Beach Talk.

If there's one thing I always include in my travel itenerary, it's going to the beach. For someone who can't even swim, it's a little weird to say that I love spending time at the beach. There are so many reasons why I like to go there, maybe it's the sweet briny-smelling wind, the seaweed-laden sand, or the relaxing sound of the waves that varies during different parts of the day. I love the serenity it gives, perfect for days you wanna do some soul searching. I also love long walks by the shore, especially during sunrise or sundown when the clouds change color and the water becomes sparkly, glittery, and shiny. The thing that I love the most is seeing people's happy faces and knowing everyone's having a blast doing all sorts of things. It's rare to see Koreans smile, but you get to see that a lot when you visit the beach.


I've lost count how many beaches I visited in Korea, some of them "swimmable" and some exclusively for sightseeing purposes only. A few of them turned out to be a disappointment, but others were pretty memorable like Gyongpodae, Gwangalli, and Haeundae (the 3 most famous beach in Korea). Some people asked me how the beaches here compare to the ones back home, I say they're different in so many ways. I can't say which is better, afterall this is a different country, and the experience that goes with it is nothing like what you can get back home. The sand may not be as white as what we have, but the beach here has it's own charm.


Like in the case of Gyeongpodae, it's surrounded by beautiful pine trees, the steel blue water is cold even during the hottest part of summer, waves are big and strong and seeing that forming in the middle before it crashes to the shore is really awesome.


Gwangalli is nothing like what I've seen before. It may look ordinary during daytime, but as the sun sets, it transforms into one magical place illuminated by a thousand different colors from cafes, nightclubs, and restaurants nearby. The Gwangan bridge (the biggest in Korea spanning 7,420 meters) right in the middle is colorfully lit at night, colors changing in sequence. Seeing this made me want to have a DSLR so bad... (*I hate this picture and believe me, if I have a better one, I'm not gonna post this).

Haeundae is by far the most popular beach in Korea. During the peak of summer, it gets unbelievably crowded here (by crowded I meant more than 100,000 people). It's surrounded by huge 5-star hotels, lots of restaurants, and high-rise apartments that makes it colorful at night. I noticed the crowd here is different from the rest of the beaches in Korea. There are lots of good-looking people with drool-worthy bodies, scantily clad in the tiniest swim wear. Having seen this kind of people makes me wanna ask why some gets to have it all (a pretty face, body to die for, perfect skin, perfect hair, and height we could only dream of having), while some of us gets to be funny, smart, or articulate. (*picture taken during the early part of summer, the water is still too cold for swimming)

If you're planning to go to the beach here, it's imperative that you carefully plan which beach you should go to, so as to avoid disappointment. That's because it looks different from place to place. If you visit the West coast, the water looks muddy and sand is dark (as in really dark you're gonna think twice whether to swim or not). East coast is better cause it's not too crowded, waves are stronger, and the water looks nicer, cleaner, deeper, and colder. The Southern part without a doubt is the best. The water is nice and warm, the sand is lighter and finer than all the other places, plus you get to be surrounded by beautiful people. My most amazing and unforgettable beach experience happened here. I visited Jeju for the first time, and saw the most beautiful beach in Korea!




This beach is not as popular as the others, so there were just a few people there when I visited. The sand is the lightest I've seen so far in all of Korea (reminds me a lot of Boracay). Some part, the water is black due to volcanic rocks, some part it's seaweed green, but for most part it's turquoise, emerald, and deep dark blue. The water is warm and shallow, perfect for people who don't know how to swim like me. But I must warn you, Jeju is sweltering in summer so bring your SPF 50 sunblock. 30 minutes was enough to burn me beyond recognition. My sunburn was so bad that I had to visit the hospital and take painkillers to sleep at night. It took 3 months to get my old color back. But it's worth it, as I got to see what paradise must look like!