine was far from the shore. A boat took us there. The weather was wild that day and we experienced the tremendous wind and high waves inside the boat. But the submarine ride was cool and comfortable. We could see the underwater life till 40 meters under water.

So, the rest of the trip was talking all night with my roommates, sleeping, souvenir shopping, busing, chocolate buying, eating, and taxiing. I was exhausted from all my fun and enjoyment.

While coming back, our journey from Jeju to Mokpo through ship was not very smooth for initial one hour because of high tides. I could feel the high tides while sitting inside the sea. But, within two hours the sea was calm and it was pleasant.

In the end, I would like to script that Jeju is an wonderful place. Jeju with its incredible natural beauty and awesome landscapes is a treat to visitor’s eyes. Travelling there was fun due to the hospitality and extremely cooperative people. It is known as Hawaii of Korea, and it lives up to the name with palm trees, volcanic rocks and gorgeous beaches. It is a totally different world, and you don’t even think you’re in Korea anymore… except for all the Korean people. This is the reason that it is one of the nominees of “New Seven Wonders of Nature.”

I must say that “your journey to Korea is not complete, if you don’t visit Jeju.”

Introduction of writer's personality

Writing about myself is one of the toughest thing I can think of. Well to start with, I have a very jolly nature and I like to mix with people. Interacting with different people is one of my greatest hobbies. I like making new friends and no wonder that among my friends, I am the most talkative person. I love to interact with new people and learn about their cultures and traditions. I like knowing the small things which are associated in the life of the person I meet. I love exploring the heritages and old traditions of different people.

I also like traveling. Exploring new places was my hobby since childhood. I went for many tours to numerous places from my school and college. I love to explore new places and gather all the unknown information about the place which is neither read nor heard before. The thrills and surprises keep the interest and enthusiasm alive and encourages me to keep my journey on.

By Ruchi Singh, an Indian
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