A few months ago, we watched a building go up on the hillside by our house. It turned out to be a restaurant, and Paula, Kyung-rim and I went there to eat. Turns out the guy who owns it has been trekking in the Himalayas twice. Upon his return to Korea last time, he decided to build a restaurant. So he did. And he serves really tasty food (and tons of it for $4). He found out that Paula and I are teachers, and he told us that we can go there everyday after work, and he’ll feed us well. Infact, he told us that the next time we go, we’ll get our meal for free! Nice.

I’ve got to stop eating seaweed and Oreos before bed. Last night I dreamt that I was working as an undercover agent … disguised as an Hassidic Jewish Rabbi. No word of a lie. I was just opening the locker that contained the secret documents I was searching for when my roomate coughed in the Livingroom and woke me up. drat.

DMZ = Demilitarized Zone

JSA = Joint Security Area

DML = Demarcation Line

We’re back safe and sound, after seeing the DMZ. We even went down into the 3rd Tunnel (The third infiltration tunnel that the North Koreans dug beneath the DMZ…it ends only 44km away from Seoul).

The DMZ consists of 2km on the South Korean side, and 2km on the North Korean side, with the DML running the width of the country right down the middle of the DMZ. After the North and South signed the ceasefire (they’re technically still at war), both sides agreed to allow 2km on either side of the fence as a buffer. We stood atop an observation deck, and could see the North Korean troops in their guard posts.

We could also see the ‘Propaganda Village’ which the North Koreans constructed to show how prosperous they are….however, the place is absolutely deserted. Not a single person lives in that village. It’s entirely for show.

We also weren’t allowed off the bus in certain spots (mostly because the bus was moving) but also because there were still unswept minefields within spitting distance of the bus.

Liam and I did get a big laugh though, as we were waiting on the bus to show our passports at the security check, there was a gaggle of S.Korean soldiers ouside. One of them was demonstrating to his fellow soldiers how to execute a proper ballerina-style perrioutte. It was pretty funny. He was quite good, even with his army boots on!

I’d pay good money to see the JSA Ballet company perform!