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One thing we really wanted to do while in South Korea is to get as close to North Korea as possible, so we had signed up for an organized tour weeks in advance, since it's the only way to get to the JSA (Joint Security Area) in North Korea. They book out fast, but luckily one of our days here had an opening. We left Kelly's place around 10am, picked up some fresh buns for breakfast and lunch, then we made our way into the center of Seoul. The journey took almost two hours, since we had to change the metro four times. Seoul must have one of the biggest metro networks, the map is huge! We arrived at the U.S. Military building for noon, they checked our passports and then we waited for our guide. Once our guide showed up we left at 12.30pm with a full bus. Our first stop was the Dorasan Train Station. This is the last station in South Korea and it is connected to the North Korean line. Perhaps one day, if both Koreas reunite, one can travel to Pyongyang in DPRK and onwards to basically anywhere. The station is all set up, and if the day of reunification comes it will be ready to take passengers north. Our second stop was at the Dorsa Observatory, a highpoint looking into the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic Korea) giving us a first distant glimpse of North Korea. There was a gift shop as well selling wines from North Korea, but they didn't looking very appealing nor were the prices right. We then headed to the Third Infiltration Tunnel. The communist north has dug four of these tunnels, some are kilometers long and close to a hundred meters deep. Some go into South Korea, but so far all have been detected and blocked up. We received hard hats and then descended on a 300m long tunnel to the end of the third infiltration tunnel. Once down there we got to walk along the actual tunnel, which was quite narrow and the ceiling was low, so I had to walk crouched for some time. When they found the tunnel, South Korea put up concrete walls to block it. The North of course denies having built these, and even went as far as claiming they were coal mines. To make the story more believable, they painted the granite rock black so it looks like coal. Once we were out again we took some pictures at the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) signs and then boarded the bus for the main sight. We drove through the DMZ towards the JSA (Joint Security Area) in Panmunjom. At the visitors center we got a 20 minute briefing on the JSA, the major events that occurred in the past and the history. A U.S. Soldier was doing the briefing and would be the guide into the JSA. It was his first presentation of the DMZ and JSA, so he was pretty nervous, but did a good job. We had to board special UN buses that would take us to the actual JSA and MDL (Military Demarcation Line) which splits up the north from the south. We had to sign our life away also, since we were entering a hostile area and the possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action was made clear to us. Once on the bus we passed a few checkpoints, including a protective wall packed with C4 (just in case it needs to be blown up, if the DPRK army decides to come down the road), a huge electrical fence and another checkpoint. Shortly after we pulled up to the freedom house and had to line up as pairs in front of the JSA. We then walked towards the MDL, the actual border and were headed for North Korea. In the middle of the demarcation line is a conference room, which is used for peace talks by the UN between both sides. We entered the small building, were advised that everything said was being recorded and we could only take pictures towards the North Korean side. Inside the building a couple South Korean soldiers stood guard in a taekwondo stance. Since the building is right on the line we got a chance to cross over into North Korea. This was pretty unique and we can officially say we stepped into North Korea. On the North Korean side a single soldier stood, keeping an eye on the soldiers of the south. The tension could be felt, and cameras were recording our every move. We then had to stand on the South Korean side, in two lines and were allowed to take pictures of the north, but not point at the other side or make any gestures. The whole tour was very strict, we could not take photos of any military installments in the south, nor while our bus was moving, the dress code was pretty strict and our passport was checked also. It was definitely worth the money though and a unique tour, being able to glimpse into the DPRK. We then drove to a viewpoint within the JSA that was surrounded by North Korea on three sides, giving us the best view into the communist country. In the near distance we could see the so called propaganda village, a town erected by the north, which blares propaganda to the south, and all buildings are empty, yet have automated lights come on at night. To top things up, the flag of the DPRK is one of the biggest in the world, but what matters only is that its bigger than the South Korean flag along the DMZ. After we had seen enough, we drove by the tree memorial, where U.S. soldiers got killed by the North Korean army with axes, while trying to cut down a poplar tree that obstructed a view of another South Korean checkpoint. We also saw the bridge of no return, which was used to deliver POWs to either side and which only occasionally sees North Korean defectors cross over, however most go through China, since the border here is heavily militarized. After our tour we drove back to the visitors center. It was interesting to see the DMZ and cross the line over, the border is full of military facilities and there are millions of land mines in the whole area. For dinner some people stopped at a restaurant and we then went back to Seoul. We watched the JSA movie on the way back and then took the metro back to Suji arriving after 10pm. We had dinner, went grocery shopping and called it a successful day. We left around 11am for the airport and had one more Subway at the terminal before boarding our flight from Taipei to Seoul. The flight went by fast and we arrived around 5pm. We bought some metro cards, exchanged a little money and then found the bus for Suji, a town south of Seoul where our friend Kelly lives. The ride took nearly two hours due to heavy traffic. The city is huge and apartment blocks are stacked by the dozens. We arrived late, but easily found Kelly's place. We had a late dinner, and then met Kelly at a nearby restaurant once she was off work. It was nice to see her again, and we had a chance to try some Korean food, beer and rice wine. We met the group of other teachers and all went to a self serve pub. They have fridges lined up with all kinds of beers and we just took one out and brought it up empty, once done to pay for it. It's a great system that seems to work here. It ended up being a pretty late night, but we like this modern city already. This morning John and I woke up to the shining sun (finally) so we decided today will be the day to check out the beach. It was a long journey to the beach, but the 2.5 hours to get there was worth it. The water color was beautiful and the sand was white with a bit of black. For a Sunday, it was not all that crowded but we still escaped the main cluster of people. We sat and tanned for a bit but didn't swim much since the water was cold and had big currents. The fresh wind kept us cool though! Before stopping to eat our lunch we walked around a little cove with some stunning views. After lunch we went back to the beach and sat by a rock and chatted for a few more hours. We made the long journey back to the hostel, but not without picking up our usual subway sandwich and pastry for dinner! Today we took a two hour train ride to Pingxi, a small town east of Taipei. We had to change trains so the ride took a while, considering it's so close by. Once we arrived in this tiny village we started our hike around the peaks. It is a very unique area, due to the many steep steps, ladders and ropes along the many short trails. We first ascended to a tiny rock peak that was sticking out. The final stretch required us to go up a ladder and scramble up some steep steps. Luckily there were ropes attached to the many ridge lines and steps, making it a fun yet thrilling hike. We went up and down many different peaks and the view never disappointed. After a couple hours we started to head back to town, after we took a quick photoshoot with some locals. It was drizzling a bit, and we walked around the small town. It is best known for its lantern event, which takes place after the Chinese New Year. Thousands of lanterns are lit and sent up into the sky. Many families were buying these, writing down there wishes and then lighting them up so they would fly. As cool as it sounds, they all come down at one point and even though they are made of paper, the sight of these colorful lanterns laying around all over the forest isn't pretty. We decided we were perfectly happy and did not need our wishes to lay around in the forest canopy, so we made our way back to Taipei. The Shilin Night market was very busy tonight so we only ran through it and then hung out at our hostel. It was time to check out the main sights of the city. We started at the Lungshan Temple which was quite nice and then walked to the presidential office. From here we walked to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall which was amazing. It's a huge building surrounded by a very open square. To end our morning walk, we checked out Taipei's highest building: Taipei 101. We didn't go up, and instead viewed it from a nearby park. We went back to our hostel for lunch, just before the rain started. At night we walked to a nice garden packed with tour groups and then we strolled along the path by the river. Today Ashleigh woke up stating she would like to hike a mountain and after a quick google search I found her one. We were heading to Qixing, the highest peak in Yangmingshan National Park, on the doorstep of Taipei City. We took the bus from our place up to the trailhead, but went too far, so we had to walk back a bit. It was quite cloudy and foggy as well, but the temperature was nice. We started from one visitor center and instead of doing a round trip, we decided to hike all the way to the next visitor center on the other side of the mountain. The trail was well laid out, mostly steep steps and it felt great finally being able to hike again. The people on the trail were all very nice, so respectful and there wasn't any garbage anywhere. We got to the east peak an hour later and the fog even rolled out, giving us a magnificent view over the surrounding area and all of Taipei. When we traversed to the main summit (1120m) the fog was so thick that we couldn't see very far at all, so we decided to have a snack and then descent right away. Shortly after, we passed by some fumaroles (holes of steam in the ground, giving off a sulphur smell), a reminder Taiwan is a very active island. We got back to the other visitor center around noon and the whole trail was only 4kms, but had some decent elevation in it. We enjoyed the short workout, realizing we need to get back into shape. Instead of having lunch in the fog, we took a bus down to the small town and found a park. After lunch we took another bus to the Beitou Hot Springs. It was very cheap to get into the hot springs and was definitely worth it. There were a range of pools all differing in temperatures. Some were ice cold, others boiling hot. We made our rounds from hot to cold and back to hot. An hour later we had enough and started walking back to the metro with a quick stop at a rather boring hot springs museum. It was an eventful day, with a good hike. After a good nights sleep and an excellent breakfast, we decided to check out the Taipei area. We took the MRT to the Taipei Zoo, from where we boarded a gondola. The gondola ride was amazing, it had some fabulous views of the city and of the tallest building here: Taipei 101. It was a bit cloudy, cold but no rain. It was nice for a change to feel cold (still 20 degrees - we are more sensitive to cold now apparently). After a long gondola ride we made it to the top. We walked to the tea center, to warm up with a big cup of free tea. We found a nice viewpoint for lunch and just walked the area, before heading back down. We took the metro back to our neighborhood and got off just before our station. We hiked up to a nice viewpoint overlooking the city and city airport. We stayed there for a while watching the planes come in and then took the many stairs back down. For dinner we sat down at a street stall and had some spicy sesame noodles, which were quite good. Afterwards we walked around the night market and had a delicious cake for desert. We still haven't recovered from our short night, so we watched a movie at night and relaxed. Today we made our way to Taipei, Taiwan. Our flight wasn't until 10:50 pm so we had time to waste all day. We checked out of our hotel at 11 am and walked around one last time and had subway for lunch. Around 2 pm we took the one hour bus ride to the airport. This airport was massive so we wanted time to explore. Surprisingly enough we were able to check in our luggage, 7 hours before our flight. At least we were able to walk around without our backpacks. We ventured over to another terminal where there was an IMAX theater. At $25 a ticket we weren't that desperate to waste time. Nearby was an aviation museum, where I was able to learn about how an airplane flys, and maybe it would settle my nerves. After that we watched some planes take off in this crowded terminal. We had McDonalds for dinner and walked the many wings of the terminal. Before we knew it was time to board! We boarded the Hong Kong airlines plane and left just a little bit late. It was nice to fly on a higher class airline finally, personal TV and a hotdog in a bun snack! Too bad it was only an hour flight. At 1 am we arrived in Taipei. In Taipei many hostels don't operate 24/7. The place we booked only opened at 8:30 am so we had to waste 7 hours again. We walked around for a bit trying to find a nice place to take a nap. Finally we found a little cove and some chairs, where we crammed ourselves into to take a nap. We both slept for about 2 hours and had a simple McDonalds breakfast. Then we ventured into Taipei with an hour bus ride. We arrived at the hostel around 9 am and we weren't allowed to use the room yet (check in at 2 pm) but we were able to have the free breakfast! While we still had energy we went searching for a bank to exchange money. Most wanted an $8 commission charge and well we weren't going to pay that! But sure enough we found a bank with no commission and a good rate! We picked up a cup of noodles for lunch and headed back to the hostel. We took a nap for a couple hours before dinner. All we wanted to eat was some rice or noodles (not from a cup) but we couldn't settle at the perfect place. All signs for restaurants are in Chinese, which doesn't help either! After walking around for a while we came across a UK food joint. We had some pasta and a wrap and called it dinner. Our second wind hit us at night but at 10 pm it was lights out for me! Today John and I checked out the last bit of Hong Kong. It was quite cloudy today so the views of the skyline weren't best. We walked along the Avenue of Stars where we saw Hong Kong's version of stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Of course it was crazy busy so we walked by pretty quickly. Afterwards we walked around trying to find a subway for lunch and ate our sandwich at a nice park. We walked around a bit more through a jade market and a temple. The streets were typical of what I expected them to look like, flashy signs, Chinese banners and flooded with people. For the rest of the afternoon we hung out in our 5.5 foot by 6 foot room and had instant noodles again, for dinner. We got up early and walked to the pier for the ferry to Macau. Since it was a weekend we had to wait over an hour to get on the next ferry. The one hour ride went by fast and we arrived in the small country of Macau. Even though not many people speak Portuguese here anymore, all signs were posted in Portuguese and the European touch was quite visible. We took a free shuttle bus to the Wynn casino and walked through the fancy building. We spent most of the morning and afternoon wandering around. We started in the historic center of Macau, a world heritage site. We strolled past the main square and saw the many churches, ruins and forts along the way. We enjoyed lunch and the must try egg tart on a viewpoint of the Mount Fortress. We walked back down past the ruins of St. Paul's church and found a busy street where we could try beef jerky and cookies for free. We walked from one store to the other store until we were full. We made the long walk down to the Macau tower and then looped back around to the Wynn casino. We took another free casino shuttle to Galaxy on another island, but the casino floor was way too packed and crowded for our liking, so we went across to the Venetian, which apparently is three times as big as the one in Las Vegas. Most table games have a fifty dollar minimum bet, so we didn't play any games, but threw in some change into the slot machines. Unlike Vegas where alcoholic beverages are free, here one only gets tea, coffee and water, and we took advantage of it. We stopped at the Sands casino on the way back and then bought our return ticket to HK. Macau is a very unique place and the historic center was worth the visit for sure. The casino scene is very different and seems to attract mostly high rollers. When we got back to HK we bought some noodle soup and that was our day! |
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November 2022
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