DAY 9
(Reading time: 5 minutes)
Even though the previous day I was on the brink of death from some mysterious food poisoning, I woke up today feeling as fresh as a rainbow pony in top condition. What now? Should we finish yesterday’s planned itinerary, or indulge in a dose of cuteness? Decisions, decisions… well, not really. 😄 This was our last full day on Jeju, and leaving without visiting Snoopy Garden, one of the cutest museums in the world? Out of the question!
First, we took the bus from the hotel to the airport— we had already nailed this part. Then, at the airport, we hopped on another bus that wasn’t exactly part of the plan but seemed to head toward the junction where we needed to get off. Upon arrival, we waited for a connecting bus with no scheduled arrival time in sight. After some time, and growing doubts, a bus showed up whose number didn’t match anything listed at the stop. Mark went to check if it would take us to Snoopy Garden, and the elderly driver smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
It remains a mystery where that bus was originally heading and whether the museum was just a detour for him. He ended up dropping us off directly in front of the museum entrance, even though there was no bus stop there. Concerns about how we would get back were temporarily locked away in a dark room without windows. There were more pressing matters at hand.
For example, the crucial question: Why is Snoopy on Jeju?
The only possible answer: To make you happy!
The creator of the Snoopy comics wasn’t Korean, Peanuts characters aren’t Asian, and beagles aren’t particularly popular dog breeds in South Korea. However, the charming museum educates and entertains you in a delightful way, so just be thankful and don’t question it. 😊
Snoopy Garden is divided into two sections: an indoor and an outdoor area. The indoor section is more educational, while the outdoor section caters to the Korean love for thematic photo spots.
Charles Schulz created comic strips featuring Snoopy, an iconic beagle, his eight-year-old owner Charlie Brown (“the round-headed kid,” as Snoopy calls him), and other children. You might expect the comics to be all fun, playfulness, and carefree life, right? Not quite.
Snoopy’s world is bittersweet; it’s often perceived as being full of melancholy and despair with a tiny pinch of hope. The children, collectively called Peanuts, reflect our anxieties and fears, while Snoopy, in complete inactivity, dreams big dreams of superheroes from his tiny doghouse. That doesn’t mean the comics are depressing—if you can rise above the deep truths the characters convey through melancholic dialogue, it’ll bring a light smile to your face and have you nodding in agreement.
The indoor section introduces you to all the characters (even fans may learn something new), the history of the comics, and the creator himself.
(a graphic showing the relationships between characters)
(detailed information about each comic character)
You’ll walk through interactive rooms where you can read, touch or try out all sorts of things…
…and you’ll gain some essential life lessons along the way.
For me (as a self-proclaimed expert and fan), the absolute highlight was uncovering the big mystery of Snoopy’s doghouse interior—so many hidden treasures in there!
The outdoor exhibition is a large botanical park with larger than life-sized installations of characters. You can (and want to!) take pictures with them…
…or “relive” some iconic scenes from the comics.
The admission fee of 19,000 won is a bit steep, so we planned to make the most of it and spend several hours there. By the end, we were starving, but luckily, we could count on themed Korean snacks—in this case, Snoopy Café, where we ordered an enormous puff pastry pizza… one each, which, in retrospect, was overestimating the size of our appetites. 😄
And then it was time to deal with the locked-away question: How do we get back? We found an abandoned bus stop a few hundred meters from the museum, but it was clear that no bus was going to show up soon (if ever). A circling taxi driver clearly knew this and kept lurking. Eventually, we waved him down and had him take us to the same junction where the magical bus driver had picked us up earlier. From there, the journey back to the hotel was simple.
Jeju is home to countless fascinating and quirky museums. Visiting them all would take weeks, and you’d spend additional weeks wondering why they exist in the first place. Here’s a taste of some highlights:
Museum of Greek Mythology (don’t expect original artifacts),
Museum of Cars and Pianos (yes, this combination),
Museum of Aviation and Space,
Museum of Sex and Health,
Teddy Bear Museum,
Hello Kitty Museum,
Chocolate Museum,
Moomin Museum,
Shell Museum.
Life’s too short to see it all… or is it?
-endy-
DONKEY´S SPECIAL:
-mj-