Going up Seongsan Ilchulbong usually takes about 20 minutes, coming down too; but the whole journey of going up and down would probably be longer than the total 40 minutes. Some parts may prove a bit steep and one could get tired and needed a break.  Besides, the view at some points are rather nice to look at and one may get distracted by the wild plants or the rock formation too. At the peak, even in the small area,you'd want to loiter around, enjoying the breeze and the view. When going down, the rugged coastline would beckon for your attention and in the distance where you could see ..read more

Seongsan Ilchulbong is said to be a top scenic destination in Jeju Island, attracting millions of visitors each year. People climb to the top for the breathtaking view of the ocean, Udo Island, Hallasan Mountain, and the volcanic landscape of the east. Nature lovers would be thrilled to know that it is home to not just a variety of wild animals but also to 200 types of vegetation such as silvergrass and giant angelica. The place is protected and has been recognised as a Natural Monument. It is also in the  UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. Have a peek at the peak of Seongsan Ilch ..read more

Seongsan Ilchulbong in Jeju Island is often called Sunrise Peak. People go there to watch sunrise, I suppose; but for us, we went there long after the sun had risen. Pictures in brochures often show aerial view of Seongsan Ilchulbong, an interesting sight of a tuff cone upon a shallow seabed; something we could not really see when we were there at the foot. The tuff cone was formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions thousand of years ago. Climbing the 182 meters was easy as there were well-built stairs with railings. According to our guide, the stairs could be slippery on a wet day but touch wood; t ..read more

Day 3 would be spent entirely in Jeju Island.  We were scheduled to visit Seongsan Ilchulbong, then Seongeup Folk Village, Gwandeokjeong and Tapdeong Shopping Street in that order. After our breakfast in the hotel, we boarded our bus to proceed to our first destination. The street in Jeju Island was rather quiet, not very busy; and I wonder if it had to do with the younger generation moving out to Seoul to work. Our guide said many youngsters prefer to work in Korea's capital. Streets of Jeju 16 28.10.23 ..read more

Probably, evening was a nice time to be in Dragon Head. Rock. The air was cool and the sky was an orange tinge in the horizon. It would get dark pretty soon and a Korean dinner was on the cards. There were kimchi and other side dishes to go with our rice but the highlight for the day's dinner was godeungeo gui. Grilled mackeral is a popular dish in Korean. The moon was already out when we finished our dinner. Someone commented that the moon was bigger and brighter here in Korea. Eat this! 15 ..read more

The flight from Gimpo International Airport to Jeju Island was slightly over an hour. It was going to be evening soon but the sky was still bright and we were driven in a bus to Longtandong to visit Yongduam Rock otherwise known as Dragon Head Rock. The rock which was formed by the cooling of lava that erupted 2 million years ago as its name implies, resembles a dragon's head.  Just watch this and see if you could spot the dragon's head! 13 ..read more

After Wolmido Island, it was off to Jeju Island. We were to fly there; so we were herded off to Gimpo International Airport. Gimpo is a city in Gyeonggi Province just 24 km from Seoul and 15 km from Incheon. Gimpo International Airport accommodates mostly domestic flights and I read there are some places of interest there including Jangneung, the burial ground of King Injo and Queen Inyeolf from the Joseon dynasty and the Munsusanseong Fortress at Mt. Munsu which was built in 1694 during Joseon Dynasty. Unfortunately, these places were not in our itinerary. Sob! 12 ..read more

Taking the monorail round  Wolmido Island would perhaps be better if one could understand Korean. There was a lady there holding a microphone, explaining the sights in the language. According to a brochure, there are eight views to take note of; so, I suppose the lady would point them all out. Since we don't speak or understand Korean, we paid no attention to her and couldn't really identify the eight views ourselves. Our guide did point out the Incheondaego Bridge at one point but I wasn't sure which one. What seemed like a bridge in the distance did noy really look like the bridge in ..read more

Wolmi Sea Train, I read; connects Wolmido Island to Incheon Station. We had however walked past Incheon station to Wolmi Sea Station to get our tickets for the Wolmi Sea Train ride. At Wolmi Sea Station, we took an escalator and an elevator before boarding the train. In Korea, Wolmi Sea Train is the longest urban Tourist monorail and it takes passengers round Wolmido Island in 42 minutes, traveling a distance of 6.1 km at 10 km per hour. Riding the Wolmi Sea Train, one would inadvertently be drawn by the sight of the Silo Wall paintings, murals on the large cylindrical buildin ..read more

Incheon Chinatown indeed is near our next stop, Wolmido Island. The Chinese arch across the road did not just confirm that but it pointed out that we had just visited a small section of Chinatown. We spent more time at Sonwil-dong Fairytale Village instead where there were sculptures and paintings depicting characters from world famous fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Thumbelina etc. Would really like to explore the other part of Chinatown. Chinatown was established as a Ching Dynasty settlement when Incheon Port opened in 1883. It would be a more interesting pla ..read more