Udo Island is is a tiny island off Jeju's east coast. If you saw our last post, get ready because Sunrise Peak gets some cameos in here since you can see it from the mainland. Udo is absolutely gorgeous, so we definitely agree with the picture below...
You have to take a very short (un-Vieques-like) ferry ride to Udo.
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| Thar she blows! Apparently Udo Island is so named because it looks like a cow laying down to sleep? |
Yay Udo! We arrived and rented a bike for me; Ben brought his own, but couldn't resist running off onto the volcanic rocks chasing after a big bird shortly after our bike ride started.
Looking back towards mainland Jeju. Amazing how mountainous it is! The big peak in the distance is our own Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea.
Our second stop on our circumnavigation of the island: this cute place. Aww, heart-shaped tidepool. Yeah, Udo's romantic like that. ^_~
Rock sculptures galore! Seems to be a theme on Jeju.
Too bad we didn't get a picture of the hermit crab that came out of this thing...
Yup, these are graves. But they're beautiful graves.
We can read this now! It says Biyangdo, the name of one of the other islands off Jeju's coast. Why? ...I'm still not sure.
Sitting in this magic rock chair is supposed to recharge your energy, make you invincible, and give you a minor backache. Small price to pay...
This is a Korean dog breed that's all over Jeju. There are a lot of cute, happy dogs like this wandering around near our apartment, and they are genuinely THRILLED to see you. Anytime. Notice the smile?
So, we're about to go into some caves, and all of them are inside/under this hill.
But first, onto the black sand beach! Unlike the beach we went to on Maui's Road to Hana, this beach had actual sand, as opposed to a bunch of black rocks...
Get in that cave, girl!
See what I meant about the rock sculptures? Everywhere.
We came out of cave #1, and now into cave #2. Doesn't look like much from the outside...
...but it's seriously massive on the inside. Ever wondered what it's like to be inside a whale's mouth? This... seems to capture it pretty well, down to the pinkish-purple stuff on the rocks that makes it look like you're standing on a giant tongue...
See? Tongue.
Feels like you can even see a uvula back there or something.
Goodbye, caves! Now it's time for Udo's famous peanut ice cream. Well-deserved hype.
Lousy self-promoting peanut...
Now for a hike up to the lighthouse! We met a Korean dad and daughter pair here visiting from Seoul that were super nice.
There's Sunrise Peak!
Aww, calm, peaceful Udo... so idyllic.
Whew! Almost done riding around the whole island! Beach time. ^_^ But not just any beach... this is a coral sand beach.
So what if it's almost October? Definitely getting in! Hull was excellent preparation for the water temperature. ;D
Yep, this is what the whole beach is made of. Crazily enough, it's smooth and light, so it actually feels kind of fun to step on, and you sink into it as the waves wash in.
Alas, it was time to frantically run to the ferry and leave you, Udo! One last longing look from the boat.
And a fun time was had by all. Udo = definitely the most beautiful part of Jeju we've seen so far.
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