Hallim Park is a place to spend the whole day, as it has nine attractions and several others within them. Any person looking for a relaxing walk through a park is in for a treat whether you go it solo, with a date, or with friends. One thing to note is that one visit might not be enough and with several festivals throughout the year, I plan to visit again and again.
My first visit to Hallim Park was during spring, earlier this year. I had been thinking about Hallim Park for some time and when a friend mentioned it as a meet up place for 'Jeju Lovers' Meet-Up, I was all for it.
A forty-minute drive from Jeju-si to the west coast was totally worth it. For 9,000 won you'll get to see and do so many great activities that involve plant life, a few animals, several folk tales behind the two caves at Hallim Park and much much more.
On this trip, my neighbor, Rebecca and I headed to The Water Garden first, as this is where the Lotus Festival would be. Unfortunately, it seems we missed most of it. Probably best to go during the earlier dates of festivals at Hallim Park. Never fear! There was still so much ahead to see and do.
The Water Garden. The thing you'll see first is The Grand Waterfall which is a perfect place to take a picture. I also noticed the koi fish in the pond to the left of The Grand Waterfall right away. In August, you can take in the Lotus Festival and in September, The Lily Festival.
 |
| The Grand Waterfall |
 |
| Pond near The Grand Waterfall |
In addition to The Ostrich Garden, there are at least three areas with differencing species of birds. In my favorite area, the Macaw Garden, you could feed some pretty colorful birds. Most of the birds do roam freely and exhibit great home training. Something I noticed was that how mannerly they accept being hand-fed sunflower seeds. There were also two boisterous piglets, a handful of rabbits, a pair if chipmunks and many other species of tropical birds. One friendly bird surprised me by landing on my shoulder. What fun!
 |
| Hand Feeding canaries at the bird cage |
 |
| Hand feeding birds at the Macaw Garden |
Some of the birds at Hallim Park were in bad shape. This one in particular seemed to be on its' last leg, but when it flew right to my hand for tender loving hand feeding, I couldn't say no.
 |
Hyeopjae and Ssangyong Caves. Walking through caves in Jeju island never get old. And the folk tales that go along with them are pretty entertaining. I made sure to walk around the pillar of wisdom three times to obtain as much wisdom as I could.
Jeju Stone and Bonsai Garden. Bonsai trees are these little compact trees that only grow to certain sizes and they're pretty spectacular out in the open. I did visit the Brooklyn Bontanical Gardens several years ago, but the bonsai trees were housed in it's own sort of greenhouse. Here, you could take a walk with all sorts of bonsai trees to the left and to the right. This one tree here, I've seen in movies.
Jae-Am Folk Village. This is how the people of Jeju Island lived life many, many years ago and I really love that Jeju's history is so well preserved. A walk through Jeju Folk Village, you can picture what life was like for the people in those times. Notice how put together the roofs are. Just amazing!
Tips:
1. Be sure to pick up a brochure for Hallim Park when you purchase your admission ticket. It's in English and has a map of the entire area and a list of each festival and month in which it's held.
2. Be sure to walk with sunscreen as most of the areas are out in the open. It'll be a good idea to prepare for the days weather.
3. Wash you hands after interacting with the animals. Birds are hand fed--literally from your hand--as were the pigs. I fed this one bird that was in bad shape and I noticed there wasn't an area for hand washing. You'll have to find the nearest bathroom.4. For more on hours and location, visit the official Hallim Park website HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment