My last day on Jeju island, South Korea - Vol 29
Vol 29 - On my last day on the island I decide to take a 22km walk and enjoy the sights.
안녕하세요, Kia Orana, Welcome
This week I conclude my adventures on Jeju island, South Korea.
In Vol 28, I went to the beach in the middle of the South Korean winter. It was a very cold but interesting experience. I followed that up with some really spicy but tasty food.
Stir-fried Octopus - Images courtesy of Coconuts & Kimchi.
TAKING A WALK
After taking in the lovely sights of Jeju island, the beaches, and untold dishes of food I reached my final day of this tour. Because of all the eating, I decided to try one of the famous “Olle” trails.
Jeju Island is famous for its extensive network of trails that surround the coastline and interior. Some range from a few kilometers long, to the one I attempted that was 21km in length. I chose trail 19 to work off some of the delightful food I consumed during this trip.
From the map, it had a slight mountain ascent while hugging the coastline and also passed a number of historic sites.
This trail was located in the North - East corner of Jeju Island and you can drive to the starting point or take a bus from Jeju city bus station which takes about 40 mins.
Starting at Jocheon Manse Dongsan (mound) and finishing at the Gimnyeong Seo Pogu (port) it should be around 5 hours walking so start early. One very important thing to note is the trail is lined with a series of blue or red ribbons and arrows. Once you start following them the path is quite easy and takes you to farmland, the beach, and even little towns where you can buy something to eat or drink. The planning and organization of these trails is of a very high standard and each trail ends where the next one begins. It’s a fantastic way to see a differen’t side of Jeju island. However, as stated earlier always follow the ribbons. I somehow managed to lose the ribbons early and added another 2 -3 kms trying to rejoin the trail.
Along the way, you encounter a history, that many people might not be familiar with. There are monuments and gravesites dedicated to not only the Japanese occupation of South Korea and its independence fighters. There are also monuments and gravesites dedicated to a period of sustained violence between the Government and the local population from April 1948 - May 1949. This period resulted in 70% of the island villages being destroyed, and countless dead.
In Jeju, it is referred to as the "4.3 Uprising" or "4.3 Massacre".
Graves outside the Jocheon Manse Dongsan (mound) - Images courtesy of Coconuts & Kimchi.
Outside the Jocheon Manse Dongsan (mound) - Images courtesy of Coconuts & Kimchi.
Gravesite of unnamed children at April 3rd Memorial Hall - Images courtesy of Coconuts & Kimchi.
It was a refreshing but insightful walk on the “Olle 19” trail. Full of beautiful sites, history, and places you are unlikely to know about. I definitely recommend trying one of these trails when you visit Jeju Island, South Korea. Nearly everyone tries the famous Halla mountain trail but there are some definite surprises on these trails that you won’t forget.
That concludes my series on Jeju Island. Next time I will release a newsletter in Korean.
“Feed your focus, starve your distractions.”