Jeju Island - Jeju Glass Castle and Hyeop-jae beach

Jeju Glass Castle

Jeju Glass Castle

Entrance fee: I think it is 9000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeju Glass Castle in GPS.

Everything here is about glass from the moment we step into the entrance. The whole place is a large park like the Love Land with sculptures of various interesting items made of glass. They also have glass all over the world from different countries. Other than sculptures there are also activities where you can make your own glass such as blowing, lamp working,and glass bottle crafts. One of the impressive glass sculpture is the Jack and the Beanstalk in the entrance where the sculpture starts from the ground up to the high ceiling. Then there education about the origin and methods of making glass, glass wallpaper, mirror maze, world renowned glass artists, jewelry tunnel, ring of eternal promise, magic mirror room, glass musical instruments, glass toilets, etc etc. Most of them are sculptures so it is a good place to take pictures.

Glass beanstalk from the ground right up to the ceiling.

Glass garden. Trees and flowers all made from glass.

Glass made by a famous Italian glass artist. I dont know who that guy is but I think he is famous in the glass world.

There is also the Jeju Glass guardian instead of the Stone Guardian.

Glass temple sculpture.

Hyeop-jae beach

Hyeop-jae beach. I think the mountain in the background is Hallasan.

Hyeopjae Beach (협재해수욕장) is located on the west side of Hanrim-eup, and is part of Hanrim Park. The beautiful white color of the sand comes from the large amounts of crushed seashells that have been mixed in with the sand. The long seashore stretches for 9 km and has cobalt colored seawater and evergreen forests scattered around the vicinity, making the scenery very beautiful. Just off the beach is Biyangdo Island. The white sandy beach is about 20 meters long, and the water is 1.2 meters deep with no sudden drops. In the evergreen groves, there are plenty of convenient facilities and campgrounds for visitors to use.
Hanrim Park nearby, provides interesting tour sites such as a subtropical arboretum, Hyeopjaegul Cave, and Ssangyonggul Cave. The seashore to the southwest of Hyeopjae Beach connects to another beach called Geumreung Beach, and both beaches combined are also called Hyeopjae Beach. From any beach on Jejudo Island, you can always see Mt. Hallasan. It is a great place for a relaxing family vacation.


Entrance fee: Free with free parking.
Direction: Search Hyeopjae beach with GPS or use the address 2497-1 Hyeopjae-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.

We were out of ideas where to go in Jeju on our last day and decided to visit one of the beaches. There is a Korean version of the little mermaid statue here so no need to go to Denmark to see the little mermaid. The waters are very clear in this beach. I didnt spend much time on the beach itself since I can go to the beach anytime in Penang but the most interesting aspect of the beach is that the beach compose of the beach and also the lava rocks with some very bright green moss growing on it. On the lava rocks, there are small ponds where the water is so clear you can see right to the bottom.

Korean little mermaid. Looks very lonely. Not a good picture. If you notice the big rock together with the mermaid, there is a big hole in the rock where you can go inside and take picture together with the mermaid. The black rocks at the background are the lava rocks together with the beach which makes it special.

The stones are piled up from big to small on the rocks. They also sell this kind of rocks in some souvenir shops in Jeju. So clever. Just pick rocks from the beach and sell them lol.

All the stones are pile up from big to small. Cannot see very clearly in this picture. Not sure who pile up all the rocks but he must be very free. The rocks are not glue together or anything and I can just kick everything down. I wonder why nobody do that and leave it as it is hmm..

Can see the black lava rocks and the bright green moss and the beach all coming together in this beach.

If you have free time, then can consider visiting this beach for its uniqueness.

Jeju Island - Gimnyeong Maze park and Love Land

Gimnyeong Maze Park

Map of the Jeju Gimnyeong Maze Park

Gimnyeong Maze Park contains a maze that has seven images incorporated in it. The maze is in the shape of the Jeju Island, and its images that can be clearly seen from above include the following: a serpent, which was an object of worship on the island until the mid-70s; native horses of Jeju Island, which were brought there by Mongolians as far back as 1276; the ship, the Sparrowhawk, that was shipwrecked on the island in 1653 bringing Hendrick Hamel and his company of Dutch sailors to the Joseon Kingdom; and dolmens that are relics from the Bronze Age. All of these images are famous symbols or landmarks of Jeju Island.


Entrance fee: 3300 won. Free parking available.
Direction: The maze park is located along the road to Manjanggul cave. Just use the road and turn in and you reach the parking area. It is a little difficult to search using GPS as the some spell as Gimnyeong while some spell as Kimnyoung or Kimnyeong.

The whole park is a very simple one. The main thing is just the maze so you walk to the ticket counter which is a small booth, pay up and walk through some garden and then there's the maze. There will be a map of the maze provided and if you follow the map, it will not be difficult to get to the top. However, if you do not follow the map of lost track of where you are in the map then it can be quite difficult to get out. I did not see any alarm or bell where you can call for help and the only way is to follow other people or fund your way to the bridge and ask for help to the people on the bridge. When I was there, there was a group of European guys who got lost and just walking round and round for some time. It is not possible to take picture of the whole maze unless you are sitting in a helicopter above. Even to get good maze pictures is quite difficult because the maze is very high and wide. However due to my great skills, I managed to get some good pictures of the maze.

Two poor visitors getting lost in the maze. Hope they can find their way out.

Without great skills like me, this is the best shot of the maze that you can get. The bridge is the first half of the maze where you can consider to be on the right track if you cross the bridge.

Love Land

Jeju Love Land.

Entrance fee: Cannot remember but is about 9000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeju Love Land in the GPS. It is quite famous in Jeju and with the GPS just look at searched location 80% you will find it. That is how I got to the place as it is already saved in the GPS.

This place is filled with many sculptures of love making position and penis. Something weird about the sculptures is that many of the sculptures are grandfather and grandmother. Shouldn't they be making sculptures of sexy guys and girls? Then somewhere at the end, there is a shop which sells various sex equipment and some displays. This is a place for 18+ adults. It is not an educational park. Kids can play in the kids room outside the entrance beside 7-11.

A super size sculpture of a sexy lady. This is the only sexy lady in the place. Others are either sculpture wearing masks or fat grandmother. You can stand below her backside and take pictures.

This is a funny sculpture. The dog and the guy is making V sign to each other.

Some mini figure to teach you how to make love.

Things that happen in different units of an aprtment.

Jeju Island - Seopjikoji and Manjanggul Cave

Seopjikoji

Seopjikoji. The  building in the background is the All-In Korean drama chapel.

Explanation on Seopjikoji.

Explanation from the board writes: Seopjikoji is on the east coast of Jeju Island. In the jeju dialect, "Seopji" means a narrow piece of land and "Koji" means a promontory. During the Joseon period, a signal fire beacon was located on "Seopjikoji". The shoreline is covered with volcanic red rocks and pebbles, and many of the rocks are of strange, spectacular shapes. One large rock known as "Seondolbawi" looks like a candlestick. According to local folklore, it was created when the son of the sea gos turned to stone because his love for a nymph was not returned.

Entrance: Free entrance. Parking 500 won.
Direction: Search in the GPS for Seopjikoji or use the address 261, Seopjikoji-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

Seopjikoji is also one of the places that is a must visit in Jeju. Not only that it is free, the area is much wider with different scenary at difference places. Here, you can access to the lighthouse, All-in Korean drama chapel, the volcanic black rock, a wide field, see Hanyo divers and there is also a Korean drama store near the chapel. There are alot of of Hanyo divers coming to Seopjikoji. We also bought the freshly grilled cuttlefish from the Hanyo divers. We only walked as far as the lighthouse and did not go all the way to the end.

Hanyo divers getting ready for their dive.

Snapshot of the lighthouse from far.

Not sure what building is that but we did not go that far. Picture taken from the lighthouse.

The cuttlefish dried on the shore of Seopjikoji.

Manjanggul Cave

Manjanggul cave

Manjanggul cave is the representative lava cave of the ones on Jeju Island. It is located in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City. The lava flows erupted from the Geomunoreum volcanic crater and flowed through creating a lava tube with Bengduigul cave, Manjanggul cave, Gimnyeongggul cave, Yongcheondonggul cave, and Dangcheomuldonggul cave. Manjanggul is the largest cave and the only one that is open to the public.
Manjanggul cave is a large scale, single channel that was formed through the curvy path of the lava flows winding in and out. The cave's total length is 7,416 meters and as wide as 23 meters at the widest point and 30 meters high at the highest point. The 3 entrances were made from the collapse of the ceiling. Currently, only a section of 1 kilometer is open to the public, from the No 2 entrance to the lava column in the cave. The temperature inside the cave is maintained in the range from 11 to 18 degrees celcius. It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Manjanggul cave was designated as the 98th natural monuments in Korea in 1962 and in 2007, it was appointed as a UNESCO's World Natural Heritage.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Manjanggul cave in GPS.

Becareful when walking in the cave as there are water dripping from the top making the floor slippery. It is also quite cold in the cave when we were there compared to the temperature outside. Along the cave, there are lamps and some explanation on the rock formation and stuff which I dont understand. It is also very dark in the cave and very difficult to take pictures. All the way to the end of the cave looks the same so there are not many pictures to take. The floor of the cave is very unique. I think it is the hardened lava or something because it is like rock but with smooth texture. It took us some time to walk from the entrance to the end where there is a lava column and lights for you to take picture and then walk back. Honestly, we didnt really understand those geology and natural stuff so it doesnt seem to be very interesting to us. It will be interesting for people who have knowledge in these kind of stuff. There seem to be alot of meaning to the different kinds of stone but to us it just looks like a stone with different shapes. The fun for me is to walk on hardened lava and feel the atmosphere in a cave like Batman.

Lava Stone Mark (Stone turtle). The breakdowns from the ceiling were carried along with the lava flow before they werehardened to form a mass of rock. It is shaped like the island of Jeju that is why it is special.

Entrance of the cave before going down the stairs into the cave.

Inside the cave looking out to the entrance.

Lava flows at the end of the walk. Honestly I only know that this is the lava flow when I start writing this blog. When I was there we just took pictures because we reached the end of the cave and there is some cool looking thing there with disco lights shining at it. Im sure many others taking picture there feel the same as me. 

Jeju Island - Alive museum and Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak)

Alive museum

Entrance of alive museum.

Entrance fee: 9000 won. Free parking available.

Direction: We had a little trouble locating the Alive Museum as it was not found in the GPS. We can see it from the tour map given by the car rental company but it is too general. The Alive Museum is located close to the Teddy bear museum and Yeomiji botanical Garden about 3 minutes drive away. Along the main road of the teddy bear museum, drive up towards where you will go to Yeomiji botanical garden but do not turn in. Just drive straight and you will reach a traffic light intersection. The Alive museum is a small road just before the traffic light and you need to turn in to your left.

Generally the purpose of going to the Alive Museum is to take pictures with the trick art where you can create illusion and make as if you are part of the picture. There hundred of pictures you can play with. At the start we were very excited but after sometime, the picture gets very repetitive meaning that most of them are using the same trick ideas just with different background.Then somewhere at the middle there is an outdoor park. We went there at night and couldnt really enjoyed the outdoor park as it is quite dark. We were also tired after taking over hundreds of pictures.

A trick art from Alive Museum. This picture is taken from Google. 

Outside of the Alive Museum.

Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise peak)

The base of Sunrise Peak before climbing up. The hill on the background is Sunrise Peak.

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Located on the eastern end of Jejudo Island, there is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The crater is about 600m in diameter and 90m high. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. While the southeast and north sides are cliffs, the northwest side is a verdant grassy hill that is connected to the Seongsan Village. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and for horse riding as well.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Parking 500 won.
Direction: As it is a very famous landmark, just search in the GPS for Seongsan Ilchubong. Alternatively, you can search with the address Ilchul-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

The time of sunrise changes everyday so you have to check the time on the day of visit. The time we visited, he sunrise is at 6.50am. From our hotel in Seogwipo to Sunrise peak took about 1 hour or more. We woke up at 4am and started journey about 4.30 am. When we reached the parking lot, we saw some people took a taxi over to that place so if you dont have a car, this might be a solution. The hike up is not really difficult. We only took about 20-30 minutes to reach the top with some rests in between, a little sooner than we expected. Unfortunately that day was cloudy so we didnt actually get to see anything amazing. When we climbed up, it was very dark and we couldnt actualy see the surrounding. When we climb down, the surrounding view is actually quite nice with a view of the city below.

The road up to the peak. It was still dark at 6 am.

After waiting for some time and some people already gave up, the tiny sun appeared for 5 mins and disappeared.

This is what we were suppose to see on a good day. :( 

The stairs to climb down from the peak.

A look at the base of the Sunrise Peak from the top.

Jeju island - Jeongbang falls and Jusangjeolli cliff

Jeongbang falls

Jeongbang Falls

Jeongbang Falls (정방폭포) is only water fall in Asia that falls directly into the ocean. On the wall of the water fall, there is an inscription written “Seobulgwacha”, referring to Seobul passing by this place. Seobul was a servant of the Chinese Emperor Jin (BC 259~210) who was ordered by the Emperor to find the substance that would make him immortal. Seogwipo is also said to have gotten its name to mean Seobul headed back west.
Jeongbang Waterfall is situated by a high cliff by the sea, and an old evergreen stands there leaning back as if it would fall into the ocean. Go east for about 300 meters and you will see another waterfall called Sojeongbang Waterfall. It is a great place to relax during the summer. There is an observatory at the top of the cliff, from which you can command a fine view of the sea.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Jeongbang falls in GPS or with this address 37, Chilsimni-ro 214 beon-gil, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

This is one of my favourite place. Compared to Cheonjiyeon falls, here we can get close to the waterfall as the water that flows down creates a pool before flowing into the ocean hence you can go very close to the waterfall. In addition to that, the water falls from a very high cliff and by standing on one of the rocks near the waterfall, you can feel the water breeze falling down. The whole area is also full of rocks where it creates a very special atmosphere. Before descending down to the waterfall, there is an observatory where you can get a full view of the ocean and waterfall.

Rocks surrounding Jeongbang falls. The blue tent is set up by the Hanyo "grandmother diver" where they dive into the ocean without any breathing gears and fish for abalone, squids, etc.

View from the observatory before climbing down to the waterfall. The rocks are actually big size rocks.

If there are only limited places to go to, this is definitely recommended.

Jusangjeolli cliff

Jusangjeolli cliff.

The Jusangjeolli are stone pillars piled up along the coast and is a designated cultural monument of Jejudo Island. The Jusangjeolli was formed when the lava from Mt.Hallasan erupted into the sea of Jungmun. They are rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons of various sizes and almost seem as if stonemasons had carved them out. The administration of the district named them 'Jisatgae Rocks' from their old name 'Jisatgae'. Its 20 m cliff makes it a popular spot for high tide, sea angling. The waves of the high tides crashing into the side of the cliff provide a breathtaking view of the ocean surrounding the pillars.


Entrance fee: 2000 won. Parking 500 won.
Direction: Search GPS for Jusangjeolli or with the address 2663, Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do. I had some trouble searching the GPS and just tried my luck. It is at the same area as the Teddy bear museum about 10-15 minutes drive away.

The cliff is also located in a big park so the entrance fee include a walk in a park with sculptures and nature. The main attraction is the cliff but only make up a small section of the park. It is not possible to walk to the edge of the cliff and feel the stone pillars as there are barriers to protect you.

Giant shell sculpture. This is located before the entrance to the cliff. The shell is very big and 2 or 3 people can fit into the hole for pictures.

The observatory at Jusangjeoli cliff. The view of sunset will be very beautiful from this spot but we did not wait until sunset because we thought that the place will close at 5 due to wrong information from the Korean gentleman.

The Korean gentleman whom I mentioned in earlier post.

Jeju island - Goodstay Feliz Telcon Hotel and Cheonjiyeon fall

Jeju Island

Map of Jeju island. It is available at most of the attractions.

Goodstay Feliz Telcon Hotel

The hotel is located in Seogwipo city which is at the bottom of Jeju city. Cheonjiyeon falls and many other attractions are also located around Seogwipo city. The room is provided with computer, TV, eating table, refrigerator, dressing table, and an attached bathroom. The decorations are very nice and looks like a honey moon suite. I booked early in advance and only costs total of RM444 for 4 nights which is very cheap considering the services provided. Everyday, someone will refill the bottled water and coffee in the refrigerator for free. And in the lobby, there are provided a kitchen where you can cook or microwave food. There is also a box of Jeju orange provided in the kitchen area. Free parking also available.

Cheonjiyeon falls

Cheonjiyeon fall.

Cheonjiyeon, meaning "God’s pond," derives its name from the legend that the seven fairies serving the King of Heaven came down to the pond on stairs of cloud and bathed in its clean waters. Apart from the wild Dampalsu trees, designated as natural monument No. 163, the wooded area also contains a great variety of rare plants such as brambles, Songyeopnan as well as Gusiljappam trees, Sanyuja trees (Chinese lemon trees), and camellias which are all specified as natural monument No. 379. Take a walk along the subtropical path towards the Cheonjiyeon Falls for a kilometer and you will be able to hear the magnificent sound of waterfalls. The waterfall is 22m high, 12m wide and 20m in depth. The clear and deep water of Cheonjiyeon Falls is designated as natural monument No. 27 and is renowned as a habitat for Mutae eels (natural monument No. 258). Also, the annual Seven Fairies Festival is held every May.

Entrance fee: 2000 won. Free parking available.
Direction: Search for Cheonjiyeon in the GPS or with this address 666-7, Cheonji-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.

The entrance to Cheonjiyeon fall is a park and the waterfall is located at the end of the park. On the way to the waterfall, there are some nature sightseeing and also a river which is from the waterfall running through the park. Here is where we first met the Jeju Stone Grandfather and Grandmother which is a mascot to Jeju island.

Dolharubang - Stone Grandfather. Dolharubang means stone grandfather in Jeju dialect, standing at an entrance of a village acting as a guardian. Dolharubang are carved from porous volcanic stone which is common around Halla mountain. With their fists clenching and bulging eyes they are believed to protect the village and keep evil spirits out. The name Dolharubang differs according to regions, in Jeju city it was called Useokmok, in Boseongri-old Daejeong it was called Museokmok, but Baekharubang in Seongup. There has been an opinion that the origin of Dolharubang may have come from Mongolian customs. It is designated and protected as Jeju folklore material No 2.

Lots of big and mini Jeju Grandfather.

The main item is actually the water pot but the Jeju Stone Grandmother is always together with it so I recognised it as the Jeju Stone Grandmother. Mulheobeok - Water pot. Mulheobeok is a traditional earthenware pot that was used in Jeju to carry water. It is designated to endure long bumpy distances with a flat bottom and a concave body. The mouth is narrow to prevent overflow. The mulheobeok is usually paired with a rectangular bamboo carrier called "mulgudeok" which fits over the shoulders. The islanders, usually women, had to carry water from springs in the coastal areas to their homes. Mulheobeok was also used as a musical instrument on local gatherings.

The river from the waterfall that runs through the Cheonjiyeon park.