O’Sulloc (오설록), Sanbanggulsa Grotto (산방굴사), Cheonjeyeon Falls (천지연폭포천제연폭포) (West Tour with Jeju Travel Lucas, Part 2) | Jeju

O’Sulloc Museum (오설록) is known for its tea. As a tea lover myself, O’Sulloc was a ‘must-visit’ location, along with the nearby Seogwang (서광다원) tea plantation. Apparently, Jeju’s weather condition makes it the perfect place for growing tea, which requires somewhat acidic soil.

As part of the tour, we headed to O’Sulloc Museum (오설록) for lunch, where we had delicious green tea cakes and lattes. I guess, for most, cafés and lunches aren’t the same, but for me, it was perfect!

Matcha cakes galore!

It was also during this time that I had a chance to speak to the Brazillians on my taxi tour as well. They were all cutely dressed in matching orange hats.

One of the various Innisfree signs.

Afterward, we meandered around Innisfree, where I learned that stuff wasn’t cheaper than at the Innisfree stores in town or Olive Young. Before I left, I also made myself a little Innisfree postcard using their stamps.

Innisfree postcard :)

Then, I had the chance to take some photos in the green tea plantation (서광다원), before rushing off to the O’Sulloc store to buy some souvenirs. I ended up buying a lot, since I knew I was leaving soon, and it was one thing I definitely wanted to buy that wasn’t available (to the same extent) in Toronto. When we returned to the taxi, we were quite late, as the line was really, really long. Whoops!

Green tea plantation!

Unfortunately, our next destination (용머리해안) was closed and under scheduled renovation. I kinda wish we knew that earlier, especially since the itinerary still had it there. Instead, we went to a Sanbanggulsa Grotto (산방굴사). The Grotto is a UNESCO heritage site, and the top of Sanbangsan. Legend has it that this was the ‘tip’ of Hallasan, which was ripped off by the Hallasan gods when a hunter accidentally hit the god instead of whatever it was hunting.

Of course, geologically speaking, this mountain was actually a mountain of lava, which cooled as it hit the surface, but continued to flow within, creating a good amount of little caves.

Unfortunately, I thought the grotto it was quite small, and not worth the climb if you’re not interested in making offerings or praying to it. The view from half way up though, was pretty nice.

View from half way up.

Reached the top! There were many nets, meant to keep the birds from nesting in the area.

Look at the sunlight shining through the clouds though!

Since we were running low on time, we skipped Songaksan Mountain (송악산), I think, and went straight to Cheonjeyeon falls (천제연폭포). 천제연폭포 is known for being a 3 tiered waterfall.

This was the first tier of the waterfall. Apparently, it was ‘closed’. I think this was the prettiest though. Super blue, even if there was no actual waterfall (only falls after the first big rainfall, apparently).

Waterfall, tier # 2. It is certainly a waterfall, and pretty. Howecer, personally, I liked the blue of the first, waterfall-less tier better.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time at the falls, so I didn’t see the ‘main’ one (tier #3). I guess the driver was antsy to get back to the city.

This bridge was really pretty though. It’s apparently called 선임교 and known as the ‘seven nymphs bridge’.

View of bridge.

A pictureque temple was on the other side.

Thus, we ended our tour and went back to our hotels/drop-off points. I dropped off my stuff at my hotel before heading off with my new travel buddy for dinner.

Overall: Nice and basic tour, with some flexibility and is more affordable than the rest of the tours. It provides the option of having lunch at O’Sulloc, which I liked, even though it really only has their cafe.

Some points:

First off, I should probably mention that the reviews on Tripadvisor… well, they weren’t amazing. I was fully expecting it to be cancelled the night before. Thus far, my luck had been holding out, and it continued to do for this tour. The tour on its own was actually decent – we had a driver drive us around, and we did the exploring on our own. The only thing I wished was that the driver (or more appropriately, the tour company) told which of the sites were actually open before the tour started/when booking, since I booked the original tour based on those advertised tour destinations, and there was no mention of what was actually open.

I wish they told us in advance that Hallim Park tickets need to be booked 40 min in advance if we wanted to use our credit card with discounts. Also, they had mentioned a discount if we went with them on the tour (and paid in cash), but we were not given any ‘discount’ whatsoever.

I have a feeling I wasn’t meant to message the driver the night before, although we were provided the phone number for communications, since he sent me the his entire itinerary from the company manager, including everyone’s phone numbers, pick up locations, costs he would be required to pay, how much he was to receive separately from us, etc. Hopefully it was just an accident, but it might be worth it to book with an alternate phone number instead of your day-to-day one for safety reasons.

We definitely skipped a stop completely, while we arrived at another one and was told it was actually closed due to construction/maintenance.

Haenyeo Museum, Ilchubong, and Dongsan Herb Garden (East Tour with Core Jeju, Part 2) | Jeju

I’m not generally very interested in looking at things in a museum, so this was one of those times having a super engaging tour guide made this museum especially fun!

Haenyeo museum sign.

At the Haenyeo (해녀) museum, we learned about the history of Haenyeo, the women divers (who dive without diving equipment). Apparently, at some point, males did dive, but then when everyone started moving away to other jobs, the government/King ‘ordered’ the women to do the diving so they could keep having things like abalone, tying them to long ‘contracts’ (a bill/law) that required them to provide a certain amount to the King every year.

They have their own culture and way of life, as the ‘breadwinner’.

They were super skilled individuals, having even learnt about all the different types of winds in Jeju in order to ascertain how to dive safely.

Haenyeo statue looking for seafood underground. Did you know that they practice sustainability as well? They only pick certain seafood at certain times of a certain size to ensure a sustainable ecosystem.

Unfortunately, their rich cultural heritage is also on the verge of being lost, due to aging.

We then went to Ilchulbong (성산일출봉), also known as Seongsan Sunrise Peak.

A lot of people like coming here to watch the sunrise. This is also a UNESCO heritage site. Specifically, this peak was created by seawater and volcanic ash interacting with each other, and a lot of extra water to make the basin shape that exists today.

Seongsan Ilchulbong sign.

The trek up is about 1000 steps. It wasn’t difficult, and view at the top was amazing!

A cool looking formation!

More pretty cliffs.

The view from the top.

I also then went all the way back to the bottom to visit the Haenyeo area, where I caught most of their dance! Then, it was time to *very quickly walk* back to the bus for the final stop.

Haenyeo diving floater/net thing.

Most of the Haenyo dance – uncut version. Also, look how close I was allowed to get!

It was time to go to another Herb Garden (허브동산).

This one, however, comes with a footbath aromatherapy. We sat down along some coppery basins and plopped our worn, tired feet into the warm, soapy water. They topped it with peppermint oil for extra relaxation, and sprinkled our necks with peppermint for the ultimate aromatherapy experience. Then we sat, enjoying the warmth of the water while mesmerized by the view outside.

Angelo, our tour tour guide, wanted to say hi!

We then took the provided salt, made a bit of a paste, and used that to exfoliate our feet, all the way up to our knees, one foot at a time.

Foot basin. Each ‘station’ comes with a towel, salt and peppermint oil.

After drying our feet, we massaged our feet with peppermint oil. I’d never thought about the uses of aroma oil apart from as something I put in my diffuser, so this was interesting. Also, my hands felt super smooth after as well.

Once both our feet were done, they sprayed some rosemary mist on our faces, before meandering up the stairs for some tea. Then, off to explore Dongsan Herb Garden. Luckily for us, we were there before it got dark, so we also had a chance to see what greenery was left!

The garden at dusk.

Some camellia flowers.

Me posing under some sort of trellis.

Some more citrus.

Just thought this would be nice.

It was meant to lead to a tiny church. The cat came bounding to me when I knelt down. Sorry, I’ve got no food for you!

Sparkly lights are turning on!

Everything I needed was included in the cost of my tour, so I didn’t even really realize that I had left my wallet at home until we were almost to the city. I guess I was the only one meant to pay in cash, so I let them know I actually still had to pay. He laughed, saying that he had forgotten he had to collect any money from me! Luckily, they were very accommodating, and they even walked me to my accommodation to pick up the payment.

I’d definitely recommend this tour company (Core Jeju) for future trips to Jeju, even if it was technically above my budget. It technically isn’t mean for solo travellers, but the staff I spoke to were very accommodating and understanding, arranging everything for me in advance.

My only wish was that they had room for me for their South tour the next day, too (they said it was fully booked when I’d checked about days at booking).

Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) | Seoul, Korea

I started off bright and early by going to Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을). I got lost, as is now expected of me, and by the time I arrived, there were a gazillion people there, and so it was a bit crowded.

A hanok is a traditional Korean house, complete with the fancy looking shingles and large wooden doorways. This isn’t a set for a drama – actual people live here!

Lots of people dressed up in the traditional hanbok to take pretty photos, but, as a solo traveller, that doesn’t work all that well. A selfie stick, especially one that I never really practiced with until yesterday, doesn’t really help. That being said, a village of hanoks seems a perfect place to take photos, as long as you have willing photographer companions.

There was a little tea house near the top, but I ended up opting to go to a nearby museum instead.

Here, at Baek In-Je House (백인저가옥) I ended up taking a lot more photos. Apparently, this house is actually a ‘modern’ hanok, with a mix of Japanese and Korean influence, built after Japan colonized Korea.

Windows with glass instead of paper.

This house is special because the men’s and women’s quarters are connected, rather than separate, as customary for the time.

Me, in front of the ‘connected’ main house.

Here is a separate detached house called byeoldangchae (별당채).

Since then, it’s changed hands multiple times, being home to a ‘cheondoism’ group and a journalist’s home, before changing hands to Dr. Baek In Je, who specialized in hematology, and apparently, rickets. Eventually it stands as it is today, as a Folk Cultural Asset in Seoul.

I scared a hoard of little birds taking this photo. Sorry birdies!

Although it’s nearing winter, the enclosed gardens are still picturesque. Since the main tourist street was packed, and there was construction and trucks in the way, I ended up taking more photos in this museum, which seemed to relatively empty (I didn’t go with a tour, so I only took pictures of the outside).

Good bye for now!

When I eventually left, my stomach was calling.

Namsan & N Seoul Tower | Seoul

Situated in central Seoul, Namsan (남산) is the first of many WHO UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’m visiting on this trip. Namsan is one of 4 mountains protecting Seoul (Hanyang) during the Joseon period. It’s only 270m high, and a great way to see the cityscape.

I started in Myeongdong, and it took me about 37 minutes to get up (closer to an hour, if you count the number of times I stopped to admire the scenery, cool down, and catch my breath). There is also an option to get a cable car or even a bus up, but what would be the fun in that?

Me at the bottom of the steps wondering why I couldn’t just be a regular uphill path…

I had to take a break at the halfway point … and remove my jacket. Here’s a little pagoda!

Thank goodness, I reached the top!

There are souvenir shops and cafes at the top, as well as the entrance to N Seoul Tower and the ‘Locks of Love’ area.

Some locks – this area was apparently featured in many, many Korean dramas.

I’m not sure what the purpose of the cute characters are at the top, but they make for cute photos :)

Hello, Haechi!
(Heachi is apparently Seoul’s mascot)

The view on the top looks amazing, and pictures certainly don’t do it justice.

Me, still cooling down while taking photos at the top of Namsan.

‘Panoramic‘ view at the top of Namsan.

Eventually, I had to head back down, and on my way back, I passed my an area of Namsan Park where I could practice using my new selfie-stick to take photos.

Why do I look like a confused robot?

Part of the Seoul Wall, presumably.

This walkway looked like the perfect place to try to frame a photo – I’m still working on it.

Under this area, they showed the different shapes of masonry across the ages. I was just trying to see whether the tripod worked.

Can you see the N Seoul Tower behind me? At least now it’s straight :)

Dongdaemun – Heunginjimun Gate| Seoul

I’ve finally arrived! Due to an issue with my card, I didn’t end up leaving my accommodation until around 8:30pm. Luckily, Dongdaemun is bustling at night! Honestly, the first time I read the signs saying 8pm – 5am, I assumed someone tampered with the signs. Then, I walked by at least 3 others, which also said the same thing… turns out, it’s not a mistake.

I saw other people walking in, and so, I followed them in. It’s definitely open. I do think there might be chance of bargaining here, since there were no posted signs for prices. Everything looked amazing… if I could, I’d probably buy… well, everything!

Instead of buying anything, I decided to eat some tteokbokki at a random street stall on my first night here. The lady even gave me some warm fishy soup! The tteokbokki is definitely sweeter – delicious – but I think I’ve been flavouring my homemade tteokbokki with too much soy sauce :P The soup, on the other hand, had a slight kick, which definitely tied the flavours together.

I took my tteokbokki with me and walked around a bit – to Heunginjimun (Dongdaemun) gate. Just note that there don’t seem to be many trash cans in the area, so you might be holding your trash a bit if you do what I did.

Heunginjimun gate(흥인지문) is known for it’s ongseong, a little wall that surrounds the gate in a semi-circle. The gate is apparently situated in a vulnerable area due to Seoul (or Hanyang’s) topography, so the ongseong offers extra protection for both defence and offence. It’s super pretty when lit up at night! It’s also where one of the final scenes in Memories of Alhambra (알함브라 궁전의 추억) was shot.

The gate is apparently known as the rising benevolence gate, which kinda matches the ending of the drama, I think. I just thought it was a random pretty gate when I watched to show though.

There was a little park nearby with access to a bit of the Seoul wall (that use to be connected to the gate). I’m glad it’s not fenced in, allowing for access even at night. It was super nice there, and I met a cat!

Eventually, I figured it was time to call it a night – I have to wake up early tomorrow!

Ca’n Joan de S’Aigo | Palma de Mallorca, Spain

As a student travelling, I’m generally on a limited budget – staying at hostels and eating food from a grocery store is just normal for me. One food item that I really wanted to try though, was their Ensaimadas – a sweet brioche-like pastry/bread-thing that’s dusted with powdered sugar. They’re actually pretty common in Latin America and the Philippines as well, although the pastry’s origins are in Mallorca.

What’s really different about Mallorcan Ensaimadas are that they’re made with a pork lard instead of butter. It’s this pork lard (“saïm” – apparently both and Arab and a Catalan word) that lent itself to the ensaimada name.

If stories are to be believed, ensaimadas created today use the same traditional recipes that were used over 200 years ago – taking over 24 hours to rise, and cooked under very specific oven temperatures.

• This is an ensaimada – it’s a cool rolled pastry with icing sugar on top. Of course, there’s also many other types, but I’m an original kind of girl.

Anyway, I tried this at a store that I’d looked up in advance: Ca’n Joan de S’Aigo. It was within in budget, and it had pretty decent ratings as well on trip advisor – 4.5/5 stars with 1,125 reviews. It’s actually the oldest cafe in Palma, and apparently, often really full of locals. I guess this is one of those times where travelling during “off season” is beneficial – you’re not fighting with a gazillion people to get a spot. It is a little hard to find, tucked in between some alleyways that (at least for me), were quite devoid of people – but hey, google maps and my phone’s 6 GB of EU data must be useful for something, right?

My first thought when I walked in was how “homey” it felt. Their interior is very well kept, with its rich chestnut coloured wood, jade green chandeliers, and an an assortment of chairs. Blue-white porcelain lines the perimeter, in stark contrast to the newer food display cases filled with an array of pastries for customers to choose from.

• Jade Chandeliers

I’m personally glad for their English menu, since I have pretty much zero Spanish. Unless I’m asking donde le duele (with hopes that they’ll point in response) or for some agua, I really, really don’t remember much.

I ordered just two things: an ensaimada and an almond ice cream. The ice cream because it was hot out, and the ensaimada because, well, I did go specifically to try that.

• (Totally unrelated, but look! Marble tables!)

They were delightful! I ordered a “plain”, or “normal” ensaimada. The soft, light flakiness really made me want to go back for more. Some people say it’s like a croissant, but I think the texture is just different – I guess it has to do with how long it rises. I’d also say that it was a little sweeter than I expected, maybe because I didn’t expect the pastry itself to be sweet – but I loved it all the same (:

• A close up of my ensaimada – which by the way, I demolished in like 2 minutes.

The ice cream was definitely different: whereas usually you go for the smoothest ice cream, this one had a more gritty texture – you could tell that the entire almond was ground into the “ice cream”. It’s different, but not entirely in a bad way. I kind of enjoyed it after I got over the texture – you could really taste the nutty flavour.

• So I’m pretty sure I ended up getting hazelnut, and not almond – but hey, it’s ice cream and it tastes good.

I decided to see Mayor Plaza (Plaça Major) after lunch, just for a quick stroll. I heard Mozart’s Sonata K 331 “Turkish March” (3rd movement) playing (which, coincidentally, is what’s currently displayed on piano stand), and stopped for a moment to listen. Looking around, I noticed this church.

I never did find out what church this was, but it looked pretty, so I took a picture of it.

When I finally arrived I was surprised to see that it was quite empty.

• I’m sorry the photo came out so very weird – I guess panos and squares aren’t such great matches. And while we’re at it… panos always end up so tiny here. It’s a link though – so feel free to click on it for a bigger photo (:

As you can tell, this trip was very much about me just being “away” from Cork – I did little to no research before coming, instead simply enjoying my pretty, sunny surroundings.

It turns out there was an underground area you can go into, as well as a lot of stalls for food in the area as well, but when I went, it was actually quite empty. I did, however, love the feel of the place.

• This is suppose to be me in placa major – I’m still working on using that selfie stick.

 

Palma Cathedral | Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Palma Cathedral is actually taller than the Notre-Dame in Paris. Who knew, right?

Palma Cathedral, also referred to as La Seu is a ‘Gothic’ Roman Catholic Church, plays a very iconic role in Palma’s cityscape. It was built over a span of approximately 400 years, with over 15 generations of different architects. Today, it stands as a mesh of different architectural origins, and presents as three distinct façades.

This first one is probably my favourite – I guess the multitude of spires, columns, and intricate sculptures just appeals to me. This, I’m told, is the “Gothic style” façade, with a fancy entry way called the “Mirador portal”, an example of medieval art (I didn’t get a picture of this).

Then you have the “main façade”, which was actually rebuilt in neo-gothic style after an Earthquake damaged it’s original structure.

It has it’s own separate entrance, which has some special artistic and religious depiction that I didn’t read too much about. It’s pretty cool though. (I think it’s the one below).

The final façade is the Almoina one, is named after the building beside it, which distributed alms. I didn’t get a picture of this one.

While I ultimately decided not to actually enter the Palma Cathedral due to time limitations, I did spend a fair amount of time walking around outside and enjoying the scenery nearby – especially the King’s Garden and the Queen’s Garden.

 

These two were actually part of the Royal Palace of Almudaina – but the free part. I think, at this point of my trip, I was already slightly lost, so I just walked around and took pictures of whatever looked pretty.

Before I left the area, I stumbled on this smaller park off to the side, which had some random sculptures in it. I didn’t really understand it until I found the sign. Turns out, it’s an installation by the Consell de Mallorca to publicize their Accessibility Program for New Technologies. I think, especially after having taken courses on accessibility and accessible devices for all, little things like this catch my eye.

Cork Culture Night 2017: English Market | Cork, Ireland

This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit some of Cork’s Culture Night. According to my amazing pathology professor, Culture Night is something we should all experience before our graduation. It’s a night of celebration in Irish culture, art, and history. Culture Night began in Dublin, and has sprang up and grown over the years. Today, it is an all-Ireland, annual event, starting from early evening until about 9-10pm. Many of the museums and tourist attractions are open extended hours, with the aim of encouraging locals to experience and enrich the culture of their hometowns.

Photocreds: @sakugami (Instagram)

I specifically decided to go to Cork English Market, which has been known as one of the biggest tourist attractions here in Cork. On regular days, this covered market boasts a large selection of butchers, various fruit and vegetable stalls, and an array of gourmet items: spices, coffee, chocolate, pastries, bread, and desserts. It also plays hosts to the Farmgate Restaurant and Cafe, located on the second floor, with a selection of pastries and beer (and presumably coffee/tea) for visitors’ enjoyment.

When I walked in, the market was filled with people, whether just trying to get into queues for food, huddling around fancy looking tables with colourful balloon centrepieces, or simply milling about.

Second-floor view of English Market on Cork Culture Night 2017.

Photos at the English Market

Photocreds: @sakugami (Instagram)

 

 

During the festival, many of the stalls were open later, extending their offerings to include some “Culture Night” deals – most dishes were around 4-6 euros. This is quite amusing, because most places generally sell raw/uncooked foods. Tonight, though, they sold various cooked delights for patrons to discover. Chicken wings, pulled pork, salads, and various desserts were often paired with a “free” beer/cider; some places also sold stand-alone wines or beer.

So I wasn’t really hungry enough to order food, but apparently, dessert was one of those things I couldn’t pass up. Store: Marvellous Meringues.

This dessert is made up of three parts: two meringues (regular & cappacino) sandwiching a layer of chocolate, a graham cracker-and-fudge bar, and a numeric macaron, served with a dollop of cream and hot butterscotch fudge. Store: Marvellous Meringues.

There were even some musical groups playing (what I think is) traditional Irish music.

Although I didn’t have the opportunity to visit anything but the Cork English Market during this my first “Culture Night”, I definitely enjoyed the experience. There’s always a feeling of amazement that creeps in when visiting a covered market – perhaps a sense of personality and community that can’t be replaced by a simple visit to the supermarket. Walking among the throes of people that night fostered a sense of “belonging” in Cork – walking side-by-side with locals, experiencing and building their culture with them.

Next year, I hope to hit up other places as well – Cork City Hall, Elizabeth Fort (hopefully late enough at night that I can get a good view of the city), and perhaps some of the other touristy attractions as well.

PS. I’m writing this between studying, so I haven’t actually done any editing. I hope it reads alright! Anatomy seems to be my current worst enemy, so I’ll be disappearing again, try to tackle and befriend this new subject in my next few weeks.

PPS. Also, my lovely friend @sakugami took wayyy more photos than what I have here, so … Click on here for more!