Day 2: It's fun to stay at the DMZ!

So last night I discovered what it is like to sleep on less than half a bed. Thanks Sophie for almost elbowing me in the face in the middle of the night too! I now understand why my parents say never to buy a double bed for two people - there is not enough room, particularly in a humid area such as this.

Morning came and we had a quick breakfast before getting picked up for our tour of the Demilitarised Zone and Joint Security Area. We met a nice couple from Oklahoma who worked at a University over there - the lady worked in Nutrition Research and had just been at a conference. But Sophie and I started to notice that a lot of people on our tour weren't dressed to the regulations and no one seemed to mind. This was a touch perplexing.

Our first stop on the tour was a lookout post, which also included the Freedom Bridge and the Peace Bell. This place served as a memorial to the lives lost during the Korean War, but also hope for the future and the reunification of Korea. What I found most interesting about today in general was the way the tour guides spoke of North Korea and the goal of reunification. In many ways, it did sound like their own version of propaganda - however good their intentions may be. Certainly the goal of reunification of Korea was a running theme for today.

A memorial for the refugees from North Korea and what they have lost

One of the beautiful gardens in this memorial area

An art wall, full of reunification drawings

A locomotive that was destroyed by North Korean bombing at the start of the war

Freedom bridge disappearing off into North Korea

The peace wall - made up from rocks from different areas of conflicts around the world

The Korean Peace Bell

Our second stop on the tour was the 3rd infiltration tunnel. This tunnel, and it's three siblings, were constructed after the ceasefire agreement and the Military Demarcation Line was established as a way of conducting a surprise attack on the South. We were able to enter the third tunnel and see the evidence of man-made construction. The North had argued it was a disused coal mine, except the rock formations contain no coal. So the North painted some of the rocks black to pretend it was coal. Other evidence all included signs of dynamite usage - showing it could not have naturally formed.

The tunnel itself was very interesting, but to get down to it, you had to walk nearly 400m down a steep slope, which was also very wet. It was quite challenging to climb down and seemed to take forever. Once we got down there, I was very amused by the size of the tunnel. We had been told on the surface that it was built for North Korean sized people - so to anticipate that we would be too short. However, for most of the tunnel I could stand up perfectly fine. Any time the roof was too low, I only had to slouch. For once there has been an advantage to my lack of height.

Above ground - a sign to remind us of where we were

A statue symbolising the hope for reunification

Not sure why a FIFA soccer ball was in the toilet block - but it was

Our next stop was an observation tower which allowed us to see across the MDL into North Korea. We could see their propaganda village, which is the pretend town the North Koreans have build to show how good life is in North Korea and also includes a 160m tall flag tower, that dwarfs the 100m tall flag tower in the South Korean Freedom Village. The South Korean Freedom Village is inside the DMZ and as such, none of the civilians there are actually subjects of South Korea.  As such, they are not able to be conscripted into the military and pay no taxes. The downside being that they have to follow the strict military protocols for the DMZ. From the observation area you could also see the bare hills, stripped due to the need for firewood in North Korea, as well as an old factory that used to operate within the DMZ as a shared facility - South Korea owned the infrastructure and North Korea provided the labour. With the souring of relations between the two countries, this project has ceased.

Look at that view!

After the observation tower we went and visited the last train station in South Korea. Built in 2002, it represents the dream of a unified Korea. The dream is to one day have a train line that runs from South Korea to Europe and Asia. However, until relations between the North and the rest of the world are fixed, this will not happen. None the less, the train station remains, ready for the day the railroad can operate. It was quite amusing actually to see the sign "Line to Pyeongyang" given how the current state of affairs is.

Last train to Pyeongyang....

The Piano of Peace - looks like a standard piano

No strings, only barbed wire

After we got onto the bus it was revealed that only 18 members of the tour were actually going to the JSA. Sophie and I were two of them. For lunch, we had what was very similar to Sukiyaki that I had in Japan - mystery meat boiled in a pot with vegetables, and a whole bunch of side dishes. It was good, excited a bit spicy when you got to the bottom of the dish. There was chaos and confusion at lunch after one of the tour guides put people at the wrong table or something - what was wrong was never quite made clear, but it made our new JSA tour guide very stressed and shouty which was interesting.

When we got on the bus they made a comment about the dress code and a few people pipped up and said they didn't know. That led to a whole 'nother bout of chaos at the briefing centre when they couldn't find proper shoes for one girl. Apparently some travel agents don't tell you everything - although I was surprised by how some of the people were dressed - it was very sloppy, even for being on holidays (maybe my mother just raised me funny.)

Being inside the JSA is kind of a bit stressful, because at any moment things could become bad. If you want to know - have a google of the Ax Murder Incident - where two soldiers were killed because they tried to cut down a tree inside the complex. It's a pretty startling reminder that you are inside a country that is very much at war. You can't have your phone on and check messages nor take photos pretty much anywhere. Anywhere you can, there is a strict time limit and you are told exactly what you can and cannot photograph. That being said, it is an amazing place to go and see what lengths you have to go to to prevent all out war.

In the conference room with one of the South Korean military guards - who stands "ready" for combat at any moment

The line between North and South Korea. Technically I crossed it, but I was inside a South Korean building so I was ok

The conference table. The microphones record 24/7 and fall on the Military Demarcation Line (so anyone on the other side in this picture is TECHNICALLY in North Korea)

Looking into North Korean side of the Joint Security Area

We were dropped back in Seoul at the Myeongdong shopping district - which I think really underwhelmed Sophie and I. Mind you, Sophie had been sleeping all day (like she didn't get enough sleep last night - Ha!) and she said later she hadn't been feeling all that great. We visited Uniqlo and I searched for an ATM that would give me cash - they all kept rejected my card and I only had about 11,000 won ($12) left. Stress! Fortunately a lot of places take card for payment. Giving up on shopping and an ATM, we visited Deoksugung Palace - which is beautiful!

We found this thing - you couldn't go over to it and I have no idea what it was...but it's pretty!

The Coronation Building of the Deoksugung Palace

One of the engraved stones on the way up to the Coronation Building

Inside the Coronation Building

A very ornate water feature. 

One of the wings of the palace. It was built in Western style because the King of the day liked it

The time is.....nothing1

One of the gates that has been relocated. Now contains a bell

And this "rocket launcher" that could shoot over 100 arrows thanks to gunpowder

Grabbed a quick bite to eat on our way home. I had one last ditch effort at an ATM at the corner store right near our accommodation and what luck! It works! I am super relieved and will be grabbing some more cash tomorrow morning because I don't know when I will find another ATM that will comply with my wishes.

It's been a big day and tomorrow proves to be a bigger challenge as we pack our bags and head off to Daegu for the big event. And guess who doesn't know their speech yet?