How to visit Gapado, Jeju, South Korea

October 19, 2008 by Jim Saunders · 2 Comments
Filed under: Outlying Islands, Things to Do, Things to See

In the distance I see two weather beaten, elderly ladies bracing themselves against a tall, stone wall, lost in a squawking conversation about some mundane topic. As I get closer and louder, empty seashells crunching under foot, their heads jerk up. Suddenly I’m the topic of conversation. It’s a foreigner! I give a small wave and say “Annyeong Hayseo”. More astonishment from the ladies - the foreigner speaks Korean! This is Gapado, the last but one islet on the far southern reaches of South Korea. And this is the reaction I get anywhere here, because it’s so under visited by foreigners. With the absence of mass tourism it’s like stepping back to a Jeju of twenty-five years past.

Tags: Gapado, Howto, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

Udo, Jeju, South Korea

June 11, 2008 by Danielle Mader · 2 Comments
Filed under: Outlying Islands

Udo, literally Cow Island in Chinese, is so-called because it is supposed to look like a cow laying down. It is a romantic, intimate place despite the ever-present tour buses trekking along the main roads of the island. There you can find stunning sea vistas, old stone walls complimenting rolling fields and people getting their livelihood from the sea. One fine morning in April, we got up at the crack of dawn to catch the bus out to Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak). It is from the harbour in Seongsan that you catch the ferry out to the island. The ferry is a nice trip in itself - a fifteen-minute boat ride where one can watch the steep cliff of Seongsan Ilchulbong receding and the mounded slope of Udo emerging.

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Chujado, an interview with the only foreigner living and working on the island, Jeju, South Korea

March 27, 2008 by Jim Saunders · 1 Comment
Filed under: Outlying Islands, Things to Do, Things to See

There is much hubbub at the Chujado passenger terminal as the 9:30 am Pink Dolphin arrives from Jeju. It is an unusually busy dockside as families reunite and part ways for the Seollal holiday. A collection of fishing boats bob calmly in their places sleeping off their previous night’s work. Across from them a thin strip of storefronts spread around the harbour with an unplanned morass of blue and red-roofed buildings. They give way to steeply rising hills, one of which is the location for Chujado lighthouse, unlit during these daylight hours. The sky is blue though partially cloudy. There is a fleeting warmth from the February sunshine above.

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Visiting Chujado, a travel blueprint, Jeju, South Korea

March 27, 2008 by Jim Saunders · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Getting Out of Jeju, Outlying Islands, Things to Do, Things to See

GETTING IN
The Pink Dolphin (10,000 won single, one hour) is the fastest way of reaching Chujado and operates from the Jeju City Ferry Terminal daily, though weather conditions do lead to cancellations. It is advisable to take medicine to prevent sea-sickness as the journey is notoriously rough. Medicine is sold in the pharmacy just to the left of the escalators upon reaching the terminal’s second floor. Alternatively, take the larger and slower ferry (8,000 won, two hours), which will provide a much smoother ride. Please check times at the Jeju City ferry terminal a few days prior to departure as the schedule is often changed.