United Nations Required Name Tag
Back in November...yes it's been so long since I've updated...shame shame I know, I went to the De-Militirized Zone that lies between North and South Korea. It was a 7am bus ride from Seoul for about 2 hours North to the DMZ. The night before I only got 1 hour of sleep, so apologies for the look of death that covers my face.
My Khan, Jenn, & Me (Coatel Hotel Roomie Love)
Korean Girl Pose Next to the N. Korean Soldier
The Crew: Me & a Bunch of Busan CDI Teechuhs
Posing before we leave the DMZ with the Cutest Soldier. Did you ever think N. Korean soldiers would be cute?
N. Korea Soldiers can't look at us while we're taking pics.
Across the Yellow Line is N. Korea.
N. Korean Flag Weights 600kgs! How does it wave?!
The Negotiation Table. The Mic Lines Divide South and North Korea.
Harder to Make Smile than British Guards.
Tour Guide: 19 Years Old from the U.S.He does this tour everyday twice a day. I guess its better than fighting or guarding. He says "pencil" as "payenshul." I thought he was from Alabama, but was actually from Cali.
The DMZ experience was kind of a let down. First of all, I didn't get any sleep, so I was pretty out of it. Second, it was the coldest I've experienced in Korea yet. It had to have been -10 or the windchill was at least. I did, however, go with an amazing group of people. My Khan and Jenn came up from Daejeon and Busan respectively. They were my Coatel Hotel --the Hotel we stayed at during training--roomies. Luckily, we hit it off right away and have stayed close since moving to our respective cities. Jenn brought her whole boy crew from Busan (Eric, Nate, Scott, and Alex) I knew Nate from training and had met Scott from previous trips to Busan.
The DMZ experience was kind of a let down. First of all, I didn't get any sleep, so I was pretty out of it. Second, it was the coldest I've experienced in Korea yet. It had to have been -10 or the windchill was at least. I did, however, go with an amazing group of people. My Khan and Jenn came up from Daejeon and Busan respectively. They were my Coatel Hotel --the Hotel we stayed at during training--roomies. Luckily, we hit it off right away and have stayed close since moving to our respective cities. Jenn brought her whole boy crew from Busan (Eric, Nate, Scott, and Alex) I knew Nate from training and had met Scott from previous trips to Busan.
Overall, the tour was full of facts I couldn't register such as how many meters or kilometers away ____ is or so and so did this or that etc. We were first taken to the U.S. military compound, which just showed that the American soldiers have it pretty easy up there (gym, clinic, theater etc) except for the possibility of a N. Korea attack or breakout. We had to listen to the most scripted speech by an American soldier giving us the breakdown of N.Korea/ U.N. relations. Next, we took the bus to the actual border where we crossed into N. Korea via passing certain mic lines in a building. The U.N. set up a negotiations table that divides N. and S. Korea at the microphone lines. We took obnoxious "those people" pics around the N. Korea soldiers. We were given explicit orders to not touch them or provoke them, but does a Korean girl or thumbs up pose count? Afterwards, we were taken to a point where we could look at the 600kg N. Korean flag. Apparently, S. Korea had a really tall flag waving and N. Korea wanted to outdo them, so they raised a flag twice the size. In reality, both structures just look ridiculous and ill-planned. Then, we got to climb a tunnel that connected N. Korea to S. Korea. Apparently, N. Korea thought they were gonna be clever and infiltrate through tunnels. They dug a total of 4 that no one knew about for years. We got to wear splunking hats--the hard hats with flashlights and walk 300 meters. Inside looked like a Disney World scene. To protect the tunnel, the N. Koreans lied and said it was meant for mining and they covered the walls with black soot. The U.N. wasn't fooled. Finally, we were driven through the site where there was a mass fight between U.S. soldiers, S. Korean soldiers. and N. Korean soldiers. One soldier apparently crossed the line (no pun intended) and all 3 groups just wailed and it turned out to be a massacre. Territorial dispute is so dumb. One very interesting thing I did learn was that the village bordering N. Korea makes like an equivalent to $80,000 per year based on FARMING! Their children get to go to school and university for free. However, these people have the suckiest existence by living in the desolate area and having to farm once they start walking.
I'm glad I went. Apparently, the U.S.O. is limiting their tours now because relations are strained. Although it wasn't the life-changing or eye-opening experience I thought it would be, I can declare that I have now been to N. Korea. If I ever go back, hopefully I do some hiking or visit some villages.
Good trip, good ride, good friends. The jumping shots are priceless!
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