Marado and Udo ― 2 Small Beauties Near Jeju Island
By Oleg Kiriyanov
Contributing writer
Those who visit Jeju Island ― arguably the best known South Korean resort island ― usually concentrate on the most popular sights there. It is understandable, as the island is quite big and has enough places to see and things to do to keep your schedule full for at least a week. But the smaller islands nearby also provide a good opportunity for one to enjoy unique views and make memories.
The first island of this kind is called Mara Island. To get there you have to take a boat from Jeju, usually taking about 30-40 minutes. The island is quite small ― taking less than an hour to walk around.
When you get there, you will feel like you are standing at the end of the world ― the small spot of land is surrounded by the endless ocean and far away one can see the silhouette of its ``big brother'' (Jeju).
Despite its small size, Mara Island is quite famous in Korea, as it holds an important place in Korean geography. It is the most southern point of the Republic of Korea, so, at least for Koreans, this island can be called ``the end of the world.''
Frankly speaking, because Mara Island is ``the southernmost'' island, it has become a popular destination for tourists. One of the most popular places on the island is the sign saying: ``You are standing on the most southern point of the territory of the Republic of Korea.''
Walk a bit more and you will see ``the Chocolate castle,'' the Mara branch of the Jeju Museum of Chocolate. The ``castle'' is more like a small and pretty house. You can buy chocolate stamped with ``Made on the most southern point of Korea ― Mara Island.''
Despite its small population of a few dozens families, the island has places of worship for the three main religions of Korea ― Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant. The Catholic church is probably the most interesting one in terms of architecture ― it has a big cupola structure.
Near the church you can see Mara Island's other attraction, the lighthouse, which looks especially white in the sun. In front of the lighthouse stand small miniatures of famous lighthouses from all over the world.
The other small island near Jeju that's worth visiting is called Udo (U Island). It is situated on the opposite side of Mara Island with Jeju in the middle, near the Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong). Unlike Mara Island, it is situated very close to the ``big brother'' and it takes no more than 10 minutes to get there by a boat. The name Udo means ``cow island'' ― it is called this because the shape of the island resembles that of a sleeping cow.
The locals say that Udo is a smaller copy of Jeju because it has everything Jeju is famous for but on a much smaller scale ― its own central mountain, nice beaches, stone streets and women divers (haenyeo), just to name a few.
The island is bigger than Mara Island, with the road around it stretching about 17 kilometers. It is nice ride by bicycle, which can be rented near the port. The stretch is a bit too long to walk, but at the same time too short to go by car. A bicycle tour will take about three hours and you can see all the interesting sights of Udo.
Udo has one of the most famous beaches of Korea ― the Sanhosa Beach, well-known for its special white sand. Actually the sand is made of tiny stones. The guidebooks say that sand of this kind can only be found in Korea. It is even forbidden to take the sand off the island.
Like Mara Island, Udo also has quite interesting lighthouses. There are two of them ― an old one that was in operation from 1906 till November 2003 and the new one. On the hill near the lighthouse, there is a museum displaying how people worked in the lighthouses. Also like Mara Island, there are miniatures of famous lighthouses in Korea and other countries, but those on Udo are bigger in size and number.
Some may find it interesting to visit the location where some popular Korean movies were shot, while some may prefer to see the local museum. But in general, just riding a bicycle around the island, you can see how people live in this remote part of the country and that it is quite different from what you see in other parts of Korea. I definitely agreed with the sign on one of the buildings of Udo: ``This island will remain beautiful for you even after a month-long stay here.'' By the way, for those who wish to spend more time in Udo, modern style motels are available.
If you come to Jeju Island, a visit to the two islands is advised ― you will be able to experience new things and see the relaxed style of life in the remote parts of Korea. If you're looking for beautiful landscapes ― Mara Island and Udo have plenty of them.
