Day 6 North Korea
Unlike the natural barrier, the Ottawa River, that protects our nation’s capital
from Quebec, the South Koreans mean business in order to keep the North out.
This was quite a day…
We had a tour guide who could hardly speak English but tried anyway. Paired with
one other family from Chicago, we headed north in a very luxurious red Kia
minivan. Our driver (we found out later on) was our tour guide’s boss. This was
only her second tour ever, which could have explained her nervous glances when
asked something that couldn’t be answered within her “script.” She called
herself Olive (from the movie Little Miss Sunshine) because her Korean name was
impossible to pronounce.
Driving north was intimidating. Beginning in the northern part of Seoul, and
stretching forever, is a fence topped with razor wire complete with watch towers
every 250 meters. This fence travels alongside a river that eventually
intersects with another river that passes through dangerous mountain terrain,
which in turn leads across fiery lava flowing beside snake-infested pits that
eventually lead to North Korea. Guards were posted in each watchtower passing
the time watching that cursed video game channel.
We arrived at the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and to our surprise discovered an
amusement park. Apparently, the South Koreans have taken the cue from the
Americans and capitalized on tourist traffic. Indeed, many happy Asians travel
to one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world to ride on the
tilt-a-whirl. Shuttle buses waited anxiously everywhere to take us to the real
DMZ but until then, we had to pass the time without the aid of tourist traps.
Eventually we found many memorials built by the Americans to honour their troops
who have fallen in the Korean war. Nothing was there honouring our Canadians. I
believe our federal government is going to hear about that from me if I ever
finish writing these reports…
We explored the Freedom Bridge where families from the North and South are
occasionally allowed to re-unite. I read a plaque describing the Bridge of No
Return. This bridge (only accessible by tourists on the GOLD PACKAGE TOUR)
involved soldiers from the South simply trying to cut down a tree on their side
with an axe because it blocked their view. The Northern soldiers didn’t like
what they were doing, ran across, grabbed the axe and the carnage began…
The shuttle bus took us across a checkpoint where soldiers, who looked as young
as fourteen, boarded the bus. These “boys” had semi-automatic weapons at their
side that teenage passengers excitedly pawed while their passports were being
checked.
We stopped at a train station that proudly proclaimed itself as the last stop in
the South but eventually would become the first stop in the North. South Koreans
cannot venture across land to the rest of the world because of North Korea. This
station will be the gateway to Asia and Europe for the South if the two
countries ever re-unite.
As we progressed further into the actual DMZ or “reasonable facsimile of” (for
the benefit of lowly tourists who could then say they were in the DMZ), we tried
to ponder what the DMZ actually was. If indeed this was a natural conservation
area where the military did not tread, why were there signs indicating land
mines along the road and endless razor wire? Our guide actually boasted about
the area being a haven for wildlife but I couldn’t see the beauty of spotting a
three-legged deer.
So, we ended up at a point in this DMZ where we could see the highest flagpole
in the world flying the North Korean flag. Viewfinders at a cost were
conveniently placed along an observation platform for tourists eager to see
other parts of the forbidden land of the North. All we saw was smog and
occasional green formations that were supposedly mountains. Pictures were only
allowed if you stepped back 10 meters from the observation platform. This of
course allowed beautiful panoramic shots of the viewfinders.
After that anti-climatic experience, we were herded to the third tunnel. Yes,
this is one of four tunnels secretly built by North Koreans soldiers to invade
the South and later on maximize the profit from tourist dollars. Unlike any
American tourist attraction that highlights minimal physical effort to see the
attractions (i.e. elevators, escalators, monorails, cable cars etc), we had to
walk down a steep 500 meter incline to reach the 3rd tunnel. As we passed Asians
happily jogging back up, Westerners in various stages of cardiac arrest gazed
hopelessly into our eyes.
When we reached the bottom, we put on our hard hats and explored the tunnel.
Most parts of the tunnel were not higher than 5’6” so I constantly rammed my
head. My back spasmed uncontrollably as we reached an imposing snarl of razor
wire 15 minutes later. A solid wall of concrete followed that barrier with only
a tiny slit for curious tourists to see the OTHER SIDE OF THE TUNNEL. I knew we
had to turn around and go back. When we arrived back to the entrance and looked
up the sharp 500 meter incline, I knew weight loss through intense perspiration
was inevitable today. To my surprise, there was a tram to the right that carried
weary Westerns back up to the top. However, you had to be on the GOLD PACKAGE
TOUR to enjoy that treatment…
Somehow we made it back up and asked if the 1st, 2nd and 4th tunnels were open
to the public. Thankfully, not…The last leg of our tour was to visit an amethyst
(some kind of stone) jewellery store in the heart of Seoul. WHAT THE HELL did
that have to do with a visit to the DMZ you ask? The answer will appear later on
in this trip report. And no, it has nothing to do with amethyst being mined
anywhere in the DMZ.
The sisters arrived and took us to an Italian restaurant for a change of pace. I
ordered pizza with squid and egg on it… How’s that for a Fear Factor
combination?
We watched a free colourful Korean dance show on the lawns of city hall where
the lighting technicians needed to be fired (as we were overcome by a bright
pink spotlight illuminating the audience with its ferocious heat). Korean music
has its merits but this particular show was at an intolerable decibel level.
This assault on the senses would have been enough to keep any North Koreans at
bay instead of land mines, razor wire and watch towers…
