Most of my friends have departed from the island and are back in "the real world" (which pretty much just means an area not half as beautiful as Jeju) but I still have a couple friends around that it was great to catch up with.
This time around Anne and Santi came with me for just over a week of travel in Jeju. We started out with 2 nights in Hyeopjae which is on the west coast and has a beautiful view of Biyangdo (an island/volcano just off the coast). Hyeopjae was a good base for checking out some of the sights in the west. Unfortunately a typhoon was working its way through Jeju, so the weather wasn't perfect, but we were still able to visit the Peace Museum, Glass Castle (where I got to make something from glass) and eat some great food.
After Hyeopjae we headed to Seogwipo on the south side and stayed in a hotel just steps for my old apartment. Lot of memories in that area and it would not have been complete with a beer at the little convenience store right next to my old building. Being based in Seogwipo we did the typical waterfalls and Oedolgae rock tower. I went back to Jungmun to check out my old surf spot but it wasn't warm enough for a swim. One night we woke up at about 1am and drop to the summit of Halla-san and spend the next 8 hours hiking up and down the tallest mountain in Korea for a sunrise. The hike was long and strenuous, just like it was when I did it with some friends about 5 years ago, but worth it. The summit was absolutely freezing and windy, so we didn't last long, but on the way home we stopped in one of my favorite spots of Donnaeko and cooled our feet. Seogwipo was great as it gave me a chance to meet up with my old friend Jeff and my friend/co-teacher Candy. We had a few drinks at a friend's bar and Candy took us to some great galbi and norebang for singing.
The trip finished up on Udo which is an island off the east coast. Udo is famous for its coral-sand beach and peanuts/peanut ice cream. We stayed right next to the water and when all the tourists left for the day, we had the whole place to ourselves. The sunsets behind Hallasan were amazing and we ate some great food. An interesting still-moving seafood stew and some great galbi in addition to peanut ice cream and empanadas were all consumed just feet from the crystal clear water. We took a little time to drive around the island and hike to the high-point.
After two nights on Udo, we made our way back to Fukuoka. But with 2 friends from Cairo moving there in August, I think we'll be back again. Although Jeju is growing and changing, it is still an absolutely beautiful place to explore.