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Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and Jusangjeolli Cliff

9 November 2022

Besides being located in the southern part of Jeju Island, what do Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and Jusangjeolli Cliff have in common?  

Answer will be given later in this post. 

I had first visited both of these places back in 2011 but included them in my itinerary for this day since there were first time visitors to Jeju in my travel group and I think that these two natural attractions are worth seeing.

After our lunch at the Galchi Wang, we went to the waterfall.

Cheonjeyeon Waterfall is located near the Jungmun Tourist Complex where there are many attractions such as the Teddy Bear Museum and the Yeomiji Botanical Garden. For avoidance of confusion, there is another waterfall in Jeju called the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall located in Seogwipo City.

Entrance fee to Cheonjeyeon Waterfall is 2500 KWR per person.

We went to view the colourful Cheonjeru Pavilion first. There are signs describing Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and its legend.

Cheonjeru Pavilion

Cheonjeyeon means “God’s pool”. The legend says that 7 nymphs or the maids of the heavenly god descended from the heaven at night to take a bath in the pond of the waterfall. It is believed that if you bathe in the water of the pond, you will be healthy and sound.

In my previous visit, my wife and I climbed up to the second floor of the Cheonjeru Pavilion where we could see scenes of the legend painted on the ceiling structure. 

Next to the Cheonjeru Pavilion, there is a viewpoint where a waterfall could be seen.

Cheonjeyeon Waterfall is a 3-tier waterfall. The first waterfall runs from the floor of the mountain on the upper part of Jungmun-dong. It then falls 22 meters. The water then falls again two more times to form the second and third tier waterfalls. From there, the stream tributes to the sea.  Most visitors would see only the first 2 waterfalls as the third-tier waterfall is quite far away.

The waterfall seen from the Cheonjeru viewpoint is the second tier waterfall.

Another view of the Cheonjeu Pavilion.

There is an interesting wishing fountain at the square next to the flight of steps leading up to the Cheonjeru Pavilion.

According to the description on the plaque, “This fountain symbolizes the five blessings of longevity (tortoise), wealth (boar), honor (dragon), love (mandarin duck), and sons (carp).”

This Fountain of 5 Blessing has 5 animals spouting water in 5 directions. The animal symbols have the following meanings:

  • Dragon – Honour
  • Tortoise – Longevity
  • Mandarin Duck – Love
  • Carp – Sons
  • Boar – Wealth.

To receive the blessing associated with the animal, we are to stand in front of that animal and throw a coin into the lucky bag at the centre of the fountain. If the coin lands inside the bag, we will receive the blessings associated with the animal. At the end of the year, the coins gathered here will be put into good use by helping Korea’s underprivileged.

All the 4 guys in my group went to toss a coin to get the blessing of our choice. Was it a co-incident that all chose the wild boar!

After some fun at the wishing fountain, we crossed the Seonim-gyo Bridge which is an arch bridge over the Cheonjeyeon valley below. Seonim-gyo Bridge is also called Chilseonyeo-gyo, meaning "seven nymphs bridge”.

The Seonim-gyo bridge has 7 nymphs from the legend carved on each side. 

Interesting heart shaped shadows formed by the railings of the bridge. 

The bridge offers views of the valley below with a stream that flows to the third waterfall before reaching the sea. We could also see the sea in the distance.

Looking at lots of ducks in the valley below.

The valley is actually quite deep. This photo was taken with some zooming from my Canon G5X.

After crossing the bridge, we turned left and followed signage that leads to the first and second tier waterfalls.

To get up close to the second section waterfall, we would have to go down a steep flight of stairs. My travelling group decided to skip viewing the second tier waterfall (with the excuse that they have already seen it from the Cheonjeru Pavilion) and just go to the first tier waterfall. After our hike at Hallasan, we seem to have developed a phobia of stairs.

This is what they missed. Picture of the second tier waterfall from my previous visit to Cheongjeyeon Waterfall.

After a short hike through a flat and shady forest path, we arrived at the viewing platform for the first tier waterfall.

There is no waterfall to be seen! The waterfall is only seen when it rains and there had been little rainfall in autumn.

What we saw instead is a greenish pond and a strange and funny sign warning people that “you will die of heart attack if you swim in the pond”. I guess the sign is to discourage those who believe in the Cheongjeyeon legend from taking a dip in the “God’s pool” in order to be healthy and sound.

I guess people who do not heed the warning will receive a hefty fine, and die of heart attack when they see the amount they have to pay.

A pond with hexagonal basalt columns at the back.

The pond is actually quite scenic with hexagonal shaped basalt columns forming the backdrop. It is amazing that these were not the work of skilled stone masons. Instead, these columnar joints with hexagonal pillars were created naturally by cooling lava flows long long time ago.

These basalt columns are common throughout Jeju but nicely formed hexagonal columns are only found in a few places, including Cheonjeyeon Waterfall.

Nicely formed hexagonal columns are only found in a few places in Jeju like Andeok Valley, Sanbangsan and Cheonjeyeon.   

So, what do Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and Jusangjeolli Cliff have in common?

Answer: These hexagonal shaped basalt columns.

They are also found at Jusangjeolli Cliff, our next destination. 

This signboard was actually located in Jusanjeolli Cliff, explaining how the hexagonal pillars were formed and where they could be seen in Jeju.

After taking a coffee break in a cafe at the exit near the first tier waterfall, we took a short drive to the Jungmun coast. Compared to Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, there were more visitors at Jusangjeolli Cliff.    

Entrance to the Jusangjeolli Cliff was 2000 KWR per person.

From the entrance, a path leads to the cliff where impressive columnar joints with hexagonal pillars could be seen. A boardwalk with viewing platforms allowed visitors to view the interesting and unique rock formations from various viewpoints along the Jungmun coast.

  

Overview of the 2 km long coastline with columnar joints.

There are rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons of various sizes, similar to those seen at Cheonyejeon Waterfall but were much more impressive.

Jusangjeolli Cliff was formed when the lava from Hallasan’s eruptions flowed into the sea at Jungmun.  

Closer view of the hexagonal cross-sections.

There are interpretative signs explaining how the columns were formed.

Sign explaining how the polygonal columns were formed by cracks as a result of contraction during the cooling of the lava.

Another sign read:

“The two kilometer long band of columnar joints formed along the coast of Jungmun and Daepo, Seogwipo consists of polygonal columnar–jointed volcanic rocks that were formed by the cooling and contracting of molten basalt. The basaltic joints feature polygonal columnar shapes joined together so they look much like the shell of a turtle or a dried pond bed. Such joints tend to be larger and have more clearly defined columnar shapes when they dry slowly, while those that dry quickly tend to have slimmer stems and more irregular shapes.

The columnar joints of Jungmun and Daepo have been collectively inscribed in the List of Natural Monuments in recognition of their scenic beauty; their large, clearly defined forms are often compared with the northwestern wall of the summit of Hallasan Mountain, Yeongsilgiam Cliff, and Sanbangsan Mountain.”

 

 

I remembered the last time I visited, huge waves were crashing into the columns and rocks along the Jungmun coast. This time, the sea was much calmer and it was less exciting. Nevertheless, this place never fails to amaze me. It is not often that we get to see such marvels created by nature.

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Yakcheonsa Temple

9 November 2022

Yakcheonsa Temple is a temple located in Seogwipo, a short drive from Jungsangjeolli Cliff and Cheonjeyeon Waterfall.

I added this temple into my Jeju itinerary for the benefit of Buddhists in my group but non-Buddhists would enjoy a visit as well. Like the Gwaneumsa Temple that we visited in the morning, this is a great place to take a rest, enjoy the calm and peacefulness in its vast and well cultivated grounds. For those who like architecture, the temple buildings are colourful, intricately designed and picture-worthy too.

Yakcheonsa is one of the biggest Buddhist temples in Asia. Located in the southern part of Jeju Island, it rises high and overlooks the sea’s sparkling waters.

One the first things that I noticed when I entered the temple’s ground was the tall palms trees rising majestically against the clear blue sky, giving it an unusual tropical vibe. Like most Buddhist temples, Yakcheonsa is perched on high ground, overlooking the sea for good feng shui.

We came to a pair of Jeju’s famous rock statues called Dolhareubang guarding the main pathway that leads up to the temple. 

Dolhareubang are supposed to offer protection and fertility.

While my traveling companions were busy snapping photos at the Dolhareubang, my wife and I crossed an arched stone bridge over a pond. It would be nice to see some lotus flowers or koi fish on this pond but there were none.

We climbed some stairs to get to the main courtyard where the main temple, bell and drum towers and several other buildings were located.

Once on the main courtyard, we could see the impressive temple that could be mistaken as an imperial palace. We were the only visitors and we had the whole spacious courtyard to ourselves.

 

The temple is so impressive that it looked like a palace.

The temple is fairly new, being constructed in 1980s but the architecture is based on that of Buddhist temples of the early Joseon Dynasty.

Intricate roof structure that is so typical of the palace and temple buildings in the Joseon era.

Spacious open courtyard with bell and drum pavilions on each corner.

Beautiful drum pavilion.

We took off our shoes and entered the temple to see a tall golden statue of Celestial Buddha (Vairocana), with smaller Buddhas on both sides. Dragons encircle golden pillars in the front of the Buddha and the walls are covered with beautifully colored paintings.

The tall golden statue of Celestial Buddha (Vairocana), with two smaller Buddhas on both sides.

Devotees can buy a 1 kg bag of rice for 10,000 KWR to offer to the Buddha in return. I joined my Buddhist friends to make an offering to Buddha. In addition to prayers for good health, luck, safety and happiness for the family, I prayed for good weather for the next few days in Jeju (weather was forecasted to be rainy in the next few days) and speedy recovery for my recently injured friend.

Our driver cum guide then led our group to the second floor. The second floor provides a better vantage point of the Buddha statues and the impressive hall.

The gigantic golden Buddha and the twin columns is best viewed from the upper levels.

Close-up view of the dragons encircling the columns.

There is a wall with many small Buddha statues and a large table with lots of lit candles with names and dates on each of them. We were discussing among ourselves what those dates meant and we came to the conclusion that those are the probably the birth dates of the devotees who made the offerings or donations to the temple. 

Candles with names of devotees.

Rows and rows of buddha statues on this wall at the second floor.

Leaving the main temple hall, we took a slow walk back to the car park. There are a few other buildings such as the Hall of 500 Arahans but we did not go inside.

There were many tangerine trees with green and orange fruits all over the temple grounds. It was a pleasant walk back to the car park.

Tangerine trees with orange fruits.

Unripe Hallabong orange at the Yakcheonsa Temple.

From Yakcheonsa, our driver drove us to Seogwipo, Jeju’s other city. He took the coastal route, enabling us to have a glimpse of the Olle trails, similar to those that we would be hiking over the next 2 days.

Our hotel for the next 3 days is the BK Hotel, located in the southern side of Seogwipo. 

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Evening at Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market and Lee Jung Seop Art Street

9 November 2022

Seogwipo Olle Market offers another opportunity to taste the street food of Jeju and Korea. Besides the cooked food, the market sells a good variety of dried local products, seafood, fruits like tangerines and also souvenirs for tourists.

 Seogwipo Olle Market

From our hotel in Seogwipo (BK Hotel), it was a 1 km walk to the market. This autumn evening weather was perfect for walking with cool temperature and no wind.

On the way to the market, we passed through Lee Jung Seop Art Street. This street is named after a famous local genius painter who painted many Seogwipo scenes. The street has art galleries, studios & cafes. Most were closed at night but a few were still opened.  This street is also part of the Olle Trail Route 6 which we hiked during this trip. 

Interesting figure outside a shop along Lee Jung Seop Art Street.

Entrance to the Seogwipo Olle Market.

The covered market has a main alleyway with many side alleys branching out on both sides.

It was extra crowded on this day. We saw many students with teachers, probably on an organised school excursion.

The first street food we tasted was the bungeoppang or “carp bread” from a stall just at the entrance. This popular Korean street food is a fish-shaped pastry stuffed with sweetened red bean paste.

There are many stalls selling tangerine related biscuits, chocolates and pastry snacks. It was worthwhile to buy some to eat or bring home as gifts.

We left it to the ladies in our group to do the shopping.

This pastry with tangerine jam fillings is very delicious.

Orange coloured hats representing Jeju’s tangerine is commonly sold. We saw a few tourists wearing them.

There are many street food stalls in this market. The market is designed in such a way where there are seats lined along the middle of the passageway where customers can eat comfortably at their own convenience after purchasing their food. The only thing missing is the trash bins for the used food packaging and utensils. We have learned by now that we have to bring along our own trash bags to bring our rubbish back to our hotel.

It was a good that we came in a group, so we could share our food and got to sample more varieties of food.

These were some of the street food we tried.

Pork filled buns. There are many types of filling to choose from. 3,000 KWR each or 4 buns for 10,000 KWR.

Buns filled with minced pork and sweet and spicy dipping sauce.

Another stall selling pork-based street food.

Delicious wok fried sweet and sour pork with sunflower seeds.

Stall selling peanut pork buns. These peanut buns are shaped like peanuts but are not flavoured with peanuts! We managed to buy the last ones before everything is sold out.

The peanut pork buns are actually filled with minced pork and vegetables. We bought both the spicy and non-spicy versions.

All these street food were washed down with the most popular drink in the Olle Market, the Hallabong juice sold in bottles.

One of my travelling companions had craving for the eomuk (Korean skewered fishcakes) and tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes cooked in a red, spicy broth). These were very popular and common Korean street food. 

We managed to find a stall selling them at a quiet corner in the market. The lady stall keeper, who could speak Chinese, was so kind as to fulfill our request to cut the fish cakes and tteokbokki into small pieces and serve them on plates for us to share.

Skewered rice cakes (left) and tteokbokki (right)

 

We ended our evening in Seogwipo at a restaurant along or near Lee Jung Seop Art Street.  Fried chicken, pizza, beer and soju is a good way to end the day.

Cheers!

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