16 Dec Seongsan sunrise, a little Olle walk in the east of Jeju

The plan is to soak in the sunrise at Seongsan then do a belated breakfast at Starbucks just because I hear they are prettier and cheaper than Singapore. Then it will be a day of aimless walking along the Olle trail without going up Jijimbong. I plan to hug the coast, starting from our lunch place at Eomeong. Perhaps the weather will be good for a walk to Hado beach and then back to the seawomen's place for a quick lunch. If time permits, we will check out the haenyeo museum and then back for a little rest. Dinner is slated at the very talked about local place just off Bomulsom, our base.

What really happened was : The cold weather had taken a bite on Pat and he started to be unwell the night before.  Probably he was running a fever but the super heated ondol flooring is also to blame. At 12 am I felt myself burning up and thought it would be good to sleep on the floor. I almost got myself pan-fried on the ondol in Seongsan that night.

Pat finally had a good sleep after a cold compress. I realised to my dismay the bag of meds were left behind in Singapore. At 3 am, I was still flipping the luggage contents coaxing the meds to appear, to no avail

5.30am. The alarm wake us up for sunrise. The wind was beating the windows and Pat decided to call off the sunrise walk. We had a late start in the end. First off, we went to the only pharmacy in Seongsan for Tylenol (4000 ￦ ). Then we got up Seongsan Ilchulbong (5000 ￦ x 2).

The peak was 182m high, mostly steps. Winds whipped left and right, front and back. The vista offered before us was breathtaking. The isthmus from the mainland joining Seongsan and the causeway at the other end made Seongsan a natural harbour. The sky slowly cleared. 

At the peak, we saw none of the sun, just giant rays of golden pillar pouring down into the sea. The sea was dappled with gold discs while the rest of the watery surface were blue and grey. Only then did we realise that had we come to wait for sunrise, we would be looking at the wrong direction from the 'free' observation area. The summit road would open only at 7.30am and it takes a good 30 minutes to walk up. Sunrise would be over by then. It was a good judgment call not to rise after the sunrise.

We headed for Myeongjin Abalone Porridge for an early lunch. It was a recommended place by LH. It was a longish drive north. The restaurant was found in an awkward turn along the coastal road. By the time we parked, many had the same idea and had came in as well.

Myeongjin serves only 4 types of dishes so it was an easy decision. I had abalone porridge and Pat the abalone stone pot rice. We ordered also 500g of grilled abalone for 30000 ￦ . All in, lunch cost 57000 ￦. The giant grilled mackerel that was finger licking good was on the house.

The bitter cold blew away all desires to explore the coast. We decided Biljarim or nutmeg forest would be a tamer option; less wind and flat walking. To cut the long story short, we did go to Biljarim ( 3000 ￦ x2 ). Pat commented that it was like walking on Coney Island. Indeed the forest was featureless except for a burnt nutmeg that survived a lightning strike and a 800 odd year old nutmeg tree. I did not see nor smell any nutmeg. In fact, it took us a while to figure out which tree is the nutmeg tree. 

We were so bored and headed back to Bomulson. By 4pm, Pat was having his siesta. 

6pm. We drove out to 'downtown' for dinner at this place called 'Seongsan Ilchubong Kalguksu' for dinner. To my older self, don't bother to look for it in Google Maps. The name is in Hangul and if you still remember your foreign language then look for: 성산일출봉손칼국수. 

The third review is from your younger self.

Seongsan is a dead town by night. One can drive in the wrong direction and nothing happens. Back alleys are not lit, which is the case with the alley leading to our pension. Perhaps Seongsan is good only for day troopers.

One more night in Seongsan. We looked at the forecast with dread and hoped the drive south would go according to plan.