Top 5 Things to do on Geoje Island

By: Chelsea Diamond

I realize that when you hear South Korea, it doesn’t exactly go straight on your vacation bucket list. But after living on a small island off the southern coast of Korea for the last two years, I’ve grown to love it. Korea has such beautiful scenery and the people really take advantage of this seeing as how the majority of the attractions are related to the outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do on the island are:

1. Oedo Island: If you take a short boat ride away from Geoje Islad you can find Oedo Island. It’s an island that rests just off the coast where there are gorgeous views and garden after garden of unique flowers in the spring. A husband and wife bought it years ago and turned it into one huge botanical garden that comes alive in the spring and summer. This is a great area for aspiring photographers, flower fanatics or just wandering tourists.
   
   
   
   The beautiful Oedo Island
   
   
   
2. Sailing: Heading to the local yacht club has been one of our favorite past times when the weather is nice. You can rent day sailors for only $30/2 hours or kayaks for $15/2 hours. We’ve been sailing a few times but I’ve learned the hard way that only my husband should steer since every time I’ve tried, we’ve immediately gone overboard. I’ll stick with the kayaks, which is fine by me. There’s plenty of space to roam between the sailors and windsurfers and the water stays calm within the bay. We usually follow the coast and around the bend to a few untouched beaches and relax there before heading back.
   
   
   
   One of our favorite past times in the summer
   
   
   
3. Windy Hill: Another popular spot on the island is called Windy Hill. It’s pretty self-explanatory from the name. It’s a huge hill that jets out into the ocean with a gorgeous windmill that sits upon it. We loved going out there because not only is the view of the windmill set against the backdrop of the ocean gorgeous but there are also jutting rocks and cliffs that surround that area as well. These are great for cliff jumping at high tide if you’re ok with swarms of locals staring at you, taking pictures, and commenting on how ‘daring’ you are.
   
   
   
   One of the many popular tourist sites on the island
   
   
   
4. Shabu shabu: When we first arrived in Korea, we weren’t fans of any of the food. The spice was overwhelming to us and the smells were less than appetizing. We now love a lot of the food and it all started to change when we first tasted the dish, Shabu Shabu. Translated, this dish means ‘swish, swish’ and you quickly see why. The server brings out a boiling pot of broth and sets it on a burner in the middle of the table. They then add various vegetables and bring out sides of raw meat, rice paper and vegetables. With chopsticks you pick up a piece of the raw meat and swish it in the boiling broth, which will cook it within seconds. You then add it to the rice paper, topping it off with one of the sauces and other veggies, roll it up like a burrito and enjoy!
   
   
   
   This is our favorite meal in Korea!
   
   
   
5. Pow museum: The entirety of our small island was actually once used as a large POW camp during the Korean War. Although there’s little sign of this period left on the island, except for a few building remains, there is a POW Camp museum commemorating that time and telling the history behind the war and the island’s role. Not knowing much of the history myself of the country before moving here, I loved going and reading all of the historical background. I believe that any country that you live in, if you understand more of the history and the culture, it makes it easier and more enjoyable to live there for a long amount of time.

Like I have said before, we have loved living on our little island here in Korea. There’s always something to do and different ways to enjoy the outdoors and the Korean culture. We are looking forward to possibly living another year or two abroad and the adventures that it will inevitably bring with it.
Welcome to life as an expat, a life Lost in Travels.