South Korea 2022 Day 1: Jeju
DAY 1: 26 NOV 2022
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| Dongmun Night Market |
Another getaway before the year ends!
Zhi Sheng and I decided on South Korea as our travel destination because the flight prices to other countries were expensive and Japan still had restrictions on foreign tourists.
A month before we were due to arrive in South Korea (KR), the KR government removed the on-arrival PCR test requirement.
This was great news because I was covid-positive on 1 Nov and would not have cleared the PCR test.
However, as we were still in the pandemic, we had to submit 2 entry documents: K-ETA and Q Code.
Both K-ETA and Q Code were completed via the official KR government websites.
The K-ETA acted as a tourist visa and it costs 10,000 krw.
We applied for it about a month before our departure date and my application was approved within a few hours!
As for the Q Code, it acts as a health declaration form and you can only submit your application within 3 days of your departure date.
Upon receiving confirmation for both K-ETA and Q Code, we saved the PDFs and printed hard copies in case we needed it at immigration.
We booked our flights from Scoot and cost S$647 each, including 20kg baggage and seat selection.
We first flew directly to Jeju and the flight took around 5 hours and 20 minutes.
However, our flight got delayed and we only exited the airport at around 7+pm local time.
After 15 minutes of queuing for a taxi, we finally boarded one!
The taxi driver took some time to figure out what we were saying but he understood our destination in the end: Hotel Whistelark.
It was a short taxi ride and it costs about 7,000 krw.
We paid S$75 for one night in a twin room.
The check in at the hotel was smooth and we were upgraded to a room with mountain view!
It was around 8pm when we got to our hotel room.
We headed out immediately to get some food!
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| View of a bridge near our hotel |
A friend recommended Abebe bakery (아베베베이커리) which was located near the night market.
As their last order was at 8.30pm, we made our way there first to get their bread!
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| Milk cream bread from Abebe bakery |
We got a milk cream bread and a peanut bread and each bread costs around 2,500 - 3,000 krw.
We ate the breads during our hike on the next day.
After getting the breads, we walked to Dongmun market (동문재래시장) for some street food!
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| Dongmun Market |
We entered the market from a random alley which sold Jeju snacks and souvenirs.
As we continued walking ahead, we saw some stalls selling street food.
We did not realise this was not the main street food section at that point in time.
We made use of the Papago translator app to translate the Korean menu to English.
We managed to buy 3 food items here!
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| Grilled octopus |
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| Fish cake skewers and black pork street food |
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| Korean Dumplings |
We continued to walk further ahead and that's when we saw the main food section.
There was definitely more of a crowd there and a mini fire show at a grill stall.
We found a corner away from the crowd and ate the food we bought earlier.
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| Grilled octopus leg |
First up: Grilled octopus
We got the cheapest item on their menu which was 1 grilled octopus leg (9,000 krw).
We didn't know if it was good and we wanted to try other food at the market.
That's why we went with the cheapest and smallest portion.
The grilled octopus leg had the right texture and was not too chewy.
It definitely had that charred smoky flavour!
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| Korean dumplings |
Next up: Korean dumplings
We chose the 4 dumplings option which costs 6,500 krw.
This option consists of 1 black pork, 1 kimchi, 1 octopus and 1 abalone dumpling.
The dumplings were generously stuffed with fillings and brought a refreshing spin to how dumplings can taste compared to the ones back home.
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| Black pork with rice cake |
Last dish: Black pork with rice cake (9,000 krw)
This stall was located just opposite to the dumplings stall.
The black pork meat was shaped like a corn dog with a rice cake shoved right through the middle.
We originally thought the rice cake was a bone...haha.
Although expensive, this dish was not that bad!
The rice cake gave a chewy texture to compliment the black pork meat.
However, I couldn't taste any difference in the meat to normal pork.
After walking around the main food section again, we decided against getting more street food and headed to a convenience store to get cup ramen and drinks!
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| Supper at the balcony |
Got the Samyang ramen and 3 bottles of Orangina from a convenience store near our hotel.
Since our room had a balcony, we had our supper there watching the night lights of the city.
That's it for day 1!
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