My Korean Life #55: 제주도 (Jeju Island) - 성산일출해양도립공원 & 우도

The second day of the trip took us to 성산일출해양도립공원 (which roughly translates to Seongsan Sunrise Marine Provincial Park) & 우도 (Udo - supposedly shaped like a sprawled out cow). These two places are located on the east side of Jeju and since we didn't have a car, we made use of buses to get to the far east end of Jeju to start sightseeing. But before heading out, we enjoyed the hotel breakfast buffet which was included in our room rate. There were A LOT of families staying at the hotel. But luckily, the dining area was quite large and even had an overflow banquet room. The buffet featured many hot dishes, cold dishes, fruit, breads, a pancake station, and an egg station. Beverages included water, juice, and a coffee machine.

Breakfast - the hotel buffet, trust me they had A LOT of selections, this was toward the end of our meal

After quite a long bus ride we arrived at 성산일출해양도립공원. There were a lot of different people visiting the area that day. Some of the visitors looked like high school or middle school students on a field trip. Many other were traveling with family. Below I have a series of pictures as we hiked up to the top. I remember reading that there are some unique species of flora and fauna at the top of this formation.

After hiking to the top we made our way back towards the bottom and checked out the cove near the base. The women that fish in this cove are somewhat famous. You can eat some local seafood down near this cove as well.

For lunch we enjoyed another food that Jeju is known for. This time it was 고기국수 (Gogi Guksu). Noodles are made of wheat and slices of pork accompany a few vegetables and, in this case, a spicy chili paste.

Lunch - 고기국수 (Gogi Guksu), Delicious!

After visiting 성산일출해양도립공원 we took the ferry to 우도 (Udo).  Roundtrip, the ferry costs less than KRW 10,000. You can put a car on the ferry as well however, if you have a Korean driver's license or an international driver's permit you can rent all sorts of scooters and other motorized transportation to see the small island. Bicycles are also available for rent. Be mindful of the ferry schedule so you don't get stranded on the island. There are some nice beach areas and look out points to explore. There are also a few guesthouses and such scattered around just in case. I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

Snack - Soft serve ice cream with crushed peanuts on top. Famous on 우도 island.

For dinner we had more Jeju black pork in Seogwipo:

Dinner - More Jeju Black Pork!

I have one more post about Jeju remaining! Stay tuned!

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My Korean Life #55: 제주도 (Jeju Island) - Waterfalls (폭포)

For the first day of my Jeju trip, the weather was not ideal. It was quite rainy and cloudy and not exactly the best weather for sightseeing. However, after arriving at the airport, taking a bus to the hotel, checking in, and dropping off our luggage - we were off to see waterfalls. I snapped a few pictures of the hotel before we headed out:

The bed was huge and comfortable

Sitting area in the room

Lobby sitting area

Lobby sitting area 

Another lobby sitting area

Suspended stone sculpture art

More lobby art

Jeju island is known for its many scenic waterfalls and we were determined to see some of the famous ones on this trip. We had originally planned on doing a bit of walking as well but after walking in the direction of one of the falls and getting quite damp in the process we hailed a taxi and got a ride to our first destination. The pictures from the first set of waterfalls that we visited are below:

For dinner we had Jeju black pig pork belly in Seogwipo (서귀포시). It was delicious, they say the taste is different from your normal pork belly. Below are some pictures:

The second set of falls we visited at night. Below are the pictures, apologies for the quality as lighting was low and my camera isn't all that great:

The links below are the two sets of waterfalls that we visited, I've also included maps of the two areas for reference:

Cheonjeyeon Falls (천제연 폭포)

지도를 클릭하시면 위치정보를 확인하실 수 있습니다.

Cheonjiyeon Falls (천지연폭포) (Night)
지도를 클릭하시면 위치정보를 확인하실 수 있습니다.

After visiting the waterfalls and having dinner, we visited the Saeseom Island Saeyeongyo Bridge (새섬 새연교). A map and picture are below:

지도를 클릭하시면 위치정보를 확인하실 수 있습니다.
Stay tuned for more about my Jeju trip!
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My Korean Life #54: 제주도 (Jeju Island) - New Discovery

For years my friends have been telling me to visit Jeju and were surprised to find out I had never been (even though I have been traveling to Korea since 2011 and have lived in Korea since 2014). Most if not all of my friends that have visited Jeju had nothing but nice things to say about the island. They raved about the waterfalls, beaches, hiking, and sightseeing opportunities. After hearing this for years, I felt like Jeju had been so hyped up in my mind that I was set up for disappointment. This past June, I finally made the trip to Jeju and, to my surprise, was not disappointed at all.

First, is how insanely cheap you can find flights to Jeju. While the major airlines have plenty of flights, so do the many budget airlines that operate within Korea. For my flights, I booked on Air Busan going to Jeju and JinAir for the return. Jeju does have its own airline (Jeju Air) but for the dates I booked Jeju Air's ticket prices were not the best. If you use search engines like Kayak or Google Flights you may have to visit the airline websites individually for pricing but it's totally worth it. You'll save a lot of money.

Second, are the amount of lodging deals there are for Jeju...and just affordable lodging in general. Korean online shopping portals often run weekly travel specials and Jeju is a common destination. Many people choose to stay on the southern end of the island since a lot of the sightseeing options are located there. However, there are plenty of options in Jeju city where the major airport is. The hotel I stayed at is relatively new and was running a lodging and breakfast special for a fraction of their normal summer rate. Below is a map of where the hotel is as well as a room tour I filmed - the room was huge and so was the bathroom. The bed was big and comfortable and the room faced the ocean! The breakfast buffet had plenty of options and the dining area was large and accommodating.

Third, transportation - while many elect to rent a car while in Jeju. I didn't have that opportunity since I didn't have an international driver's permit at the time nor a Korean driver's license. However, there are buses and plenty of taxis available even on the southern end of the island. There are also buses from the airport that can take you to your hotel. I heard some people hire taxi drivers for the whole day, picking out some places they want to go and basically having a private driver for a flat rate. These daily rates (or for however long you need them) are negotiated with the driver. One taxi driver we talked to offered to take us around for an afternoon for a flat rate of KRW 60,000. I ended up using mostly buses and taxis however having a rental car is much more convenient and actually cheaper in some cases.

I'll be detailing more of my trip in future posts! Thanks for reading!

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My Korean Life #53: 남이섬 (Namiseom)

Long time no update! Thank you for sticking around and continuing to read my blog posts even if it has been a long time.

I have officially been in Korea for over two years now! Time has certainly flown over these past two years. When I first moved to Korea, I did not imagine I would be here for more than a year or so, let alone two. In an effort to explore more of Korea, I recently went to 남이섬 (Namiseom) a small island/tourist attraction known for being the filming location of Winter Sonata (a famous Korean drama).

Namiseom is quite far from Seoul via public transportation but is generally easy to locate. The closest subway system stop is Gapyeong station. From there you can take a bus or walk to the port area where you take a ferry to the island. The entrance fee to Namiseom is KRW 10,000. Surrounding the port area are a ton of 닭갈비 restaurants as the local area 춘천 (Chuncheon) is known for their spicy stir-fried chicken dish.

Arriving on the island after a short 5 minute ferry ride, you are greeted with the lush, wooded landscape of Namiseom. The small half-moon shaped island has many different walking trails, bike & scooter rentals, and a small train. There are a few perfectly straight tree lined paths as well as many places to just sit, relax, and enjoy nature. Chipmunks, squirrels, peacocks, and even ostriches call the island home. I also saw row boat and paddle boat rentals off one side of the island.

While Namiseom is a popular tourist attraction, I was able to find some secluded spaces perfect for a nap or just enjoying the scenery. The weather was perfect for being outdoors that day. It was slightly overcast so the weather was not too hot or cold. Besides spring time, other popular times to visit Namiseom are autumn and winter.

Here are some pictures I took:

Korea tourism page

The closest subway stop is Gapyeong station. Here is a map of the location:

지도를 클릭하시면 위치정보를 확인하실 수 있습니다.

My Korean Life #52: A Random Thought

A Random Thought

Random Thought: I am not sure if this is just a Korean thing or an if-you-have-young-children thing. But I have noticed that the publishing industry for educational materials (at least in Korea) is huge. Families will buy whole series of educational books for math, reading, grammar, foreign languages, etc. Whole walls in people's houses will be covered in shelving just for educational books (in additional to general children's books, reference, and sometimes other literature).

My parents said they used to have a ton of kids books when I was growing up but I never remember having whole walls in a room dedicated to just books for me and my brother.

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Anyway, how are things going for you these days?

My Korean Life #51: In which I mess up making cream pasta...but later redeem myself

Cream Pasta Redemption!

I have become more ambitious with my cooking lately and decided to tackle making a cream sauce from scratch. I failed miserably making the roux the first time but my second time practicing it turned out ok!

Practicing the sauce

Practice with spaghetti and peas

Finished pasta with parmesan and pepper

I had invited over friends for dinner to try out my new dish and it actually turned out quite well! I first cooked some chicken tenders, mushrooms, and peas. Next I made the pasta and then the sauce. After the sauce was complete I combined everything together for what you see below. I decided to use fusilli pasta since it seems to hang on to the sauce better than spaghetti. Here is a link to the pasta recipe if you'd like to try it for yourself! I decided to use an Italian spice blend instead of just parsley and I used a little less flour for the rue. Feel free to modify the recipe to your own tastes. What do you think? Does it look good to you?

Dinner party version: Chicken, mushrooms, peas, and the creamy garlic pasta

My Korean Life #50: Wow 50 posts in this series!

Wow 50 posts in this series!

Flag in The War Memorial of Korea

Wow! I have reached 50 posts in the "My Korean Life" series! I have lived in Korea for almost 2 years now and life is quite different from when I first moved here.

When I first moved here, I was lucky enough to live in quite a large officetel with a loft and separate bedroom. I now live in a one-room studio apartment with a small storage area but no separate bedroom. My current apartment is maybe the size of my former living room.

I am no longer in language school. I finished Sogang University's curriculum in August 2015! I now study independently and use a variety of TOPIK test preparation materials.

In addition to the above, below are some things I have been working on lately. What are you working on in your life? I invite you to follow me on social media (links below) and to stay tuned for even more posts in the "My Korean Life" series!

Employment:
-Currently supporting myself on two part-time jobs both of which are great!
-Expanding my skill set via both part-time jobs (content marketing, copywriting, education, etc)

Cooking:
-Increased frequency of cooking at home
-Thanks to the stir-fry cheatsheet by Cook Smarts I can make a variety of dishes easily
-Experimenting with other dishes and recipes
-Wanting to experiment cooking other things than just rice in my rice cooker

Language:
-Continuing to study for the TOPIK exam
-Contemplating learning some more Japanese (I only know a few basic phrases and words)

Social Media:
-Blog improved to include embedded widgets as well as better content
-Joined Instagram to quickly showcase my life in Korea as well as material related to my blog
-Enhancing YouTube Channel with appropriate playlists, tagging, and video descriptions
-Figuring out the best way to utilize Twitter

Follow me on social media here:

Follow @heybrightness86