거제도 (Geoje-do) is the second largest island of Korea (about 383 square kilometers in size), and home to some spectacular sights along the southern coast of Korea. I’ll give full credit to my Korean friend Hun Ji for planning and getting us around from one place to the next. For a lot of reasons, this area isn’t the easiest to get around as a tourist, and even being Korean didn’t help Hun Ji navigate things much easier. Please note this post may be considered ‘not safe for work’ thanks to some anatomically correct statues, and allow some time for all the pictures to load.

Our day started with a bus ride from Tongyeong (where we arrived from Seoul) to Geoje-do.

The big Korean letters spell out 고현 버스 터미날 – Gohyeon bus terminal. Wait, what? I thought we were going to Geoje-do! One very important lesson to learn about traveling by bus – the name of the bus terminal isn’t “[city name] Bus Terminal”. Going to Seoul? You might want to know whether you’re arriving at the Nambu Bus Terminal or the Express Bus Terminal. Going to Busan? You’ll want to know whether you’ll arrive at the Seobu Bus Terminal (near the Sasang station) or the Dongbu Bus Terminal (near Nopo-dong subway station – and a little farther from the train station or the city). In most cases, you can say the city’s name when buying your ticket and you’ll be fine – but it’s helpful to know the terminal’s name. Asking for the Geoje-do bus terminal would’ve resulted in some puzzled looks. In any case, we arrived in Geoje-do, already having learned an interesting traveling lesson.

And then the next oddity hit us – this map of buses, times, and frequencies made little sense at first. After studying it for awhile, we eventually got a bus that would take us to a ferry for the Haegeumgang rocks and Oedo island. This little excursion was far from clear, and required the bus driver telling us when to get off…

A warm-up picture before the ferry ride. A ferry to pass by the Haegeumgang rocks and land on Oedo island for just over an hour cost 19,000 won (about $15). One was leaving in about an hour – enough time to get some lunch and walk around a bit more.

When you order food in a Korean restaurant, you don’t just one thing – you get banchan. Think of banchan as side dishes that automatically with whatever entree you order. They vary by location and restaurant, but you’re guaranteed some kimchi, quite a few other vegetables (some spicy, some not), and usually a soup. It looks a little ridiculous to imagine seventeen plates of food for a lunch for two – but that’s the Korean way. You’re not expected to eat it all, by the way.

After we boarded the ferry (mostly full; I was the lone foreigner), our fearless captain and tour-guide gave some instructions and got the ship underway. The other gentleman also helped pilot the ship and help with people-moving.

During part of the trip, the aforementioned gentleman doubled as souvenir / snack seller – dried squid, anyone? (It’s not bad, for the record!)

Getting close to the Haegeumgang rocks – originally called Galgotdo because it was shaped like the spreading roots of arrowroot. Today, Haegeumgang meaning Geumgang mountain in the sea.

At this point, our fearless leader began his journey into this tiny crack between the rocks. Although just a photo op for us tourists (we were allowed onto the front of the ship to better see) and not a navigable passageway, it was the highlight thus far.

Some sea life stubbornly clinging to the rocks, I think. I didn’t take Marine Biology in college… anyone else out there know? The captain alternated between tour guide and silence for the rest of the fifteen-minute ride to Oedo. Before we arrived, we were given a small button to clip onto our clothing somewhere to ensure we got on the right ferry going back.

Oedo was the first island in Korea to be owned by an individual, and has been cultivating thousands of subtropical plant species since 1969. According to one sign on the island, “you can feel the lifelong romantic sentiment of a husband and wife…” – I couldn’t agree more.

After arriving on the island – and paying an 8,000 won admission fee – we picked up a map and followed the signs around the island. There’s essentially one way up, one way down, and this path lets you see everything there is to see in about an hour.

Santa has apparently been relaxing amidst the palm trees… Not pictured is the fountain he sits on – no need for fountains during the winter, so decorate them for the holidays instead!

A Cactus Garden, inside what looked like a cross between a tent and a greenhouse.

Nike of Samothrace – or rather a replica of the one in the Louvre. Headed this way were a number of other replica sculptures – beautiful all the same (click below for a larger picture):

Again, more replicas of classical sculptures, some I vaguely remember seeing pictures of in art class years ago, and some that fit the theme nicely.

After following the path of well-laid stones, we came to a lookout point. The usual high-powered binoculars open for a couple minutes in exchange for 500 won (about 30 cents). Not really a lot to see from this vantage point…

Unless of course you happen to like watching waves crash into the rocks, islands near and far, and so on. Some of the most beautiful sights looking out from the island could be seen here.

For some reason I really like this picture. I’m not sure why – it’s just a little ethereal.

Looking back at the island before moving on…

From here we wandered through a sculpture park – mostly kids playing… oddly… Take a look for yourself:

Yoga position? A kid that just discovered how to stand on his head? You decide.

Dogpile!

A bronze(?) statue of a family. Bronze gets shinier the more it’s touched – and the, um, noses, were the shiniest… Yeah, the noses…

Not far away was the entrance to a church on the island. Along the way in were symbols of the Christian faith using small rocks to create them (the fish, Alpha, Omega, and so on).

Christ’s sacrifice amidst a beautiful place… Not pictured to the left was a small building that looked less like a church and more like a small meeting room for a handful of people.

And now, for something completely different: Two roaring bears and one roaring teacher. OK, I didn’t actually ‘roar’ – just opened my mouth trying to look fierce…

Just one of the many sub-tropical plant species. Amazingly most seemed to be pretty well through the winter, even as most of the local species are bare.

Climb the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ to reach the top of the hill…

Even though there’s nothing there… The prescribed path took us down the ‘Stairway to Heaven’, not up… I just hope there’s symbolized meaning behind that – like we’re leaving heaven behind off to our normal lives or something…

Look back at the island as a whole… Truly a wonderful place to relax, take in some fresh air, and admire the hard work of quite a few people.

Naturally, no touristy place can be without a souvenir shop. A few picture books and t-shirts, but lots of candles and other smelly stuff.

One of these things does not belong…

The verdict: Geoje-do and Oedo are not particularly easy to get to, and your travel time to get here may be higher than the time spent being a tourist. Knowing how to read hangeul is a requirement, and is a good place to practice your Korean. Don’t expect lots of other foreigners around – I never saw any – possibly because of the difficulty getting around.

The reward for your efforts, however, are some beautiful sights of nature, especially on Oedo. At 145,000 square meters (1.56 million square feet, for those in the US), Oedo is far from small – but an hour walk in paradise is all you need.