#Jeju #JejuOlle
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Day 4 had been long long, over 30km. In the dark I lucked into finding a perfect tent site, hidden away in a rock niche high above the coast.
It had previously been used as a meditation retreat.
Dawn is the most peaceful time of the day. They are not early risers on Jeju.
Locals live by the “Sam Mu” (“Three Nothings”) – no beggars, no thieves, no gates.
Here is (by far) my favourite restaurant over 100km – the Two Weeks Coffee Shop.
The owner retired from Seoul. Because he and his wife love coffee, they purchased the property to set up a retirement job.
Every Korean can guess why it’s named Two Weeks. … You’ll have to go yourself and ask if you want to know. Bring a book and a laptop. They have free WiFi. You can hang out in their lovely garden.
Check the vista from atop the nearby cinder cone.
Known as an “oreum” (lateral volcano grown over as a hill or small mountain), the Jeju Olle never bypasses one without making you climb to the top.
That’s the second largest “city” on Jeju, Seogwipo.
They have the same huge, colourful web spiders I’ve bumped into many times in Hong Kong.
I imagine these small, timid feral cats eat the spiders, when they can.
I finished at the official Jeju Olle office in Seogwipo, a bit disappointed that I ran out of time to do route 7. Some feel that’s the best of all.
Read more about route 6 on the official website.
See the rest of my route 5-6 photos on flickr.
That’s the end of this trip report. I hope to return next November to do more, starting at route 7.
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Resources if you want to plan a trip for yourself:
Visit Korea – Jeju Olle (also available in many other languages)
JejuOlle.org (also in Japanese, Chinese and Korean)
Wild Junket – Hiking in Korea: Jeju Olle Trail
Though I did not use it, there is a guidebook in English. Look for it on the island or check it out as a PDF linked from this Visit Korea page.
Questions? Suggestions? … Leave a comment.
My stove of preference is still the MSR Reactor.
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