Finally arrived the day everyone was waiting for. Today was the earliest day so far besides the day we departed from Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t so bad because it has been very easy to go to bed early being exhausted by the end of every day.
When we started to get close to the DMZ the surrounding area was very clearly different than what we were used to. Normally when we looked outside the windows on the bus it was a very urban setting, but now all you would see are what I’m pretty sure were rice fields for miles. A lot more green and brown from dirt, not so much buildings and roads and cars.
We finally arrived to the initial meeting place where we had to wait some time until we could actually go, where we were met with a Dunkin Donuts among other things. I got some dumplings for breakfast which really hit the spot. We also walked around the area where we could see some historical artifacts and a gift shop, where I got myself and my brother a t-shirt. There was also a big palace like building with a big bell in the middle which I believe was to signal danger of some sort, as well as some monuments.
After, we went to the site of the tunnel which we were going to go down into to see. One thing worth noting is that they are extremely strict with photos here, I was constantly scared to take a picture of anything even if we were in an area where it was allowed. We first watched a small movie telling us a little more about the tunnels. I learned that there had been 4 total discovered, the one we were going to go down into being the third. These tunnels were discovered after the cease fire was signed, so obviously the South Koreans did not like that the North Koreans were building tunnels to invade while they had agreed to not fight. The tunnel was very deep into the ground, and pretty big, although when we were at the bottom walking through the main space where the soldiers would be coming through almost all of us had to crouch down, it wasn’t the most comfortable.
After the tunnel we went to a viewing area where we could actually see North Korea. To my surprise, we were actually allowed to look into North Korea and take pictures. Out of all places we had been in, I had expected here to be absolutely prohibited to take photos, but it was allowed and I took photo of the North Korean flag across the border. The feeling of looking over the viewing area and seeing North Korea is inexplicable, it was really awesome. It felt so weird, being able to freely look directly into a place where everything feels to be kept a secret.
We were supposed to visit a nearby village after the DMZ, but unfortunately due to it raining and everyone being very tired, we ended up going to the hotel after a very good lunch of a dumpling hotpot. The DMZ was an experience I will certainly never forget, being able to go somewhere where many people dream of going to visit, including me before having this opportunity, was amazing.