Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The DMZ
Our InKAS volunteer waited on the 15th floor--in the "lobby"--for us for about 40 minutes while we waited on the ground floor near the front doors. When we finally connected, he put us in a taxi headed to the Lotte Hotel where we were to meet up with the bus tour that would take us to the DMZ. We were surprised that he had come all that way to just load us in a taxi--it was Tamiko, Jen S, Jenny D and me. Lisa found out that Holt found her file--it was lost at the time of the agency visit the day before--so she decided not to join us at the last minute and spend the day instead with other InKAS volunteers who would pamper her with a new hair style. (c;

We arrived at the hotel at 9:55 a.m. for a bus that was scheduled to pull out at 10 a.m. No one seemed concerned or in the least bit alarmed.

Note: We began to call the elevators at Casaville, our hotel, Elevator Purgatory. This was prompted by the slow, full capacity cars that slipped by your floor more often than not or took you in the wrong direction frequently leaving you in transit for 5-10 minutes (Thanks to Mark for this picture!!). With no stairs immediately available the elevator was the only means to travel between the 15 floors. Yet, without cell phones, connecting each of us, this slow travel was a means of the fortuitous chance encounter.

The DMZ tour bus was air conditioned and comfortable as we began our journey on the hottest day of the year in Korea. No seriously! I was relieved to hear this, because if it wasn't--I couldn't imagine surviving anything hotter! Our tour guide told us that we chose "best day" to go to the DMZ since it was so clear, not smoggy. That is so Korean!! "Best day" of course!!

The first tour guide spoke on and on in Korean. Jenny wondered, "What is she saying?" and then predicted that when the English speaker spoke, all that would be translated would be "We're headed to the DMZ." I had to laugh. In fact, our tour guide was an adorable ajima (grandma) who called herself, <---Laura. She reminded us to have our passports ready and please make sure we did not have surgery so our face matched the picture. Giggling at her own joke only made it all the more endearing. She let us know several times that if anyone had alcohol for lunch at the restaurant, the tour--both buses--would have to turn around and be sent back.

We learned about how Korea was divided. It all happened as a result of the remnant of the Cold War between the US and USSR. They compromised by splitting the country at the 38th parallel and the Soviets could pick the leader for the North and the US could pick the leader for the South. This seemed to settle things until the North launched a surprise attack in the summer and captured most of South Korea. They pushed the South Koreans down to Pusan. Sixteen nations came to the aid of the South and pushed the North back up past the 38th parallel. A significant date in this maneuver was November 25. I was heartened to hear that my birthday was chosen as possibly a significant day in South Korean history.

China came to the aid of the North Koreans and pushed the border back down around the 38th again. Several journalists were killed in this war. We visited a memorial to the journalists and soldiers.

The whole tour had the feel of a class field trip. We were told when to use the "washrooms," to stand in 2 straight lines, to sit and not stand in the bus, to remain in assigned seats, when to take pictures and when not, and the time when we absolutely needed to re-board the bus. We were told to remember the number on the front of the bus: 1229.

We learned that South Korea school children write letters to North Korean children and leave them on a fence near the border (not AT the border as Laura made sure we understood). These letters tell of how these children would love to play with their North Korean friends, but they can't right now because Korea is divided.

Some restrictions included:
*No alcohol at lunch, as mentioned--but bears repeating (c;
*English speakers must sit in chairs since others complained the floor hurt their back (on previous tours)
*No gum chewing
*No hand gestures at the border
*No standing behind a South Korean soldier or he will not be able to save you if a North Korean were to grab you from behind

Laura: "The South Korean soldiers are standing for our protection."

If you point or gesture at the North Korean border, the North will take your picture and use it for propaganda purposes. We just hoped that we weren't pestered by a bug at the wrong moment and have to swipe wildly at it only to have our gestures misinterpreted by the North Koreans standing only a few 100 feet away.

We were able to "enjoy taking pictures" at several stops. We learned about the 2 freedom villages--one each for North and South. They had competing flag poles--with the North taking the height category and the South claiming the weight. Apparently, the North Korean village is a facade only. It is meant to show how prosperous the North is, but no one actually lives there.

Some area farmers in South Korea are paid $80,000 tax free to work the rice fields around the DMZ. They are families from the area. While they work, they are heavily guarded and have a curfew of midnight.

The whole trip was sad and comical because it was so deceitful and damaging for the North Korean who live the nightmare of no freedom. Amazingly. by contrast, the rules were over the top comical for Americans. It was "somical." We imagined a Seinfeld episode in which the characters break the rules one by one with Kramer ending up as a chalk line along the border.

I almost set my camera down in the room that straddles the border and I accidentally touched a chair. The guards were standing as wax figures without acknowledging anyone's presence. It was freaky! We were issued badges before going to the JSA (Joint Security Area). We were able to view North Korean guards across the way. It felt surreal!

More DMZ Fun Facts:

• This land has become a wildlife sanctuary to over 300 species with scientists coming from all over the world to study it.
  
• The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends malaria pills for travelers to the DMZ. The bugs at the border are HUGE! Tip: Do not take these on an empty stomach.
  
• Children under the age of 11 years may not visit the border.
  
• No firearms may be taken to the border. Who knew? (c;
  
• The tour guides took turns between Korean, English and Japanese.
  
• Our passports were examined twice by 2 different soldiers. One of the passengers caused a scuffle and conversation among the soldiers, but nothing seemed to come of it.
  
• The South Korean soldiers wear sun glasses so that North Korean soldiers do not know where they are looking.
  
• The soldiers also seemed to have something sewn into the cuffs of their pants--tiny ball bearings?--that made a shwishing sound when they walked.
  
• Our tour guide actually cheered when we left that no one had gotten injured--either by a North Korean soldier or by a stray land mine. We were not aware that stray land mines were a possibility until we had to sign a waiver indicating that we were aware of this danger.
  

We returned to Casaville just in time to join the group who was leaving for the musical comedy, Jump, a spoof on martial arts movies. The performers were so gifted--martial artists, comedians and actors. We especially enjoyed the tech support guy with Harry Potter glasses who dramatically transformed into a vicious ninja when his glasses were removed.

Our plane leaves tomorrow at 7 p.m. It's hard to believe everything that has been packed into each day.