Olle Trail 7-1, a new favourite

Start/End Points:
(East point) Jeju Olle Travel Center - Korean Address: 서귀포시 서귀동 316-1
(West point) Seogwipo World Cup Stadium Square (North-East Corner of Emart) 월드컵경지장 광장

View of Halla over the Rice Field

You can show the following text to Koreans if you would like help getting a taxi.

도와 주세요. 탁시 전화해 주세요.
(Toe-wa ju-say-yo.
Tak-shi jeon-hwa-hay ju-say-yo.
Meaning: Please help and call a taxi for me.)

East Point location/address: 

제주올레여행자센터에 가고 싶어요. 

서귀포시 서귀동 316-1

West Point location:

월드컵경지장 광장에 가고 싶어요.

(서귀포시 이마트)

Bus #100 goes between the two end points and would take about 16 mins. (A taxi ride is about 10 mins)

Trail Length: ~15 km
Estimated Time: 3.5-5 Hours
Key Scenic Points: Geolmae Eco Park - Hanon (large rice field) - Jenam Children Center - Mt. Gogeun - Eongtto Waterfall (best after rainy season)

Le before and after.

Last Friday, my friend Jess and I decided that along with the nicer weather, we needed to be outside. What better way to get exercise and sunshine than a hike? (Well... or any outdoor sport really. ㅎ). Because we had a limited amount of time, we needed a trail that was less than 45 mins away and that would take under 4 hours. I also didn't want to repeat any of the trails that I've already completed which meant that all the trails close to our school were out.

The benefits of 7-1 is that both ends are near bus stops. Plus, with one end being at the Seogwipo Emart, it also has a taxi stand. This made it very convenient to park at the eastern point, walk the trail and then quickly catch a taxi back to my car. (It would also be easy to catch a taxi in the city back to the Emart should you choose to walk from west to east).

View of Halla on the trail up Mt. Gogeun

Mt. Gogeun, the highest point of the trail, is about halfway through the trail, so no matter which way you are walking, count on a fair bit of uphill.

Note: there are a number of benches in the shade along the top which is where we chose to stop for a small lunch.

Another angle of the rice fields

This is my 11th Olle trail to date, and currently I would say it is one of my favourites because of the diversity of the terrain. I've seen a lot of farmland on my quest to complete all of the Olles, as well as a lot of tangerine groves so far, but this is the first time that I've walked through a large rice field (there just aren't many in Jeju because there are not many ideal growing locations).

For a moment I thought I was back in Vietnam or Taiwan (granted, on a smaller scale). At another point along the trail, we were walking beside these smooth cliff faces. Trees sprung from the tops, looking like tuffs of broccoli and Jess and I thought we were somewhere in Africa. Then we stumbled on an orchard with a sweet little cafe/house that easily looked like it was somewhere in Europe.

Cliff Faces near Eongtto Waterfall.

Near Eongtto Waterfall, a vineyard-looking orchard.

The images really don't do the views any justice. Le sigh... It was simply a gorgeous walk with lovely city views as well (which I of course didn't think to take pictures of... Oops.). Before the summer heat is upon us, I encourage you to get out for some exercise!

Love and Hugs

U Island (우도)

Udo is one of the bigger islands surrounding Jeju and it is also one of the more popular tourist spot.  Famous for its peanuts, Udo offers many peanut-treats (including peanut ice cream, peanut sandwiches, peanuts on waffles, peanuts on burgers...) as well as fresh seafood, and beautiful coastal views among other attractions.

View of Udo (and Sunrise Peak) from the Ferry.

We boarded the ferry at 8am from Seongsan Harbour.  The boats leave every 30 minutes on the hour.  The last boat depends on the season.  We learned this at the ticket office as we couldn't find times posted anywhere online.  It was really inexpensive, too.

Looking back toward Jeju from Udo.

Audrey and I, we decided to do the Olle Trail 1-1 while we were on the island.  The trail gave a good circuit so we got to see a lot of the island, but it also meant I got to cross the trail off my list.  We're not entirely sure whether we walked 11.3 km or 16.4 km because it was written differently in two different sources.  But in any case, off we went.

By now, this was my 6th Olle Trail.  Unlike the previous trails that I have done, Audrey and I found this trail a little hard to follow.  We were going counter-clockwise (or the orange route, for those who know), and there were more than a handful of times where we had to double back because we missed the turn, or where we were confused because we weren't sure which way to go.

View looking down at Udo from near the highest point.

The trail was still lovely and we did manage to complete it, but it was a little annoying at times.  I think the way is a bit clearer when you walk the other direction (blue way), but then that means you're leaving the big hill (and that uphill), for closer to the end--which we didn't want to do.

An old lighthouse (left) and its successor (right), keeping watch over Udo.

Hide and seek anyone? Photo Cred: Audrey

By the time we were finished, we were very much physically exhausted.  We really didn't want to walk anymore than we had to.  ㅎㅎ.  We had some more ice cream as a final treat before heading back to Jeju--a little earlier than we planned, but because we were so tired, we were looking forward to getting home earlier.

Slightly guilty because I once again took a bite before the picture was snapped... PC: Audrey

We had hallabong and peanut flavours.  (Hallabong is a special orange that is grown on Jeju and it is considered the supreme leader of all the orange citrus family).  Audrey and I agreed that the Hallabong was more like dessert ice cream that you'd have at rare occasions and then the peanut one was a more mellow flavour that you might have more often.  Still, green tea ice cream could be had everyday.  ㅎㅎㅎㅎ.

I would consider going back to Udo again.  There is more I would like to see--ideally with a bit sunnier weather.  But I also feel that I can now cross it off my list.

Until the next adventure,

Love and Hugs.

Mount Halla & Photographs

Me, standing at the trail entrance.

At 1950 meters, Hallasan (한라산) is the tallest mountain in South Korea. It is a dormant volcano that is now a popular tourist attraction for hiking enthusiasts and other travellers.

The tour books and websites will tell you that it is a 9 hour round trip to the top of Mount Halla and back again.  This might be true depending on your walking speed and the current weather--it will most definitely take longer when there is snow on the mountain.  But on the whole, if you are an avid hiker or in good physical fitness, you can do it a lot faster.


This past Monday, it took me 2 and a half hours to climb to the summit of Hallasan.  This was followed by a 45 minute break at the summit to enjoy the view and have a picnic, and then another almost 3 hours back down the mountain.  In total, I was 6 hours on the volcano.

If you don't reach this point by 12:30,
you can't continue to the summit.

The trail is only accessible between certain hours, depending on the season, and the park workers refuse passage to those who reach the last check point too late in the day.

Sheltered by a rich forest of spindly-trunked trees and thick, verdant bush cover, the trail rose steadily up the mountain side for the first stretch.  Then, the last couple kilometers switches to a more rigorous stair climb with a mixture of stone steps and wooden stair cases.  By the time I reached the top, my legs were like red bean paste: all mush and shaking from the effort.

It was so worth it.

I made a new friend while climbing.  Here we are at the top.

Even though it was a pretty clear day, the distant ground looked shrouded in fog.

Back down the path.

Me and the sign.  Gotta pose with the sign.

This is the "summit." At this time of year, it's more dry, but in the spring, there is a small lake/pond here.

 And, some of the other highlights from my vacation week include the following images.  Today I am back to work.  To all my friends and family in the world, Love and Hugs. ;)

Olle Trail 14-1: I found some horses on one of my many hikes. No petting allowed.

Olle Trail 14-1: I love looking out over the farmlands.  They can be so colourful at times.

Olle Trail 9: Daepyeong (대평)

Olle Trail 9: Me and SanBangSan (산방산)

Olle Trail 9: Panorama of SBS and the sea.  So beautiful!

An Unintended Food Outing (or UFO)

I have given up on knowing what I am eating.  I've reached a point where I merely accept the food offered and then hope I like it.  Generally, I do like to know what I am eating, but I have found it hard to keep track of what's what in our school cafeteria.  The menu is always posted, but as I go down the line of serving women each meal, I can't always tell what is supposed to be what.  The ladies are always so cheerful as they hand out food, that I also find it difficult to tell them no.  So, I just let them put whatever it is on my plate and hope that I like it.  I can only say one thing for sure at this point: I am not a fan of acorn jelly.

Anywho, the regular cafeteria food is not the reason I am writing this post.  This morning, I had an unintended and unidentified food outing.  A UFO, if you will.  ㅎㅎ.

I was determined to visit Gapado this morning.  It's a small island just a few kilometers south of Moseulpo Harbor.  According to my research, it takes about an hour to walk around the whole island and so I thought I would give it a go--do something more active away from the school.  Due to inconsistent information about ferry times, I headed in early this morning, determined to catch the first boat out, even if I had to wait.  While waiting, I met some of the other passengers--all Korean.  I attempted to make conversation which led to a asking if anyone spoke English.  There were a couple.  An ahjussi and his friend were heading out and coming back on the same ferry as I and so they sort of "adopted" me.

Leaving Jeju behind!

View as the Ferry pulled up to Gapado.

Panorama as you get off the boat and walk off the pier.

I had planned to just walk around the island, but after we landed, there was a moment of confusion.  They looked at a giant wall map of the island with me and then gestured toward the bike rental store.  As much as I love cycling, I wanted to walk today and conveyed this to the two ahjussi.  They nod and then gestured that I should follow.  Not knowing what to do, I did as I was told.

This led to my adventure.  I will have to go back to Gapado because I did not walk around the island at all, really.  I followed the men across the island (which only took 15 or so minutes) and around another small harbor where I was then told to sit at a table.  The next thing I know, I am being told to eat and drink.  The first thing was dried squid... I think.  I am not entirely sure beyond the fact that it was dried, fish-like, and very chewy.

The next food that came out was different. Voici my UFO.  I could easily tell that it was some sort of aquatic life and that it was raw, but I had no idea what it was.  My parents didn't raise me to be rude, so when they told me to dig in, I ate despite being hesitant.  When I showed the picture to my friend later, she said that she thinks it's abalone, but that's just the best guess.

My Unidentified Food Outing.

Honestly, the food wasn't too bad.  It's just different from what I'm used to which makes it weird for me to eat.  The abalone-like thing had a chewy end and a harder, cartilage-like end.  I had to chew hard to get it to break down before swallowing.  We were given a hot sauce and a peanut sauce for dipping along with a dish of seaweed and a jelly thing.  I can only guess that it was more acorn jelly (which I dipped in the sauce and ate, too).  The hot sauce had a nice kick to it and by the end of the meal I could almost breathe fire.  I don't know if I would order it this on my own, but it was fun to share.  The men mainly talked among themselves and then would try and ask me things.  Sometimes those moments went better than others, but it was still fun.

My 2 guides + a man from the restaurant leading the way.

On the way back to the boat, they asked me to sing a "Canada Folk Song."  Not knowing what to sing, I just sang O Canada while they clapped along.  They then sang Arirang for me. Most definitely a cool moment.

What I most liked from today--and really from all my outings so far--is that despite the language barrier, I've found that the people on Jeju are just so willing to help.  Sometimes going out of their way to ensure that you understand or you're where you're needed to be.  It's a good reminder to do that for someone else, too.

Love and hugs.