"I mean, the DMZ is not somewhere one goes when on a personal holiday to Korea so why not now?" I reasoned to an unconvinced Rabbit...
We set off early in the morning.
Which is why when we awoke we were alreay in Imjingak, a town near the North-South border. Far from being tense, it looked rather touristy, with lots of monuments erected in memory of those killed and/or affected by the war.
This is the Freedom Bridge. No pampering on this blog. Read for yourself what it signifies...
But.... It ends abruptly... Still, I guess it is good to have something symbolic to stoke hopes...
This is an exhibit comprising a locomotive train that was destroyed during the war...
Those are real bullet holes - hundreds of them...
You may have noticed some paper strips at the side of the fence... Those are prayers or encouraging words from well-wishers...
And these are some shots of the area beyond the fence...
There's also a viewing platform for better views of 'the other side'... It was quite a climb though - Don't think there were any lifts.
After the stop at Imjingak, we went closer yet to the border... To do that, we had to cross a check-point after which pictures were not allowed... I sneaked some (badly as usual). Look carefully at the pictures... Notice the different uniforms? The personnel in green are from the South Korean army whereas those in grey are part of the United Nations force stationed there...
This is Dorasan Station (where pictures are allowed), the first stop at what was then planned to be a line all the way up North to Pyongyang and joining the Trans-China and Trans-Siberian railways...
Wait, I just realised my pictures of the exterior of the station are gone. Vanished. Woe is me... I am left with those of informational signboards...
And a commerorative scroll signed by then US President George Bush...
As well as a picture taken with a soldier inside the station. He looked cheerful enough...
Our next stop was yet another viewing outpost atop a hill...
And here are some shots of the place...
You must be thinking that this idiot photographer once again failed to take the most important shots or lost them again but this time at least, it is not down to me. It's because of this.... Strictly no photos beyond this line, a rule which was quite strictly enforced...
Our next stop brought us to the Third Tunnel. It turns out North Korea had after the war surreptitiously dug several tunnels from their side of the border all the way to the South in preparation for an eventual invasion. This was one of them and it has now been made assessible to the public.
Quite understandably, no photos were allowed... This was as close as I was able to snap, however... I will say though, that the tunnel was deep (several hundred metres underground?) and reasonably wide. Perhaps it could have been a bit taller, given the number of times I clattered my head into the scaffolding overhead (thank goodness for a helmet). I suppose they didn't build the tunnel with me in mind but still, for the North to have dug this deep and burrowed this far (in the 70s, if I recall correctly) was pretty impressive.
This is a CCTV camera showing various spots down in the tunnel. I guess if you strain your eyes you could discern what it looks like but I would encourage you to go there yourself. It was quite an experience....
And that was that for the visit to the DMZ. I would have liked to go to Pamumjeon, a famous town on the border, but that was not on the itinerary. Next time perhaps...
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