Catching up #2...From Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend found me in Korea again. A couple of friends were going and I had declined, but then one had to have surgery and needed someone to take her room. Always one to help a friend, I decided to go. So Friday evening Caroline Valenzuela and I took off from Narita and made our way to Seoul.
This time we stayed in the hotel on the base in Seoul and it was REALLY nice! There are some really good American restaurants in the hotel and we took full advantage of that…and the salon. On Saturday morning we signed up for manicures and pedicures. Since we couldn’t get in until noon, we decided to go shopping for a while. Stephanie had been stationed in Seoul before so she knew all of the good places to go. When se wend back to the hotel we were surprised to find that they did the manicures and pedicures at the same time! It was heavenly and cheap – only $21! After that, we did some more shopping and sight seeing. There was a tour bus that you could hop on and off of so we did that and had a good time. The only down side was that it rained all day on Saturday. The rain didn’t stop us from traipsing all over town. Evelyn and Stephanie were even brave enough to try some of the local cuisine, but I stood by the “No Seoul Food” policy that Josh and I established when we visited.
By the time we were finished touring, the bus service had ended, so we jumped on the train. It only cost $.90 to cross the city! You can’t get on a train in Japan and go a block for under $1.50! While on the subway, however, we were stuck by the difference between Japanese trains and Korean trains. In Korea, people are pushy…literally just bump right into you if you are in their way. I was even bumped by a monk! Also, people were talking and laughing and making noise in Korea, while in Japan people are generally silent and playing with their cell phones or sleeping.
Sunday morning we had signed up to go on a tour of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. We were happy to find that it was a beautiful day, and we walked off base to meet up with our tour. It took about an hour and a half to get from Seoul to the DMZ. Along the way, we noticed that the road was fenced off on one side every few seconds we would pass a guard station with an armed guard watching…some watched the road and some watched the river on the other side of the fence. Not exactly sure what they were watching for, but we sure felt safe!
When we actually got into the DMZ area, our first stop was at the freedom bridge. “12,773 Korean War prisoners returned home to freedom over this bridge. It is said that the prisoners were transported by car up to the Gyeongui-seon Line Iron Bridge and crossed over the Bridge of Freedom by foot. The bridge is the only remaining legacy of peace in the Korean War as it holds the symbolic significance of the "Return to Freedom”.
After that they put us back on the bus to take us to the site of the third infiltration tunnel. Along the way, I noticed several signs that said, “mine.” They also told us not to go off the beaten path because they estimate that more than a million mines are still in the ground. No problem! Back to the tunnel… “The 3rd tunnel was discovered on October 17, 1978. It is located 52km from Seoul. Approximately 10,000 soldiers can move through this tunnel in 1 hour. When this tunnel was discovered, North Koreans insisted steadfastly that it was made by South Koreans to invade North Korea, but this proved to be false.” The hike down and back up was hard, but it was interesting to see the tunnel.
When we came back up we went to the Mt. Dora Observation platform. From there we could see the actual line dividing North and South Korea and the two villages in the DMZ. So now I have seen North Korea…but not been there!
Next was the stop at Dorasan Station. It was kind of freaky because it was built to make it possible to get from South Korea to North Korea…but the tracks don’t connect. “If North and South Korea decide to dissolve the DMZ, it would not take long for the two republics to physically reconnect. Dorasan Station is a new but empty highway and train transportation hub that awaits reunification accords. It is less than 800 yards from the DMZ.”
After that we headed back towards Seoul. We stopped at an amethyst factory. The stones were pretty and the prices were pretty good…don’t know what it had to do with the DMZ, but I’m sure somebody made some money off the stop! After the tour we went shopping and sightseeing. All in all, we had a great time!
This time we stayed in the hotel on the base in Seoul and it was REALLY nice! There are some really good American restaurants in the hotel and we took full advantage of that…and the salon. On Saturday morning we signed up for manicures and pedicures. Since we couldn’t get in until noon, we decided to go shopping for a while. Stephanie had been stationed in Seoul before so she knew all of the good places to go. When se wend back to the hotel we were surprised to find that they did the manicures and pedicures at the same time! It was heavenly and cheap – only $21! After that, we did some more shopping and sight seeing. There was a tour bus that you could hop on and off of so we did that and had a good time. The only down side was that it rained all day on Saturday. The rain didn’t stop us from traipsing all over town. Evelyn and Stephanie were even brave enough to try some of the local cuisine, but I stood by the “No Seoul Food” policy that Josh and I established when we visited.
By the time we were finished touring, the bus service had ended, so we jumped on the train. It only cost $.90 to cross the city! You can’t get on a train in Japan and go a block for under $1.50! While on the subway, however, we were stuck by the difference between Japanese trains and Korean trains. In Korea, people are pushy…literally just bump right into you if you are in their way. I was even bumped by a monk! Also, people were talking and laughing and making noise in Korea, while in Japan people are generally silent and playing with their cell phones or sleeping.
Sunday morning we had signed up to go on a tour of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. We were happy to find that it was a beautiful day, and we walked off base to meet up with our tour. It took about an hour and a half to get from Seoul to the DMZ. Along the way, we noticed that the road was fenced off on one side every few seconds we would pass a guard station with an armed guard watching…some watched the road and some watched the river on the other side of the fence. Not exactly sure what they were watching for, but we sure felt safe!
When we actually got into the DMZ area, our first stop was at the freedom bridge. “12,773 Korean War prisoners returned home to freedom over this bridge. It is said that the prisoners were transported by car up to the Gyeongui-seon Line Iron Bridge and crossed over the Bridge of Freedom by foot. The bridge is the only remaining legacy of peace in the Korean War as it holds the symbolic significance of the "Return to Freedom”.
After that they put us back on the bus to take us to the site of the third infiltration tunnel. Along the way, I noticed several signs that said, “mine.” They also told us not to go off the beaten path because they estimate that more than a million mines are still in the ground. No problem! Back to the tunnel… “The 3rd tunnel was discovered on October 17, 1978. It is located 52km from Seoul. Approximately 10,000 soldiers can move through this tunnel in 1 hour. When this tunnel was discovered, North Koreans insisted steadfastly that it was made by South Koreans to invade North Korea, but this proved to be false.” The hike down and back up was hard, but it was interesting to see the tunnel.
When we came back up we went to the Mt. Dora Observation platform. From there we could see the actual line dividing North and South Korea and the two villages in the DMZ. So now I have seen North Korea…but not been there!
Next was the stop at Dorasan Station. It was kind of freaky because it was built to make it possible to get from South Korea to North Korea…but the tracks don’t connect. “If North and South Korea decide to dissolve the DMZ, it would not take long for the two republics to physically reconnect. Dorasan Station is a new but empty highway and train transportation hub that awaits reunification accords. It is less than 800 yards from the DMZ.”
After that we headed back towards Seoul. We stopped at an amethyst factory. The stones were pretty and the prices were pretty good…don’t know what it had to do with the DMZ, but I’m sure somebody made some money off the stop! After the tour we went shopping and sightseeing. All in all, we had a great time!
1 Comments:
Wow, Jennell, you lead such an interesting life. I mean, the most exciting thing I have done lateley is to walk with a cane instead of a walker.
Post a Comment
<< Home