Korea DAY 5: (Pt. 3) O-Sulloc Tea Museum + Arrival at Hotel Nanta

Read Part 2 HERE !

As much as my browsing partner had emphasized Jeongbang Waterfall being a "quick" stopover, I wasn't about departing until I had captured the scene as best as I could. Having forgotten my 360 camera altogether (it was in the luggage in the car!), my next best option was to review different angles for a seamless recap.

I was urged to "hurry up" with the photos, which, truthfully, contradicted my browsing partner's life motto of moving slowly foe no good reason. Eventually, we climbed up the steep flight of stairs separately - for I was happier without nagging in my ear. We skipped browsing the on-site vendors and made our way back to the car.
"There's a trail over there."
"We are LEAVING!" I announced. "O-Sulloc is going to close!" Repeate reminders became necessary in the face of a driver embracing extreme fluidity.

​The trip from the south coastline averaged 45 minutes. Along the way were museums neither of us could have imagined to exist: Figure Museum Jeju with spiderman climbing its street-facing frontage, Hello Kitty Island with an eye-catching geometric design accentuated with pastel pink and bows, and more. There was seemingly museums dedicated to every interest under the sun, from coffee to chocolate to Greek mythology to various forms of art.

The O-Sulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree flagship store was located in a distinctly commercial/touristy neighbourhood. Roads and boulevards were wider, signalized intersections more common, and entrance paths grander than the calm and quaint Seogwipo.

​Turning into the asphalt lot, members of staff would direct visitors to vacant parking spaces throughout the space. This approach was effective in maintaining a steady flow of vehicles in and out of the lot, further preventing congestion and crowding at either end of the parking area.

Having arrived just short of 5 PM, I declared that there would only be one hour of exploration time remaining. My browsing partner simply shrugged in response to my half-annoyed tone, a gesture indicative of a lack of accountability for the turnout of events.

A Guide Map was positioned near the entrance pathways to the O-Sulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree store. The two establishments shared the lot, featuring interconnecting pathways and short, recreational trails between the buildings.

​I led the way into the O-Sulloc Tea Museum first. Again, my browsing partner was eager to dismiss the need to be swift and delve into the "museum" component of the facility. Much to my relief, the curated content spanned just a small section of front area of the building. The remainder assumed a tourist attraction, showcasing equipment for tea leaf roasting behind a glass display, an overhead conveyor belt for display of tea bags, and sampling stations to encourage spending.

​The O-Sulloc Tea Museum could hardly be described as a "museum", but rather a tea-based retail store with café and educational elements.

​I eyed the bags of tea with scrutiny, attempting to identify the items that were exclusive to the Jeju outpost. My investigations led me to the Jeju Farm Fresh Green Tea (a classic non-exclusive) and the Jeju Peanut Black Tea (a new, "Jeju Only" variety). Allergen information were posted next to the latter, causing my browsing partner - and, unfortunately, me as well) - to steer clear of the sampling station. As much as I enjoy exclusives, I couldn't risk stomaching an entire supper by myself.

​The second half of the building featured an expansive retail store. From souvenir caps and pins to loose leaf tea to green tea-infused packaged snacks, the boutique could be described as a playground for fans of O-Sulloc.

​It goes without saying that we spent a considerable amount of time here, covering each and every aisle and shelf without restraint. At long last, I'd acquire the infamous Green Tea Milk Spread that had gained popularity many years ago. Between us, we also reasoned to share a three-pack of Baumkuchen. Instead of taking to one of each flavour, my browsing partner voted against Banana. Thus, added to the basket were two Hallabong and one Green Tea.

​I was keen to obtain matcha in both pure (unaltered) and instant mix (commercially stabilized) renditions. Expectations were high, given the establishment's emphasis on quality tea.

Between the two of us, the haul comprised of:

• Jeju Green Tea Baumkuchen (Buy 3 for 22,000 KRW) (x1); 7,333 KRW
• Jeju Hallabong Baumkuchen (Buy 3 for 22,000 KRW) (x2); 14,667 KRW
• Samdayeon Milk Tea Packs; 10,400 KRW
• Jeju Green Tea Raspberry Truffle; 12,600 KRW
• Jeju Volcanic Tea (50 g); 35,000 KRW
• Jeju Green Tea (50 g); 17,000 KRW
• Matcha Stick (5-pack / 70 g); 8,000 KRW
• Jeju Green Tea Chocolate Bar; 9,900 KRW
• Premium Matcha (40 g); 18,400 KRW
• Matcha Pretzel (70 g); 5,400 KRW
• Green Tea Wafer (100 g); 5,400 KRW
• Camelia Forest Tea Bags (3-pack); 5,500 KRW
• Jeju Tea Museum Badge Set; 5,000 KRW
• Premium Matcha Waffle (72 g); 5,400 KRW
• Green Tea Milk Spread (x2); 19,800 KRW

making for a grand total of 179,800 KRW - an undoubtedly extravagant amount for mere souvenirs!

For Taiwanese tourists, O-Sulloc had partnered with LINE Pay to enable a 10% discount. Despite dire attempts to link my foreign credit card to my existing LINE account, the LINE Pay platform refused to register as intended. At the very least, the amount was eligible for a tax refund. O-Sulloc would not be assisting with instant tax refunds, however.

​Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the flagship store was permitted entry of visitors onto its upper levels. The third-level Observation Deck was closed due to weather conditions, but the enclosed Observatory on the second floor remained open year-round.
Its quarters were quite compact though, and there was little to see besides a distant view of the tea fields and stone-lined walkway.

View the full album HERE !

​It would be unwise to depart without a taste of their green tea soft serve. Nearing the order counter for the café portion, we learned that O-Sulloc offered drinks and cakes in addition to luscious swirls of grassiness.

​The counter included a display case for visual reference of the menu items. An allergen table was also positioned nearby, listing each product against their ingredients. The data was presented in Korean, though legible enough to be translated using Google Lens or Papago if required.

​Opting for one of the "Best Sets" would have saved us a few dollars, but the pre-determined selections did not appeal to us.

Our à la carte picks spanned:

• Jeju Matcha Soft Serve; 5,800 KRW
• Matcha Waffle O Fredo; 8,500 KRW
• White Green Roll Cake; 6,500 KRW
• Jeju Cheonhyehyang Tea Ade; 7,500 KRW

These items were presented in a dine-in format, save the excessively cloying Cheonhyehyang Tea Ade. We were about seven minutes from the slated 6 PM closure, therefore were advised by staff to endeavour to deplete the items rapidly. Suffice to say, the experience was hardly relaxing, in spite of the serene setting and pond lookout.

My browsing partner's Matcha Waffle O Fredo combined an icy slush with a half-portion of green tea soft serve and a somewhat sodden waffle. I was informed of a tremendous brain freeze, given our tragic time constraints.

​I had barely managed more than three spoonfuls of the Jeju Matcha Soft Serve before we had been issued the pack-up warning. As such, the White Green Roll Cake was preserved in its acetate lining and slid into a paper bag for later consumption.

The Jeju Matcha Soft Serve boasted a promising appearance: saturated in hue, lush in consistency, and uniformly smooth. Alas, its profile was grassy but not particularly aromatic or complex. Furthermore, the texture was icier than expected. We both agreed that Daigyo reigned superior​ - a shocking review for an establishment's signature creation.

I had barely finished either the Cheonhyehyang Tea Ade or Soft Serve before seeing my surroundings steadily vacate. Both were swept off the table and taken to go.

​Prior to departing, I hurriedly dashed to the bathroom. Spacious and brimming with natural illumination from floor-to-ceiling glass panels, the indoor plumbing facilities had adopted a similar aesthetic to the remainder of the building.
That said, it was apparent that sewage capacity was inadequate to combat the volumes summoned by the tourist destination. Used toilet paper was to be disposed in the garbage bin as opposed to being flushed down the toilet. Even on our third day on the island, I couldn't fully comprehend this concept. The solution wasn't sustainable by any means, nor was it sanitary!

​While we realized that Korea is a country that operates punctually with regard to hours of operation, I proposed trying our luck at the Innisfree store anyway.
​
As expected, the interior had dimmed and perimeter deserted, much to my dismay.

​In peering through the windows, I found that there was little variance in product selection from the standard Innisfree boutique. At a glance, the only exception was a soap-making workshop area that consisted of a few elongated tables.

​The adjacent Innisfree Jeju House was also shuttered for the day. Signage outside the entrance advertised café fare such as sandwich combos, iced beverages, and Jeju-exclusive desserts.

​Canelé, tigre, and dacquoise gift sets were seemingly also offered. Purchase of three or more sets would supposedly entail a complimentary Sanrio Innisfree eco bag.

​My extreme disappointment was made known to my browsing partner.

​Without much else available for exploration, I took to the periphery of the O-Sulloc Green Tea Field.

​Sunset had painted a stunning gradient backdrop with moderate, golden shadows.​

​Dragging my feet back to the car, I cast one final look at the open parkland before sighing again. The early evening had marked my sole opportunity to roam my designated POI, yet my browsing partner's impromptu detour had robbed me of the chance. Worst of all, there was no remorse to be extended whatsoever.

Frankly, I had hoped to indulge in afternoon snack around 4 PM and be on my way to dinner by 6:30 PM. Travelling with my browsing partner had uprooted commonly accepted eating times, causing extremely late meals - or no proper ones at all!

Too full for dinner, I suggested making our way to Hotel Nanta before contemplating sustenance again. The Hallasan hike awaited us early the next morning.

​The commute enabled us a beautiful view of snow-covered Hallasan, stimulating feelings of excitement as we continued towards the centre of the island.

For a brief moment, my frustrations melted away. "We're going there tomorrow!!" I exclaimed with glee.

​We then navigated away from the collector roads and onto the highway.

A glowing sunset chased us from behind.

​By the time we arrived at Hotel Nanta, the sky had dimmed completely. Pitch black were our surroundings and dreadfully chilly was the night.

​Hotel Nanta was our most budget-friendly accommodation of the entire trip. I entered through the revolving door with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised to find a clean, roomy foyer and plenty of on-site amenities and eateries. Besides offering discounts to nearby restaurants, the hotel housed a pocha (pub-style eatery), sit-down restaurant, and even a convenience store! The ground-level GS25 operated on a 24-hour basis, though on-site staff would be replaced by a virtual checkout counter come midnight.

While I handled the check-in procedures, my browsing partner routed through the asphalt lot in search of parking. Locating spaces was apparently difficult during typical check-in hours, so our atypically late arrival actually worked in our favour.

I took note of the Hallasan bus routes posted near the front desk, then turned to the nearby luggage cart to move our bags and purchases upstairs. ​We were allocated one card per room only.

​Hotel Nanta comprised of mainly Korean-speaking staff. The lady behind the front desk revealed slight struggles with English, though I made our her pronunciation without issues.

Calling concierge for a clogged toilet was less effective, I later learned. Vocabulary such as "clogged" prompted a "Sorry, I do not understand". Despite cycling through alternate word choices of "send help" and the even simpler "not working", identical results persisted. Ultimately, the toilet unclogged itself, nixing the need for a plunger or follow-up service request.

After returning the luggage cart to the ground floor, I briskly strode over to GS25. Convenience store fare would serve as dinner once more.

We also took advantage of the opportunity to stock up on essential hiking snacks. I debated on the severely overpriced bananas for a few minutes before surrendering 2500 KRW for a pack of three. Beer, kimbap/onigiri, and an instant beef gamjatang was also added to the basket.

The expansive selection of protein shakes was impressive, though the granola bar section less so. We hovered by the shelf for at least five minutes, with me carefully reviewing the ingredient list for presence of peanuts.
The ordeal prompted the cashier draw near for assistance. She first expressed a disclaimer regarding her English skills, that she could communicate in English but "very slowly". I assured her that we could understand (basic) Korean - causing much relief on her end - and informed her of our mission to locate peanut-free granola bars. In the end, we turned to oat-based breakfast cookies, for all the granola bars contained peanuts.

It wasn't until check-out that the cashier realized we weren't Korean after all. She admitted that she had believed us to be Korean at first, and was impressed by my conversational abilities. I thanked her for the compliment, but also shared that the language still posed great difficulty in terms of using honourifics and context-specific vocabulary. Nevertheless, she was amazed that my learning process had strictly involved watching entertainment programs, as I told her in the short exchange.

​And then, we returned to the room at long last.

​Incredibly spacious and generally clean save a few brown specks in the bathroom, I was pleased with Hotel Nanta overall. For starters, there was sufficient floor space to open all of our luggage without obstructing the path of travel.

The entry corridor was also roomy and consisted of different floor treatments - likely to establish a boundary between filthy hiking shoes and bedroom floor boards. Within the entryway was a total of two closets (one taller for long coats) and a compact, compartmentalized nook for the kettle and mini fridge. A total of five outlets were available in the unit: four in the room plus one in the bathroom.

​After settling in, we ventured back downstairs. There were two microwaves in the corridor outside GS25, along with garbage and recycling bins to alleviate strain on the tiny wastebin in the unit. We took turns heating the corn, short-grain rice, and the beef gamjatang that would become our dinner.

In preparing the gamjatang, I had realized too late that the sesame topping contained peanuts. Having dumped half the seasoning packed into the broth, it dawned on us that I would be consuming the spicy soup alone. Sharing meals with those with food allergies is truly no easy feat.​

​A 4500 KRW can of Jeju White Ale was also procured out of curiosity. The specimen harnessed an unmistakably bolder profile than those from the Korean mainland, maybe due to its classification as an ale. Nonetheless, I wasn't convinced that the steep price point was justified.

​Many, many stops later, we were finally done travelling for the day. The long-awaited Hallasan hike would grace us the next morning.