Dalton Stickler - May 16th - DMZ Tour

Starting off the day Saturday, we left around 9 am to catch a tour bus that took us an hour North to the DMZ (The Korean Demilitarized Zone). This was an unreal experience being able to get within 500 feet of North Korea, and be able to also use binoculars to look right into the country, it honestly felt illegal. A lot of us on this trip had highly anticipated this part of the trip, and were really looking forward to it. Our first stop was at a visitor center where we grabbed lunch, looked at artifacts, and my favorite part of this stop, hearing from a defector from North Korea. Her and her family were able to escape from North Korea, and being able to hear from her and her experiences was one of the coolest things I have experienced, as it is not very common to find or hear from a defector. 

Our next stop was the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, one of four known tunnels that North Korea secretly dug beneath the border in an attempt to move troops into the South undetected. The tunnel was discovered in 1978, and is a huge attraction now. Inside the tunnel, you're hunched over, walking down a steep incline, with the walls just barely wide enough for two people to pass. Knowing that North Korea had carved this out in complete secrecy, and denied it even after discovery, claiming it was a coal mine despite no coal being present, made every step feel heavy. The diagram we were given beforehand helped put the scale and layout into perspective, since there wasn't much to photograph once we were underground. I was not allowed to take my phone on the tunnel, so I am attaching a picture of the diagram below. As well as a few group pictures from the Tunnel. 

After the tunnel, we visited an observation overlook with a direct view into North Korea. Again, photography was restricted, which was frustrating but understandable. Looking out across the border was a surreal experience, as there was a huge flag pole not too far into the country flying a big North Korean flag, which just was crazy for me to be seeing in person. 

Finally, after the DMZ we returned to the hotel where later that night there was a massive parade for Buddha’s birthday. Floats, lanterns, traditional costumes, music. It was a complete 180 from the solemnity of the DMZ, and a good reminder that Seoul is a city very much alive. I attached an image I got of some floats while walking along the street.