After lunch somewhere in the DMZ, we changed buses, and our new bus was heading to Camp Bonifas and into the JSA – Joint Security Area. Don’t worry if all these acronyms and constant place names confuse you, they sure as hell confused the life out of me, and even after research I’m still baffled Read more about DMZ Tour Part 7: Camp Bonifas, The JSA and Crazy Golf[…]
Lunch in the DMZ was next up on the agenda. We ate at a tiny wee roadside restaurant near Imjingak, just south of the actual North Korea border. The countryside was immense and on Christmas Eve, a land covered in snow gave a dreamlike impression. Something that I longed for in childhood. The restaurant. The Read more about DMZ Tour Part 6: Lunch in the DMZ[…]
After Dorasan Station, it was time to visit an area known as Imjingak, a settlement right by “Freedom Bridge”, a bridge which links North Korea to South Korea (basically), but is not in use. We crossed the Imjin river on our tour bus and ended up at Imjingak, which to me seemed like a touristy Read more about DMZ Tour Part 5: Imjingak[…]
With the sun beating down to hide a false temperature in the South Korean snow, we were heading on the road to Pyongyang, North Korea, just near Dorasan Station. An unfamiliar eerie-ness accompanied the trip to Dorasan, from Paju. The significance of Dorasan Station is that it’s in South Korea, but the track connects to Read more about DMZ Tour Part 4: Dorasan Station – “Next Train To Pyongyang, Please!”[…]
At Paju, Panny and I were able to go into the third tunnel. This “work of art” was allegedly built by the North Koreans to gain a secret access and gateway into South Korea, one of many that have been found. You can wear what you like, as long as you have a blue hard Read more about DMZ Tour Part 3: The Third Tunnel[…]
Apart from the fact that “Paju” is a city of apparently 375,000, I sensed it’s real purpose could be as a northern protection point for Seoul in case of any attempted invasion or attack from North Korea. However, the city itself appears to be rather “fake”, and a lot of this is owed to the Read more about DMZ Tour Part 2: Paju[…]
Christmas Eve has always been a special day for me, as Christmas is a time for family, fun and not working. Especially in Christian countries. From playing Lego at home in Bangor (Northern Ireland), to having our annual family party at my Granny’s flat in “The Cregagh” in Belfast to my later adventures in travel, Read more about DMZ Tour Part 1: Leaving My Seoul For Paju[…]
To say you have been to North Korea is one thing. To say you simply did it with ease in a blue hut accompanied by a tour group and some members of the army stationed in the JSA (Joint Security Area) at Panmunjom (or Panmunjoeom) is not quite the same as eating a bit of Read more about World Borders: Panmunjom – Crossing The Border Into North Korea[…]