Jungmun daepo
yep, some slender rocks right there
Jungmun Daepo is a coastal rock formation characterized by these pillar-like shapes. It’s not too bad to have a look but slightly out of the way to get there. It’s in the south (at Jungmun), not too far from Seogwipo (that resort-ish city in the south). A good idea would be to spend the whole day in the south after visiting Jungmun Daepo.
I’m not sure what else there is to do in the south. A lot of the strange tourist attractions are centred around there (like those random teddy bear or chocolate museums) if that tickles your fancy. I have heard of a really good jimjilbang (awesome spa) there called Sanbangsan. They use water from underground which is supposedly good for you. But basically, its mild carbonic acid so it’s sort of like bathing in pepsi-cola. There are some pretty good reviews you can read about Sanbangsan. Could be a good thing to do after you’ve climbed Hallasan. Not sure about the details of this jimjilbang, but it’s likely that there are areas that are gender separated and where its male or female-only, you’ll probably be naked. There are probably clothed-communal areas though.
I’m not sure what else there is to do in the south. A lot of the strange tourist attractions are centred around there (like those random teddy bear or chocolate museums) if that tickles your fancy. I have heard of a really good jimjilbang (awesome spa) there called Sanbangsan. They use water from underground which is supposedly good for you. But basically, its mild carbonic acid so it’s sort of like bathing in pepsi-cola. There are some pretty good reviews you can read about Sanbangsan. Could be a good thing to do after you’ve climbed Hallasan. Not sure about the details of this jimjilbang, but it’s likely that there are areas that are gender separated and where its male or female-only, you’ll probably be naked. There are probably clothed-communal areas though.
Getting there
You can take a bus from Jeju-si which will drop you off somewhere in Jungmun. From there, you need to walk 3km to get to the actual coastal cliffs….it’s a bit of a hassle and like always, you can take a taxi if you're unfamiliar. Get someone at your hostel/hotel to write the name down for you in Korean so you can show the taxi driver. Getting back to Jeju-si from here can be equally frustrating. The bus leaves from a really inconspicuous locations. Even when the taxi driver dropped me off at the bus station, it took a bit of navigating as I was standing on the wrong side of the road. If you have a little note in Korean saying that you want the bus to Jeju-si, show it to one of the locals and they should be able to help you.
