Our last day of exploring Jeju-do Island was reserved to wander around and absorb the beauty of Hallim park, near Hyeopjae beach (see previous posts). The diversity of what the park had to offer was grand, ranging from beautiful coy fish, carefully crafted and shaped trees, exotic plants, and of course beautiful flowers. This particular day tested my camera abilities as I was keen to capture the intricate beauty of nature.
We woke up early in the morning and checked out of our hotel before making our way to Hyeopjae beach. We travelled there by bus and had a crazy experience. The bus driver took Korean impatience (I can say this as it is my cultural background hehe) to another extreme level. He would stop at a bus stop and scream at people to walk up the bus stairs quicker so that he could be on time. After discussing this with my Uncle when we got back to Busan we realised it was because the bus driver was most likely to be punished for any trips he did not complete on time. Although understandable, I found his shouting at people a bit extreme! But it was a very funny experience, especially for my boyfriend who is very much English and had not witnessed such cultural difference before.
From the morning it was a beautiful day, albeit slightly hot. As you can see people got to the beach very early to take full advantage of the wonderful weather.
When Hallim park was due to open, we slowly made our way to the park entrance. We were stunned at the scale of the park and the variety it had to offer. Overall we must have walked at least 10km around the park trying to see as much as we could before leaving. It was so cleansing and peaceful to be around such an abundance of nature. The first picture below is Hector mocking a Dol Hareubang- traditional, large rock statues all over Jeju-do Island that represent gods offering both protection and fertility and were placed outside of gates for protection against demons (maybe not a good idea to mock after all...).
It was pleasant to be surrounded by nature and breathe clean, fresh air into our lungs. I believe nature also helps control thoughts and bring about internal peace. Having lived in London for 3 years completing my degree, I could not have appreciated this time more. I particular like the second photo below, which is of my brother, Sungjin, stood in the middle of a gigantic pond. The fourth photo below is of huge lily pads, which apparently are able to take the weight of a small child. I did not believe this until I applied some pressure with my hands and realised how strong they were!
Then we stumbled across a beautiful water feature, which was a very recognisable aspect of the park from previously googling it.
Afterwards, we found a pond with coy fish, which I absolutely adore. We gave up some change in order to buy some food for the fish.
Finally, my photography skills were put to the test when trying to capture the beauty of the many flowers that were on display. I managed to also get a few focused shots of dragonflies that entered into the frame.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post!