Spending a Day on Korea's Udo Island

Udo Island - which means Cow Island  because it resembles a cow lying down - is off the coast of Jeju Island, which is off the Southern coast of Korea. We ferried to Udo for a day trip on our visit to Jeju last spring. Come find out why Udo is a popular tourist spot for Koreans.

The ferry to Udo leaves from Seongsun Harbor on the eastern side of Jeju and is a short 15 minute ride. There was a traffic jam when we arrived to the ferry port - Udo is uber popular for Koreans - as the parking lot appeared to be full. A parking attendant finally found a spot for us and we thought we were in the clear only to find an incredibly long line of pedestrians waiting to board the ferry. After filling out boarding forms - which luckily were in English - we made it on the boat - phew! - and were on our way to Udo. (As of August 2018, the ferries are pedestrian only and ferries leave every hour on the hour during prime season)

We passed through the port and past the lighthouse and arrived at Cheonjin port. It's walking distance to the main little town - a few blocks only - where there are hawkers galore to rent bicycles, mopeds, golf carts and scooters to tour the island. Unfortunately, we didn't do our research and found that they take cash only - no credit cards. They allowed my daughter to leave her license and borrow a vehicle to drive to the nearest ATM while we waited for what seemed like hours - granted she was on a scooter that didn't go very fast - so she could get some cash. We rented the little jeep she was already on and a motor scooter with side car for Mr. UR and I. 

Finally, we were off. Our goal was to circle the island and see what there was to see in Jeju's mini-me.
Like Jeju, Udo is known for it's volcanic rock, black sand beaches, turquoise water, black pork and peanut ice cream. Due to our lost time at the beginning of the day, we were limited on our time with the scooter rentals. So we would only have time for a few stops at best. We were also hindered by traffic jams of scooters, cars, motor scooters, a tour bus and the like. ( I highly recommend that you turn left out of Cheongsin instead of right to avoid crowds if you ever visit Udo but hindsight is 20/20, right?)

Our first stop was Seobin Baeksa, the white beach. Fine, powder white sand and such turquoise water that you think you are in the Meditteranean. I had to put my feet in the water and it was pleasantly refreshing - or in other words, cold. Time was of the essence so we moved on but not before Mr. UR tried to kill me by popping a wheelie and our motor scooter went all the way backwards. I guess that's why they make you wear helmets! He says that he just hit the gas too hard - I think maybe he was trying to channel his inner Evil Knievil. 

Then we got a glimpse of one of the Haenyo, the famous women divers of Jeju and Udo. These female divers spend all day in the water starting at 8 or 9am and finishing at 3 or 4pm with no breaks in between - food can cause stomach cramps. They put chewing gum in their ears to keep water out,  take pain relievers to stop headaches from the water pressure and rub their masks with gumwort to keep them from fogging up. There is no assistance from oxygen tanks and they started diving from necessity. While men were serving their country, the women harvested from the sea - abalone, conch and octopus and most grabbed barehanded - which they would sell. It was - and is - a profession of peasantry, of necessity. It's a dying breed as most young women are no longer taking up the profession and most that are left are well over 50 with some being 70 or 80. They are  unique to Korea and one of the most famous things about Jeju and Udo. (There is a show put on by the women divers that you may attend on Jeju) There is a memorial to the divers in Cheongsin and statues all over the island of these famous lady divers. And collecting and selling seaweed seems to be profitable also as you can see women doing this all over the island.

Next we came upon Geommelle the black sand beach. We didn't have a chance to climb down to it - we only enjoyed it from the overlook - but it's said there is a cave behind the boulders and you can purchase directly from the women sea divers along here. 

We passed restaurants, some homes (there are approximately 700 families of 1600 people living on the island) and a few shops, fields and horses. Sadly, it was time to make our way back to port to return our vehicles. Time on vacation always flies by - and our day on Udo Island was no exception. I'm not sure what our odds are on returning someday, but I'd like to. Next time, I'm climbing down to the beach. And I'm definitely wearing my helmet.

How about you? Have you heard of Udo? Or it's famous women divers?


Linking up with: WATW at Communal Global , The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond, The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party and Sharon's Photo Souvenir Blog Hop at Sharon's Souvenirs!