Resuming (kinda) regular programming by continuing my SoKor series. Just got back from another adventure – a scorching hot one – and what better way to “recover” from it than to relive an experience so cold yet fun at the same time? So let me talk about something cool – literally and figuratively. UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, self-governing province, and (one of) South Korea’s precious gems, Jeju-do, or Jeju Island. That beautiful place I only first heard about in Koreanovelas and seen in pictures. We arrived at Jeju Island a bit late in the afternoon already, largely because of a small bag that decided to take a tour of Seoul all on its own. By the time we were done picking up the car we’ll be using from the rental car company and hit the road, it was close to dusk. The first thing we looked for? The Halla Arboretum, a lush park and botanical garden just minutes away from the City proper.
Transcript:
The Halla Arboretum opened in 1993 as a provincial arboretum for using and studying Jeju native plants. It is located at the foot of Gwang-i Oreum and Namjosun Oreum, near the 1100Road in Jeju City. 1,100 species of plants and about 100,000 individual plants grow in this garden which has a total area of 20 hectares, subdivided into 10 botanical gardens. Among these are an educational forest garden with evergreen broad-leaved trees, a four-season flower garden, an out-of-the-way specialty plant garden, and a medicinal and edible plant garden. It also includes a forest area and a physical training field. The Arboretum is filled with plants having such interesting names as shrimp orchid, foot-of-deer, young deer’s ear, and so on. This place is different from other city parks that visitors can see and feel the trees while learning to appreciate nature.
Looking back, I don’t think we were able to completely explore the whole garden-slash-park. After all, we only had barely an hour of daylight left.
The first thing that’ll strike you once you arrive here is how quiet it is. Quiet, but not deserted, because you’ll meet groups of people on the paths and trails. We also noted more than a few individuals, especially those already in their old and advanced age, talking brisk walks, breathing in the fresh and clean evening air, and working “out”.
And what a perfect place to work out. In the middle of the park, we stumbled upon a small “playground”, if you will, with a seesaw, monkey bars and what-have-you, perfect for exercises. Apparently, this is the physical training field mentioned on the blurb at the entrance to the Arboretum.
And then there’s this slab of rock, with a large Kanji character carved into it. The character means “ki”, or “tree”, a fitting word for this natural haven. In spring, apparently, when you stand at an angle, you’ll see cherry blossoms filling the crevice made by the “ki” symbol. Too bad it was already dark when we were there.
So I ‘stole’ this image from the nearby sign. 🙂 Just to give us all an idea.
After leaving Halla Arboretum, we went to the Ice Museum, which was just a few minutes’ drive away.
The Ice Museum showcases ice carvings or “ice art”. After looking through other photos of other people who went there, I was surprised they were given blankets. Heeeey~ No fair~~~~ *chuckles* But, no, really. We’re from the highlands, so we’re (kinda) used to the cold.
There were only a few people/tourists when we got there, probably because it was already past 7pm. Hey, no complaints here.
Basically, you’ll be stepping inside a huge freezer. Entrance fee to this place is 12,000 KRW, which is roughly USD 12.00.
Oh, and have I mentioned that there is a slide? Made of ice, of course. There’s a mat you can sit on, then push yourself down the incline. Peach, Sheryll and I had about three turns each. Amaaaazing feeling. 🙂
We “closed” the museum, meaning we were the last ones out. Isn’t it obvious from the pic below? No other people~
We went to where we were staying for our trip, checked in, went out to have dinner, and called it a night, because we have a long and exciting day ahead of us!
Next post: We’re starting with the waterfalls of the Southern area of Jeju Island!
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