North Korea & The DMZ

We've been living in South Korea for a few months now and we are frequently asked by our friends and family back home whether the North has had any influence on our daily lives. To tell you the truth, I think we heard more news pertaining to the North when I was living in Canada. At war for 60 years, I believe that the Korean people have lived with this situation for so long that they refuse to let uncertainty or fear rule their lives. The few Koreans that we have spoke to about the North (its not the kind of subject you bring up in the school cafeteria) have only expressed sadness about the situation - not fear. They feel sorry for the people of the North and the oppressive government they face. We haven't been given reason to worry about it all that much during our time here . . . but we'd have been fools not to check out, "The Most Heavily Armed Border On Earth!"

We booked a tour through the United Service Organization of the US Army. They offer the best tour because they can provide access into the Joint Security Area - right where the North and South meet.

We met with our tour group at Camp Kim in Seoul and hopped on a bus heading North. We arrived at the DMZ about an hour later and were taken into an office to be 'briefed'. There was a really strict photo policy: "Don't take photos unless the armed soldiers say its OK". We actually saw a few people's photos being deleted by soldiers during our trip.

After the briefing, we were taken straight to the JSA. The Joint Security Area is where the two sides meet - right on the border. Soldiers from the North and the South are both allowed in this area. Here's our respective JSA mugshots . . .

Those are ROK soldiers you see by the blue building. They stand facing the North in a modified Judo pose.


In front of the gray building is a North Korean soldier. They were checking us out with binoculars the whole time. A little bit unnerving . . .


Here's our tour guide/armed guard telling us a Canadian related anecdote while the North Korean soldiers check us out. (Sorry for the shaky camera work - it was shot in a war zone . . .)



We were able to enter the conference room. It sits directly on the demarcation line and this room is where the Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953. (The war, however, still officially continues to this day.)




Here I am next to the ROK soldier guarding the North door. His sole purpose in life is to stop people from going through that door . . . I wish my job was that simple . . . wait - no I don't. I didn't get too close -- I really didn't want to be the tour guide's next anecdote! Oh, and by the way, at this point I'm standing in North Korea. Pretty cool, eh?




A view out the window. That concrete is the 'line'. DO NOT CROSS - You might get shot!



Later, we went to the Dora Observatory for a view of the North. Here's the tourist's line. If you have a camera - DO NOT CROSS - your memory card might get shot.



A view to the North. We had to stand quite a few feet back from the edge when we took photos. The view through the viewfinders was pretty neat, though. You could see a monument to Kim Il-Sung and you could see Kijong-Dong, the 'Propaganda Village'. Supposedly, the village has a population of zero and it was built just to impress the people looking from the South. The lights in the whole village go out at the same time every night. I did see a couple of people through the viewfinder though . . . so you never know. . .




I took a video panning our view of North Korea. Check out the tallest flag in the world - 525 feet. South Korea erected a massive flag but the North wouldn't be outdone so they erected an even higher one. Once again, sorry for the shaky camera . . .






We also went to visit one of the four known tunnels built by the North for possible invasion attempts. The tunnels passed from the North to the South and each could allow an entire infantry to pass into the South in an hour. They were discovered by the South in the '70's and the North claimed they were dug as coal mines. Some of the tunnels were even painted black to look that way but no coal was found. We weren't allowed any pictures in the tunnel.

Well, before heading back to Seoul we hit the gift shop. We bought some North Korean paper money and a t-shirt as souvenirs and took a couple bottles of North Korean soju back to share with our friends in Yeoju.

What an interesting tour . . . I'd say, if you're coming to Korea, the USO tour is definitely a "do not miss!"

Our final day . . . in Bangkok

In the afternoon, we arrived in Bangkok. We dropped off our bags at the guesthouse and went straight to the National Museum. There was alot to see there but much of it was in disrepair. Not run-down - but also not at the standards of most museums we've been to (and not even close to any of the palaces!!). We hurried along through it to see all that we could before it closed.


. . . and we were off to see more temples!! This one is called Loh Prasat (The Iron Monastery) referring to its 37 dark metal spires.




We met some monks at the top of a long stair-climb. They were happy to talk to us. One spoke alot of English and asked us where we were from. We told him we're Canadian - which made him quite happy. He said that he listens to Celine Dion every day . . . . I am not lying! Never in my life could I have imagined I'd be on top of a monastery in Bangkok talking to a monk about Celine Dion. Hilarious! (the Celine fan is the one closest to us in the glasses . . . )




Next, we hopped on a river bus not knowing where it was headed. Only 10 cents (somewhere in that ballpark) for the fare so we weren't too worried about going the wrong direction. (They pull up the blue tarp to keep the passengers dry.)


We ended up back in the downtown area. Noticed the sunset - not the ideal place for a photo being surrounded by skyscrapers - but I pointed up and this is what I got. The colors were beautiful.






It was getting dark and we were getting hungry so we went off in search of a restaurant. We read about a place called Vientiane Kitchen in our guidebook and looked like just the thing. They served Thai food with a Lao and Isaan influence - specialties included ants eggs and spicy fried frog. We didn't feel too adventurous so we stuck to some stir-fry and curry. The best part about this place was the live band. Great music, great food, and great beer! The photo's didn't turn out too well but I've got some video of the band that I'll get to someday . . .


Well, it was our last night and time to fill what little space was left in our backpacks so we went back to the Night Bazaar for some souvenirs.


Bazaar . . . bizarre . . . .how do you spell it?


Well, the next morning we had to leave (don't feel too bad for us - we're going back to Korea for more adventures). One quick stop at the Taipei airport (somehow I managed to buy a watch while I was there - Duty Free!!!!) and we were back in Seoul.


What an unforgettable vacation we had!!!

And now, since its taken us months to finish the blog posts, we're already on to planning our next vacation!!!

Angkor - Day 2

We decided that our second day in Siem Reap didn't need to start before 4:30AM so we slept in a bit . . . until 7:30. We wanted to check out the Artisans of Angkor so we did that first thing in the morning. The Artisans are a group of 'disadvantaged' students learning the art trades that were all but destroyed during the Khmer Rouge Regime. They make fantastic stuff! Check out their website: Artisans d'Angkor.

Here is the traditional silk loom.



Some students carving stone . . .


We bought a few souvenirs (and some Khmer curry spice . . . yes!) and went on our way - back to Angkor! But first, we had to stop for some gas. Our tuk-tuk driver said these kids offer a much better deal than the gas stations . . . they were just hangin' on the side of the road with Johnny Walker bottles full of gasoline. It looked like a lemonade stand . . .


We were happy to be back in the park. You would think that 12 hours of temples would be enough but this place was so amazing that we needed to see more.













It was fun ripping around in our tuk-tuk betweens the temples. There were all kinds of cool things to see.




One of those things was the "Land Mine Museum". It was set up by a self-taught de-miner named Aki Ra in 1997. Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world and there are still many injuries and deaths happening throughout the country. Aki Ra has devoted his life to de-mining the countryside and he has even started a home for children that are mine victims. His museum houses many of the mines and bombs he has dealt with. They stand so that Cambodian people and the rest of the world won't forget about what has happened and is happening still.






Here, out tuk-tuk driver Sieu waits for us with the other drivers - he was a really nice guy and I hated to wake him up every time we wanted to move . . .


Back on the road . . .






We decided to avoid the crowds and and return to our favorite temple in Angkor, the Bayon to take in the sunset. We're glad we did - when we drove past the 'classic' sunset spot there were tons of people and cars and tour buses - that definitely wasn't the last thing we wanted to see during our time in Angkor. Because everyone went there, we had the Bayon almost to ourselves.




Here's a funny little note . . . I wanted to take a picture from this angle with the sun coming down but there was a big ugly sign in the way. It said, "Please Do Not Sit On The Rails". I thought to myself, "What's the harm in moving it for a few seconds to get an unobstructed shot?" Hey, there was no one around anyway . . .

As soon as I moved the sign, before I could even snap a shot, this guy comes around the corner and sits exactly in the spot where the sign was. Couldn't believe it!!

Oh well, lesson learned . . .




The security actually came around and sent us out of the temple before the sun was completely set. We were a little disappointed but I guess you can't have people roaming around ancient temple staircases in the dark. We were extremely happy with our two days in Angkor - the weather was fantastically hot, we saw a ton of the park, and took hundreds of photos . . .


But now it was time to say 'goodbye' as we passed by Angkor Wat one last time . . .


Next - Back to Bangkok for one more day of fun!