Sunday, June 25, 2006
DMZ
Im going to start with the DMZ tour, it was definitely one of the most interesting things I have done to date. The DMZ is the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea. It boasts the largest minefield in the world with something like 2 million mines and keeps one of the dreaded 'Axis of Evil' at bay. It spreads all across the border between the North and the South from coast to coast. Strangely enough it is also an incredibly large wildlife preserve. Considering no man has stepped foot into the area in 50 years, there is wildlife there that doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent. (Mind you, many of the animals get smoked by the mines..) Blah blah onto my trip...
The trip consisted of all foreigners on a bus driving through the secured zones on the South Korean side. Apparently Koreans are not allowed to take this tour because it could be dangerous for them. We made four stops on the trip which were very interesting. First we got to see the last train station in Korea, at one point they were going to connect the railway to Pyeongyang (Capital of North Korea) but the Commies changed their mind. Now there is a railway station that doesn't go anywhere. This was also a spot that P. Bush visited on one of his tours. Check out the sign.
The next stop was much more interesting but unfortunately cameras were not allowed. We climbed down to a secret tunnel 70 meters underground that was dug by the North Koreans trying to get spies into the South. This tunnel was spotted before it was finished and the South Koreans dug a hole to intercept it and to fill it with water. The tunnel was VERY creepy because it was so deep, cramped and long. We went over 1 km to its end where it was blocked up under the DMZ.
After that we went to a UN Tower where you could get a good view of the DMZ and a very interesting North Korean town called Propaganda Village. The reason this town is called that is because right in the middle of the town is a GIANT North Korean flag that is the biggest in the world. It is like 150 meters high and I think I heard the flag itself weighs 600 pounds. This town is pretty funny because it is all built up with nice condos and buildings but apparently it is deserted. The town was built strictly to try to entice South Koreans to defect to the North. Up until a few years ago they had loudspeakers that would constantly say how wonderful North Korea is, and how amazing Kim Jong Il is, and would ask for South Koreans to move to the North.. Very strange. It was raining all day so I couldn't get a good pic of the flag or the village.
The best part of the trip by far was the last part. We got to go into the UN base inside the DMZ. This base is actually shared with the North Koreans and at one point there are 2 buildings facing each other with nothing in between. That is the border between the North and the South and we got to stand right on it. They had some robot-like South Korean soldiers standing guard taking very intimidating stances facing off a few meters away from the North Koreans. They even wore sunglasses because it adds to the intimidating image. These soldiers took up positions facing the North Koreans and did not move an inch the entire time we were there. Apparently there were a few incidents in the past where the North and South got into skirmishes in the base and soldiers were killed. I think during one of the fights an army captain got chopped up with an axe. We were all informed not to point, talk or make rude gestures to any of the North Korean guards because it could cause an 'incident'...
Anyways, we got to go into the negotiation room that sits right on the border and we literally stepped into the North Korean side. We were told that the room was bugged 24/7 by both sides so me and my buddy decided to play the Penis game, mind you we didn't get very loud. The tension in this area was intense. you could really feel it in the air and in the soldiers faces. To be honest, I was really relieved to get out of there.
Click on the pics to get a better view.
And of course like any large war zone, we got to buy some great tourist memorabilia!
I dont have as much to say about the other two places I visited although they were both really interesting as well.
Im going to start with the DMZ tour, it was definitely one of the most interesting things I have done to date. The DMZ is the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea. It boasts the largest minefield in the world with something like 2 million mines and keeps one of the dreaded 'Axis of Evil' at bay. It spreads all across the border between the North and the South from coast to coast. Strangely enough it is also an incredibly large wildlife preserve. Considering no man has stepped foot into the area in 50 years, there is wildlife there that doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent. (Mind you, many of the animals get smoked by the mines..) Blah blah onto my trip...
The trip consisted of all foreigners on a bus driving through the secured zones on the South Korean side. Apparently Koreans are not allowed to take this tour because it could be dangerous for them. We made four stops on the trip which were very interesting. First we got to see the last train station in Korea, at one point they were going to connect the railway to Pyeongyang (Capital of North Korea) but the Commies changed their mind. Now there is a railway station that doesn't go anywhere. This was also a spot that P. Bush visited on one of his tours. Check out the sign.
The next stop was much more interesting but unfortunately cameras were not allowed. We climbed down to a secret tunnel 70 meters underground that was dug by the North Koreans trying to get spies into the South. This tunnel was spotted before it was finished and the South Koreans dug a hole to intercept it and to fill it with water. The tunnel was VERY creepy because it was so deep, cramped and long. We went over 1 km to its end where it was blocked up under the DMZ.
After that we went to a UN Tower where you could get a good view of the DMZ and a very interesting North Korean town called Propaganda Village. The reason this town is called that is because right in the middle of the town is a GIANT North Korean flag that is the biggest in the world. It is like 150 meters high and I think I heard the flag itself weighs 600 pounds. This town is pretty funny because it is all built up with nice condos and buildings but apparently it is deserted. The town was built strictly to try to entice South Koreans to defect to the North. Up until a few years ago they had loudspeakers that would constantly say how wonderful North Korea is, and how amazing Kim Jong Il is, and would ask for South Koreans to move to the North.. Very strange. It was raining all day so I couldn't get a good pic of the flag or the village.
The best part of the trip by far was the last part. We got to go into the UN base inside the DMZ. This base is actually shared with the North Koreans and at one point there are 2 buildings facing each other with nothing in between. That is the border between the North and the South and we got to stand right on it. They had some robot-like South Korean soldiers standing guard taking very intimidating stances facing off a few meters away from the North Koreans. They even wore sunglasses because it adds to the intimidating image. These soldiers took up positions facing the North Koreans and did not move an inch the entire time we were there. Apparently there were a few incidents in the past where the North and South got into skirmishes in the base and soldiers were killed. I think during one of the fights an army captain got chopped up with an axe. We were all informed not to point, talk or make rude gestures to any of the North Korean guards because it could cause an 'incident'...
Anyways, we got to go into the negotiation room that sits right on the border and we literally stepped into the North Korean side. We were told that the room was bugged 24/7 by both sides so me and my buddy decided to play the Penis game, mind you we didn't get very loud. The tension in this area was intense. you could really feel it in the air and in the soldiers faces. To be honest, I was really relieved to get out of there.
Click on the pics to get a better view.
And of course like any large war zone, we got to buy some great tourist memorabilia!
I dont have as much to say about the other two places I visited although they were both really interesting as well.
