Day 3: 13 May 2024, Monday

Day 3 in Jeju, and it’s now time for our Jeju Round-The-Island (RTI) ride! As promised by the weather forecast, we woke up to sunny skies, with the morning temperature a cool, 14 degrees C. Compared to the cloudy skies yesterday and the spell of rain last night, the conditions today are perfect for cycling. The forecast also showed that we would have sunny weather for the rest of the week. So blessed.

Hotel breakfast was included so we went to the Seoga & Cook restaurant at our Whistle Lark Hotel at 7:30am. The buffet spread was quite good and we enjoyed a hearty breakfast before checking out of our rooms at 8:45am. Travel Wander had created a WhatsApp group chat to coordinate our luggage delivery and other logistics matters. As instructed, we snapped photos of our luggage when we left them at the hotel reception and updated Travel Wander via the chat group. They would pick up our luggage here and send them to the next hotel each day, so we could focus on cycling at our own pace without worrying about logistics.

As it was quite chilly even at 9:00am, my plan was to wear a long pants over my cycling shorts for the bottom, and a thin waterproof jacket over my cycling jersey for the top. I am afraid of the cold so I prepared for the worst scenario. However, as we gathered at Tapdong Plaza for a team photo in front of our hotel before starting our ride, the morning sun proved to be warm enough so I stripped off the extra layers. After taking the mandatory photos and repacking my day bag, we finally kicked off our Jeju RTI at 9:15am.

As it was a self-guided tour, Travel Wander provided us with directions via the Ride with GPS app. They created an Event and uploaded the route map for each day on the app. After joining the Event, all we needed to do was to tap on the day’s cycling map and the app would provide turn-by-turn directions with voice and sound prompts, it was very easy. You’ll need data roaming on your phone, of course.

I brought a mobile phone holder along so I mounted it on my bicycle’s handlebar and could easily access my phone to refer to the digital map when needed. The app also provided the elevation profile for the route so we could see where the slopes were. For today, we would be cycling 67.5km from Jeju-si to “Chaguido” (more accurately, it should be Daejeong), with an elevation gain of 359 metres.

In general, we would be cycling in an anti-clockwise direction around Jeju island, with the coastline always on our right. Even without relying on the Ride with GPS app, navigation was easy because we would largely be following the Jeju Fantasy Bicycle Path. The path is clearly marked out with a thick blue line painted on the side of the road or cycling path and it is pretty straightforward most of the time.

To make things more interesting for cyclists, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has created a “Bike Passport” where you can cycle all over South Korea and collect stamps at the Certification Centres along the various routes. Upon collecting all the stamps and completing the route, you can certify your Bike Passport and get a certification sticker as a badge of honour. This website by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Home Affairs (click here) has great information in English about the certification system and cycling routes in South Korea.

The Bike Passport costs 4,000 won (S$4), and the vinyl cover and physical guide map cost 500 won, but these were included in our package with Travel Wander. They had dispatched to us our physical Bike Passports while we were in Singapore but ZY and PL forgot to bring theirs along, so only IH and I had our Bike Passports with us in Jeju. Nevertheless, you can still pick up a sheet of the Jeju Fantasy Bicycle Path route map for free at the Jeju Tourist Information Centre at Yongduam, which was what ZY did. After completing the 10 stamps, you can paste the sheet onto the physical Bike Passport later.

For the Jeju Fantasy Bicycle Path, there are 10 Certification Centres along the entire 234km route. You can easily recognise the Certification Centres as they are recycled from old red public telephone booths. They are usually located prominently beside the main road so you won’t really miss them. For today’s route, we had three stamps to collect – at Yongduam, Darak Shelter and Haegeoreum Park. And so, we began our mission of collecting all the stamps in our Bike Passport!

The first section of the route was familiar to us (except PL) as we had walked the same way yesterday from our hotel to Antoinette Café. The first Certification Centre, or checkpoint, was located at Yongduam, a short distance away from Yongduam Rock. We didn’t manage to spot the red booth initially as it was tucked away in a corner off the main road, near the Jeju Tourist Information Centre. But once we knew how the booth looked like, and the direction signs to look out for, it was easy for the rest of the trip.

Inside the red booth was a small wooden booth shaped like a house and it contained a stamp bearing a unique image and name of the Certification Centre. The stamp is self-inking but there is also an ink pad as backup. There is also a notebook for you to test the stamp and make sure it is in the correct orientation before affixing it to your Bike Passport.

After we got the first stamp on our passports, we left Yongduam at 9:50am. From here on, it was all new territory as we left the familiar big Jeju city and headed west towards the smaller and quieter outskirts. It was indeed a beautiful day for cycling, with the clear blue skies and cool, crisp air hitting our faces as we pedalled. It was such a joy to have the vast ocean within our sights as we cycled, watching the waves rippling across the water before rolling in to the black shores. I was grinning non-stop as I cycled because I was so happy.

We stopped for photos several times as each turn revealed a new vista before us. We also witnessed several Haenyeo at work – PL had not seen them yet so it was his first encounter with the incredible women divers of Jeju. They were much further out in the open sea today, and I imagine the water should be much deeper there as well.

Travel Wander had also included some points of attractions and suggested lunch stops on our digital map. The first point of attraction was Yongduam Rock, which we stopped by briefly earlier (and had already visited yesterday). At 10:30am, we reached the second point of attraction, Iho Breakwater, where a pair of red and white horse-shaped lighthouses stood like sentinels watching over the ocean. The lighthouses were a nod to the Jeju horse, a horse breed native to Jeju island that is short and stocky, resembling a pony more than a horse. We would pass by so many lighthouses over the next few days, but these were the only ones with such a unique shape. After taking lots of photos, we cycled to Iho Tewoo Beach nearby for a toilet break before resuming our ride at 11:00am.

Cycling in Jeju is really safe as there is usually a separate bike lane on the road in the outskirts and less crowded areas. Even if there isn’t a dedicated bike lane on the road, the traffic is very light and drivers are respectful of cyclists. The roads are also well paved and smooth, without any potholes or booby traps. I felt much more relaxed cycling in Jeju compared to Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos.

At 12:10pm, we reached our second checkpoint at Darak Shelter, about 22km from our start point. PL had cycled ahead and he was waiting for us at a café at Aewol Harbour, about 2.2km away. After collecting the stamp, we took many photos before cycling over to meet PL at Nandal Dessert Café at 12:30pm.

It was still relatively cool at 18 degrees C but the midday sun was quite strong, so we were happy to hide in the air-conditioned comfort of the café for a while. PL had already finished eating and was just chilling while waiting for us to arrive. There was no proper food at Nandal Café; only pies and coffee. I ordered an iced latte (5,000 won/S$5), an original meat pie (6,500 won) and a croissant (4,000 won). We originally planned to have lunch at another stop but it didn’t materialise, so this meal ended up being our lunch. Our lunch break lasted for almost an hour until we reluctantly peeled ourselves off the chairs and back to our saddles.

As we cycled through Aewol town, we saw many cool cafes fronting the sea. Over the past two days, we noticed that most of the buildings in Jeju are quite similar in design and not that fancy, but the cafes and hotels here at Aewol are more colourful and charming. Aewol seemed like a nice place to spend a night at.

The scenery continued to be superb as we cycled along the coast, passing by a white sand beach and catching sight of the wind turbines far out in the sea. For our first day of Jeju RTI, I estimate about 70% of the route was coastal. Based on the first day of cycling alone, I already concluded that Jeju’s scenery was even better than the east coast of Taiwan, because we were closer to the sea in Jeju and for much longer stretches. I could never get tired of watching the ocean while I cycle.

Just before 3:00pm, we arrived at our third checkpoint at Haegeoreum Park, about 43km from our start point. We still had about 2/3 of the distance to go so we didn’t linger for very long here. We collected the stamp and quickly moved off.

About 20 minutes after departing Haegeoreum Park, we found ourselves cycling very close to the wind turbines. This area is known as the Sinchang Windmill Coastal Road. We saw an entrance to a park called Singgyemul Park so we decided to deviate from the GPS and turned into the park for an even better look at the wind turbines.

These massive structures stand at over 100 metres tall, using Jeju’s strong winds to generate electricity from the spinning of the blades. With over 123 wind turbines and more in the pipeline, Jeju aims to supply 100% of electricity demand with renewable energy by 2030, an incredible feat. It was simply awesome to see the wind turbines so up close, and also the whole row of turbines spinning together in the distance.

We cycled to the end of the park, where a small, white lighthouse stood. There was a walkway leading to the nearest wind turbine, but the gate to the walkway was closed. Apparently, this is where you can “walk on water” when the tide is high and the strong winds cause the water to spill onto the walkway. You can see an Instagram video of how it looks like here. I must say it’s pretty cool. Anyway, the gate was closed and the tide wasn’t high enough so we didn’t get to “walk on water” during our visit.

I was so enthralled by the sight of all the wind turbines and I took many photos and videos to capture the majestic scene in front of me. When I turned around to look for my cycling mates, I discovered that they were all seated on the bench. PL suggested that we should make a move soon because ZY and IH were tired, and we still had a fair distance to go. We left Singgyemul Park at 3:35pm and pressed on.

Shortly after passing through the arch that marked the entrance to Suwolbong/Chagwido, our GPS directed us to deviate from the blue line and take a shortcut through a farmland. I trusted my map-reading and navigational skills that the shortcut was the correct way. The others were a little skeptical but they followed me nonetheless. They were hesitant because they could see that there was a long uphill section ahead. They ended up pushing their bikes halfway through the slope (PL is super fit and he could have cycled up easily but he joined them in pushing the bikes so as to boost their morale).

After conquering the slope, we resumed cycling but there were more uphill sections to come. We still about 14km to go to our hotel. I saw that ZY and IH were struggling quite badly so I suggested making a stop at the first café we encounter so that we could all take a break and recharge. It turned out to be the right decision. We ordered three slices of cake and three bottles of Bundaberg drinks, amounting to 33,000 won (S$33). The air-con cooled us down and the sweet drinks and cakes gave us a much-needed energy boost.

When we resumed our journey about half an hour later at around 4:45pm, the sun felt less intense and it was less draining to climb up the slopes. The energy booster break did wonders for IH and he was a changed man after that. He powered up all the slopes as if he had swapped his weary legs for a fresh pair at the café. However, ZY was still struggling so PL kept pace with her and pushed her along.

Finally, we caught sight of our Hotel 52 and trudged to the finish line at 5:35pm. We were so happy to complete it after more than 8 hours since we started cycling. My Strava showed that we had cycled 77.51km today, with an elevation gain of 375m. The actual elevation gain was not far off (375m vs 359m projected), but we had cycled 10km longer than the programmed route on Ride with GPS. Perhaps it was due to the detour to see the wind turbines at Singgyemul Park and the various pit stops along the way. I used the Strava on my Apple Watch so all the walking could have added to the distance as well.

Looking at the map of Jeju, I realised that Hotel 52 is located in a town called Daejeong (Daejeong-eup) rather than Chaguido, as Travel Wander calls it in their itinerary. In fact, Chagwido (as it is correctly spelt) is uninhabited and it is made up of three islands. Located on the west cost of Jeju, Chagwido boasts a magnificent sunset view. Chagwido is located in a small rural village town called Hangyeong (Hangyeong-myeon), about 15km away from our Hotel 52 in Daejeong. I am not sure why Travel Wander stated our accommodation as being in “Chaguido” rather than Daejeong, which would be more accurate.

After checking in to Hotel 52, we parked our bicycles at the lobby and dragged our luggage to our rooms. The room was simply furnished but it was large and clean. It wasn’t fancy but the bedsheets were very soft and smooth. My only grouse was that the bath towel was tiny. Other than that, the hotel room was good.

After a good shower, we left Hotel 52 at 6:50pm for dinner. PL was craving for Italian food and he had shortlisted two restaurants that he found on the NAVER Map app. By the way, NAVER Map is the best app for foreigners to use in South Korea because the user interface is in English. As we walked to the first restaurant, we realised that this was a very quiet and small town. There wasn’t much to see or do in Daejeong. However, it felt refreshing to be in a place like this, away from the bright lights of the big cities.

The first restaurant that we went, Burger & Cook, didn’t look too exciting so we went to the second one, Kosirong Brazier Pizza, not far away. We stepped in and liked it immediately. It looked like someone’s house rather than a restaurant. There were books on the shelf, a small rack with CDs, handwritten notes pinned on a clothesline along the wall, and even a small Christmas tree near the entrance. It was very cosy and homely.

We figured the restaurant must be quite popular because it had an English menu. We also saw stacks of takeaway pizza boxes. Amazingly, the restaurant was helmed by one Korean auntie and she single-handedly whipped up the best pizzas and pasta for us. We ordered a pepperoni pizza (19,000 won/S$19), beef pizza (20,000 won), a shrimp and a cheese pasta (18,000 won each), three bottles of local Cass beer (5,000 won each) and a drink for ZY (6,000 won). Perhaps it was because we were very hungry, but the wood-fired pizzas and both the pastas were heavenly. This was arguably the best meal we had for the entire Jeju trip, it was so good!

We finished our dinner at 8:20pm and walked back to our hotel, dropping by the CU convenience store along the way to pick up some supplies. We then gathered at PL/ZY’s room to play a few rounds of Bridge before calling it a night.

What an incredible first day of riding in Jeju! The weather was perfect and it felt wonderful to cycle in the sun without perspiring much at all, a complete contrast to Singapore’s humidity. The route was generally flat and the coastal scenery was spectacular. It was the first time ZY and IH had cycled such a long distance in one go, and I’m proud of them for completing it and not giving up despite being so tired. After being “fooled” by me several times (“we’re reaching the hotel in another 20 minutes”, “we’re almost there!”), they said they won’t trust me on time and distance anymore after this trip though, haha. Looking forward to another great day of cycling tomorrow!

Here’s a video clip of the highlights from Day 3: