The Day I Went to North Korea
One of the things I really wanted to do in Korea was to visit the demilitarized zone, at the border of North and South Korea and so this weekend we went to North Korea.
The only way you can visit the DMZ is on an organised trip. We departed from Seoul and our first stop was Imjingak. Imjingak is a place where South Koreans can come and experience the DMZ. It’s not actually in the DMZ, but it’s about as close as South Koreans can get to it without joining the army. Highlights included many monuments to the Korean War, a viewing point where you can sort of, if you’re lucky, see the DMZ, an abandoned train and Freedom Bridge. Freedom Bridge is famous as it was where ex-prisoners of war were returned to their countries (either North or South) after the Korean war. Oh yeh, there’s a mini theme park there too.
Korean War monument
Freedom Bridge
Abandoned train
Next up was into the Joint Security Area. This is a part of the DMZ, and is part of the village of Panmunjom. It was here that the armistice was signed at the end of the Korean war (and only an armistice, which means the Koreas are still technically at war). The army base here is called Camp Bonifas, and when we arrived we were briefed and told about all the security requirements such as not making *any* gestures with our hands, or moving to quickly. We were loaded onto a special military bus and had our passports checked another time and driven to the JSA.
We were driven to the JSA, lined up two-by-two and climbed the steps. At the top we saw, probably about 40-50 meters away, North Korea. The tension in the air was incredible. All around were ROK soldiers in reflective aviator sunglasses standing in menacing poses staring at the North Korean side. And on the North Korean side was an imposing, Soviet-looking, drab building which (apparently) was full of soldiers watching our every move. The border was marked with concrete slabs. No fence, no wire, no signs. Just concrete slabs.
We were allowed to enter the conference rooms where we could cross over to the North Korean side, though we had to make sure we stayed in front of the ROK soldier, as apparently the North Koreans have attempted to grab people from their door before.
The view from the ROK side. That's North Korea over there.
Views
The view from the terrace at work where Arti and I sit and drink coffee… I like it, it’s purdy.
Seoul (and Other Things)
Last weekend my friend came down from Seoul and we were going to hang out in Daejeon and see the sights. He got here on Friday evening and we checked into the cheapest motel we could find. In Korea, the cheapest motels you can find are usually “love motels”, and it’s usually pretty obvious from the outside that that’s what they are. Korea being a conservative country, sex before marriage is a big no-no, so couples have to find somewhere to go. They could go “see a movie” in a DVD-bang, but it’s still not the same, so instead you can rent a room in a love motel. If you want you can just rent it for an hour. We just went because it was cheap, and we were too lazy/tired to find anywhere else.
When you enter these motels there’s usually a black or frosted screen between you the customer, and the person at the check in desk so they can’t identity you. The corridors in these places are really dimly lit and it all seems kinda spooky. Having said that though, the rooms are really nice! As nice as any hotel I’ve ever been in, for a fraction of the price. In Daejeon we paid W40,000 (£22) for a night. Bargain! It had a huge flat screen TV, a computer with internet access and free drinks in the fridge waiting for us. Lovely. Other highlights included freebies advertising prostitutes and a red light in the room.
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Listening to This American Life on the KTX back from Seoul yesterday, they played this song. It’s beautiful, so I thought I’d share it…
Don’t read anything into it though…
Om nom nom
In Korea you can go to cafes where for the low low price of W2000 (£1), they will supply you with a towel and you can go dunk your feet in a tank full of dead-skin eating fish.
Lovely.
Takes a bit of getting used to, but after a while quite nice! Though I did have to put my feet flat on the bottom of the tank ‘cos it was getting too ticklish…
Adapting
It’s amazing how fast you can adapt to living in a totally strange and foreign place…
- Paying for a motel or hostel and being given little more than a sheet to put on the floor to sleep on is completely normal.
- I can eat anything, any size, any shape, with chopsticks. I can dissect food of any kind. On the rare occassion we go for a meal and we’re given a knife and fork, I sometimes have to take a few seconds to remember what to do with them.
- I’ve honed my eye for spotting the smallest piece of meat in my meal, and can whip it out without even thinking about it.
- I can zone out of general lab conversation (in Korean), but my ears prick up as soon as anyone starts calling for me.
- I bow when greeting or saying bye to people, and when thanking people.
- I speak a strange mix of Korean and English to other foreigners. Ballie ballie! (quicky!) Opseyo! (means so much… generally along the lines of “not”).
- Drinking alcohol isn’t the same without gombae! or Korean drinking games (banny banny banny banny… tangbang! tangbang!)
- I accept things with 2 hands, and I give things with my hand that’s not in use on my opposite elbow. It’s a respect thang.
- I speak much more slooooooowly and clearly than I used to. I suspect certain people back home will be thankful for this.
- I eat lunch ridiculously early (11:30), but still eat dinner quite late (6:30pm), which means I can go most of the day without any food. I’m not sure if this is a Korean thing, or specific to where I work.
- I know this is a bad thing, but I don’t hold the door for people. It’s the Korean way…
Jeju Island
Last weekend the other IAESTEs and I went to an island off the south coast of the Korean peninsula, Jeju-do. It’s a very popular honeymoon destination for Koreans and it’s becoming more popular with foreign tourists too. It’s pretty much the Korean version of Hawaii.
We decided that rather that just fly there and back, we would try to get the ship from the mainland to the island. So, we got the train bright and early and travelled to Mokpo, a smallish city in the south-west corner of Korea. From there we got the 6 hour ferry to Jeju. We travelled third class, which meant we all got put in a big room where we had to sit on the floor. A few months ago, before I came here, the idea of sitting on the floor would have been out of the question. It’s just not something we do here. But since I’ve been here, I’ve grown quite fond of the idea. Many restaurants require you to sit on the floor and most of the motels and hostels I’ve stayed in only give you a thin mattress to roll out on the ground to sleep on.
Mokpo
Noodle Noodle Party
Normally there are 2 different menus in the canteen at work, but today there is one.
Why? Translating the menu says that it’s because they “expected to make a lot of rain in a noodle noodle party has changed”.
Priceless. I love you, Google Translate.
Weekend Trip to Gyeongju
This weekend I went on an IAESTE arranged trip to Gyeonju. Gyeongju is situated on the south-east coast of the Korean peninsula. It’s known as the museum without walls due to the sheer amount of old stuff there is within the city. Korea’s history, like many Asian countries, consists of different dynasties and rulers. In the first millennium, the Korea (and parts of what is now China) were ruled by the three consecutive Kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. Of these, the Silla kingdom is probably the most important, as it was the first to unify all areas of the peninsula. Gyeongju was the capital city of Silla.
We arrived on Friday evening and checked into our motel, went for a few drinks, had a little wander around the dong and got an earlyish night.
On Saturday morning we began our sight seeing. First stop, the beach. But not any beach, oh no. This beach has some rocks about 200m away from the coast which is a tomb, the tomb of King Munmu.
The Tomb of King Munmu
Then we headed back into the city to do a tour of the Gyeonju National Museum. There was so much stuff to see here. The tour guide who showed us around only took us to a small selection. We did get to sample some tea though, and saw some fascinating Buddhist art, as well as some ancient Korean bling. However, the highlight of the museum was the Emille Bell. This is essentially a giant bell, from a temple, which when struck lightly can be heard 3km away. I’m not sure how true this is though, as we weren’t allowed try.
Emille Bell
After the museum, we went across the road to the site of a royal palace and a beautiful lotus pond, Anapji. The pond was reconstructed in 1974-5, and many relics were found, most of which are now in the museum. At this time of year though, the pond is stunning, with lotus flowers in bloom as far as the eye can see.
