Jeju Island is pretty nice, and despite my apprehensions about it being expensive, it is much the same as everywhere else in Korea, but with a more tropical laid back vibe.
For my third night in a row, I slept close to 10 hours, and was shocked to see my weight shooting up on the scale. I puttered about in the morning on Wednesday until about 11am, when I decided to go out for a long-ish walk. I looked on the map to see which direction I should head, and noticed a dashed line not far from my hotel and cutting through a nearby park, so I decided to follow that. It was one of what must be dozens of walking routes on the island, and it took me on quite the scavenger hunt.
The trail was pretty well marked by both colorful arrows and color-coded ribbons tied to trees. It did take me a while to realize that these roadside markings were for the trail and not some other symbols, and I did have a bit of confusion when there were multiple overlapping trails, but it wasn’t long before I didn’t even pull out the phone to check the map. The first leg was through a park, full of blooming trees. On the other side of the park, waiting at a crosswalk I noticed a restaurant that was too inviting to pass up. Specializing in steamed kimchi and kimchi stew, I ended up feasting for lunch when I was originally planning to fast. The restaurant was full of kitsch and old household goods, and my individual serving of kimchi stew was served on a burner because they brought by a packet of ramen to cook.
After lunch, I realized I was immediately in the countryside, as the trail headed down among orchards full of tangerine trees (or whatever the famous local citrus fruit is best called). All the farms had stone walls of igneous rock, and this first cluster of farms were in a deep depression that I later learned is the widest crater in Korea. On the other side of the crater, I passed a second temple, which could have doubled as a flower shop from the number of planters perfectly arranged. The trail cut across the highway and in and out of neighborhoods of lovely individual houses with neatly manicured gardens before heading up a long hill and ultimately a hike over a forested mountain. I was regretting not stopping at the last convenience store for water, but on the other side of the mountain, after a brief detour at what would have been a magnificent waterfall if it wasn’t the dry season, I was back in civilization and stopped to get an ice coffee and bottle of water.
There wasn’t much left to the trail before it deposited me at the Jeju World Cup Stadium. I popped into the eMart supermarket there to buy a bunch of salads and splurged on a big jar of mixed nuts, before hopping a bus back to the hostel where I hung out for the rest of the evening.
The lounge area is pretty popular among the guests at night, who bring by takeout sashimi and so much alcohol. They are all Korean and I keep to myself.
| Kimchi Stew | 8500 |
| Water and coffee (CU) | 2500 |
| Emart Groceries | 21900 |
| Total: | 32900 (199 RMB) (29.65 USD) |
I slept well again, but finally got my weight in check. Around 10, I knew I needed to get some exercise so laced up the running shoes and decided to follow a trail in the opposite direction. For some reason, I was under the impression that the coastline trail would be more suitable for running, but most of it was through natural scenery. After cutting through the heart of town and heading down hill, I found myself at a parking lot full of tour buses and people who were paying 2000 a pop to see some waterfall. I didn’t have any money on me so I continued on my merry way. The coastline is amazing, full of black volcanic rocks serving as the canvas for the natural art of erosion. Sections of the trail were along roadway where I could actually jog, but I mostly picked my way slowly over tree roots, ducking under branches, scrambling up and down stairs, etc. At about the sixth kilometer I reached a fishing harbor, and decided to make that the halfway point. I followed the road all the way back, which wasn’t much better, still excessively hilly.
I showered and a bowl of noodles for lunch, apparently “meat noodles” are a local specialty. After an espresso and a brief nap, I spent the afternoon in a coffee shop, and the evening back in the hostel lounge. On my way back I swung by a mart to pick up supplies for hiking the next day. I did some research on hiking the main mountain and knew I needed to properly prepare. There are cutoff times to ascend the mountain, so I would have to get an early start. I set an alarm and went to bed early.
| Meat Noodles | 8000 |
| Coffee | 4000 |
| Hiking snacks & water | 5140 |
| Total: | 17140 (103.7 RMB) (USD 15.45) |
Running Total: 16627.6 RMB (USD 2477.26)
Daily Average: 277 RMB (USD 41.29)