Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

CJU-HKG (3h) Airbus 320-200 ETD: 2.05pm (GMT + 9)  ETA:  4.05pm (GMT + 8) Apart from closing the chapter on Jeju Island, this entry shall be the very last on Dragonair as the airline has recently been rebranded as Cathay Dragon. Do note that KA325 is the flight code for the CJU-HKG sector at the point of writing.

2 Gonghang-ro, Yongdam 2(i)-dong, Jeju Island, South Korea Jeju International Airport was originally established in 1942 as a military facility before being reopened as an international airport in 1968. It's said that the number of passengers on domestic flights to the airport reached over 13 million in 2009, exceeding that of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul.

284-12 Ilchul-ro, Seongsan-eup, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 1 hour before sunrise till sunset Seongsan Ilchulbong, also known as the Sunrise Peak to many foreigners, is a 182 m tall tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions many years ago. Said to resemble a gigantic ancient castle, it has a bowl-like crater that has a diameter of 600 m.

182 Manjanggul-gil, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 9.00am - 6.00pm From Jeju City , my BFF and I travelled east to see for ourselves one of the finest lava tunnels in the world. About 1 km of the 13.4 km Manjanggul Cave is open to the public, leading to the gorgeous lava tube that's 30 m in height and 23 m in breadth.

Jeju Island, South Korea Hours vary by season  ( http://www.hallasan.go.kr/english/content.php?page=020104 ) Continuing from the previous post on the Yeongsil Trail @ Hallasan National Park , I present you some pictures taken at Witse Oreum, as well as the subsequent Eorimok Trail that my BFF and I took to walk down the mountain.

Jeju Island, South Korea Hours vary by season  ( http://www.hallasan.go.kr/english/content.php?page=020104 ) Perhaps the most iconic natural feature of Jeju Island, Hallasan is surrounded by 368 parasitic volcanoes called oreum around the main mountain. This highest mountain in South Korea is also known as Mt. Yeongjusan (lit. mountain high enough to pull the galaxy). As the number of pictures I took during the day trek is stunning, I've decided to split them into two posts.

Jeju Island, South Korea As the capital of the Jeju Province and the largest city on the island, Jeju City can be quite a vibrant one. It has grown rapidly since the 1970s, conveniently served by various buses. There are quite a number of public casino facilities for the entertainment of locals and tourists alike.

905-13 Nohyung-dong, Downtown Jeju, Jeju Island, South Korea My BFF and I left Seogwipo for Downtown Jeju by taking the airport limousine bus once again. Upon arriving at the more lively city, we quickly made our way to Goodstay Nulsong Parktel (2*), a value-for-money hotel that's highly rated online. Note that no breakfast is provided by the hotel.

36 Chilsimni-ro, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 8.30am - 6.00pm Jeongbang Waterfall one of the four waterfalls in Asia that falls directly into the ocean. It stands at 23 m, 1 m taller than Cheonjiyeon Waterfall . Legend has it that there was a holy dragon living underneath the waterfall, which spirit is contained in the water that can cure diseases and bring rain during drought. By the way, I didn't visit Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, the last of the three famous waterfalls.

156-8 Chilsimni-ro, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 9.00am - 6.00pm Along the way to the second waterfall, my BFF and I chanced upon the nearby Seobok Exhibition Hall, which we had had no idea when we planned for our trip. Seobok, an envoy of Qin Shi Huang from the Qin Dynasty, travelled to Jeju Island in search of a rare elixir.

Namseongjung-ro, Cheonji-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: sunrise - 10.00pm After such a cuteness overload at the Teddy Bear Museum , my BFF and I decided to find our way to Cheonjiyeon Waterfall by foot. Considered as one of the top three waterfalls of Jeju Island, it's 22 m high and 12 m deep. That was such a bold move, but given that we've always enjoyed trekking, why not?

2889 Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 9.00am - 7.00pm or 8.00pm (summer) Boasting a huge collection of stuffed bears from many different parts of the world, the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju Island is a fun place for adults and children alike. As I went through the exhibits, I took a lot of pictures while smiling along the way.

216 Jungmungwangwang-ro, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Daily: 8.00am - 6.00pm (autumn & winter) or 7.00pm (spring & summer) Designated as a natural monument, as well as a part of the Global Geopark Network, Jusangjeolli Cliff (no, not me :P) are hexagonal stone pillars formed many years ago when the lava from Hallasan erupted into the sea of Jungmun.

Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea Jungmun Resort is a multi-tourism area of Jeju Island established in 1978. Its attractions and facilities blend in harmoniously with the beautiful surrounding nature. The cover picture of this post shows me hugging a dol hareubang  carved from porous basalt, which is said to be offering both protection and fertility.

309 Seogwi-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea My BFF and I stayed at Goodstay Feliz Telcon Hotel (1*) in Seogwipo. As the name suggests, it's a cosy hotel, albeit a basic one, located not far from where the airport limousine bus drops its passengers. Note that no breakfast is provided by the hotel.

Jeju Island, South Korea Instead of staying at Jeju City first, my BFF and I went straight to Seogwipo City by taxing the airport limousine bus. The 62 km journey from the airport to Seogwipo KAL Hotel took about an hour and a half, costing  ₩7,000 (~S$6.15)  per person.

HKG-CJU (3h 10m) Airbus 320-200 ETD: 9.15am (GMT + 8)  ETA:  1.25pm (GMT + 9) The next exciting destination that I'm going to present to you is Jeju Island, South Korea, known as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. As I visited the island quite some time back, there has been changes in the flight schedule by Dragonair, which uses KA326 as the flight code for the HKG-CJU sector at the point of writing.