^ Glass House, Phoenix Island, Seopjikoji
How’s the scenery in Jeju-do? I haven’t seen enough of the island but from what I have seen so far, the beauty of the island has not touched me very deeply. The oreums and coastlines are lovely but they did not leave an indelible impression on me the way Bhutan did with its rugged terrain or the Great Ocean Road with its gorgeous coastline.
I guess the comparisons with Bhutan and the Great Ocean Road may be inappropriate but that’s all the experience I have to draw a comparison with at this point in time. Oh, I have done the 17-Mile Drive in California but for some reason, that famous stretch of coastline did not leave any deep impression on me too. Perhaps it was the jetlag.
^ Phoenix Island, Seopjikoji
During our stay in Jeju-do, we spent only one full day out, visiting the Jeonbang Waterfalls and Phoenix Island at Seopjikoji and half a day at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
For a tourist destination, it is rather odd to me that Jeju-do didn’t seem particularly accessible for the independent foreign traveller. Unless one drives, it is quite challenging to get to and from the tourist attractions on the island because public transport including the availability of taxis, appears to be almost non-existent. We got around by hiring a cab for a full day and for the trip to the museum, we had to get the receptionist at the museum to call a cab to take us back to the resort. There were no cabs at the museum that we could flag down.
What else did we do…? Pig out, of course, on Jeju pork and soju. Except for lunch at MINT restaurant, we ate every meal at PODO because the food is just so good. I am going to miss it when we leave Jeju tomorrow.
^ MINT Restaurant, Phoenix Island
On hindsight, I wouldn’t have bothered with eating lunch at MINT because the food was disappointingly mediocre; although I must say that the views afforded by the restaurant more than made up for the lack in its culinary standards.
