… By Judy Ng
Hallasan hike is my favorite. The hike down via Gwaneumsa Trail was very scenic with different terrain. However, although the distance is shorter than going up, we need more time to descend because of the many steps and rocky paths. During ascending, there are two checkpoints which I thought was a great idea to ensure all of us reached the altitude within a certain time. During descending, I think we should also have one to two checkpoints to keep track of time and also access to who needs extra help to descend. At one stage, it was just me and my friend walking down in darkness and rain drizzling. Nevertheless, we felt a sense of accomplishment when we reached the endpoint with TS and Sandy waiting and cheering us 非常温心。 Thank you TS and Sandy! Would also like to thank our tour guide, Park Jeong Hun (朴正训), for coming to look for us.
Olle trail # 8 mostly footpath passes through Temple, Villages, Parks, Hotels, Sea Ports, Jusangjeolli cliffs, and Jungmun Saekdal Beach. Very scenic and relaxing walk. There was a support van that follows us throughout the walk, we can sit on the van if we feel unwell. Hence, I am very at ease when doing this walk.
The temple stay is not religious. The activities were fun and enjoyable. We did the print stamping and drink Gardiner flower tea with the delicious fruit snacks. As you drink the tea, you could still smell the fragrance of Gardiner. Such a wonderful combination and experience. 有辛福的感觉！
We also have a wonderful time at both Seongsam Sunrise Park (城山日出峰) and Udo Island (牛岛). The peanut ice cream in Udo Island recommended by the tour guide was good, the seller made a very nice elephant ice cream design for us with extra toppings for the same price! Overall, this was one of my most enjoyable overseas hiking trips which encompass excellent hiking/walking trails with very good support from the organizing team, comfortable lodging, some shopping, yummy food, and wonderful traveling friends. I would definitely recommend to my friends to join this trip and/or any other Korean trips organized by Singapore Adventurous Nature-Lovers (SANL).… by Karen Tan
Loving this picture a lot! Great bonding! How I wish I can lay longer or even stay over a night in the vast greenery. I have no fear at all honestly despite at one stage is just merely me and Judy walking down and was getting dark and drizzling. I felt I am so embraced by the surrounding. Just felt bad that the rest of the fast hikers had to wait for us. Is my first time doing this and totally enjoyed it though perhaps my legs were not listening and killing me at some stage! A sense of accomplishment is luring me to go for more hikes. Thanks, Judy whom have jio me on this trip and a great pleasure to know everyone. 同甘共苦，患难见真情！
… By Sandy LeeI’m desperately seeking travel to clear my leave. Late at night, scrolling through the events via meetup. Suddenly I am all energized when I saw a trip to Hallasan in Jeju. I decided to text TS the next day to check if there is an available slot for this trip. TS swiftly respond to my inquiries. I proceed to carry out the fund transfer immediately. I joined this trip all alone but I don’t feel alone. I am grateful to have a nice roommate – Arlene and thank you Judy and Karen for making me feel included during the whole trip. We were blessed with good weather on the way up Hallasan. The experience down the temple was unforgettable – beautiful scenery with great company, wobbly knees, and a little mysterious towards the end (真的很恐惧的… )
Although the whole journey was longer than what we anticipated, we had a blessed and cultural stay in Gwaneumsa Temple. A must-do in Jeju.
2nd day was Olle trail – as there are several surprises along the way. My favorite was the coffee break which was totally unexpected. We were sipping ice coffee along the coast with background music soothing our tired souls. It was also a great bonding session for all of us. You
will not experience this on any other hiking trips. Besides Kimchi, Bibimbap and BBQ, you got to try Korean Fried Chicken. Our meek and handsome guide, 박중훈 (朴正训) recommended Kyochon Chicken 교촌치킨 and read somewhere that is known as the ‘Lee Min Ho’ chicken. The pronunciation sounded like 叫春 (Caterwauling). We had a good laugh when our guide said it. He explained shyly to us that the actual character is叫村. This was one of the “funny moments” we encountered. There were several others. It was a trip filled with adventure, food, and laughter. Special thanks to TS, William, and his team… not forgetting our meek guide 朴正训.
Singapore Adventurous & Nature-Lovers 