After procrastinating for an hour and not going to sleep early, I am finally starting this blog. Today was quite long, but definitely one of my favorites so far. To start, we took a bus to the DMZ. Once we arrived, I had Dunkin’ for lunch, which was a little different but as good as it is in the States. Then, we went through a military checkpoint where we showed our passports and had to drive through barricades and by fences that said mines were on the other side. Then, we went to something called the 3rd Tunnel. I never knew this, but North Korea has been digging secret tunnels to try to invade South Korea since the Armistice Agreement. The only one available for tourists to explore is the 3rd. To start, it was a very steep hill going almost 400m below ground, and we needed to wear hard hats. Then, it was a long pathway that was very short in height and ended in a barricade where we could look into the “North Korean” side of the tunnel. If it were not blocked, we could walk into North Korea. After the tunnel, we went to the main observatory where we could use binoculars to look into North Korea. Sadly, because tensions are weird, photos were not allowed. So, you’ll have to believe me that the towns were very tiny buildings, and I even saw a North Korean citizen walking down a farm road. Finally, we went to Unification Village, where we got some neat merch, and I bought a few things for a friend who loves military memorabilia. One last thing, Ken Jennings was in the DMZ when we were, but sadly, I wasn’t able to see them, sorry Newfoundland family!
After the 3-hour DMZ tour ended, we went to a Korean baseball game! This was played inside a dome and it was the Kiwoom Heroes vs the KT Wiz. Funnily, Korean teams are named after companies instead of cities. Also, they allow some international players, so the Wiz had an American we rooted for. Naturally, I made my way over to the merchandise, as I have been doing everywhere I go. Then, I saw the most beautiful jersey of my life. It was a special edition Heroes jersey that focused on the city of Seoul. You will see it in the pictures; it is just beautiful. After heavy debating, I then bought the name and number of the Heroes best pitcher, who many think will go to the MLB in 2029. Pirates, if you are listening, this guy is good and you should definitely draft him. One thing I found cool was that you just bought the name and number, and they press it on for you at the stadium instead of having them pre-made with certain names. This means you could even get a jersey with no name and number, which my friend Will did. Onto the actual game, this stuff was insane! Everyone was so organized in their chants, and they only stood up when their team was batting. It was like watching a musical but of the fans, which is so much different than American fans. Sadly, the Heroes lost in the end after giving up many runs in the 5th inning, and we left to go to the hotel after the 8th. Now, I need to pack and get everything ready for the Temple tomorrow! This is most likely going to be my favorite day of the trip, and I won’t be able to have my phone at all. However, waking up at 5am to pray with the monks does sound a little daunting. Can’t wait to tell you all about it, probably in two days! For now, enjoy how good this jersey looks.
