Jeju Island is arguably the most popular vacation spot in South Korea, so this was another weekend trip I wanted to go on. This was my first time taking a flight in-country, which to my surprise was a much quicker process than in the States since they barely checked us and let us keep our shoes on. I was also pleasantly surprised they didn’t check my braids like they often do in the States. It was a short 1 hour flight from Seoul, and 6 other girls and I stayed in a hostel in Jeju City. Our days were jampacked with cultural activities and sightseeing. We visited a cave, a waterfall, the beach, Camellia Hill, went orange picking, and hiked a mountain in the span of a weekend. It was amazing to see so much nature, Jeju was a quiet recluse in comparison to the bustling city of Seoul we had become familiar with. The weather was warmer, but since we were near the water, there was a steady breeze the whole weekend. We also ate traditional Korean meals everyday, something I hadn’t really been doing since my stay in Korea started. Like Busan, the locals in Jeju were a lot less familiar with foreign visitors, so my other black friend and I got a lot of stares as we were exploring the island. Despite this, the weekend was pretty tiring since we woke up early and got back late every day to make the most out of our weekend. I really enjoyed being able to spend time outside and away from my work, and having yet another positive hostel experience.
