DMZ

We were up early and down to breakfast just after 7am.  By 9am we were standing outside the hotel waiting to be picked up to go on a tour to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  We were transferred to a coach after another couple had also been picked up.  The coach picked up other passengers on the way through Seoul.  Everyone on the coach had to fill in their names (as per their passports), date of birth and mobile number and have our passports ready for the soldiers to check at the ID checkpoint.  We drove past the Imjin River, which flows from North Korea across the Demilitarized Zone and eventually joins the Han River.  It is watched very closely by the South Korean military.  We stopped firstly at Imjingak Park where the guide bought tickets and was given a time for us to enter the DMZ.  There were many interesting things to look at.  We could see the railway bridge from South Korea into North Korea which, at a time when relations between North and South were cordial, it was hoped would continue through China and onto Europe.  We also saw the Bridge of Freedom and the Peace Bell.  From here we drove to the checkpoint, waited for the two soldiers to check the list against our passports, then we were allowed to enter the DMZ and drove to the Dora Observatory, where we could see across to North Korea.  We could see both the North and South Korean flags flying and villages on both sides.  We also viewed a short film about the Korean conflict. After the Dora Observatory we drove to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, which was discovered in 1978.  The tunnel has the capacity of moving an entire division in an hour.  It is about 73 metres below ground and visitors can walk about 256 metres into the tunnel. We had to leave cameras and mobile phones in lockers, put on hard hats and then came the easy part - walking down through the tunnel.  It wasn’t quite so easy for tall people as they had to bend to avoid hitting their heads. The South Koreans have blocked the actual Military Demarcation Line in the tunnel with three concrete barricades. We could walk as far as the third barricade, and the second barricade is visible through a small window in the third.  Walking back up the tunnel was quite difficult because of the gradient.  I was very pleased to see the room where we handed in our hard hats.  From the tunnel we drove to a nearby village where we could buy soya bean ice cream (I passed on that) and souvenirs, then we returned to Seoul.  We were dropped off by the City Hall subway station and decided to go and find something to eat.  We went to the basement of the Lotte Department Store, which was both a place for buying all things food, as well as a food court and it was buzzing with people.  We ordered a vegetable bibimbap, paid, were given an electronic gadget to place on a pad on the table and lo and behold our food was delivered to us.  It was very tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Afterwards we caught the subway back to Seoul Station and returned to the hotel.  It was a most unusual and interesting day.

The main blip shows sights at Imjingak Park; and two places we drove by on the way to the Dora Observatory
The first extra shows views of the DMZ
The second extra shows the area around the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel; a small sign on a fence indicating that mines are in the area; as well as interesting buildings in Seoul; my bibimbap meal; and a sculpture by the hotel.