I am happy to say that Spring comes to Jeju Island much earlier than it does back home. It is just wonderful. With the new season also brings new opportunities for exploring the island. Maybe I shouldn't call them "new opportunities," since most of the new activities I have been doing are always available, but are not quite as enjoyable in the winter months. Hiking had quickly become one of my new hobbies, due to the fact that I life in one of the new 7 wonders of the world, it Jeju continues to live up to being a wonder. The goal is to hike one of Jeju's Olle Trails every weekend. They are basically just hiking trails, it is a system of trails designed by Jeju's Tourism Office and given the name 'Olle,' meaning a narrow path between one's doorstep (Jeju dialect).
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_12_13.jsp
The Best of Olle Trails...so far:
Olle 10: The Quest of the Yongmeori Coast and Beyond
What an adventure to walk with such a lovely group of people. We had a nice walk along the beach to start off and then we were climbing over rocks, walking on the road and finished with walking through fields. It's pretty amazing how the island can change so much in just on 15km stretch!
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| Wouldn't you want to live on a private beach with such sparkly blue water? |
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| There is a lot of farm land on Jeju and the end of the trail led us through a variety of different fields. |
Olle 5: Captians, But No Crew
This week was just Emily and myself. We loved Olle 5. It is very different from the two trails hiked before. This was in really rural and peaceful areas. It was a very relaxing hike by the ocean:)
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| This is at the very end of the trail. My, my isn't it just magical! |
Olle 7: The Point of No Return
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| The floating bridge. |
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| One of the most famous places on the island. |
We actually intended to hike Olle 7-1, but by the time we figured out we took the wrong path and were actually walking Olle 7, it was too late to turn back. We were okay with it and it turned out to be one great trail with a few unexpected obstacles. Such as having to take a ladder up a ridge (make a wrong step you end-up as shark food), walking across a floating bridge and rock hoping across a river. The last one we did without realizing that it wasn't part of the trail, we were just following some other hikers.
Easter and Cherry Blossom Festival
Well, Easter was a pretty festive event this year I suppose. The weather was perfect and so the crew and I had a picnic at a park after church. This was followed by going to the Cherry Blossom Festival. The cherry blossom trees are all in full bloom, creating a magical land of pink, flowery trees. It was a perfect Easter and surprisingly enough, an Easter without Easter candy. That's right folks, Easter exists despite the lack of candy...shocker, I know!
What an adventure to walk with such a lovely group of people. We had a nice walk along the beach to start off and then we were climbing over rocks, walking on the road and finished with walking through fields. It's pretty amazing how the island can change so much in just on 15km stretch!
