I'm back. I think I had a little carsickness yesterday, fromriding around in the back of a van. Today we went to the DMZ which was something Ted and Sam were really looking forward to.
The picture above is the razor wire you encounter everywhere when you get close to the area.
And this guy here is a North Korean soldier looking at us through his binoculars. We are about 60 - 70 feet away from him. Our guide said they recently switched to wearing the hard helmets instead of the usual caps which is ominous to the soldiers there.
These are the South Korean soldiers looking back at the North Korean. They do this all day long. See the one on the right is standing partially behind the building as a safety precaution. They tend to stand with their fists slightly clenched in a Tae Kwon Do position which is their readiness position.
These are the hats you need to wear when you take the tour of the 3rd tunnel, which is a tunnel discovered in the 70's by the South Koreans. Sam and his friend Kenny went inside for a tour, but the tunnel is only 2 meters tall, so Ted and I skipped it.
This is the soup Ted had for lunch with beef,rice and vegetables. Very spicy, he loved it.
Our guide told me this is the best women"s bathroom in Korea. There is artwork on the door of each stall, which lights up when you lock the door. And there is a button inside with plays a flushing sound when pushed in case you don't want anyone to hear you!
This is a gorgeous tree right outside the DMZ
Here we are, Ted, Kenny, me and Sam and some stranger that seemed to want to be in our photo. This is looking at a North Korean building from the south (obviously). My impression - very creepy. I felt a little uncomfortable all day, and was glad to get back to the hotel. The guide we had was fabulous. She gave us a lot of behind the scenes info the UN guy didn't share, such as letting us know about the tension in the area right now, which the UN guide denied.
Tomorrow we are off to Kyeunju on the bullet train. Hopefully the hotel will have an internet connection and I can continue the nightly blogging.
Go Lakers.
2 comments:
I am relieved that you are feeling better. I get car and van sick very easily. I always demand a front seat. I am also relieved that you have been to the DMZ and gotten that over with. What a strange place where grown men stand and stare at each other all day.
Karen, you are TOO funny. I laughed out loud over your creepy faux family member. And he posed so well, too...
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