A Hallim Park walk: a western Jeju trip that follows the shapes of plants

If, on a trip to Hallim, there's a day when you want to spend a long time looking at plants and gardens, put a Hallim Park walk on your itinerary. Hallim Park has spaces with several themes, including a subtropical botanical garden, a palm tree road, a bonsai garden and a folk village. Taking one photo at each spot is nice too, but today we suggest a way of walking that looks for the shapes of plants one by one.

It's fine if there are plants whose names you don't know. Start with the differences that catch your eye, such as big leaves and small leaves, or stems that grow straight and branches that bend. You start to enjoy finding different forms within the same green.

On the palm tree road, try lifting your gaze

When you come to the palm tree road, first look at it from a spot where you can see the whole path. The idea is to capture, in a single shot, the direction the trunks run and the sky showing between the trees. Then pick one tree you like and look at the shape of its leaves or the pattern on its trunk. Switching between the whole scene and close-up views makes your photos change little by little, too.

When taking photos, please stop for a moment in a spot where you won't block others passing by. Before stepping back to find a composition you like, check your surroundings first, and it's fine to pass up any shot you could only get by leaving the visitor path. After all, what your travel album needs is not the same photo as everyone else's but the scenes you noticed yourself.

If your legs grow heavy as you walk, catch your breath for a moment at a spot that keeps you on the visitor path, take a sip of water, and then move on to the next area. Small differences between plants are easier to see when you aren't rushing.

What to look for in the subtropical botanical garden and bonsai garden

In the subtropical botanical garden, choose one leaf size or shape as your observation theme. If round leaves catch your eye, look for similar shapes and see how they differ from other plants. If there's a name tag, keep a record of it together with your photo. Later, when you sort through your travel photos, looking the names up again becomes a small pleasure.

In the bonsai garden, first look at the lines of the whole tree from a little distance away. Then it's good to look, in turn, at the directions in which the trunk and branches extend and at how the trees and stones are arranged. It becomes a time to slowly take in the shapes held within a small space. Please enjoy them with your eyes, without touching the plants or moving the decorations.

With your travel companions, each pick the one scene you liked most. One person may remember a big tree, another a small branch. Even when you walk the same path, what each of you saw can be quite different.

How to keep a record of your Hallim Park walk

When you flip through your photo album after the walk, one similar green photo follows another, and it's easy to lose track of where you took them. When you move into a new area and see a sign or a name tag, take a photo of that first. Your photos will then divide naturally by area. It's also nice to add short notes next to your photos, such as 'the biggest leaf' or 'the twistiest branch.'

If you're with children, you can turn the walk into an observation game. Set one mission, such as finding a leaf bigger than your palm or finding a tree with patterns on its trunk, and the conversation keeps going as you walk. Rather than competing over who finds something first, put the fun in showing each other what you found.

Save room for the areas you want to see and keep your schedule relaxed

Before you visit, check the day's operating and admission information on Hallim Park's official website. If you look at the on-site guide map and pick out the areas that interest you, it's easier to spend your time where you want to linger during your visit. Seasonal flowers look different depending on when you visit, so if you're going to see a particular flower, please also check the latest news.

Look over your next plans again around the time you actually finish your visit. If there are still plants you want to see, dropping one of your later stops is one option. Instead of getting through every place you'd planned, a day that leaves you a few scenes you picked out on your Hallim Park walk to remember for a long time would be good, too.

On a day you head to Aewol, add a meal

If you continue your trip toward Aewol after visiting Hallim Park, consider adding Mipojip Jeju Aewol to your list of places to eat. Hallim Park and the restaurant are in different areas, so it's a good idea to check the route and traffic conditions on a map before you set out.

Mipojip is a restaurant serving soy-cured seafood and pot rice. Look together at the photos you picked out among the plants and talk about the scenery that caught your eye today. If a meal you'd like after your walk comes to mind, you could browse dishes that suit your taste in the menu guide.