Autumn Soul Day 2 – Jeju Island – Jungmun Beach, Yakcheonsa Temple…

After Teddy Museum, we decided to walk to Jungmun Beach about 20 minutes walk ( advise to take taxi from Teddy Museum ).

Jungmun Beach (중문해수욕장) has a sandy shore so fine that it is called Jinmosal. The white sand beach is 560m long and the water has an average depth of 1.2m.

Different shades of black, red, and grey are beautifully mixed into the white sand of the beach. This helps to accentuate Jeju-do Island’s black Hyeonmuam stones.

To the right side of the beach is a natural sea cave called Haesikgul Cave. This area is often used for TV commercials, and the turbulent water is great for windsurfing and other water sports.

From Jungmun Beach we took a taxi to one of the largest temple in Asia – Yakcheon-sa Temple. The sheer size of Yakcheonsa is the first thing any visitor will notice. It covers over 122,100 square meters.

Yakcheonsa, which means ‘temple where medicinal water flows,’ was built in 1981 by Buddhist monk Hae-in. He founded the temple after visiting the small cottage that was originally found on the site.

Visitors to Yakcheonsa will have plenty to explore. The main temple has multiple floors and balconies that overlook a beautiful three-meter-tall Buddha, contained in a large prayer hall. The main temple is filled with murals of Buddhist legends.

Additionally there are several smaller buildings. A quick walk up a small hill to the left of the hall will lead visitors to the hall of the Three Sages, a one room sanctuary decorated with candles and prayer mats.

The hall of the 500 Arahan is a smaller building near the temple’s main gate, filled with statues of 500 Buddhist disciples; each depicting the disciple’s unique personality.

It also houses a slightly smaller statue of Buddha surrounded by lotus flowers under a pair of intricately carved, protective dragons.

Nearby the main prayer hall, there is a Dragon Stone Well where visitors can drink clean mountain water.

Around the temples you can also find many short Jeju Oranges trees.

We went back to hotel for a rest before heading out to town for dinner. We walked to Seogwipo Daily Ollae Market.

This traditional market is located in the middle of the commercial district of Seogwipo city is that has been modernized and enclosed in a covered arcade.

With over 200 stores and almost 150 street vendors, it’s still a bustling marketplace where you can find everything from clothes to dried seaweed.

After visiting the market, we decided to have our dinner at a nearby restaurant.

When self traveling and do not know where to eat, it is always good to follow the crowd. Always lookout where the locals eat with less tourist. Rule of thumb is if the restaurant has several foreign language in its menu would means it is more a tourist restaurant.