The GPS was set for a cafe as we drove out from the car park. Shortly, we reached a traffic junction and got honked for stopping instead of turning right, ha! It's left-hand drive in Korea and they do practice right turn on red. However, be careful of walking pedestrians, so do keep a lookout before making the turn. You can still proceed at flashing amber lights. With the various scenarios, Leecher adopted a monkey-see-monkey-do approach. As we drove further, I suddenly remembered that Yongduam rock is located near the airport. Hence, we should make a quick stopover before heading to the cafe. However, the next question came to mind: eh, rock got phone number for navigation? Since we didn't purchase any data card and stingy me refused to activate my data plan just to check, we relied mainly on the road signs since Yongduam is a tourist attraction. We got lost halfway (either their road sign is not easy to follow or we are unfamiliar with the road) and ended up along the coast line.
We took a walk along the path, trying to locate the location of Yongduam. I came across the bus stop, looked at the map and realised that we have to back-track. So, we explored the surrounding first before heading there.
Father and son enjoying their moment :)
We sat down at the nearby beach, enjoying the breeze while watching a couple of guys fishing. Our hearts skipped a beat each time they pulled up their rods with the prized catch. We then went to Yongduam, which was a short drive away. The place was crowded with tourists (of a particular nationality) and I got a bit "turn-off" by their actions so we decided to revisit the place again on the last day before returning the car.
** fast forward to the last day **
We arrived at Yongduam early, hoping to escape the crowd. Alas, I can't believe the number of tour buses parked at 8AM. The viewing terrace was bustling with life and if you're lucky, you can see the Haeneo women divers at work. Geographically, the rock was created by strong winds and waves over thousands of years. However, as with many naturally-created structures, there are also plenty of folk stories on how the rock existed. One legend has it that a dragon had stolen jade from Mount Halla and was shot down by a magical arrow from the mountain deity. As he fell on Yongduam, his body sank into the ocean while his head froze, looking at the sky.
No matter how Leecher looked at it, he couldn't fathom why the rock is known as dragon head. He had to put on his best imagination and finally saw the similarity after numerous attempts to describe it to him. In fact, most visitors crowd at the viewing platform for an elevated view of the rock. The best way would be to take the stairs down and you will then appreciate the rock in full glory, thus relating to the legend on how the rock came about. However, we didn't have time for the journey so we stayed at the viewing platform instead.
Being civil-minded individuals, we queued up for our turn for pic-taking but some of the you-know-which-nationality tried to cut my queue hence, triggering my bitchiness. I told them to queue up but they gave me some lame excuse that their tour bus is leaving. I snapped and said sarcastically, "巴士要开走了，你还拍什么?" These people have zero manners and I felt a social obligation to knock some sense into them.
Yongduam Rock (Dragon Head Rock) 용두암Address: Yongdamroteo-ri Yongdam-2dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-doTel: +82 64 728 3198Admission: Free
From Yongduam, we drove for about 40 minutes to Cafe Aewol Monsant, more famously known as GD Cafe since it was rumoured that G.Dragon (of Big Bang) is the owner of the cafe. The cafe is located near the coast line, with an unblocked view of the ocean. A lot of Kpop fans will come to this cafe, some attempting to catch a glimpse of GDragon as it was reported that he will (sometimes) appear at the cafe.
The Monsant followed an industrial theme, but the full length reflective glass panels are the main highlight of this building. It is nearly impossible to take a picture without being photobombed by people taking a selfie in front of the gigantic glass panels.
We sat outside for an unblocked view of the ocean. Leecher ordered some nibbles for sharing since we wanted to have the famous Jeju black pork for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that the beef bagel was really tasty: bagel was toasted and the mixture of beef, mayo, vegetables and cheese was simply delicious. In contrast, the coffee was just average.
This place is great for picture taking, so we also act 一个 model. I wonder how those models do it, posing but not looking at the camera, hmm .....
The stairs make a good backdrop for pictures, but we couldn't climb further up to explore. Leecher insisted that I capture the trees behind, which he claimed will frame the picture, well, your wish is my command then (^^)
Jumping on the bandwagon, we also took a welfie in front of the glass panels for remembrance sake before we left.
Cafe Aewol Monsant 카페 애월 드 몽상Address: 2546 Aewol-ri, Aewol-eup, Cheju, Jeju-do, South KoreaTel: +82 64 799 8900Opening Hours: 10AM till 9PM (daily)
Bomnal Guesthouse and Cafe is also worth checking if you are in the area. Located right in front of Handam Beach, this cafe is considered one of the best place in the area for chilling out and you will pass by this cafe en-route to Monsant. Unlike Monsant which was more industrial-focused, Bomnal display a more chirpy and warm atmosphere.
Can't miss the gigantic coffee cup perched on top of the cafe.
Mega-love this red mail-box!
Order for a drink first via the counter before you can enter the compound. The place is filled with such a positive vibe that I wished we had time to linger but alas, we need to head to our accommodation before it gets darker. There's always next time .... right?
Bomnal Cafe 카페 봄날Address: 25 Aewollo 1(il)-gil, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South KoreaTel: +82 64 799 4999Opening Hours: 12Noon till 8PM (daily)
🍃🍃🍃 Navigation for Jeju 🍃🍃🍃
I have inserted a table that lists down the phone numbers for the various attractions. Simply enter the numbers in the GPS and viola - the places will appear on your map. Have fun driving in Jeju (^^)
| Attractions | Navigation |
|---|---|
| Yongduam Rock 용두암 (Dragon Head Rock) | 7283918 |
| Cafe Aewol Monsant 카페 애월 드 몽상 (GD Cafe) | 7998900 |
| Bomnal Cafe 카페 봄날 | 7994999 |
| Accommodation | Navigation |
|---|---|
| Citrus BnB | N.A |
| Tangerine Pension | 7646002 |
Psst ... more links will be added. Click on the links to read on our adventures!
