One Day in Geoje, Korea: Windy Hill, Mongdol Beach, and More (Gyeongsangnam-do)
Over lunar new year last year, I headed down south to the island of Geoje, said to be even more beautiful than Korea's famous Jeju Island. I only had one full day there so I made the most of it.
My AirBnb was in Geoje City, which looks just like Seoul with its Starbucks and fried chicken restaurants everywhere, but I had to venture to the opposite side of the island to see all the sites on my list.
I grabbed a bus just as the sun was rising and headed for my first stop: Windy Hill.
I arrived just before the sun started hitting the hill, and had the entire place to myself. This area is famous for its giant windmill and sweeping views of the bay. The town next to it is tiny with two or three restaurants, one cafe, and an office to buy ferry tickets. The rest seemed to be sleepy houses.
After watching the sun rise over Windy Hill, I headed back down to the dock to buy a ferry ticket to Oedo (외도) a botanical garden out at sea :)
This particular ferry route also takes your through some islands off the coast which are just jagged cliffs. There is one area just big enough for a boat, and the ferry sneaks in so you can get as close as possible to these giant cliff faces!
The 17,000won ticket is a round trip including at 1 hour and 30 minute stop at Oedo.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Oedo. I will only post a few pictures because there is no way in a million years I could do it justice with video or photography. It was a gorgeous island (albeit a little crowded with tourists like me!) and it was so refreshing to spend time there.
If you're going to Geoje, don't skip Oedo, trust me!
After an hour and a half on Oedo, eating tangerines and soaking up sunshine, I got back on the ferry to Geoje. This time it only took ten minutes, and the ride was super smooth.
From there I went to one of the restaurants at the dock and got Seongge (sea urchin) Bibimbap that came with waaaay too many mussels and side dishes for me to eat, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Then, I hoped on bus number 55 to my next destination: Mongdol Beach.
Mongdol Beach is one of the most famous spots on Geoje, and is actually the birthplace of Geoje Island's mascot. You'll see them everywhere - these odd little grey blobs. They're actually pebbles that can be found on the beach here!
The giant rocks make the ocean waves sound amazing and this was such a nice place to sit and relax (and digest all that food!)
By this point my energy was running low so I meandered slowly back to my side of the island. I stopped breifly on the way to check out a lovely lake I passed earlier in the morning and then, honestly, hung out at the Starbucks near my AirBnb to relax without feeling like I was just sitting in an apartment :)
