Making Memories in Jeju

 

(Article by Kate Chang from Seoul. Read about her travel blogs on https://blog.naver.com/happychj77.)

One day, a friend took a year off to carry out her bucket list. One of the items on her list is to live in Jeju for one month. I envied her. It is not easy for me to go on a journey with various excuses. But she was different. My friend made plans and she did them. She booked airplane tickets, rented a house and a car. I began to encourage her as I watched her do it one by one. She told me to come to Jeju whenever I want while preparing for the trip. I remember the trip we had together in college. After graduating from college, we had no more time to travel. I decided to go on a trip with my friend to make new memories.

Jeju is known as tangerines. She rented a beautiful two-story house in the middle of many tangerine trees. I stayed on the second floor. I could see the moon through the big window on the wall until morning. Suddenly the sun rose and the moon disappeared. The air was fresh as I stood on the balcony and looked at the shiny tangerines in the sun.

We ate breakfast and headed to Oreum. Oreum refers to a small volcano or parasitic volcano within a main volcanic crater in Jeju and usually looks like a hill. There are more than 360 oreums in Jeju. We climbed Ttarabi Oreum called the ‘Queen of Oreum’ because of the flame grass in the fall. The crater is in the shape of a horseshoe.

The next day, we climbed Saebyeol Oreum to appreciate the eulalia covering all the oreum. It was windy, nice, and cool. I liked the wind all over my body. Oreum was the best spot to see the overlooking nearby landscape. I couldn’t see any dust on any leaves while I was in Jeju. How clean!!!

At Cafe Gongbech

We can’t miss the cafe tour. We went to Gongbech, BTS Suga’s brother’s cafe in Jeju. I think it is the hottest place in Jeju for the young. The view of the sea in front of the cafe was perfect. It was like an architectural building. We were free to wander around taking pictures.

Also, we went to a small peaceful cafe to ease. All we had to do was sit down for a while and look at the calm and beautiful sea.

We both like walking. We walked on forest roads, sea roads, and a ranch. While we were walking, we talked about many things: travel, the past, the future, the dream, and so on. We don’t have many chances to talk now, as we used to talk and share a lot of things. After traveling, we knew each other better.

There are also many beautiful buildings and art museums in Jeju. Perhaps many artists wanted to work in Jeju because of its beautiful scenery. They can be inspired there. There are several buildings of world-renowned architects Itami Jun and Ando Tadao. My friend and I went to an Ark Church of Itami Jun. Surrounded by nearby ponds, the entire church feels as if it were floating on the water. The beautiful scenery and beautiful architecture make the viewer’s mind calm and peaceful.

Also, we went to Bunker de Lumieres. A long time ago, it was a bunker for national telecommunications facilities. It has been transformed into a perfect place for media art. The overwhelming size and the sound of music made us immerse ourselves in the work.

I was lucky to see the <French Moden> at the Jeju Museum of Art before boarding the plane. It was the day the exhibition began. But my trip to Jeju Island with my friend was over.

It was a great time. I was able to make new memories and remember my old school days. The time will come soon to miss these times. Before that, I dream of traveling to make new memories.

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