Day 7 was a busy day of Jeju sightseeing and yummy seafood. We visited a bunch of places, including various parts of the coastline, Hallasan National Park, and a Buddhist temple.
Inland sights
Hiking in Hallasan National Park
Hallasan National Park is the primary park in Jeju, and is home to the tallest mountain in Korea, Mt. Hallasan. It is both a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We went on a short hike inside the park on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, it was quite hazy while we were hiking, so visibility was poor. But even so, it was a great view from the top.
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is a small but very serene waterfall near the coast. There was a very pretty walk along the stream up to the falls, with clear and slow-moving water along the entire way.
Jeju Coastline
The coastline of Jeju Island is beautiful. Like I said before, it really reminds me of California--the rocky coast, clear blue water, tall cliffs.
Dragonhead Cliffs
The first bit of coast we saw was called Dragonhead cliffs, so named because the land leading up to the cliffs looks like a dragon.
Basalt Columns
Because the entire island is volanic, a lot of the coastline consists of basalt that fractures into hexagonal columns when the lava cools. It's a really cool effect that you don't really see in the states.
Coastal bridge
Near the end of the day we walked over a really cool coastal bridge. It was a great opportunity for photos of both the bridge and coast.
Lunch: Seafood from Jeju
For lunch we had all sorts of local seafood from the island. The main course was a spicy seafood stew. There were also live abalone, but I wasn't adventurous enough to eat them.
Buddhist Temple
After lunch, we briefly visited a Buddhist temple nestled on a mountainside.