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Today was our day to explore Jeju Island a little bit, so we had a quick breakfast and got ready to head out. We got the concierge to book us a taxi and driver for the day, and thankfully there was one with a van that fit all 5 of us comfortably.
Our first stop was Oedolgae Rock. The name of the area Oedolgae means "lonely standing rock." This 20-meter rock pillar stands alone just off the seashore. From some angles the rock looks like a person praying. There is a legend that back in ancient times, a Korean general dressed the rock up like a huge soldier and it scared the Mongol hordes who were trying to invade Korea so much that they all committed suicide and the country was spared. There were also some amazing views and the ocean and the cool breeze was wonderful as it was very hot.
The next stop was the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. The name Cheonjiyeon means sky (Ch'eon) connected with land (Ji). In order to reach the waterfall, we walked a nicely landscaped trail. Just before reaching the falls on the path, we crossed a bridge from which a wide variety of koi fish could be seen below. The falls were very cool to see, and apparently they are very popular at night when they are all lit up.
Jeongbang Waterfall was next on our sightseeing tour. The waterfall is 23 meters high and is very close to the ocean. According to local legend, Jeongbang Waterfall is the only waterfall in Asia that falls directly in the ocean. It is considered one of the ten greatest scenic wonders of Jeju Island. The falls splashing down and the spray coming off it was very beautiful to see, as well as being a nice refreshing to way cool down. It was bigger, and perhaps a little more impressive than the previous waterfall.
After stopping for a quick lunch, we headed to our last stop of the day, Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong). As the easternmost tip of Jeju Island, this area is the first to greet each day's new sun, thus earning its name of "Sunrise Peak." It took us (and Rick) about 25 minutes to get to the top of it, climbing over 600 stairs. Christine's mom and Jessica decided not to try the climb. The view of the crater from the top was well worth the climb, as was the cool breeze that was coming in from the ocean once we made it to the top. It only took us about 10 minutes to walk back down to the bottom to jump back in our cab and head back to the hotel.
Once we got back to the hotel, Christine, Kent & Jessica decided to go down for a quick dip in the outdoor pool to cool ourselves off prior to dinner.
We had dinner tonight at the Cliff Top Grill which overlooks the ocean. The food was good and the ocean in the background was very nice. The June bugs were a bit annoying though!
After dinner we headed down for some Karaoke, and two hours later we wandered back up to the room to do a little bit of laundry. Then time to head off to bed.
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Mom/Doren Gee, it feels like I am right there with you!! :-)