Referred to as the “Hawaii of Korea,” Jeju Island is recognized as one of the most sought after vacation spots in South Korea. During a trip, an adventurous traveler sought to learn about the island’s charm while tasting one of its culinary specialties, which is Jeju black pork.
The trip started with a domestic flight from mainland Korea, and not getting through immigration on arrival was one of the pleasant surprises. The journey started with boarding a beautifully painted colorfull airplane that belonged to a cheap but high-quality airline called T’way.
After landing at Jeju Airport, the traveler used the popular taxi booking app in South Korea known as Kakao T. The accommodation chosen was located on the northern coast, costing around $50 and including breakfast. The location ended up being much less touristy than expected, with residential buildings and smaller hotels dominating the area rather than fancy big hotels.
There was a partial ocean view from the hotel, but the best spot was just a minute away from the hotel. A two minute walk took the traveler to the beautiful coastline with fishing boats on the horizon.
The sunset was among the significant events of the day of arrival, presenting a calm beginning to the visit to Jeju island.
Next, the tourist visited a market full of souvenirs, food stalls, and other local products. The specialty for Jeju Island is called mandarin orange, and the fresh fruits appeared at several stalls. One of the vendors introduced a marketing game based on the rules of rock-paper-scissors in order to give a discount to the customers.
Moreover, in the market there was a dessert made of hot caramelized marshmallow and cold ice cream.
Jeju Island is famous for its black pork.
It was time to explore the delicious black pork, an important culinary aim. Restaurants serving this local dish are located all along the Black Pork Street of Jeju City.
At the barbeque restaurant, the tourist ordered a serving of 200 grams of the black pork neck together with rice and steamed eggs. Numerous side dishes were served with the food.
The pork was prepared on a tabletop grill and sliced using scissors, which is a common aspect of Korean barbecue. Moreover, the staff showed the tourists how to prepare the pork with vegetables and sauces.
The very first bite revealed the pork to be thick and juicy, and it tasted rich. Though the combination of meat, vegetables, and sauce resulted in sophisticated taste, the traveler preferred the black pork by itself.
The reason was simple: good quality meat does not require any further sauce. Its taste and texture make the difference.
What Does Jeju Island Offer
Apart from food, Jeju is also peaceful, clean, has beautiful coastal views, friendly people, among other aspects. Although it is a touristic destination now, some areas of Jeju preserved a more residential character.
The end of the trip was in Jeju City in the waterfront area, thus finishing the traveling through Korea. Jeju has given the travelers everything from beautiful sunsets and local fair to the famous black pork.
