3 Days 2 Nights In Jeju Island, Korea (Self Drive Tour)

There are many different airlines offered daily flight to-and-back Jeju Island and Seoul . One of the cheaper ways is to do some study on the air flight ticket price and purchase the better rate. And one of the sugested airline is Easter Jet Airlines, which they have English-language website. However, here is the catch, ticket only open for sale 3-4 months before your trip. But once is open for sale, all travel agencies will grab all cheap ticket. So, must check their online website everyday and register as their member to enjoy further discount.

Flight can be taken from Seoul , Gimpo Domestic Airport and arrived in Jeju Island within 1 hour. One of the realiable rental car company is Axis Korea (homepage in Korea, also in english language) . Again, please register as their online member to enjoy better rate. Kindly note that many rental car company offer a bit better rate than Axis, but most of this companies only able to communicate in Korean language, even Axis (English website) also not than good in English. The GPS system provided in the car only operate in Korean language, but there is English-voice speaker inside the system. Their GPS system is using phone number of the location to give direction instead of using longitude or name of the place. Some to figure it out, lucky most of the tourist information do speak Chinese language (by the way, there are many Chinese people from China visited Korea ).

From the Airport, the nearest attraction is Yongduam Rock, which only 10 minutes away by driving. There is not entrance fee requires and Samseonghyeol Shrine, which is another 10 minutes away from Yongduam Rock. But for the purpose of this Article,  a time-table has been prepared for 3days2nights tour in Jeju, provided always you have international driving license and rental car in hands. (main reason to self drive is that all the attractions can only be locate easily via private car). Some may use bicycle or engage tour-bus for the trip, but the best way is still using private car, which to be expect to spend around 160,000won for 2 days’ car rental and 45,000won for the petrol, that would be USD220.  

            Day 1 (East side of Jeju Island )

900am	Yongduam Rock (Having problem with the GPS and follow the road sign (difficult and sign was confusing)
1030am	Samseonghyeol Shrine (optional)
1200pm	Manjanggul Cave
130pm	Gimnyeong Maze (Accidentally went to Cheonjeyeon waterfall & accidentally found out how the GPS function via phone number and how to use it)
230pm	Jeju Folk Village & late lunch (tea time)
430pm	Trick Art Museum
600pm	Seongsan Ilchulbong (world heritage)
730pm	Dinner and walk around Seogwipo Town

Day 2 (Centre & West side of Jeju Island)

900am	Cheanjiyeon waterfall
1030am	Jungmun Teddy Bear Museum
1200pm	Mysterious road (but failed to locate it)
130pm	O’sulloc Tea Museum (optional)
230pm	Miniture Park
430pm	Love land
600pm	Piyando Hyeojae-Grosan beach for the sunset and cool sea-water
730pm	Dinner and walk around Jeju City

Day 3 (Back to Seoul in the morning)

925am

Reached Seoul around 1030am

Other attraction that you should not miss out is Sangumburi volcanic crater and mountain hiking to Hallasan (especially during spring and autumn). Well, hope you have some idea on what to do in Jeju, and drop any question (if). Thank you. 

Diary - Thailand Side Diary

In Chiang Mai, I felt the loneness I never felt before. This feeling was again felt when I was on my way to Phi-Phi. This journey makes my understand how much important my family and friend to me and I really appreciates their presence around me. 

For the journey, I become more and more appreciates and values my family members and friend. And I must understand that the more I appreciate them the more I expect from them and this more will course me even easier to hurt or being hurt by them. While, I still believe that the true friend is not the one shown in front of you but is the one who stand behind you. And family will also be there for you no matter what. Along the journey, I keep thinking how wonderful God is by given all sorts of colour and people around me and all the earth. 

This is indeed the greatest gift for me to have this chance to make my dream come true.  With this loneliness I found more colours in my life. Now I understand why some people said that by going a tour or trip by yourself, you can learn more about yourself that you don't even know you knew it at all at the first place.

In Kanachaburi, I have this question in mind, why western likes to backpack? Along the journey, I saw only western, no matter English, American, Spain, France etc and where is all the Asian? I managed to see some Korean and Japanese in Bangkok and Phuket and that is. I realized that Asian like Malaysian, Singaporean, Taiwanese etc likes to join a tour guide or tour company rather than backpacking by themselves. I know that most of my friend will take such tour company and not self tour or backpacking. 

I understand one person cannot represent the whole group of people. The Asian, not all but majority likes to engaged tour company because in their mind, travelling is meant for relax and worry-free. So if you ask this majority Asian to do self tour or backpack, they will not do it because its time consuming, a lot of planning (not that they don't have enough planning in their work), many arrangement to be fixed before the actual journey start and many more to be settle. 

So the easier way is to engage a tour company, and no harm of course and I do agreed with this majority of people. But I think the weirdo is only people like me that like to burden our self with all the preparation just to enjoy our trip differently. What I called to enjoy not the trip but the preparation for the trip as well.

In boarder of Malaysia, what will be my next trip beside of self tour to Taiwan? My next backpack journey would be when? There are few places that I wanted to go for at least for within these 3 years until 2014 or 2015. First is Phimai, located in east north of Thailand, a city older than Angkor Wat. 

Backpack journey would be south-east Asia of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I hope can organize a trip to Korea on 2012 as promised with my friend when I was in my last in my law degree. Of course some local destinations like Lang Tengah Island and Sabah.  Also, trip to Macau-Hong Kong, maybe a 6 days tour to these two special region states of China. 

Well, to make all this come true, I need to earn more income and need a fit physical body to do all this tasks. Pray to God and may all this come true in future. 

Diary - Thailand Day 14

Day 14 – 6^th July 2010

Krabi s a town of rock climbing and mangrove tree. The famous rock climbing is located in Ao Nong, but I not good in active sport so I just head to town area. Nothing much as well in the town. I think after all the journey from Chiang Mai to Phuket and Phi-Phi, there is none that can attract my attention anymore. So, I head to Hat Yai, the major city in southern of Thailand. I arrived at the place around 4pm and managed to visit places in the town, near to the bus station. I just need to buy some more snack for my office and family. Because the stock I brought in Krabi were not enough.

Hat Yai has a lot of muslim and Chinese that can speak Malay language and Chinese, but mainly Hokkien dialect.  There are many Chinese style temples (like Penang’s temples as well) and now I know why many Malaysian like to visit Hat Yai every year, for the food, snacks, shop and some for the “service” here (mainly is for guys). I take the 800pm bus to the boarder and back to Malaysia.

I reached the Malaysian boarder around 10pm and Kuala Lumpur around 5am in the morning. I love Malaysia and sure miss Thailand.

Diary - Thailand Day 13

Day 13 – 5^th July 2010

The van came and picks me up for the boat ride to Ko Phi Phi. I felt alone while during the boat ride because everyone seem to have their friend or partner with them. And I left alone and I think I would be cherry if there is a friend or few friends with me. Well, I wanted to do this myself. The ferry provides free coffee and muffins during the ride.

The Viking Resort was waiting for me at the Phi Phi pier and transfer me to their resort. At instance I become very happy because the resort was what I imagine it would be. All the greenery with all the beaches and almost crystal clear beaches. The resort has its own private beaches (well 2 beaches) and because it was low peak season, so I have the beach all by myself, well sharing with 1 or 2 other unknow human passed by. Because over spend in Phuket, I was short in cash and in need of some once reached Krabi the next day.

I just lay down under the tree beside the beach the whole afternoon until evening. It was very relaxing and I need to do it again some time in future (I still miss that feeling now). The bed also very comfortable and just like my own bed and I fall to sleep from 9pm till 9am next morning. Wah.

Diary - Thailand Day 12

Day 12 – 4^th July 2010

Wake up in the morning, breakfast and head to Kata beach, which just 4 minutes walk from my hotel. I have my sun bathing for few hours and become red-dish whole body but not the face. I cant stand the sun any more, so go back to hotel, shower and take bus to town area. I met another tourist from Spain and both of us engaged local taxi tour guide with 1000baht touring some places in Phuket. The Big Buddha was the highlight as we managed to watch the view of whole phuket island and also the sunset view. But the place is just half complete because short of funding. And also some other places like bird nest making, chestnut making,   jewels etc. it was very “tourist” tour and I don't like this and it cost 500baht.

Diary - Thailand Day 11

Day 11 – 3^rd July 2010

Today is the last day with my friend before I go sole on my trip. We wake up early morning for Chatchuchak Market, the biggest market in Bangkok and some said in South East Asia or Asia. The local would call it JJ market. The things selling here are very cheap and from all sort of thing, from kitchen, clothes, outfit, plants, pets, books, foods, massage, fortune telling and many more. I think I will need at least 2 days full in this market. And for sure I will come to this market again in future.

We pack our thing and head to airport. My friends are taking flight back to Kuala Lumpur and I am taking flight also but to Phuket Island. Arrived in Phuket, I take the bus to phuket town because if by taxi, it will cost 800baht per way, but with bus only 85baht, of course time consume. Since bus service stop at 5pm, I have to take motorbike ride to my hotel, cost 300baht for journey 30 minutes. 

At night, I just walk around Patong road and Kata road for dinner. Patong road and its beach is like red-light-district in Phuket. At the night, I feel hot and might be fever, and so take some medicine and rest.

Diary - Thailand Day 10

Day 10 – 2^nd July 2010

We are going to Damoen Saduak Floating Market, located 2 hours from Bangkok also. There are few floating markets near Bangkok but mainly are small scale markets. We take the southern bus line to the market but in fact there are minivan services to the market in Victory Monument. The boat cost us 350baht each for 1 hour tour in the floating market. 

Our boat has roof compare with some other where they have to wear rain cloth. It was in deem a special experiences shopping inside a boat and eating inside a moving boat.

After that, we going back to Bangkok via minivan at the market and the journey was only 2 hours. The jacket we booked yesterday has arrived and it just fit and nice. That night, we going to Siam Paragon (like our Time Square) to meet with Pap and his friend, Dex. The dinner was recommended by them and the food was far better than that Mango Tree. The restaurant called Ban Khun Mae (or in thai means mother’s home).  

After that, we wanted to go to Siroco Skybar but we aware only certain outfit is allow to enter the tower. So, only ping is allow to go inside and since only him, so all of us abroad this plan and go someway else. We head to some tourist market where they have big screen showing the match between Brazil and Spain and Brazil lost the game.