The Beautiful Jeju Island

If someone asks me which place is the most beautiful in my country, I will say it is Jeju Island. Jeju Island is one of the most famous places in Korea. When I went to Jeju Island, I saw beautiful beaches, waterfalls, cliffs and caves. Now, I introduce Jeju Island to people who want to visit.

* How is the weather in Jeju?
Jeju has semi-tropical weather, but still shows four seasons. I went there in the winter, but it was not cold. If you visit Jeju, you can enjoy each season in Jeju with a particular color such as brilliant yellow-colored flowers in the spring, the golden beaches and sea in the summer, the light brown wispy reeds flowing in the fall, and the lovely snow flowers of Mt.Hallasan in winter.

* What kinds of food is it famous for?
When I went to Jeju, I could see mandarin orange in a farm because it is the most well known fruit in the Jeju. A long time ago, the mandarin oranges used to be a present to kings as special products of Jeju. Jeju also has a wide variety of native foods including red tilefish (Okdom in Korean) stew, grilled and seasoned red tilefish, and ribbon fish soup.

* Communication?
Native Jeju people speak standard Korean but also speak with a strong dialect. This dialect makes communication difficult even to Korean because it sounds like another language. However, they usually spoke standard Korean for visitors.

* Where are the best places to go?
- Seong-eup Folk Village
Seong-eup Folk Village was one of my favorite places in Jeju. Jeju village is vividly revived and has perfectly preserved Korean tradition. When I looked around there, I felt that I traveled back to the past. I saw the unique lifestyle culture of the island such as the windscreen stone wall and the stone statues which have become the prime feature of the landscape in Seong-eup Folk Village.

- Mt. Hallasan
Mt.Hallasan stands tall in the middle of Jeju Island. This mountain has the well-developed climbing course. I went to a short climbing course that came back down in one day. However, the weather conditions often changed and there was a lot of wind, so I was very cold. If you want to go Mt.Hallasan, you have to be well prepared for bad weather before going up the mountain.

If you want to feel unique mood in Korea, I recommend Jeju Island because Jeju is a paradise where you can taste both traditional Korean and exotic surroundings.