Island of the Gods (Cheju Island)

Member Name: michaelhudson

Product:	Cheju Island
Date:	20/07/01 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing scenery, Inexpensive, As quiet as Korea gets

Disadvantages: Rapidly getting more 'touristy'

Cheju Island was famously described by Newsweek as "one of the ten most undiscovered and unspoiled destinations" in the world in a 1975 article. The intervening years may have seen the island lose some of that reputation due to tourist development, but the number one choice for Korean honeymooners is still well worth visiting.

First, it has to be said that Cheju(or Jeju if you follow the Korean government's new romanization rules) is definitely more Madeira than Majorca. As well as having the beauty and relative tranquility of its Portuguese counterpart, Cheju also has the same linguistic relationship with the mainland-due to the unique dialect many Koreans profess not to understand Cheju residents. A one hour flight(costing around ninety pounds for a return) from Seoul will take you to the seaside location of Cheju International Airport. The exterior of the airport is blessed with numerous palm trees and some fine views of the coast, inside you'll find a decent tourist information stand and car rental facilities(Cheju is the only place in Korea where I'd feel safe driving and you can pick up a decent car for around a hundred pounds per 48 hours). Cheju City(population 250000)is a ten minute taxi ride away.

Starting in Cheju City there are various sites of interest, although all can be bypassed if you are short of time. Yongduam (Dragon Head Rock) is on the main road from the airport and is a feature of every honeymoon photograph. It's worth seeing but not enough to justify a big detour. Also in the city is the Kwandok-jon pavillion(the oldest wooden structure on the island and also de riguer for honeymoon photos). This is slap-bang in the city centre and features two of the forty-five remaining original tolharubang statues tolharubang statues(stone grandfathers that were once guardians of every village) and is thus a must-see. The only other things of historical note nearby are the Samsonghyol Shrine and the adj
acent Folklore and Natural History Museum(both near City Hall and across the road from the KAL Hotel) which are interesting but, like Yongduam Rock, not sufficiently so to warrant too much time.

Cheju City is also where most of the action on the island is to be found. Near Kwandok-jon, and behind the Cheju and First Banks, is the Ildo-il Dong area where most of the bars and restaurants are to be found. Prominent among the former is Tombstaone(Tel 7222985) which features world beers including taht nectar of the gods Newcastle Brown Ale(a little pricey but worth it if you haven't seen Newcastle in eight months). For accomodation I'd recommend either the Raja Tourist Hotel in Shinjeju(the New Town close to the airport) which has twins and double rooms for around twenty pounds per person(Tel 7474030 or Fax on 0082 647469731) or the Eljaekong Motel( A yeogwan-Korean style inn- which is close to the main entertainment zone). The latter is across from the Top Land fairground and a 200 metre walk from the Swiss Hotel and E-Mart discount superstore(Tel 7023596).

The second biggest city on the island is Seogwip'o(population 90000) which is one of the host cities for the 2002 World Cup(the ground is about 4km west of the bus termainal/city centre near the new City Hall and, while it is in a beautiful location, it was sited more with future benefits to Korean tourism than nearby amenities for football fans in mind). Aside from this, the town is notable for two excellent waterfalls, Chongbang(at 23-metres one of only two in Asia to fall directly into the sea) and Chonjiyon, both of which are within walking distance of the town centre, If you're staying in Seogwip'o I'd recommend the area around the Dongmyong Department Store(to the south of Chungjongno St) around 400m south of the bus terminal. If you are coming here for the World Cup then, other than hiring a car or taking a very expensive taxi ride, you'll have
to take a one hour long trip on the cross-island bus and then a taxi or shuttle bus out to the ground from Seogwip'o city centre.

Near Seogwip'o is Chungmun Resort which is as close as Korea comes to Hawaii. The hotels here are ultra-expensive although there are some cheap yeogwans still to be found at the entrance to the resort. Notable sights here include Chungmun Beach(white sand and blue sea), Ch'onjeyon Waterfall( actually three waterfals in a gorge spanned by an amazing bridge and containing 100 species of subtropical plants) and Chungmuny Taepo(a Giants Causeway style rock formation on the way to Seogwip'o).

If you have time to explore Cheju further then drive or take the round island bus to the Cheju Folk Vilage(Two pounds entrance) and the nearby town of Songup(the old provincial capital where you can see three hundred well preserved houses). The latter features outdoor toilets where the waste feeds into pig pens as the locals reckon it makes for tastier pork. A little further up the western coast is Songsan Ilch'ulbang(Sunrise Peak), which is a 180 metre high peak with a volcanic crater at its summit. From the nearby harbour six ferries a day travel over to U-do Island which is as unspoilt as Cheju gets. Continue on from here in the direction of Cheju City and you'll pass the Manjang-gul Lava Tubes(at 8km long reputed to be the longest in the world). You can walk 1km inside although if natural history isn't your cup of tea you may want to carry on to Hamdok Beach(about a twenty minute bus ride east of Cheju City and definitely the best beach on the Northern coast).

On the East coast places of interest include Hallim Park(two pounds entrance) which features a small Folk Village, a Bonsai and botancal gardens and smaller lava caves. This is well worth an afternoon of your time and can be combined with a trip to Ssangbanggul-sa( a 700 year old Buddhist grotto with amazing views on the south
-western tip of the island). Inland, I'd thoroughly recommend a hike to the peak of Halla Mountain(at 1950 metres the highest in South Korea). The easiest trail is the Yongshil course which takes six hours(take a bus on the West Cross-Island highway to Yongshil Ipgu).

Cheju is reportedly going to be the base for the England team if we qualify for next year's World Cup. I'd highly recommend you pay a visit to this breathtakingly beautiful island, Bring your umbrella(it gets a lot of rain) and relax.

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