Hi guys,

Here are some pics from the Demiliterized Zone, we went there at the beginning of December. It was pretty interesting, the area is 4km wide and 250km long and is 55km North of Seoul. Along the DMZ there are high electrified fences with barbed wire, anti-tank obstacles and many landmines, making it one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. Also interesting was the fact that there was never a peace agreement between the two sides, only a ceasefire, so technically the war is not over.

Inside the DMZ there are two villages on each side of the border, on the North side there is an Eiffel Tower like structure which waves the North Korean Flag, it actually a ghost town, no one lives there. While on the other side there are 250 people who live in modern houses, who live without paying taxes, and farm rice and ginseng.

Waiting at the Amusement Park

We started the tour at a waiting area that had a small amusement park, we looked at some old tanks and jets and checked out the old railway line, that went into the North. Many families were split up by the war, so some people haven't seen their family members since the end of the war. Chuseok, their equivilent of thanksgiving, is an important time when Koreans go the the graves of their relatives and bring teas, and other offerings. There was a monument here that faces North Korea, so people who have loved ones in the North can pay their respects.

Chusoek Monument

We ended up ringing the peace bell, a giant bell that people pay to ring in the hope of reuniting the country. After that we headed to the Dorsan train station, it was built by KTX and they hope to eventually link it up through North Korea to the trans Siberia line and eventually all the way to Europe. The problem is they can't do it till there is peace between the two Koreas.

Outside Dorasan Station with Military Policeman

From there we went to an obsevatory where you can look into North Korea through those pay telescope deals. It actually looked like a pretty average place, except for the giant gold statue of Kim Il Sung, the father of Kim Jung Il of which there are something like 30 of these statues throughout the North.

A View of the North

After that we went to one of the four tunnels that the North Koreans dug in order to infiltrate the South. We checked out the 3rd tunnel which was dicovered in 1978 and is the largest of the four, it is largest enough to send over 10000 troops with equipment about 50km from Seoul. The North Koreans claimed that they were minig coal, but no traces of coal were found, only rocks painted black. Crazy North Koreans. The tunnel is around 50 metres underground and was quite a hike.

The Enterance to the 3rd Tunnel

After veiwing the tunnel we checked out a mini documentery about the DMZ it was interesting in a propagandish way. It talked about how the undisturbed area between the two countries is like a nature reserve, only with landmines.

Unification Sculpture

We then headed back to Seoul and hung out in Itaewon a big foreigner area, with lots of western stores and tons of different restaurants. A couple weeks earlier we went to a Thai place that was pretty good and this time we checked out an awesome Mexican place called Poncho's. Really good food. After that we checked into a cheap love motel. We then headed out for drinks at a bar call Gecko's garden, a pub that was packed with foreigners.

Finally Canadian Beer

Love motels are pretty common in Korea, basically there for extra-marital affairs or for couple to go who can't do stuff because they live at home. There very cheap nad usually pretty clean all things considering. THis one was not however, I was awaken in the middle of the night by Julie, she wanted me to kill a giant cockroach. It was gross. Well that's pretty much it. Next post will be Christmas in Cambodia then Vietnam. Till then...

Condom Machine in the Love Motel