Jeju Island By Scooter

South Korea isn't the place I'd normally vaunt as an enjoyable road-going destination. Roads - especially those outside Seoul - can be poorly maintained, road rules weakly enforced and speeding the norm. Just try taking a taxi from Seoul to Incheon in the early hours of the morning; you're almost glad you're too tired, and had a few too many, to keep your eyes open as the driver turns that speedo dial well past 140 kilometers an hour.

But on Jeju-do, an island off the southern tip of the country, the roads are generally smooth, traffic minimal, and the scenery that can be seen from them, spectacular.

After picking up a couple of scooters from a bike hire shop in the southern town of Jungmun, a friend and I headed for the west coast of the island. We started out on the scenic Route 12 which hugs the western coast all the way up to Jeju City.

After passing through a couple of beach towns the traffic thinned out and we picked up speed. Here we enjoyed some of the finest scenery on the island as two mountains - Sanbangsan and Songaksan rise steeply just a stones throw from the ocean. The temperature cooled as we arrived at the thickly forested foothills of Sanbangsan, whose steep-sides lent it the appearance of a Bobby's hat.

These two mountains are a stark reminder of the island's volcanic history. Volcanic eruptions approximately two million years ago created Jeju, as well as Hallasan, South Korea's highest mountain (1950m), which dominates the island.

Indeed, the island's geology and subtropical climate - warmer than the mainland - make it a popular tourist destination for Koreans and visitors of other Asian countries. For years it's been the 'Honeymoon Island,' the destination of choice for newlyweds.

With Sanbangsan and Songaksan at our backs we continued north along the coast - the mountainous hinterland on the right and the gold shimmering Yellow Sea on our left. When we came to the village of Hallim we noticed a few wetsuit clad Haenyeo "sea women" coming in with a basketful of catch on the their backs.

The Haenyeo dive to depths of up to sixty feet for abalone, conch and other seafood, remarkably without scuba equipment. The value of their catch has seen many families in Jeju become led by women, turning the Confucian ideal of a patriarchal family on its head.

Just outside Hallim we pulled in to take a break and regard our map to make sure we were still heading in the right direction. Here, some food vendors were selling all kinds of goodies from the nearby ocean. Lines of squid set up next to their stalls were drying in the afternoon sun.

One of the vendors, an elderly lady wearing the long black peaked plastic sun visors typical of her age beckoned us over to her stall. She had ripped off two long pieces of squid and was waving them at us.

"Try some," she barked in Korean, and then gesturing with her hands and mouth to make sure we understood her. "Delicious," she said in English.

I timidly took a bite. It was tough and chewy and extremely salty but we nodded appreciably. We thanked her very much and headed off again, still chewing on the squid whose flavour remained in my mouth for the rest of the day.

As we continued along the coast, the roads became a busier; Jeju City was up ahead. But traffic was the least of our concern right now. It was the middle of the day and the temperature on the road was approaching 40 celsius. Our main concern was sunburn. Every so often we'd stop and squeeze a dollop of suncream on our legs, arms and face.

To escape the busy arterials leading into Jeju City, we decided to head inland before making our way back to Seogwipo. Our route south took us through the mountainous centre of the island, passing by Hallasan.

The foothills around Mount Halla made for some enjoyable riding as the temperature dropped and the road dipped and weaved through dense woodlands. As the gradient steepened we twisted our acceleration to the max, the little bikes struggling up the hilly roads.

When we finally arrived at the outskirts of Seogwipo, we passed through groves of citrus trees. Oranges, mandarins and tangerines flourish in the subtropical climate and the rich volcanic soil. And Koreans are crazy for Jeju citrus. At the airport for our flight back to the mainland, people were checking in box upon box of oranges, the iconic travel gift from Jeju.