Jeju island (South Korea) -:honeymooners paradise

Jeju island

I got an opportunity to visit Jeju island when I was deputed to attend a conference there. From Seoul’s Incheon airport I had to go to Gimpo-the domestic airport, which is about one and a half hours away by bus from Incheon. From Gimpo I took the flight for Jeju. Jeju Island formerly Cheju Island, is an island off the southern coast of South Korea. It is also known as the "Island of the Gods,” and is a popular vacation spot for Koreans and foreigners. It remains the top honeymoon destination for Korean newlyweds, and is also regarded as one of the top honeymoon destinations in the world. Jeju is also being marketed as "the Hawaii of Korea." The island offers visitors a wide range of activities such as hiking on Halla-san (South Korea's highest peak) or Olle-gil(routes), catching sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, riding horses or just lying around on the sandy beaches.

I reached Hotel Ramada Plaza , where my stay arrangements were made. The hotel is situated next to South China Sea and I was lucky to get a sea facing room. The area around the hotel is full of life. One can spend hours just watching the sea .The view of sunrise and sun set is truly spectacular.

I arrived in the Sunday noon and I had almost half day to explore the surroundings. After a short nap, I decided to walk around to see what all was there in the vicinity.

The surroundings around the hotel and the payment bordering seashore was neat clean and presentable with thematic decorations .There are a number of  restaurants selling seafood lined adjacent to sea, which  are a must visit. These restaurants sell raw fish and have big aquariums .One can even choose the fish to be served. There are certain varieties of fish, which is served raw. Jeju is famous for its seafood delicacies, which one must try.

Jeonbokjuk is a local delicacy one must try. Traditionally, Jeonbokjuk was a delicacy served to royal families. These days, sliced abalone is lightly fried with sesame oil and combined with rice soaked in water to create delicious Jeonbokjuk. This porridge is known for its high nutritional value and is wildly popular among visitors to Jeju Island.

Seonggeguk or the sea urchin soup is another speciality of jeju .It is called “Gusal” in the local language.
The soup is prepared by boiling seaweeds with the yellow flesh of the urchin. It is known for its distinct taste and is high in protein and iron, and is rich in vitamins.

Jeju Island offers distinct hot pot dishes using a wide variety of seafood. Haemul-ttukbaegi is my favourite one .It is a delicious seafood soup made using shrimp, clams, and other kinds of shellfish.

One also finds barbecued pork from Jeju's black pigs commonly available.

There are a couple of famous shopping places in the vicinity of the Hotel Ramada Plaza. Jungang Underground Shopping Centre is among the most popular ones which is frequently visited by the locals who come from every nook and corner of the island. The underground markets has numerous apparel and cosmetic shops .One can find various herbal products like herbal face mask , shampoos and tea with ginseng etc . There are shops selling jewellery made of shells.

Like any other tourist destinations, Jeju also has numerous souvenirs shops spread across the city. There are McDonalds outlets and super stores around. For those who are pure vegetarians, food will be a little problem .They have to survive on fruits . McDonald’s burger or some rice dishes.And one can make food appear interesting using chop sticks. Atleast it was interesting to me as it seemed more l could learn to use it after some failed efforts. But it was fun.