10 Things to do in Jeju

Jeju is home to a number of Unesco World Heritage Sites so our itinerary focused on Jeju's natural beauty rather than the usual parks.

1. Yeondong Shopping District
Priorities.. If you're wondering if you can buy Korean cosmetics in Jeju, the answer is a resounding Yes! if you know where to look. You can find brands like Etude House, Tony Moly, Innisfree, Aritaum (Laneige, Mamonde, Iope), Missha, Banila Co., The Face Shop, Clio, HolikaHolika and others in Yeondong Shopping district. It's like Myeong-dong of Jeju with a lot less crowd. Yeondong shopping district is near Sammu Park bus stop or just pin Trevi Hotel and start from there.  I was a bit surprised when I saw Yeondong shopping district since it's where our hotel was located on our first night. I have always thought of Jeju as a laid back province type of place.

2. O'sulloc Tea House
This is just beside the Innisfree Jeju House so it's worth a look. They sell desserts like pastries and ice cream other than tea. You can also buy tea and green tea spread here for pasalubong.

3. Innisfree Jeju House
Innisfree is a korean cosmetic brand which specializes in natural and healthy beauty products.

They have special products here that are 'Jeju Island Exclusive' meaning you can't buy it from other innisfree stores.

One of their most popular product is the Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask which feels really good on the skin. You can also create a customized soap here. You can shape and design it the way you like.

4. Jusangjeolli Cliff
Is an awesome volcanic rock formation in Jeju. It's really beautiful and the waves are very relaxing to watch. Surprisingly, it's just a few minutes walk from the parking lot. I thought we needed to climb or trek or something to get here. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

5. Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls
Another easy access beauty. You need to walk a bit to get to the falls but it's like a walk in the park literally. The place reminds me of Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

6. Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak
Also known as Sunrise Peak. It's a bit of a tough climb, around 30min. to reach the peak to watch the sunrise.  Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

Sunrise at Seongsan Ilchulbong

I'm not a sunrise kind of person, I honestly think sunsets are better but since it's called sunrise peak..

There are stairs to reach the peak but at 5am in the morning which is very cold during fall, I was sweating as we climbed the stairs.

Jeju City View at the Peak

It is also home to Jeju women divers, they have shows every 1:30pm and 3:00pm. We were supposed to watch the show but it got cancelled due to very strong waves.

7. Manjanggul Lava Caves
One of the few lava tubes that is open for public access. One of the finest and second longest lava tunnel in Jeju. A bit of a long walk and there's only one way in and out. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

At the end of the tunnel you'll find this lava column. Which is formed by lava rising up the surface.

8. Samyang Black Sand Beach
I don't know why but when I think of Jeju before, I think of beaches so I wanted to see how it compares to our beaches. Samyang Black Beach reminds me of Pagudpod in Ilocos, probably because of the windmills. The waves and winds were very strong when we came. The sand is not as black as I expected.

9. Hallasan Mountain
Our first glimpse of fall was at Hallasan Mountain. We took the Yeongsil Trail which is a 2.5hrs hike up. It is said to be the most scenic route during fall and it did not disappoint.

It was so cold here and the chilly wind was blowing I feel like my ears and nose were going to fall. For some reason we weren't prepared enough for the cold.

Sunrise at Mt. Hallasan

Some say your trip to Jeju won't be complete if you don't see Mt. Hallasan

'Legend of the 500 Generals'

Obaekjanggun

'The park’s main theme is based on the legend of Seolmundae Halmang, the giant goddess credited with creating Jeju Island, and her sons, known in local mythology as the 500 generals.

One legend of Seolmundae Halmang tells that when her sons were out hunting, she made a cauldron of soup for their return but accidentally fell into the pot and died. The sons, oblivious to this, returned hungry and ate the soup, only realizing when the youngest son saw her bones at the bottom of the pot that they had eaten their own mother.

He wept bitterly and went to the west of Jeju where he turned into a solitary stone just off the coast known as Oedeolgae, or the Lone Stone. The other brothers also turned to stone on Mt. Halla and formed rock columns on Halla’s Yeongsil Trail called the Obaekjanggun.'

10. Woljeongri Beach
This beach reminds me of Baler. There were a few surfers on the beach when we came considering the cold weather.

If you're pressed for time, skip the beaches. It's more fun in the Philippines. Jeju Island is a site to behold as well. Nature at it's best. The places were very well preserved. We were able to go to all these places in 3 days. We traveled around Jeju via car rental so we got the time in our hands and very hassle free. Check out my Car Rental Blog as well.

Online Shopping for Cosmetics & Stuff

I love to shop online! that goes without saying especially cosmetic stuff. I understand that the thought of online shopping is a bit scary for the first time but you'll get used to it. There are a lot of things you can purchase online (you'll be surprised) but mostly I shop for cosmetics online because I don't have the time to go to the mall with my work shift and weekends spent in the province.
Shopping online is scary because there are a lot of fake stuff and scammers on the net. So you'll have to be really careful when choosing the product and the shop. Here are a few online shopping sites I've personally tried.

1. BeautyMNL.com
They offer brands including but not limited to L'oreal, Maybelline, NYX, Pink Sugar, ColourPop
Banila Co, COSRX, Innisfree, Mizon, Shu Emura, Shiseido, Nars, Bobbi Brown, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Kylie Cosmetics. This is a legit site with prices similar to mall prices. They sometimes offer free shipping and there are freebies upon checkout. This is where I purchased my NYX Liquid Suede. Free shipping for orders PHP2000+. Multiple payment methods available (PayPal, Creditcard, Bank Payment, CoD). Shipping may take some time.

2. StuffinStyle.com.ph
They offer brands including but not limited to L'oreal, Maybelline, NYX, ColourPop, ELF, Jordana
Ben Nye, Bare Minerals, Benefit, Christian Dior, Dose of Colors, Lorac, Lime Crime, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Milani, Mac Cosmetics, Urban Decay, Naturactor, Too Faced, The Balm. This is where we got our Milani Baked Blushes. The price is slightly lower than mall prices. Example MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation costs PHP1900 in the mall and only PHP1600 in SiS. Shipping is very fast that we got our order immediately the next day. Only accepts Bank Payment (BDO & BPI) and Money Transfers (Cebuana & LBC).

3. ph.Althea.kr
They offer brands including but not limited to Laneige, Innisfree, Piolang, Too Cool for School, Its Skin, Iope, Tony Moly, Nature Republic, Skin Food, Etude, The Saem, Dr.Jart, Holika Holika, Mamonde, W-Lab, Witch's Pouch. They offer authentic korean products in much lower prices than in malls. They have a free gift that changes weekly, welcome discounts for new members and discount coupons. Shipping may take some time.Offers free shipping for orders PHP1500+. Accepts payment through Creditcard or CoD.

4. Shopee.ph
You can buy almost anything on Shopee... almost. It's like OLX/Lazada/Zalora where products come from different sellers so you can't really guarantee if the product is genuine. But what I like about shopee is you can talk to the seller via chat functionality included in the shopee app so you can ask for product availability or ask for pictures or proof that the product is genuine. Here are some of the trusted sellers I check out with shopee.
makeupholics - US drugstore cosmetics like Maybelline, NYX, Wetnwild, LA Girl, C
koreana_ph - Korean products like Missha, Rire, April Skin, Clio, PeriPera, Apeiu, The Face Shop, Etude, Innisfree, Tony Moly
thebbcreamshopph - Korean products
samplehaven - Korean product samples
beautiliciousdeals - Rimmel, Revlon, Colourpop, Mary Kay, Ben Nye
PrincessShy - otg, usb, memory cards
Payment process may take some time. I usually use mobile banking (transfer to anyone) to transfer the payment to the Shopee Account (take note the account is owned by shopee) then shopee will verify your payment within 3 working days before the seller ships your order. Then once you confirm that you've received the item, shopee will then release the payment to the seller. (win - win). There are sellers that offer free shipping. Multiple payment methods available.

5. Zalora.com.ph
They offer brands including but not limited to Sleek, K-Palette, Nyx, Sigma, Max Factor, Maybelline, Suesh, Happy Skin, ELF, Ofra, L'oreal, Ecotools, V10 Plus, Colourette. This site is similar to Lazada. Free shipping available for order PHP999+ (per seller). Payment available through Creditcard or CoD.

6. Bonmarchepage.com
They offer brands including but not limited to L'oreal, Maybelline, NYX, Nars, Bobbi Brown, Anastasia Beverly Hills, ELF. They have cheaper prices than mall prices but sometimes the products have small defects which they specify clearly in their site so check the description well before buying. Free shipping for orders PHP3000 above. Only accepts Bank Payments (BDO,BPI, Metrobank) or GCash.

Althea Korean Cosmetics Online Store Review

There's this ad about althea which always pops up in my facebook feed and being the curious and shop-a-holic bloke that I am, I checked out the website and ordered a few items I'd liked to try.
Their site is ph.althea.kr which I already know by heart. I have already had 3 transactions with them along with my family and officemates.

The package comes in a neat pink box (covered in bubble wrap which is a plus)

And all items inside are completely sealed (and again wrapped in bubble wraps)

This was my first loot

Etude Drawing Pencil PHP160

(PHP178 in stores)

Eyebrow Brush PHP60

Screw Brush PHP40

Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask PHP560 (around PHP800 in stores)

I have heard a lot of great things about this mask. I have already used it twice and so far so good. It feels very refreshing on the skin and does a good job bluring out some pores. It's nice that you can see immediate results after using the product. I just wish it came with a free spatula.

Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner PHP440 (around PHP550 in stores)

I honestly don't know if it's effective but it's not doing anything bad so far so i'll just keep on using it.

Swanicoco Snail Skin Toner and Emulsion Set PHP832

This is my favorite find so far. I think it's a really good introduction to snail products. I was afraid it wouldn't be any good for my oily skin but what do I know I love it. They are not sticky at all and it smells good.

Swanicoco Snail Skin Toner

It's not as liquidy or water-like like most if not all toners I've tried. It has a certain consistency but still easy to apply.

Swanicoco Snail Emulsion

Emulsions are like light moisturizers which are good for oily skin. It looks quite firm but

it actually melts when it comes in contact with your skin.

I initially thought it would make my skin oilier than it already is but no. And I like the dewy healthy glow it gives when you apply it. 

These are my sister's loots

It's my Lip Crayon in Nudie Rose PHP240

Under Eye Brightener PHP190

Witch's Pouch Selfie Perfect Eyebrow PHP150

This is quite affordable because it comes with a refill.

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Blooming Fit PHP660

You probably can't see it but it has a white cast to it.

She also bought a Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask for PHP550, Block block Soap PHP310 (expensive!) and she got a free item in the treasure hunt event which is Skin Food Rice Wash Off Mask PHP310

Overall the online shopping experience with Althea is nice but totally addicting. Items ship directly from Korea and it takes about a week before they send out Shipping Notifications and another 2-3 days before Delivery. Shipping is free with a Cash on Delivery option for orders PHP1500 and above. They also have a PHP150 coupon for new customers. Also they have different promotions every week like Buy 2 Take 1 or free gifts or treasure hunts. I will most probably repurchase here once I use up all my stuff. :)

POBox.ph Review

Want items so bad but they're not available here? Worried about exorbitant shipping fees? Why not give POBox.ph a go?

How does POBox.ph work?

1. REGISTER - Go to POBox.com and register.

Signing up is free. You just have to upload 2 valid IDs and fill up the form.

2. SHOP - this is my favorite step. Shop online and have them delivered to the POBox address using the name you used to register at POBox.ph

Just make sure the site allows delivery to POBox address. You can check this in the site's FAQs page (usually). 

Also note that it's not safe to ship electronics and gadgets via POBox.

If the site does not accept credit card with non us billing address, you can call/contact POBox, give the site and items you want to buy and they will shop for you for a minimal service charge. 

3. TRACK - track your items in the POBox site. They will update this tracker once they receive your items. Note however that tracking is not real time which makes the wait excruciating. Especially when you read delivery notes like "Left at the docks", "Received by Michael" etc.

I used to log it per tracking number. Sometimes items in a single order are separated into partial deliveries.

4. BOX IT - select the items you want to be consolidated into a single box and request to box it.

  

POBox will consolidate your orders and will be billed depending on which box size your items will fit into.

To give you an idea we bought the following items (yes I have my own tracker :p). 10 shoes (without boxes), 2 slippers, 3 card games, make up and some other stuff as well and they did fit into a black box (the smallest box).

My 2 cents: I was nervous because it's our first time trying POBox. I was freaking out if I entered the correct address and if they delivered it to the correct authorities (as mentioned above). Hence the personal tracker. I was being paranoid. We had some minor problems like deliveries not being marked as received for a long time even though they have already been delivered. So I had to call POBox from time to time to have updates and reassurance that no items would go missing. Their customer service was pretty amazing though not 24hours available.
Once our items were completed we had them consolidated and they did a really good job at it mind you. We got discounts from Citibank promo code so shipping cost was just around 2000.
What I like about ocean shipping is that they don't care about the weight but the size of the items. Though it takes longer than air shipping, if you're not in a hurry it's more economical. So I think we got a pretty good deal.
The last item was delivered February 4, We requested to pack it Feb 14 and we received the box March 23. (It was delivered to a provincial address so maybe it took a little more time). They will give you a tracking number which you can check at forexworld.us
The package arrived in one piece and with all the items complete and intact. (No issues or additional fees encountered) So good job POBox!
Will I try POBox again? We're actually already window shopping for our next box :p

UPDATE: 11/26/2016

For our second box, I actually have pictures!!! yay!!!
We started ordering items from amazon as early as September 1, 2016. It was just the start of the ber months but we already had trouble with the shipping. Most of the item's delivery were late by a week or more and we had to follow up or had our orders replaced.
In fairness, POBox PH has improved. They already have email notifications when they receive the items.

Plus we just learned that not everything you buy from Amazon is authentic. We bought a Kylie Birthday Edition Mini Lipsticks which was sold and fulfilled by Amazon but then after we ordered it the reviews started to say that it was fake. Our item was already delivered to POBox but we were able to return the item and get a refund for it. Kudos to the POBox Customer service for helping us facilitate the return.

But we were surprised that a box of the lipstick was still packed and compared it to an original Kylie Lipkit and yes the mini lipstick from Amazon was fake. So we were really glad we had it refunded.

Blue Box

The black box was about half the size of this box.

We requested for the box to be packed by September 24, 2016. They finished packing and sent us an invoice for a blue box which costs 72.5USD. We got our tracking number by October 25 and the estimated arrival in PH was November 15 but it arrived as early as November 11. The box reached UMAC Cargo ( the courier) by November 19 and promised us the box will be delivered within the week but Friday came and there was still no box. We couldn't wait any longer and decided to just pick up the box from their Marikina warehouse which was surprisingly open for 24hours.

Note: If you're going to pick up the box, you have to inform them one day ahead so they can search for the box in the sea of boxes in their warehouse.

I was really disappointed to see the box was not filled to the brim unlike before. Also, they did not remove the shoe boxes as I have instructed in the notes and I feel that if they had put in a little more effort, the items could be put in a smaller box.