4 Days in Jeju, South Korea ~ Day 3

Since we only had a limited time to stay in Jeju we really wanted to make the most of our trip. We were very fortunate to have a rental car because we just drove around from one location to another. After breakfast, Monday morning, our first stop as a family was Cheonjiyeon Falls. This place was another breathtaking location to visit. Mainly this was a great location to just go out and enjoy nature.

Lots of beautiful flowers, trees, and the sound of a large waterfall to walk towards. This seemed to be an extremely popular area because there were plenty of tourists making their way to the falls as well. When we finally got to the falls we understood why this place is very popular. In a word this place was STUNNING.

We obviously had to take some pictures with the falls in the background, but we had to make it quick because there were just so many people trying to come down and snap some pics as well. On the way back we went browsing through some of the local shops selling specialty items like Jeju chocolates, oranges, and handcrafted items. The prices for these items were pretty affordable so we just had to grab some to take home with us.

Go Karts/ Horseback Riding

The second place that we stopped at was a go-kart/horseback riding area. From the outside, this place looks like an interesting place. Might not be the best, but promising nonetheless. The building that we entered has a long wall of glass so that you can see out onto some parts of the property. You can see that there is some construction going on, and three buildings to the left.

One is the entrance to the go-kart area, another looks like a café, and the last place is where people wait their turn to go horseback riding. This place was, to me, not too bad price-wise. When we got down to the horses I could see why. From a distance to my untrained eyes, the horses looked big and strong, but when we finally got up for our turn, they looked broken, old, and tired. I would have to say that I did not enjoy this experience very much because I felt pretty bad for the horses. Pretty silly too, considering that the protective gear we were made to wear were life vests, along with our protective helmets.

The go-kart section wasn’t too bad. The main issue I found with this area was that the seat belts did not tighten, so they put foam pads behind our backs. Lily did not enjoy this experience very much and quickly asked me to stop because she was getting scared. Once everyone was done with their allotted time, we quickly left this area to get to our next destination.

Aqua Planet

The third place that we went to was to Aqua Planet Jeju to meet up with our friends. This place was pretty awesome as far as aquariums go. Very big, filled with amazing animals, a really nice acrobatic show, and yummy food! After all that driving, and this being the third place for the day, we were pretty hungry. We pretty much zoomed through the aquarium seeing what we could and trying new things like bottle-feeding fish.

This was truly a unique experience! This was weird because once you go into the room you hear this funny noise. Only when you get up to where everyone is crowded do you realize it is the sucking noises coming from the fish! After lunch at the aquarium, we were ready to go to the next location.

Seongsan Ilchulbong/Manjanggul Cave [UNESCO World Heritage]

One of the areas we really wanted to go to was the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, which is another major attraction for Jeju. We made our way there followed by our friends in their car and tried to find a place to park. The town at the base of this peak is pretty small and has very limited parking. We drove around for a little bit trying to find a place to park, and plenty of time to notice that it was getting really hot and that there were an awful lot of stairs with a LOT of people making their way to the top of the peak.

Soooooo we decided to change our plan and go to another popular place. Manjanggul Cave. This is supposed to be one of the finest lava tubes in the world and has been designated as a natural monument.

When we finally got to the entrance to the cave we really did not know what to expect. There was a small shack close by where you purchase your tickets, with people sitting around on benches probably relaxing after their recent trek through the cave. Looking down into the entrance you can see stone steps leading down before turning out of view. It only takes a few steps before you will notice the drop in temperature immediately.

Inside the cave, you will be amazed at how big this lava tube really is! This is my first one so I never considered how big or small they would be. The part that was really amazing to me was that you could see where the lava was dripping before it hardened! The kids and I, along with our friend were making our way through this cave, at a slow but steady pace. David on the other hand……we had to backtrack and find or wait for a few times. He had to take a picture of just about EVERYTHING!

By the time we got all the way to one end of the cave and back to the entrance, we were pretty tired. Considering that the only thing that the kids really wanted to do our whole trip was to go to a beach, we all decided to end our day by finding a beach and letting the kids play. We picked a random beach as close to the cave as possible and made our way there. The beach we got to was covered in a massive net, so the kids were only able to play with the sand almost in the water, which was a bit cold to me. Despite the fact that I didn’t want them to get into the cold water, this could not be helped. They got into the water…and so did I!

Lily and Gabe had excitedly called me over not long after we got to the beach to show me their recent find which was a couple of hermit crabs from a bay close to the beach. I quickly noticed how warm the water was, and just how many hermit crabs were in the area, encouraging me to help them collect as many hermit crabs as possible! This was such an awesome way to end the day, catching hermit crabs in a warm bay with my kids. We all had so much fun that we really didn’t want to leave but eventually had to. Just so you know, no hermit crabs were harmed during this trip.

One more day before we have to go back home.