Last weekend I went to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). The DMZ is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea and runs along the 38th parallel north. Tours are offered that take us into the war zone.
We started at the USO office at Camp Kim, in Seoul, then went to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. This is one of 4 tunnels that was dug under the DMZ by the North Koreans and was discovered on October 17, 1978. We were able to walk into the tunnel, but no photos were allowed. In the same area, there was a small DMZ museum.
Next was the Dora Observatory and the Dorasan Station. From the observatory, we were able to look into North Korea. Photos were allowed, but they could only be taken from a certain place. Dorasan Station is a train station which once connected North and South Korea. Though not in use, it has been restored and there is hope that it may be used again in the future.
The final stop was the Joint Security Area (JSA), located in Panmunjeom and is the only connection between North and South Korea. While there, I was able to set foot in North Korea while I was in one of the United Nations buildings that crosses the border. There were several military people standing guard while we were there. And, when we looked across to North Korea, there was also a guard watching us.
The entire time we were in the bus in the DMZ area, I felt like I was in a MASH episode. So glad there wasn't a chicken on the bus.
My friend Carrie taught in Seoul a few years back. This weekend, her former co-teacher was getting married and I had an opportunity to attend the celebration. We headed to Seoul on Friday evening so we could enjoy the entire weekend.
On Saturday, we did a lot of walking around and people watching...always interesting!! We then met up with some friends and went to a wonderful Korean BBQ place for lunch. We continued touring after lunch then went back toward our hotel area for dinner. We found a great curry place. The best part, however, was the Gorgonzola cheese naan. DELICIOUS!! Have I mentioned that the cheese in Korea sucks??? I've never considered myself a cheese snob, but when the only option is yellow, rubbery stuff, you really appreciate a taste of real cheese. A+ on the Gorgonzola!!!
Sunday was the wedding. We headed out early as we needed to get to a subway station to lock our luggage in a locker before taking the express bus to the wedding hall. After fumbling around with the locker (instructions in Korean only), we headed to the bus. Oops, we locked the directions in the locker. Good thing we also had directions via subway/cab.
We arrived at the wedding location. As we stepped in the building, it basically looked like a department store...lots of shoes, gloves, hats for sale. Seemed a bit strange to me, but as the escalator approached the 7th floor, it was clear that we had found the right spot. Music was playing and people were chatting in the large, open area. For a moment, we wandered around lost, until we were rescued by one of the bride's sisters. She directed us to the location to leave our monetary gift, then shuffled us over to a little room where the bride was sitting. Apparently the bride sits in this little room until the wedding starts and takes pictures with friends and family members.
At noon, the ceremony began. It started with the mothers of the bride and groom walking down the aisle. They did something at the front of the room and bowed to the audience. Then, the groom waited at the back of the room for his bride to enter through a little door (connecting the main hall to the little room she was in). After she approached the groom, they headed down the aisle together.
During the ceremony, people would come and go as they like, people chit chatted, and enjoyed each others company. I'm not sure that anyone was listening to the speaker. Interesting. After the ceremony, the family took pictures then the friends took pictures. All were group shots. Then, Carrie was selected to catch the bouquet. We're not exactly sure why she was the chosen one, but in front of all the family/friends, the flowers were tossed and she caught them. She will apparently be married in 6 months. :-)
After the photos were finished, we headed for lunch. This was a huge buffet where everyone in the wedding hall ate...from the wedding we attended and other weddings. It was massive. While we ate, there was another ceremony going on across the room. This time, the bride and groom were in traditional Korean attire. Unfortunately, we didn't really have an opportunity to check it out. After we finished our meal, we said goodbye to the couple and headed back to the subway station. After another struggle with the lockers, it was time to return to Ulsan.
It was a beautiful ceremony, I just wished I knew more about Korean wedding traditions and such. There was a constant stream of questions going through my mind and I may never know the answers. Enjoy the photos.
We had a 3 day weekend in early October due to the Founders Day Holiday. I spent the time in Seoul with a couple of my friends. See the video below...
Today I ventured to northern Seoul to take a bus tour of the city. On this particular tour, you can exit the bus at any stop then get back on the next bus when it comes. The weather wasn't ideal and prevented me from seeing several of the sites. Also, the jet lag set in so I didn't finish the entire tour...oh well, some thing to look forward to.
Here are a couple of the sites I really enjoyed
Deoksugung Palace: Built in the Choseon dynasty and symbolizes modern Korean history. There are guards outside and they re-enact the changing of the guard several times throughout the day.
National Museum of Korea: To truely appreciate all the information at this museum, I would have had to spend the entire day here. It has galleries describing 5,000 years of Korean history as well as a gallery on Asia in general. I browsed through each of the galleries, but didn't spend too much time.
Yongsan Park: This is a large family park located right next to the National Museum of Korea. The grounds are absolutely beautiful!! Lush, green gardens; amazing statues; lots of places for kids to play. They also had a fitness area that I found particulary interesting...which they had these in the states.
Itaewon Street: This section of Seoul is where you'll find all the foreigners. There are tons of shops, lots of ethnic foods, and language interpreters available to help you out. It's a very busy area with lots to see.
Here are a few pictures. I have more in the photo section.
So I made it to Seoul and the pre-flight butterflies are gone. I got to my hotel with only a couple issues, was able to get settled in, then started to check out the city. I hopped on the subway and headed to the Gangnam area. There were lots of shops to explore here. Here are my first impressionss of Seoul...
1. Apparently the motorcyclists don't have to follow any type of traffic rules as they are even allowed to ride down the sidewalks...watch out!
2. The city is AMAZINGLY clean and the subway is very easy to navigate.
3. Older men walking down the street do not seem friendly as I have received a lot of "stink eyes". However, men working in retail or other services have been very kind. For example, I asked the guy at the desk of my hotel for a restaurant recommendation. Rather than just telling me, he grabbed an umbrella, walked me in the rain to a Korean restaurant, helped me order, and made sure the price was within my range. WOW, that's service.
4. There is no shortage of coffee shops in Seoul. I thought that OC had lots of coffee shops, but they pale in comparison to Seoul.
5. The humidity sucks...looking forward to the fall.
6. Speaking English has not been an issue. Lot's of places have signs written in both Korean and English. I was especially happy about this when I wandered into Starbucks and was able to order a black sesame green tea frappuccino. Different flavor from the states but still good.
7. Make sure you go to the bathroom before you head out to the subway...save those public restrooms for emergencies only. You'll know what I mean when you see the picture.
Below are a few pictures from the day. For more pictures, click on the picture link above.
RSS Feed