Day one DMZ tour

We got up at 6:30am- everyone slept very well and we were ready to start our day. We got dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel coffee shop and walked off base. We met a bus that was to take us to the DMZ area. The bus ride was an hour and a half to the border. The DMZ is the De-Militarized Zone, it is where the north and South Korean borders meet and the war has been at a standstill for the past 60 years. 

After a long bus ride we arrived at the peace line. Here is the peace bell. 

Bill is standing on the railroad that used to connect north to south. 

This is a memorial to the families who have people over in North Korea. 

This is a steam engine that broke down in during the Korean War and it has stayed there. It is full of bullet holes. 

Notice the barbed wire behind us. We look so happy in an austere place. 

These signs note cities on either side of the DMZ. There are three lines inbetween this area. A north boarder, the 2km the DML- demilitarized line and then 2km and the south border. 

This is on the wooden bridge. The bridge used to be walkable between north and south. 

Here is the freedom bridge. It connects north and south. During the war people would cross seeking their freedoms. 

This wall blocks the wooden bridge access. 

A peace memorial. 

Baby Theo is truly an ambassador. He slept through this tour stop, but we were greeted by many people from all over the world. A universal, "awe, baby!" Was the greeting no matter the language. It is nice to see a baby can breech a language barrier. Now as long as the people on the bus don't hate us when he cries. 

Next we went to the museum and tunnel to North Korea. 

This area was very educational and full of propaganda. They have found 4 tunnels from the north to the south. The north says that the south dug the tunnel but there is evidence, like TNT facing towards the south. The north also claimed that it was a coal mine, but there is no coal in Korea. Only granite, so these four tunnels were to try to infiltrate the south. We visited the 3rd tunnel. We couldn't take any pictures down in the tunnel. We walked 1km underground towards the North Korean line. It was very steep. The tunnel was only about 5ft tall in some areas, we wore yellow hard hats. I had to stoop to make it through. I wore Theo and hiked down and up. It was quite the physical activity. But I am very glad we did this part of the tour. 

After this stop we went to an observation area. It is where the military looks out on to the DMZ. I didn't take pictures because it was very hazy. Also you had to stand behind a yellow line about 30ft away from a 5ft wall. If you crossed the yellow line and took a photo, the soldiers would delete all your photos. 

You can see some of the military compounds from this outpost, but there are also what looks like a town. But it is just like a Hollywood studio lot, they are empty shells of buildings with painted on windows. The North Koreans want people to believe that it is a nice place to live and visit. 

The next stop was to the rail road. There is a working rail road connecting the two countries. This sign says, "Not the last station from the south, but the first station toward the North."

The stories were told makes it sound like they truly believe that there will be reunification and that the south will impart their government onto the north. 

Next we stopped at the Reunification Villiage. It was an area to purchase the DMZ barbed wire. We got back on the bus and headed back towards Seoul. The baby slept all the way home.