South Korea, July 2014
Having a week off before summer camps, we decided to roadtrip down to Jeju Island using the car ferry. We took an early morning drive down to the south coast city of Mokpo and headed to the ferry terminal. Since it was a last minute decision to make the trip, we had not been able to get hold of the reservations office (by phone) and so were just going to wing it and hope for the best.
Consequently, when we arrived at the ferry dock at 8am (the ferry leaves at 9am), we were denied access and told to book a week in advance – First Problem. So, like the good waygooks (foreigners) we are, we made sad faces and asked way too many questions and begged and pleaded with the stern looking gate man… It worked! He allowed us to drive on the ferry (the last car!) and we had about twenty minutes to park, walk off the ferry, pay at the car office, run across to the passenger terminal, pay for the passengers tickets and then run on to the ferry from the passenger entrance. Rather stressful! But we made it.
In all the rush in leaving our apartment at 3 a.m. I had forgotten to take my passport or Alien Registration Card with me (idiot!) – Second Problem – so I used my Korean driver’s licence as my identification and thankfully there were no issues both to and from Jeju.
The ferry left promptly at 9a.m. and arrived four and a half hours later in Jeju City. We drove off the ferry and straight to the ticket office to check if we would be able to get home a few a days later – third problem. The helpful assistant provided me with a number (with an English-speaking operator) which I phoned immediately to reserve our place on the ferry back to Mokpo. I was given a reference number (via text) and told to arrive at 3 p.m. to load the car. Finally, we were ready to go and explore Jeju Island!
For those of you who take this trip, you should know:
- We travelled on Sea World Express Ferry (Mokpo-Jeju) on SeaStar Cruise.
- The number to book the car ferry from Jeju to Mokpo is 064-7584234 (The other number (which I never did get through to) for Mokpo to Jeju is 1-577-3567).
- If you travel in economy class, take something to lie on/sit on and a good book. It is just a room allocation with no seating – everybody in your room (about 15 – 20 people) sleeps on the floor Korean style and there is a TV. There was no cellphone signal for most of the way so internet surfing is not an option.
- On the ferry there were bathrooms, a cafeteria, a convenience store, a Paris Baguette, a place to sit and eat in the center court, decks to walk out around the boat, arcade-type video games, a noraebang (karaoke bar), a room full of massage chairs and a helpful information desk.
- We had to be at the pier 2 hours before leaving (Pier 6 at the Jeju Port). After loading the car, you walk back out on to the pier and go around to the passenger entrance to buy a ticket and board through the security gate.
Bon Voyage!
P.S. Yes, we did travel by ferry to Jeju Island, South Korea in the wake of the tragic April 2014 ferry disaster in South Korea. No, we didn’t have any safety issues and emergency procedures seemed to be firmly in place.
The second night of our road trip, we stayed at a pension on the West Coast of the island – in Korea, ‘pension’ refers to a self-catering holiday flat or room, usually with a kitchenette. We had almost driven right around the island from Woljeong-ri in the northeastern corner, past some stunning ocean views, to the southwestern corner of the island.
