Seoul, Day 4 - The DMZ is as Strange as You Would Expect

Hubs and I decided to take the DMZ tour. The bus left from The Lotte Hotel, perhaps the most chichi hotel I've ever been in. Our bus was filled with 13 year-old international students on a field trip. I was immediately worried, but they turned out to be relatively quiet and well-behaved.

Our first stop was at the Odusan Unification Observatory where we saw a typical living room and classroom modeled after present day North Korea. It looked like time stopped in the 50's.

A North Korean defector told her heart-breaking story about leaving her family, and escaping with her friend whose small child drowned along the way. She ended up in China and was able to fly to Cambodia and ended up back in South Korea. Her friend wasn't so lucky and was sold into human trafficking in China. Very harrowing. It's hard for me to imagine risking my life to leave my home.

After that, we went to the Freedom Bridge at Imjingak where POW's were exchanged after the war. There's also a rusted-out train coated with bullet holes which is kind of neat.

Banners at the Freedom Bridge

Our lunch was provided at a traditional Korean restaurant where you sit on the floor.

Bulgogi was thinly sliced beef marinated in what tasted like soy, ginger, garlic, and honey (there's a sweetness to it) cooked with onion. The meat cooks in front of you, and there was a station where you could refill any condiments at will. More kimchi, please! I liked wrapping the bulgogi in lettuce with rice. Delicious.

After lunch, we went to Panmunjeom, where the DMZ is, the area at the North and South Korean border that is "neutral." Panmunjeom is only a few meters deep and is guarded by UN soldiers. It consists of a set of UN buildings situated directly where the two borders meet.

The entire time we were there, North Korean soldiers watched us through binoculars. It was surreal, to say the least.

See the soldier standing in front of the large building in the background? He's watching us through binoculars.

We were allowed into the UN buildings used for diplomat meetings between the two nations.

The concrete strip marks the border between North and South Korea, so I was technically standing on North Korean soil when this photo was taken.

On the way back to Seoul, we stopped at the Bridge of No Return. On this bridge, POW's were given the choice whether or not to return to North Korea. If they chose to go back they could never return. Maybe it was lack of leaves on the trees, but it felt haunted in its desolation.

We took the bus back to Seoul and wandered around the Namdaemun Market, which had all sorts of crazy food stands.

Japchae (stir-fried vegetables and glass noodles) stuffed fried bread.

Pork bun.

Sausage breaded with fish cake. I didn't know it was fish cake when I ordered. I wish I could say I liked this, but I didn't. Too fishy for me. But so many Koreans were eating them, I had to try it. Hubs didn't like it either. The sausage was good, though. Similar to a spicy Polish.

From there, we walked down to Meong-dong and wandered around. We found a cute coffee shop and cozied up with a caramel macchiato.

The DMZ tour was expensive at 70,000 W per person (this includes lunch), but it was a great history lesson. The tour educated me on the plight of North and South Koreans, and the experience enhanced the whole trip because I felt a stronger, more personal connection with the country. I fully recommend the tour and think it's worth the splurge.