Sunrise in Jeju

If you want to watch the sunrise, the best thing to do is to first wake up to see the sunrise. ㅎㅎ.

The best thing to do on Jeju, is to hope (or plan) for good weather, camp out near Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉; Seong-San Il-Chul Bong), and then climb up early in the morning along with a bunch of other Korean (and maybe some Chinese) tourists. Pack your snacks, drinks and most definitely your camera and selfie-stick and you are good to go.

A common angle (or similar to) of Sunrise Peak featured on many postcards

Sunrise peak is one of the selling views of Jeju island. In a package of postcards, you might get 3-4 different angles and seasonal shots of the "Tuff Cone." Most tour companies bus their customers out to the east side of the island and wait the 30 mins to an hour while their tourists explore. At different times during the day, you can also see a demonstration by Haenyeo, Jeju's traditional female divers. (I don't know how these differ seasonally).

This past week, luck (and the weather) were on our side. One of my friends and I wanted to see the sunrise last April (click for blog post), but a cloudy night made for an anti-climatic morning. This time, it was different. At this time of year, the sunrise was also a lot later meaning we were able to sleep longer.

Heading toward the peak, the sun's rays already warm the horizon.

As we headed toward the peak in the early morning hours, we could already tell that it was going to be a good day. The sun's rays painted the horizon's edge in deep orange and yellow hues. The wisps of clouds creeping from the east edged into frame like actors setting the stage. The show was preparing to start!

There were many other people at the top with us, despite it being a Tuesday morning. A forest of selfie-sticks waving, the sound of camera shutters rippled through the crowd like leaves in the wind. We waited. The sky grew brighter, the light reflecting across the water and off the clouds. Then, the first sliver of the sun poked above the horizon. It was like we were at a sports match. There was a collective cheer and smiles all around. (My friends and I regret not filming that moment). In that brief moment we were a connected community and sharing a bit of the world's magic.

The sun above the horizon.

Canada Mitts!

I'm so happy that I was able to see the sunrise during this trip. We probably would have lingered longer, but the cold and our hunger eventually convinced us to return to the bottom. 

Until next time, Sunrise Peak. See you again.

Love and Hugs.

View from the top of the peak, looking back toward Jeju just after Sunrise.

Sunrise Peak (성산일출봉)

As the weather has been getting nicer, one of my friends and I decided that it was time for new island adventures.  There are only a few months left to this school year and we want to enjoy as much as we can.  And while I'll be staying in Jeju for next year, a number of my coworkers are returning back to their home-places (or just moving on to somewhere else). Thus time is precious!

Audrey and I decided to start our travelling off with a bang by heading out to the far side of the island to climb Sunrise Peak FOR sunrise.  While I had the chance to go to Sunrise Peak at the start of the year, my friend had yet to visit.  And as we get closer to the solstice, the sunrise will only be earlier, making it harder to get to the top in time.

This past Sunday, after church, we began our journey (시작!).  We really lucked out with the weather.  Saturday's rain makes Niagara Falls look like a drizzle. It was awful--especially because of the wind.  I was out with some girls when it started and had to drive carefully as the wind attempted to push me off the roads.  But!  The rain left the world feeling super fresh for our adventure!

We couldn't help but stop along the coast. It was too pretty!

After a brief stop at the Jeju Folk Village (and then a stop for green tea ice cream!), we continued our way along the coast until at last we could see the peak!

We stopped to pick up seashells along this beach.

Destination in sight!

After checking into our hostel and at last eating our first meal of the day (Ha. It was one of those random food weekends for us), we went to explore the peak.  As we'd be climbing it before sun-up the next day, we wanted to see it a bit in the late afternoon light.

The cove around the north side of the peak.  At the bottom of the stairs is a restaurant serving Haenyeo food.

I think the coolest part of this day was when we got back to the hostel (The Yellow Submarine Guesthouse, via Airbnb).  Both of us were pretty tired, having come off a week of overnight shifts, but then the owner came to our room and asked if we wanted to join them for dinner.  Surprised, but curious, we said yes.  There were six of us in total: the owner and one of his employees, two young soldiers on vacation, and then Audrey and me.  While I could understand bits and pieces, Audrey helped out a lot as translator.  It was a lot of fun and a really awesome experience.  We might have stayed up a bit too late as a result, but no regrets. 

Still... 4:45 came early the next day.

Sunrise Peak is open an hour before Sunrise.  Monday morning, the sunrise was just before 6 which meant we wanted to be out of our guesthouse around 5.  It takes about 15-30 minutes to walk to the top depending on speed.  I recommend bringing a flashlight.  Sources on the internet told us it would be well lit, but no. It wasn't.  At all.  We managed with little problem (although it was sprinkling a bit and rocks were wet), but it would have been nice with a bit of ground light.

Unfortunately, Monday morning was really cloudy which meant we couldn't actually see the sunrise (it just steadily got brighter, haha), but there was still a stunning view back toward Halla mountain.  And really, it just means that Audrey and I will have to go again. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

View from the top.

By 6:30 we were back down at the bottom and ready for the next part of our adventure.  But, more on that later.

U island (우도, Udo) as seen from the trail descending Sunrise Peak.

Love and Hugs.