Oedolgae Jeju, the Water Holes
After Jungmun cliffs, we realized that no one wanted to sit on a long bus ride to the sunset point at the West side of the island so instead we followed the hotel’s advice to visit Yakcheonsa Temple which was just a few stops away on the bus.
Despite not being overly interested in seeing another temple we were pleasantly surprised to find such a huge building. It’s not nearly as big as Todaiji in Japan but it does have second, third and fourth floor balconies overlooking the Buddha which makes it unique in our experience. Usually it is only the grounds in front of the Buddha that are publicly accessible. Getting to the upper floors is different for such a large hall.
Surprisingly, some beam/walls of the hall appear to be sagged, possibly due to the weight of the building. There are fewer columns than temples in Japan so it is possible the beams are doing more work.
The temple grounds also have a shrine in a cave behind the temple. I couldn’t confirm but it appeared to me that the cave was built with stones and then covered. It is difficult to tell because the inside walls are covered in shotcrete now.
There’s something to be said about perseverance. Having walked the temple, there was still some daylight left and even though it was beginning to rain Yuki made the call that we’d try to find the “Jeju water holes”. We found out from venders at the temple that we’d need to take a taxi to Oedolgae, a town on the way back towards the hotel, because the bus didn’t run there. The cost for the taxi would also be comparable to four people taking the bus. The venders were very nice and called a taxi for us. While we waited, we tried in vain to explain the water holes and resorted to photos on the vender’s phone. The Vender called over another two people and a big discussion began on what they were and where they were. They kept telling us that the water holes were in Oedolgae which we already knew. What we didn’t know was where in Oedolgae they were.
The taxi came and whisked us in short time to Oedolgae where we learned that the town was named after a rock that is now in a park. the Oedolgae rock is a pillar of rock that remains as the surrounding cliffs eroded. It is not only a pretty spot for photos but also is said to have been disguised as a giant general during a war with Mongolian invaders to scare them off.
When we visited, it was raining and there weren’t many tourist around. There was a map of the park in Korean with a trail going each way up the coast. We made the mistake of going west along a boring trail with nothing to see. Eventually we gave up and returned to the entrance. The Kishimotos were too tired to go the other way but I really didn’t want to regret not having been as I didn’t know when I’d be back next so I went for a quick look.
The other direction had an exposed cliff that was perhaps slightly dangerous. It was an excellent photo spot with great views of the rock and towards Seogwipo city. The umbrella did little to shield me from the rain but I made sure to keep my camera lens as clean as possible for photos. A few times I had to use wipes to clear off the water drops.
I continued along the trail and shortly came towards the water holes. I’d found them! Too bad I couldn’t go swimming in the rain! The water was relatively warm and I saw two guys that had evidently jumped in fully clothed because they were soaked but had cheap plastic rain covers with them that they were no longer wearing.
I spent too long at the water holes getting photos because the Kishimotos were stressing about my demise when I returned. They were also concerned about getting back to the city because three taxis had gone by. Fortunately, a bus came soon after and we were back in the city eating another Korean BBQ in no time.
It’s too bad that Yuki didn’t see the water holes but I’m very glad that she pushed for us to try to find them even when it looked like rain and the weather turned for the worse. I’m also glad that I ventured along the cliffs knowing that I may never return and was able to get some great photos. Finding the waterholes was icing on the cake and turned a rainy experience into a fun time.
