A History Walk at Hangpaduri, and the Talk That Carries On to a Table at Mipojip

When you travel around Jeju with family, you start looking for places that leave you with something to talk about, not only photographs of scenery. Try putting a history walk at Hangpaduri into your plans. It is a trip where you slow your steps at a place that holds a story from long ago, and share questions about what is in front of you. After looking around, enjoy a filling meal at Mipojip Jeju Aewol and keep the day's conversation going.

A scene from Jeju's history in Aewol

The Hangpaduri Hangmong Historic Site is at 제주시 애월읍 항파두리로 50. It is connected with the history of the Sambyeolcho, who resisted the Mongols during the Goryeo period, and there are earthen ramparts, a monument and an exhibition hall. The name alone may sound a little difficult, but if you read the information on site and look at things one by one, a new topic appears within your trip.

There is no need to try to remember everything from the start. Stop for a moment wherever your eye is drawn, and talk about the things you learned for the first time today, one at a time. If you are with your parents, you might hear what they remember learning long ago; if you are with a child, you might first ask what an unfamiliar word means. Even if each of you knows different things, there is plenty of enjoyment in looking around together.

Bring one question along on the Hangpaduri history walk

If you are visiting the site with a child, try starting with the question, "What are you most curious about here?" You might start wondering why the fortress was built, or how the people of the past felt while staying here. Read the facts on the information boards together, and share the imagined parts as imagination. For things you do not know, rather than forcing an answer, leave them as questions to look up later.

The same approach works on a trip among adults. Each person picks one scene that stayed with them and talks about it over the meal. Decide how much to cover according to how everyone is feeling, and follow the viewing route indicated on site. If you focus on matching one another's pace rather than on walking a lot, the conversation has more room to breathe while you look around.

What the signs said and what came to mind

When you talk among your group, try separating what you read on the on-site information from what each of you imagined. If an unfamiliar word comes up, it is fine to just note down the name. Rather than passing on a half-remembered story to a child as if it were the answer, decide together which explanation you would like to look up again. It is enough for the time to be one where each person brings out something they are curious about, rather than one where the person who knows the most keeps explaining.

If family members of different generations are together, you might ask what each of them thought of when looking at the same place. Something heard at school, a book read long ago, a view noticed for the first time today — these can all be different. Rather than competing over who remembers more, enjoy the fact that different stories come out of the same place. A question jotted down briefly on a phone can be brought up again at the table.

When choosing a place to eat in Aewol after the visit, listen to everyone's opinion too. The person who led the conversation during the visit does not have to be the person who picks the menu. If you want to take a break from the history talk, start by asking what everyone feels like eating today. Enjoy a meal at Mipojip and share the scene from the trip that each of you chose.

A good meal after a long conversation

Once you have finished looking around Hangpaduri, leave plenty of room in the next part of the day for a meal. The thoughts that came up while visiting the site sometimes continue more comfortably while you are sitting down and resting. How about enjoying a spread while talking about what you remember most from what you saw today, and what kind of Jeju you would like to meet next time.

At Mipojip you will find the Minyeo Haemuljang set (soy-cured seafood) and the Soy-cured seafood set for one, among others. Enjoy the salty, savoury taste of the haemuljang piece by piece and fill the hunger of the journey. The moments when conversation passes back and forth over good food also become a memory to take home from Jeju.

When the family is deciding what to eat, talk first about who you will be eating with and what each person likes. Looking at the Mipojip menu and choosing dishes to suit your tastes makes the meal after the walk something to look forward to. If you are with a child, have a look in advance at the ingredients and cooking method of the dish they will be eating.

After Hangpaduri, come to Mipojip for a meal

Mipojip Jeju Aewol is at 80 Gamundong-gil, Aewol-eup, next to Gamundong harbour. If you are looking for somewhere to eat in Aewol after a history walk at Hangpaduri, consider adding Mipojip to your plans. Before setting out, it is good to check the location and the latest information on Directions and visitor information. For maps and navigation, search for 제주 제주시 애월읍 가문동길 80.

Bring one question that came up at the historic site, and one conversation you had while walking together, all the way to the table. Time spent looking at an old story of Jeju and adding today's family story over a good meal. Enjoy that meal at Mipojip.