jeju had some amazing beaches. the first night we arrived, we decided to camp on a small beach on the east coast of jeju, sinyang beach we had been worried about not being able to find a place to camp as we were in jeju at the peak of korean vacation traveling. however, we find this beach magically deserted with only one other family camping there. it was a delightfully peaceful and tranquil way to start our vacation. 
right on the beach there was also a circus tentlike structure that was serving beer and anju (snacks to eat while drinking). we hung out and had a beer but soon retreated from the unforgiving mosquitos. 
the next day, after going to udo island (which deserves it own post) and some other sights, we head off on the bus to the south of jeju island to the 2nd largest town there, called seogwipo. here we stayed at hotel but went out to see the jungbang waterfalls (정방폭포) that comes down a cliff basically at the foot of the ocean. 
this part of the island is less beachy and more rocky. we also climbed around on some rocks in hopes to escape civilization for a brief second in time…
then we headed towards the west coast to the hwasun gold sand beach (화선 금모래해변) where we didn’t find much gold sand but we did find hundreds of korean families vacationing on the beach. quite entertaining was the ravine of flowing water where people sat on tables sitting in this small creek so that they could keep their feet cool while dining. 
also interesting here was that EVERYONE was going into the water with all their clothes on. i mean shorts + long sleeve shirts+ jackets… it was quite strange and we didn’t know quite to make of it. all the kids would get to the beach and PUT ON more clothes to go into the water… their form of sunblock perhaps?
it become a little much and we jetted off to the west coast to set up camp at Hyeobjae Beach near Hallim Park. the most awesome thing about camping in korea on the beach. its totally unregulated and you can pretty much pitch your tent whereever you want. i mean there are designated sections for camping where many people where but as more people streamed in through the night, people would just set up camp wherever they wanted. here’s our tent: 
the beach was packed when we got there in the late afternoon
i thought it would settle down into the night but i had underestimated the koreans. they put on some big lights and people kept swimming until about 10 at night. the beach was packed with people swimming, watching a movie they were projecting or my favorite, sitting in small circles of friends around a small propane stove grilling meat, drinking soju + beer and having a great time. 
lastly, we headed back to the north, northeast coast of jeju to gimnyeong beach for our last full day. this is a beautiful beach in a quiet small town in jeju. there was a larger beach with lots of people, but just a short distance away, there was a small manmade bay that wasn’t too crowded. we were able to find a minbak around here and this beach and the surrounding coast throughout the town were quite lovely
local hangout
the next morning, we woke up early so that we could go for one last swim before heading back to the airport. the bay was deliciously empty and we had the ocean to ourselves. what a wonderful way to end our trip! 
