Finally Getting Back to That Trip

I decided I wanted to write something about Jeju, and while digging through my camera roll for it, I stumbled on photos from a trip I took last November. It’s hard to believe that much time has already passed, but scrolling through them one by one, the sound of the wind and the waves from that day came right back to me. In this post, I want to walk through everywhere I went on that first day, in order.

First Stop, Seopjikoji

The first place we headed after landing in Jeju was Seopjikoji. The name itself already sounds unfamiliar and a little exotic — “seopji” comes from a phrase meaning “land that produces talented people,” and “koji” is Jeju dialect for a piece of land jutting out into the sea.

Walking along the wooden boardwalk, the sea stretched out in emerald green on one side, while silver grass and palm trees swayed in the wind on the other. There’s a small pavilion up on the hill, and if you climb up there and turn around, the entire stretch of coastline you just walked comes into view all at once. The waves were hitting pretty hard that day, which somehow made the whole scene feel even more alive.

For a tourist spot, it wasn’t crowded at all, so we got to just walk for a while listening to nothing but the wind. Honestly, I don’t think there’s a better first stop for a Jeju trip than this.

Breakfast Had to Be London Bagel Museum

By the time we were getting hungry after Seopjikoji, we headed to a place I’d already bookmarked — London Bagel Museum’s Jeju branch. It’s located at 85 Dongbok-ro, Gujwa-eup, close to Gimnyeong Beach.

Just the look of the building — brick facade, very British — already sets a different mood the second you see it. Standing under a blue sky, staring at the “London Bagel Museum” sign, I genuinely forgot for a second that I was in Jeju. Inside, rows of bagels and sandwiches lined the counter, and what caught my eye most was a handwritten sign for their “Best Bacon Potato Sandwich” — bacon, onion jam, mashed potato, and tomato. It looked filling just from the description.

Between the everything bagels piled with cream cheese and the pretzel bagels, there was more than enough to choose from, which honestly made picking the hardest part. I’d heard the wait can get long if you don’t show up early, but we got lucky and didn’t have to wait too long for a table.

Afternoon at Yongmeori Coast

Once we were properly full from the bagels, we headed toward Seogwipo to check out Yongmeori Coast. Sitting right below Sanbangsan, the name literally translates to “dragon’s head,” supposedly because the rock formation looks like a dragon disappearing into the sea.

The layered volcanic cliffs, and the caves that naturally formed within them, were genuinely striking. Once I read that this landscape took around 800,000 years to form, just standing in front of it felt a little overwhelming. Walking along the wooden boardwalk, I could see people carefully making their way across the exposed rocks where the tide had pulled back. Apparently which sections you can walk depends on the weather and the tides, so it’s worth checking ahead of time before you go.

Dinner: Lamb Ribs at Jingiseu

By sunset, all that walking had caught up with us, and we were starving. For dinner, we headed to Jingiseu, a lamb rib restaurant in Shin-Jeju. It’s a chain with locations across the country, but I made a point of visiting the Jeju branch.

Once we sat down, a staff member came over and grilled everything for us right at the table. What struck me was the round copper smoke hood hanging low over the grill — as the meat cooked, the smoke and smell got pulled straight up instead of spreading through the whole restaurant. No worrying about your clothes smelling like grilled meat afterward, which made the whole meal a lot more relaxed.

Watching the thick lamb ribs slowly turn golden brown over the coals was enough to get anyone’s mouth watering. They came out crisp on the outside and juicy inside, with none of the gamey aftertaste people sometimes worry about with lamb. Wrapped up in a tortilla with some vegetables, it was rich without ever feeling heavy — I kept reaching for more. After a full day of walking, that one meal completely brought me back to life.

Wrapping Up

In a single day, we went from the open coastline of Seopjikoji, to the distinctly British mood of London Bagel Museum, to the towering cliffs of Yongmeori Coast, and finally to a hearty lamb rib dinner at Jingiseu — it felt like meeting several completely different sides of Jeju all at once. Next time, I’ll pick up with everywhere we went on day two.