The Jeju Adventure Continues
11:50 AM
The second and last day at Jeju, I made my way to visit more attractions on the north east side of the island in Jochoneup and Gujwaeup. And it was a fascinating one. On my second day in Jeju, I saw a glimpse of the whole world, went underground and along the coast. Join me, as I share with you this amazing Jeju adventure.
Jeju Miniland
What is a better way to see everything, every attraction of every country around the world, the miniature version of course. I had a great time at Jeju Miniland where I saw miniature size of so many attractions around the world. Some are still on my bucket list, are they on your bucket list too?
Sangumburi
Deviating from the plan while driving to the next location, I found myself standing at one of the volcanic craters at Sangumburi just perhaps 5 minute drive from Jeju Miniland. And wow, was it a surprise.
Sangumburi is a crater of an extinct volcano. And unlike Hallasan, this one exploded quickly, but did not spew much lava nor did it form much of a surrounding cone, making it unique in the country. If you look at the crater from the top, it looks somewhat like a circular stadium. There is a variety of plants covering this crater of about 650m wide, 100m deep and 2,070m in circumference. And you definitely need to be there yourself to see this phenomenon, or for now you can check out this website.
Mazeland!
Getting back on track as i drive northeast towards my next destination, the amazing Mazeland! How I heard about this place was not through research, but through watching my favourite variety show, Running Man. It is by far the funniest and the most creative variety I ever watched. Now back to the Mazeland. There are a total of 3 mazes when I was there, but I did see signs of a 4th one, still a work in progress. The mazes combined creates some unique images that symbolizes Jeju.
If you can’t see the map in the image above, don’t worry, there’s a better one inside the attraction.
Maze 1 and Maze 2 was a relatively easy one. The difficult one was Maze 3, the one on the far left in the image. I got lost so many times, but going to the eyes of the maze helped. Finding the eyes though had its own challenges. Below are just a couple of pictures of the maze before I got lost.
And if you are not much of a maze fan, there’s an observatory where you can enjoy the beautiful man-made scenery.
Manjanggul Cave
By the afternoon, it became quite hot and humid in Jeju. But that’s alright, because there are attractions / hikes that will keep you cool, and did I mention, it’s underground! The path to the underground starts off with a steep staircase into the darkness. And by steep, I meant very steep…
Then you will enter the mouth of the darkness with more stairs.
It’s not all that dark though, there are led lights throughout the cave which will light the way. Mind you, this is a 1 km hike to the end of the cave and another 1km back to the mouth of the cave.
At the end of the cave, you will see this fabulous wonder!
Heading back out the cave, better bring those shades out, because it will be a tough time to adjust after being in darkness for so long!
Jeju Haenyeo Museum
I had to visit this museum to learn more about the famous Haenyeo that made this island what it is today. It was very educational, and made me realize how important the Haenyeos were in Jeju. Haenyeo refers to female divers who dive into the ocean water to gather various shellfish, seaweed, etc., without using any underwater diving equipment. When diving underwater, a haenyeo carries only a pair of goggles, a round ball-like tube to keep her balance, and a basket to put her collections in. Such women involved in the fishing industry are known to be scattered all around Jeju-do, Korea, Japan, and even Russia.
According to what I learned from the museum, Haenyeos were the ones who drive the economy of Jeju, regardless of the harsh weather on the island. If you like a trip that’s educational, going to the Haenyeo Museum is a good idea. Plus, you get a nice view of the coast.
For more information, click here.
GPS Coordinates to Jeju attractions in the northeast side of Jeju Island
Again, before I close, here are some important information for all of you if you do decided to go to Jeju and see this place for yourself. Below are some coordinates of the attractions in the northeast side of Jeju Island, I didn’t go to all of them, but here are some suggestions:
- Jeju Miniland: 782 7720
- Sangumburi: 783 9900
- Maze Land: 784 3838
- Manjanggul Lava Cave: 710 7903
- Jeju Haenyeo Museum: 782 9898
0 comments