Because we had only looked at the price when booking the tickets, I had to fly on the following day around noon already. But since I planned to visit Seoul extensively at the end of the trip, it was only a minor inconvenience. Seoul has another airport, which is mainly used for domestic flights. Although South Korea is only about the same size as the former GDR, with which the country also shares the division, there are a variety of domestic flights, especially to the holiday regions in the south of the country, which are characterized by many beaches.
The holiday island of Jeju is an almost autonomous self-governing zone. It is one of the few islands in Korea of volcanic origin. This origin is also manifested in the fact that the volcano, which is the center of the island, Hallasan, dominates the view towards the center of the island from almost every point on the island.
The volcano, with its 1950 m, is the highest elevation in South Korea and is a popular destination for mountain hikers. Many Koreans have taken up this hobby. But anyone who sees Korea will not be surprised. Mountains everywhere!
After flying for the second time with an Asian low-cost airline and wondering for about 1 hour where I should put my knees, we are now approaching Jeju-si, the capital of the island. It dominates the northern part and looks like a mix of a fishing village and an Asian mega metropolis. The south is dominated by the more contemplative Seongwipo.
The airport is located directly by the sea and immediately gives off an island flair with its palm trees. There is also the tourist information, which kindly and competently tells me how to get to my hostel, which is located at the Cityhall stop. One of the few stops on Jeju with an English name on the map. Because unlike Seoul, hardly anyone here is geared towards tourists who do not speak Korean.
I watch the people at the bus stop for a while and see how many of them get up very hurriedly when a bus reaches the terminal. These buses stop more reluctantly about 1-7 m away from the curbs. All buses have small devices for electronic payment cards like T-Money at the entrance and exit. But mobile phones can also communicate with them via NFC.
For intracity buses, it is sufficient to hold the card when boarding and alighting. They have fixed prices regardless of the individual destination stop. If you forget to hold the card when alighting, you lose your discount compared to the tickets that you can buy directly from the driver.
The intercity buses use a categorized price list system, and the price falls into a category between 1 and 5 depending on the distance. However, you have to tell the driver your destination in Korean so that he can activate this category for card payment.
Because of my luggage, I am relatively slow in catching a bus. Despite this handicap, I manage to catch a bus from gate 3, which stopped at another gate, presumably 2, and only matches the number with the bus I was aiming for. The bus is going in the opposite direction, as the airport seems to not be the final destination of this line.
It takes a while until I notice this. After 4-5 stops, none of which are on my English map, I decide to change buses at the next opportunity. In the end, it is 120 m, a traffic light, and a visit to a small store to buy a drink that separate me from the other bus stop.
In these small and tiny retail stores, you can buy groceries and toiletries in an area of about 16 m². You can also top up your T-Money card here. However, only with cash!
With the second bus, this time in the right direction, I find out that the next stop displayed is always somehow a stop of the next area. These areas are usually one street long. There are usually 2-4 actual bus stops on the street. So I get off 3 stops too early and have to cover 750 m in blistering sun with 27 kg of luggage.
Of course, the description of how to reach the hostel does not match the surroundings of this bus stop. Somehow not my day! But in the end, I find the hostel thanks to Google Maps, without taking notice of the Cityhall stop, which is currently under construction, and complain to the really nice lady who shows me my room about the supposedly incorrect but actually correct directions.
The hostel is located in the Night-Life district of Jeju-si. The rooms are spread over three floors, with a terrace on the 2nd floor and a common room in the basement, including a kitchen, TV, piano, and guitar. The nice lady points out the Wi-Fi and the various door codes, as all doors can be opened without a key using a code. My room, which has 6 beds, 3 bunk beds, also has a window, which is the only barrier between the pleasantly air-conditioned interior and the very warm exterior and is therefore always locked and covered by curtains. The room also has 6 mini safes. I am given a bottle of ice-cold water, a gift from the local brand of the island. And on request, she connects the bedding for me, as the blanket is only connected on one side with a cover that has various strings.
Our room has its own bathroom with a generous shower and toilet for a maximum of 6 people. Here, too, there is a window, which allows the room to be ventilated within minutes by the heat of the steam.
I lock my valuables in the safe and explore the surrounding area with my travel guide (book). There is an open food market with many small stands, an old museum for some war, and a large Olympic park, where there are also sports equipment and a dried-up riverbed, to discover. On the way back, I find a store that sells juice made from the island's mandarins, Tanguins, in bottles shaped like island dwarfs.
I don't know if I'm going crazy or if the heat is affecting me that much, but the juice seemed by far the most delicious juice I have ever had, with 100% fruit content.
In the evening, I ended up playing the piano and studying Korean with my Korean language book.
