This post should have been done ages ago, but thanks to a forgetful brain, it was put on hold for a while. I was originally invited to complete Olle course 12 in early November with two of my hiking pals, and while I did so, I left my Olle passport at home which meant I'd have to go back and do it again. I knew I had plenty of time for such, so I wasn't too bothered to do it without the record and anyway, I thoroughly enjoy the company of these two - not to mention the good food we always track down after walking all day. Course 12 is on the west coast of Jeju Island, a region I have rarely explored, so I was excited to see some new scenery. Early November weather could be anything from hot and sunny to cool and rainy, so my biggest challenge for the day was deciding what to wear. I thought I had done well with a long t-shirt and leggings, but not even halfway through the trail I was trying to figure out how to strip layers in an effort to cool off. We hiked the trail in reverse, decided to drive to the end and work our way inland, and I"m glad we did so because the views from the first stretch of the trail were magnificent, especially given the slightly overcast morning we had before us. When walking in reverse you should be following the orange Olle markers, but about a 3rd of the way in Bridgette pointed out that we were doing the opposite. We had somehow missed a turn, met back up with the trail and began following it in the wrong direction, back to where we had come from. Thankfully we weren't too far out of our way and were able to catch back up with the trail after a short detour. The trail leaves the coast around the halfway point and works inland, finally ending in Murung. I have a distinct memory of the halfway point, a "ceramic experience" which we all confirmed felt more like an abandoned, maybe haunted, elementary school. I wanted to use the alleged bathroom at this site, but didn't really have interest exploring inside, so decided to hold it until the next one. Ultimately this was a terrible decision as my bladder was screaming as we climbed up and down Noknambong, but I thankfully made it to the bathroom that was on the other side. Once we reached the finish line we called a Kakao taxi to take us back to our car which resulted in the highlight of my day, a friendly conversation with our chatty taxi driver, a Jeju native who was kind enough to teach us some satori (Jeju dialect) and warn us to be careful driving during tourist season as police tend to use radar more often - both great things to know. Our day ended in the best way possible with private-dining ddeokbokki experience and a mango bingsu finale. A few weeks ago I couldn't decided if i was in the mood for a whole 15+ km of hiking, and decided to tackle just half of the course 12 redo. Having completed the whole thing straight through the first time, there was no part of me that felt as if I was cheating or missing out. Having previously done the course in reverse, I decided to go in the other direction and then threw a detour in as I created my own route back home, rather than calling a taxi. Honestly there is not a lot that I remember about the first half of the trail, but I'm pretty sure my mind was just all over the place that day, beginning with my indecision of what, if any, trail to complete. After reaching the halfway point I wasn't really tired enough to call a taxi and head straight back, but also knew that I was not in the mood to complete the entire trail. Instead I chose to catch a bus a few stops along the main road and then walk back towards the start of the trail where I had parked my car. This was all fine until I had to go to the bathroom and there was nothing in sight. I searched on the map and saw a community center/sports complex not too far ahead and hoped I could make it there before my bladder was bursting. On the bright side, I was able to make it, but to my dismay there was no public bathroom available. A little further down the road and I gave up, branching off down a small side pathway and answering the call of nature, in nature. For factors other than the trail itself, course 12 wound up providing me with many memories. From forgetting my passport, to two different instances of struggling to find a bathroom, I had an interesting adventure with course 12. In all honestly though, it was probably one of the courses lower on my list of favorites, with only the last stretch along the western coast making much of an impact on my memory. Regardless I'm thankful for the laughs, time with friends, random taxi driver and of course the food. Who knows maybe I'll go back and make a third go at this one.
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AsiaKoreaWhere to start. After living on and off in this country for nearly 10 years I have memories, experiences and stories galore. I'll now always be a bit partial to the Land of the Morning Calm. Filled with delicious foods, beautiful nature and friendly people, I'm always happy to return. Archives
June 2023
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