We had a crazy day yesterday, and today, we just couldn’t wait to get back into the groove of enjoying the sights and sounds that our Jeju road trip itinerary would bring.
Having conquered the Southern and Western parts of Jeju, we now moved to our Airbnb in Jeju-Si (Sign up here to get S$52 off) to make our daily drive to nearby destinations more convenient.
We began the day with an hour’s drive to the famous Seongsan Illchulbong Peak. Along the way, we came across a scenic path with some windmills in the background, and decided to stop for some photos!
Seongsan Illchulbong Peak
As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Seongsan Illchulbong Peak is no stranger to most tourists. Rumoured to have emerged from a volcanic eruption more than 100,000 years ago, a massive crater sits on top of it. While some say that it look likes a crown, we call it the “matcha mountain”, because it looks like a huge matcha lava cake – you know the dessert that has matcha oozing out?
Tell me you see the resemblance.
For just 2,000KRW (1,000KRW for youth and children), we spent close to 4 hours here, immersing ourselves in the grandeur of the place. After getting our tickets just outside the entrance, we had to decide whether to watch the Women Diver Performance or to hike up to the peak first.
Thank God we chose the former, because we definitely wouldn’t have made it back in time for the later show if we had gone with the latter – the hike was deceivingly long (maybe because we weren’t the most fit too).
Anyway, do note that the Women Diver Performance showtimes are at 1.30pm and 3.00pm daily. Be sure to catch it, and be there earlier to get a first row view of the action. We had some time before the show started at 1.30pm, so we explored the area nearby and waited at the rocks by the sea.
While J, Y, and L went to the restroom, I recall vividly going up close to the rocks wanting to capture the beautiful rock formations, and realising, to my horror, the thousands of roach-like bugs clinging on to the rocks.
Check them out in the picture below – every single black dot is a bug. Creepy, disgusting, but they are everywhere.
After telling the girls about these awful creatures, we had a hard time getting Y to take a picture with us by the waters, because every single inch of those rocks were covered by them bugs.
But how lovely is the scenery here! I’d say, just do your thing and not look at them – they generally don’t bother you much.
When it was finally showtime, the Haenyeo (women divers) took their own baskets, came forward and began to sing and dance. The four of us loved their little performance, mainly because they were passionate and cute old ladies.
Following their performance, they geared up, and dived straight into the open sea. They didn’t carry oxygen tanks, but could stay underwater for a significant amount of time. Each time someone catches a sea creature, she would raise it up high and the crowd would cheer. It seemed like a competition for them!
Near the end of the performance, one Haenyeo came back to shore victorious, with a live octopus, captured with her hands, and just a few tools. Impressive. The crowd would then buy these fresh seafood from them, and have them freshly cooked at the mini restaurant by the sea.
If you are heading to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, be sure not to miss the Women Diver Performance! It was truly an eye-opening experience for us, and remains one of our favourite parts in our entire Jeju trip.
After the show, we were ready to begin our hike up to the Peak.
The hike, whilst short, was uphill all the way. It starts with inclined planes, and ends with staircases reaching to the peak. A relatively fit person should take about 20 minutes to get to the top. We probably completed it in about that time as well, but we were panting and perspiring quite a bit.
Nevertheless, it is considered an easy hike, for a view this beautiful.
The view from all angles of the peak is amazing. On one side, you get a panoramic view of East Jeju, and on the other, is the top of the “matcha mountain” overlooking the open sea.
There is even a translator parked at the peak, who would share with you the history and story of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak if you’re keen. Well, we asked her to help us take a photo, and she adorably did it through the railings.
We could not bear to leave the perfect scenery behind, but it was time to head off to our next destination.
The climb down Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak was a different kind of beauty. With staircases zigzag-ing its way down, and plants closely lining by them, the top-down view is not something you can find just anywhere. 
Taking another look at the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, we know we’ll be back.
Seopjikoji
Driving southwards just 15 minutes, we arrived at Seopjikoji, a scenic site with Seongsan Ilchubong Peak in its background. There are multiple sites to visit here, including a cathedral, a lighthouse by the cliff, an art gallery, flower fields, and a scenic coastal walk.
We took a stroll by the sea, but did not climb the hill up to the lighthouse because we already had enough hiking for the day. Instead, we turned inland and explored around the museum and the flower fields.
Seopjikoji is supposedly an ideal spot for viewing canola flowers during springtime. However, we were there in summer, and other flowers were just as pretty!
Just as we were leaving, it started to pour quite heavily, leaving many, including us, having to hurry to our cars for shelter. We then decided to abandon our plan to go to Biljarim Forest as well, heading straight back to Jeju-Si for some black pork barbecue dinner.
By now, it was our third Korean barbecue meal in Jeju, and we were still loving it. Nothing beats having some good meat with friends!
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