Jeju Island- Cheonjeyeon Falls

Gate off to the side of the path to the falls

These falls we came upon by accident- they were not on my top list of things to do. We were driving back from the cliffs and saw the sign. We pulled over and ended up loving these waterfalls the best. I think the top waterfall was actually Cheonjeyeon falls, and then in this beautiful gorge that went straight out to the ocean there were waterfalls aptly named "2nd waterfall" and "3rd waterfall".

Before we reached the waterfall, we went over a spectacular, but completely unnecessary bridge to the other side of the gorge. We could see the ocean in the distance and the lush trees and undergrowth just made it a gorgeous view.

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Austin and Landon on top of the bridge

 Below, you can see that it was fairly steep to get up to the top. I guess it looked like I was struggling to push the stroller, because a woman posing for a picture stopped to help me get the stroller up the hill.

The huge bridge with my boys

The actual Cheonjeyeon falls were running a little dry right now, with just little trickles at the actual waterfall. During run-off time it is probably a deluge. This falls also had an irrigation channel that the locals had dug out to divert water to irrigate their fields. It was very hot and humid and the breeze and feeling coming off that cold water felt really good as we were climbing down to see the falls!

The water was such an unreal blue color

Because of the humidity and the cold water, there was a weird mist that is hard to capture coming off the water

Can you see the falls? The little trickles down there?

As soon as we got down to the water, Landon was trying to take his shoes off to dip his feet in the water. The water was colder than the last waterfall, but that didn't stop him. He wanted to go all in and it took a lot to make sure he didn't. I'm glad Austin caught this guy on camera- the guy behind me in the red shirt had some sort of brain disorder that was hard to describe and identify even for a physical therapist. He had some ataxia- or uncoordinated movements and maybe chorea- writhing movements that are involuntary, but then he was full on two-footed jumping from stone to stone at this waterfall with an expensive camera, and he was able to go up and down the steps to go see the waterfall. Really confusing level of function for me. I was scared for him, but he seemed to do fine on the rocks, although he used a cane to get up the stairs.

More dipping

It was so hot and humid with the typhoon coming that all we wanted to do was go for a dip in the water. Unfortunately, Koreans think that it is dangerous to swim, so this sign was posted and we were very disappointed.

It says "No swimming, when swimming you can be died with heart attack"

The most ironic bit is that the climb OVER the giant bridge and up and down the stairs to see the waterfalls was strenuous enough that honestly that could easily cause a heart attack more than a little dip in the waterfall water. It is so cold that the swim could not last more than a few minutes anyway. For a moment, we wished we were in Hawaii where such things are allowed and possibly encouraged. 

Next, we visited the 2nd waterfall which was not too far from the actual Cheonjeyeon falls. It was a legit waterfall and we loved it. There wasn't much opportunity for dipping feet, which disappointed Landon but didn't stop him from trying to get in the water. 

2nd Waterfall at Cheonjeyeon Falls

Next, we hiked to "3rd waterfall". This one was way further away and down a bunch of stairs, which meant to get back we had to climb up a bunch of stairs. Which would have been fine if it was a grand waterfall or we were closer to it. Unfortunately, we were disappointed in the view of this waterfall and wondered why we had climbed down all those stairs. At this point, we were soaked as if we had dipped in the waterfall due to the humidity, temperature and direct sunlight. Landon made some friends at 2nd waterfall that made their way to 3rd waterfall as well. Austin took a picture for them- I think they were on their honeymoon. Many Korean couples go to Jeju for their honeymoon. Some wear identical or coordinating outfits including the same shoes! Austin and I could never do that because he does not fit into big girl sizes nor do I fit so well into smaller man sizes. Anyway, they were cute and they had an umbrella to shield their delicate skin from the sun. Landon loved the umbrella and they let him play with it for awhile. I called it good when he started getting close to poking people's eyes out.

3rd waterfall

Landon at 3rd waterfall

Cheonjeyeon falls was a pleasant surprise and I'm glad that we took the time to check it out. This fountain was near the entrance- depending on what you were wishing for, you flipped your coin in the fountain nearest to the head representing what you wanted- longevity, or wisdom, etc. I don't remember what they all were, and we didn't have coins, but I thought it was a cool concept.