Day Three: Including Emart & Saeyon-Gyo (Bridge) [7 Days, 8 Nights South Korea Trip 2014]

<< Day Two

Our intention was to leave Galeum Guesthouse at around 6.30 am so that we can have a more breathtaking hike at Hallasan but it was almost 7.15 am when we took off! 

The 45-minute drive to the entrance of Mount Halla's Yeongsil trail was mainly represented by the photo above; flanked on both sides by trees and trees and boring trees and hardly any cars.

Those who have been following the progress of my Korean trip on this blog would have noted the postings in the past two days which were for the hike i made up to Hallasan. You may read the first part HERE.

Second Part was more rewarding; with the sun shining away from our faces (and camera), i was able to check out the scenery in greater detail! Louise was too focused on trekking back to notice any of them; the poor gal needed to pee!! 

Within ten minutes after driving off from the carpark, we spotted this off-road area that appeared to have a splendid view although it could not be compared to what you can see from (almost) the top of Hallasan.

Best green tea latte ever in my whole life! This was a declaration i have placed no less than three times in this blog; okay, i think this is the fourth time. Location: Cafe @ O'Sulloc Tea Museum! 

Drove ten minutes to the nearby Glass Castle - Glass Art Museum. Decided to give it a miss since we were still recovering from the Hallasan hike and the ticket price was more than S$10 per person! My family was cheapo in that sense. 

Decided to check out E-Mart as suggested by Joyce since her friend had requested her help to get a special type of pocky sticks! There were said to be a number in Jeju but the nearest to us would be branch next to Jeju World Cup Stadium! 

I love to visit supermarkets when i am overseas! It was fun comparing prices of a similar item that can be found in Singapore! S$4 for a bunch of Dole bananas; cheap?

Live abalones!! Anyone is kind enough to share the pricing; i am not too sure whether it is ₩7,590 or ₩4,980 per 100 grams. 

Frozen durian at ₩9,980 for 450 grams! The species wasn't mentioned although i would not see the point of buying it (despite the novelty) when i can eat it for real back in Singapore!! 

Must buy in Korea - banana milk at around S$5 for 8 bottles! Superbly milky with a strong banana flavour, this was my breakfast drink for the next few days as the two ladies were complaining it was way too fattening! 

Besides a packet of spicy char broiled chicken, i got my hands on grilled squid and octopus! Their aroma was too enticing and i grabbed a pack before checking out at the counter! 

Got other groceries as well and opted to put them in the guesthouse before driving to the seaside that can be seen from the common lounge at level two of Galeum! 

Not bad although i can definitely sense the fatigue from the three of us, especially under the hot sun! However, the day was still young and it would be a waste to spend it by sleeping!

At 4 pm, the sun was already pushing nearer to the Western horizon; for those who are unaware, Korea is 2 hours before Singapore. 

Under the shadow of the majestic Hallasan (with its iconic crater summit), we made our way to our next destination; a natural spot made famous by a Korean period drama. 

Oedolgae Rock! Click here for the separate posting on the rock. 

Took a dump at the nearby washroom; result of too many grilled squid and way too many bottles of banana milk! I think i downed three bottles in the past two hours and i conveniently forgot i have a mild intolerance for lactose. 

Last stop on our itinerary that day; the not very tall Cheonjiyeon Falls! For more pictures, please check out the weblink here. Both Oedolgae Rock and Cheonjiyeon Falls were within 10 minutes of drive from Galeum Guesthouse. 

I mentioned a row of commercial shops right outside Cheonjiyeon Falls and in addition to Dunkin Donuts and Korean restaurants, there was also a Paris Baguette Cafe!

Prices seemed comparable to BreadTalk pricing even though i could not find any of their famous milk pudding. Whatever the case was, Louise was pleased to have bread for dinner! For Joyce and i, we had a filling late lunch packed from Emart food counters. 

The beautiful spectrum of sunset! I bet i could have shot a better picture (with the sun) if i was at the seaside we visited in the late afternoon! 

Just a minute drive from Cheonjiyeon Falls was Saeyeon-Gyo (Gyo means bridge in Korean and sounds exactly like bridge in Hokkien too)! 

At a length of 169 meters reaching a height of 45 meters, this pedestrian bridge was open in 2009 and was Korea's first cable stayed bridge (whatever that means). 

Be careful if you attempt to walk down the spiral stairs to the walkway underneath the bridge. Frankly, it does seem quite nonsensical and a waste of money to have a walkway and then to build a bridge on top. 

Upon night fall, the bridge would be illuminated by changing colour lights that provided a noticeable attraction for those standing afar. It was precisely this illumination that attracted me to the bridge.

A last look of the tourism port at Seogwipo; time for us to finally rest our feet and prepare for an early wakeup call the next day to catch the sunrise from the sunrise peak! 

Day Four >>

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For the summary of my inaugural South Korea trip 

(Seoul and Jeju Island), click HERE.