The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
Update: 22 Dec 22 Jeju’s intercity bus system has improved since I was there ten years ago. Still, taking a bus is inconvenient — waiting time is long and bus stops are sparsely located around the island. Hence, driving in Jeju is a popular option …
“Why did you all choose Fukuoka? Why not Okinawa or Hokkaido?” The pretty air stewardess from Singapore Airlines asked hubby as he entertained the 8-month-old Baby EG. I was drifting in and out of sleep at the side, catching up on the patchy sleep I …
Jeongbang Falls, Cheonjeyeon Falls, and Cheonjiyeon Falls are 3 famous waterfalls of Jeju island. They are located in Seogwipo, the southern part of the island. To find the exact locations, key in the following GPS phone numbers* into the GPS of your rented car or Kakao Map APP:
*Why GPS phone numbers and why not Google Maps? Refer to my ‘Guide to Driving in Jeju‘. :)
Of the three waterfalls, we skipped one, and the other two were not too bad. Spot the mini rainbows found in a few of the photos! Sadly, these places are definitely NOT wheelchair nor stroller friendly.
A little background, we visited Jeju in October, during autumn as a family of three, including a 16 month old toddler. The autumn weather was supposedly good for trekking, not too hot and not too cold. But while we were there, the sun was scorching hot. So with the sun, stairs, and a baby in the carrier, our trek and climb got tiring at times. Hence, if Seoul is going to be in your itinerary, I recommend going to Jeju first before relaxing in Seoul.
Based on what I gathered from online reviews, Cheongjiyeon Falls is the most lackluster among the three. Hence we skipped this to stretch our limited time for other Jeju attractions.
Be sure not to confuse this Cheongjiyeon Falls with Cheongjeyeon Falls, the difference is in the ‘i’ and ‘e’.
Water of Cheonjiyeon Falls falls from a height of 22 metres and into the pool that’s 20 metres deep. As the water appears to be falling from heaven, it got its name Cheongjiyeon, which means “sky connected with the land“. Other than clear and deep waters, you can also find Mutae eels, and a great variety of rare plants in this area.
From the entrance, take a leisurely walk of about one kilometer to reach the falls, admiring flowers and plants, and photographing ducks and heron in the stream beside the path. As you approach the falls, you will hear the roaring of the waters falling from the sky. Walk a little further and Cheongjiyeon Falls, enveloped by a lush forest, will come into view.
When you are ready to leave, take a separate path designated for exit, so to prevent overcrowding. You might want to schedule an hour to explore Cheongjiyeon Falls, or half an hour if you are a fast walker and not a nature lover. This waterfall closes late and illuminates at night, so if you have nothing plan for the night, this might be a choice.
Jeongbang Falls was only 10 minutes drive from our Airbnb (located in Ocean Palace Hotel) and so that’s our first stop before we set off afar to other parts of Jeju. Had wanted to visit Jeongbang Falls the day before, along with Cheonjeyeon Falls and Jusangjeolli Cliff. But alas, our schedule over-ran.
Almost gave Jeongbang Falls a miss, but since it’s near us and a mini attraction that requires about half an hour in total, we went ahead. It is anyway the only waterfall in Asia to have waters falling directly into the sea.
Apparently this waterfall is the easiest and fastest to access among the three, with a well constructed staircase leading you to it. Even though it’s not a long flight of stairs, it’s still relatively steep and there’s the climb up to consider. If you are not up for such exercise, you can stay at the top and admire from afar – it’s still quite magnificent.
One key highlight of Jeongbang Falls is that you can step on slippery wet rocks and go near to the waterfall and experience the grandeur of falling waters. Be careful of wet and loose rocks! It’s dangerous for hubby who was baby wearing our daughter, and hence he stayed behind at the safe area while I hopped to the front.
During your hike down to and up the stairs from Jeongbang Falls, look out for people congregating under a shade, along the rocky coast. It is said that there are aunties selling fresh catch from the sea over there and for a fee, they will prepare raw sashimi dish with this catch.
Visit Jeongbang Falls if you are nearby or passing by, otherwise there’s no need to drive one hour for a half hour attraction.
The name ‘Cheonjeyeon‘ suggests “Pond of the Heaven’s Emperor”. It’s what you get when you put together Cheon-Je-Yeon, which means heaven, king and pond respectively. The name is also said to originate from a folklore. Seven nymphs descend from the heavens at night, by a violet cloud bridge, to bathe and play in the waterfall’s pond, before returning.
Cheonjeyeon Falls, is actually a three-tier waterfall. Waters will flow into Cheonjeyeon pond and from there cascade into a second and third waterfall, and eventually into the sea.
You will be able to visit all three falls, provided you have the time and energy for all the steps. No joke! It’s steps, steps and more steps! This place is definitely not for stroller nor wheelchair. The climb was so tiring for us, even for my hubby. Caveat, we were taking turns to carry our 8kg baby as we climbed up and down the stairs. Good thing was that most part of the walkway is naturally shaded by the trees.
Blink blink. “Where’s the waterfall? Is this the first one?” I asked hubby.
“Look there.” Following his finger, I saw water spouting out from the rocks! (Right of photo below). The scene reminded me of how Moses in the bible struck the rock, and water came out for the people to drink. It also looks like a natural drainage. Interesting.
Like Jeongbang Falls, visitors thread carefully on the rocks just to get a closer look and a better photo opportunity. Position your camera well and you will get a beautiful shot of the lagoon with its blue tinge. However, the difficulty level to walk across the waters seems higher than at Jeongbang Falls, with the rocks spaced further apart. You wouldn’t get as near to the front too.
Climbing out of the first falls, I was already catching my breath. Nevertheless, we continued on towards the general direction of the second, third falls and the bridge.
With the gentle trickling of waters at the first falls, we were not expecting this massive waterfall. We marveled at how it wasquite impressive and grand. While we were there, a rainbow hue seemed to be perpetually cloaked across the waters.
I leaned against the railings to take a breather, waving my hand to ask hubby to walk on, “I’ll catch up”. With longing eyes, I looked at him carrying our baby up the million of steps, and wished I was the one being carried. The steps. I took a deep breath.
In between the second and third falls, there’s the Seonimgyo Bridge (“Bridge”). By the time we arrived at the Bridge, hubby and I were completely exhausted! Even hubby. It’s not the end though. We had to return the way we came from, and there was going to be many steps up the slope. I shuddered at that thought.
It takes a Niagara falls level to make me continue my journey on from the Bridge to the third falls. Perhaps, that wouldn’t even cut it. Good thing, I did some research and found that the third is underwhelming. Otherwise with my see-it-all desire, I might have lugged my tired hubby and cranky baby along to the third, only to be sorely disappointed. With that, we decided to skip the third falls and save our legs!
Seonimgyo Bridge is worth a section of photos devoted to it. Although we were drained, I found this part of the journey the most impressive. The bridge itself is picturesque from different angles and the scenery from the peak is breathtaking.
Carved on the side of Seonimgyo Bridge are the 7 nymphs from the folklore I mentioned. We saw the side of this arch bridge through an obscure lookout when we walked from the second falls, before the Bridge.
This bridge is massive, and that also means we had to climb a steep slope to get up to the top. I know, it looks deceptively like a gentle slope in the photos. We climbed halfway to the top and turned back. It’s too big a bridge for the tired us to cross. But is definitely worth the climb up.
We lingered at the top of the arch to take photos with the gorgeous view, the sea and lush greenery on the horizon. Everything became smaller on a high vantage point. We peered down from the great height and realised how high we had climbed.
Apparently if we had walked across the Bridge, we will find the Fountain of Five Blessings. These five blessings are longevity, wealth, honour, love and posterity, each of these is represented by an animal that spouts out water at the fountain. Nearby is the Cheonjeru Pavilion and on it is a painting that tells of Cheonjeyeon’s legend about the 7 nymphs and the mountain god.
It is also said that the Bridge connects to Jungmun Tourist Complex. So if you have a wheelchair or stroller, you can explore the option of visiting the Bridge via Jungmum Tourist Complex. Perhaps there are no steps on the other side. I thought I saw the carpark on this falls side, but couldn’t find it on the map, probably I was hallucinating already. Nevertheless, I was sure the bridge was beautiful as it basked in the bright sunshine of autumn.
Overall, its’s crazy tiring, but worth the views. For more travel tips, refer to our itinerary for our South Korea trip (Jeju and Seoul).
This is my fourth and final post about Nami Island! Can’t believe I wrote so much about a tiny island. I wanted to specifically dedicate one post for children, because of how child friendly Nami Island is. It was designated the 14th UNICEF Child-Friendly Park …
This post is following Part 1 of Travel in Paris With Young Children by our guest writer Jane! Find out more about her in Part 1. :) Today, she’s going to share her trip to Disneyland Paris with young children. As mentioned in my previous post, the main highlight …
Today I’m really delighted to introduce Jane, who is going to be a guest writer of this space. She is currently based in the South of France as her husband is posted there on a work stint. She has hung up her corporate suit for now and is currently a full time chauffeur, among other things, to her two young children (a toddler and a pre-schooler).
This is my fourth visit to Paris and it couldn’t have been more different as we now have two very young kids in tow. The main highlight for them is Disneyland! Oh well, I have to confess that I was very much looking forward to Disneyland as well and to introduce Mickey and the classic Disney characters to my children. More on Disneyland in Part 2.
The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux (administrative districts), which is simply referred to as arrondissements. We rented a Parisian apartment in the second arrondissement through the website Kid and Coe.
This website is a great place to discover kid friendly homes away from home. It’s something like Airbnb, but specifically more family-
The location of the rented apartment was perfect for us. It is a walking distance to the Louvre and Galleries Lafayette. And only a few steps away from three different metro stops.
Moreover, just a few streets away, there is a mini Japan town with lots of authentic Japanese restaurants, bookshop and supermarket. Having lived in the French Riviera for almost a year, we were just craving for authentic Japanese food that was not sushi. The hubs and I were beyond happy and decided that we were just going to have ramen and bento sets for the next few days.
The kids loved their ‘hotel’ in the city as they had the space to run around. There were also plenty of toys left by the owner for them to play with. That kept the two of them occupied in the early mornings when we just wanted to snooze a little more. There were also a crib and a high chair for our toddler which made breakfast time in the apartment easier for us.
You can check out this wonderful space at: [URL of the rented apartment]
For this trip, we decided to take it easy for the little people with short legs who can’t walk very far. Hence, we had a very light itinerary for Paris this time round and I wasn’t planning on being ambitious at all. Moreover, we only had three nights in Paris. Thank goodness, I had done most of the touristy things previously and I wasn’t stressed about covering too much sightseeing this time round.
There were however a few places I wanted to check out during this trip. We planned a few parks which Paris is so famous for. I am embarrassed to admit that I have never visited any in my previous trips. There is simply too much to see and do in Paris. One can never get bored in this city of lights!
First up was the UNESCO world heritage site, Tuileries Garden, located in the first arrondissement. I cannot believe I have not stepped into the Tuileries Gardens during my previous trips.
We headed there immediately on the first day after we checked in. Filled with fountains, ponds and sculptures, there are many seating area scattered in the garden which is perfect for resting those tired legs and to simply relax and take in the sights.
It was Sunday the next day and most shops are closed. Hence, we decided to take a train to Versailles to visit the renowned palace–Chateau de Versailles. The train ride was pleasant and not too long for the kids. The novelty of taking a train kept them excited and well behaved on-board.
We arrived in Versailles and was surprised to see a long queue of people waiting to enter the palace grounds. It was equally crowded once we reached inside. I can’t even imagine what it would be like during the peak summer months!
We managed to push through the crowds and head to the King and Queen’s chamber and the famous Hall of Mirrors before calling it quits. It was not easy to navigate through the crowds carrying a toddler (no pram on palace grounds) and dragging along a pre-schooler who could only see other people’s bums.
The choo choo train at the palace would have been a highlight for the kids but unfortunately there was a line of people waiting and my son desperately needed a nap. We ended up having crepes and coffee at one of the bistro and rested our poor tired feet while the son napped.
Although a short visit, it was nonetheless impressive and I was glad we got to admire the famous gardens of Versailles which was so beautiful. And it was funny how my pre-schooler was actually very interested to see how the king and queen’s room looked like.
The next day, we had an appointment at the embassy and we passed through a beautiful park called Parc Monceu. The kids had some time to run around while we sat on the benches and basked in the glorious sunlight and people watch. We simply love the parks in Paris.
So many to visit and we didn’t even make it to the one on my to-visit list: the Luxembourg Garden, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Oh well, save it for the next trip. I am sure we will be back!
We then took a train to the Montmartre area of Paris, another area I wanted to visit.
There, we had tea in the Café des 2 Moulins (French for “Two Windmills”), one of the filming location for the show ‘Amelie’. I loved that show and I read that the café served decent food. So we ended up at the Café for our afternoon tea.
Halfway through sipping my café crème, I suddenly remembered why I wanted to visit Montmartre. This happened only because I left my notes, of places to visit in Paris, at home.
Somewhere in my notes, I had wanted to visit the Le mur des Je’taime — a wall with ‘I love you’ written in 250 languages. And it was in Montmartre! I urgently told the hubs we had to leave and get there before it turned dark.
We searched online for the directions to the wall. Then I hurried everyone towards the exit and up the hilly streets in search of the wall. Along the way, the hubs was attracted by some shoes but I told him he could see them another time. We needed to stay focused and find the wall. After walking for a bit, we saw a group of people leaving from a gated park of sorts and the hubs said that it has to be the one.
We walked towards it expectantly and to my great disappointment, the park keeper was shutting the gate! I asked if I could take a picture from the entrance and he was kind enough to allow me in just to take one shot of the wall. I ran in with the son and took a couple of shots. We were thankful that it was not a wasted trip and I was so glad I denied the hubs the chance to check out those shoes. Those can wait for another day!
Other than those above-mentioned, there were a few other places we went to. We managed to pop in to Galleries Lafayette and stood admiring the giant Christmas tree and beautiful decorations. We also had a long walk along River Seine and ended up in Laduree along Champs-Elysees for lunch.
I love the architecture of the buildings in Paris. I love it that young and funky brands are housed in classical buildings. Just look at the front entrance of Abercrombie & Fitch!
Travelled in 2015
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