Last week I went on a two day trip that I didn't know I needed, to an island that I only recently knew existed. For years I lived in Korea and of course was well aware of Jeju - the island I dreamed of living on, but it was only this year that I first heard of Chuja-do. Considering I hadn't before heard of it one would think it's tiny, but that's not the case, there are even English teachers living on the island working for EPIK, my previous employer. With this fun fact of knowledge the four of us discussed whether or not we could live that life. I concluded that if I had enough personal work to do (blogging, pursuing a degree or certification, etc.) I'd likely be just fine. Although the more I reflect on my first year in Jeju I may reconsider, there's something to be said about the feeling of stuckness that comes with having to fly anytime you want to go visit a city or friends on the mainland. Regardless I was happy to be visiting Chuja for the two days we had and was ready to explore. The ferry from Jeju is approximately two hours, and considering the one hour drive we had to the ferry terminal this wasn't exactly a speedy trip. I had checked the weather numerous times, considering that our primary plan for the two days was to hike the Olle trails, but saw nothing but clear skies, sun and perfectly mild warm temperatures. Considering this I was utterly confused when halfway through our ferry ride the skies turned black and buckets of rain came pouring down. This wasn't a light rain that looked like it was quick to pass, the skies were nearly black with no end in sight. Thankfully by the time we reached Chuja things had settled a bit, but the weather was still far from what we were expecting. Cold, windy and rainy, none of which were ideal for a full day of hiking. Thankfully our first task was to fill our bellies, so we weren't bothered if the rain hung around for another hour or so, we'd be inside devouring deliciousness. The first restaurant we had save on maps was closed, or at least that was the conclusion we came to when we found no one working inside, but we were happily waved into another nearby, one that another coworker had recommended after their trip the week prior. It was a quaint building that looked more like someones home than a restaurant, and the menu was vast. We wound up ordering three dishes to share, bibimbap, grilled fish, seafood pancake and devoured every last morsel of food on the table, including four refills of banchan. Thankfully the owners were impressed by our appetites and approval of Korean food, and not taken aback by the vast amount of food we put away. Another plus was that as we were preparing to leave I heard the ajossi said "the rain is over" and sure and although half the sky was skill black, I decided to take his word for it. There are two trails on Chuja-do and although they could be completed in one day, we didn't want to have to rush ourselves and decided to spend the night, completing 18-1 the first day and then returning to the port the following day via 18-2. Due to a slight mix up as to which port our ferry would dock at, we had booked accommodation at the opposite end of the island, which actually wound up working in our favor. We decided to pack light and just carry everything with us for the trail, thereby having to avoid tracking down a taxi or bus to take us back and forth on the island. Although the skies were clearing I felt very underdressed and ill prepared for the weather. I was expecting the same heat we had seen on the island for the past few weeks and was beginning to regret having packed so light, therefor not bringing any additional layers. Thankfully the weather only continued to improve, and the up and down terrain of the trail quickly raised our body temperatures so there was no longer a need to worry about being too cold. I was really enjoying the views as we left the main town area, between the omniscient skies and colorful buildings I was captivated and distracted from the hills before us. A friend had told us before leaving that Chuja is a lot of up and down, and from the start I could understand what she meant. Leaving the city I was still wary of the dark grey clouds in the distance, but thankfully as time passed they began to disappear into the horizon. I loved the diversity of the first half of the trail, colorful school buildings and rooftops, a sprinkling of a temple or two, and the utter natural beauty of the island. Being the first day none of us were fazed by the up and down, hilly nature of the course, but in the back of my mind I was hoping that this wouldn't continue for the entirety of our trip. The odd weather of the day meant that I was continually adding and removing layers. At the start of our hike I wished I had worn long pants, but not long after I was sweating in the sun. Eventually somewhere around the halfway point we were met with a sprinkling of rain, which thankfully didn't last much longer then our photo shoot at a giant fish We arrived to our accommodation in the late afternoon and despite having a feast of a lunch, were ready for another meal. I suppose hiking nearly 20km will do that to you. There were very limited options on this end of the island, so we went with the glowing recommendation from our host basically across a large parking lot from where we were staying. The restaurant, at least at the time we visited, was clearly a one woman show, and we waited probably the longest I ever have in Korea just to place our order. I'm still not sure if she was hoping the 3 random foreigner's would leave or if she just expected us to understand island time and wait patiently. Thankfully we did the later and were rewarded with another amazing meal. It's no surprise that we were all exhausted by the time we returned to our hotel, and knowing that we had another full day of hiking ahead of us we had no problem going to bed early. I'm pretty sure it was lights out by 9pm and everyone was sound asleep not long after. I oddly awoke up 2am with a growling stomach, but managed to go back to sleep until later that morning at which time I was still hungry. We wanted to get started early which meant beginning our day with some sad convenience store coffee, bananas and snacks. Honestly this didn't bother me much at all, especially knowing we had a lunch stop planned in the first half f our hike, one of the only options on that end of the island, a highly rated Chinese restaurant. Again leaving the port town offered beautiful views. wrapping around the coast as we slowly climbed our first hill of the day. We had a lovely interaction with a local man in his truck, I still have no idea what he yelled at us, but he seemed amused by the chance meeting. The course was more of the same, up one mountain only to come down and head back up again, with a few random loops through the small villages along the way. Lunch was everything we wanted it to be, especially considered that we followed a jeep full of large hungry men, reminiscent of a 90's film Busan mafia gang, into the restaurant. We also made a random friend along the trail, a solo hiker from Jeju (University) who we would awkwardly catch up to and then part ways with throughout the morning. He sat at the table next to us and we enjoyed awkward small talk before he eventually decided to leave first, freeing us from the looming obligation to ask us to join. Normally, and had I been alone, I may have done so, but I could sense the apprehension from my friends in creating an afternoon of forced small talk. Eventually, much more tired than we began the journey, we found ourselves back where it had all begun the day before. We were all very much in the mood for patbingsu (Korean shaved ice) dessert, and were hopeful that one of the two cafe's near the port would satisfy our craving. Dismayed when the first cafe said no "not summer season yet" we kept our hopes high that option #2 would be fruitful. Unfortunately, no, despite hot temperatures and all of us wearing shorts and tanks tops, per the calendar it was not yet summer and thus, no patbingsu for us. Unfortunately, CU ice cream and snacks would have to cut it, not what we wanted, but also not a terrible alternative. It wasn't quite the ending we wanted before hoping on our ferry back to Jeju, but we really had no room to complain. 2 days of beautiful weather (despite a surpise storm or two), breathtaking nature, delicious food, and friendly people - Chuja-do treated us well.
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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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