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| Traditional Dress, Contemporary Selfie on Pagoda Steps |
After hustling every morning while on our organized tour to be out the door and moving by 8:30, it was a luxury day to not get up early and to not write a blog. Back at it today!
WTRD 13, September 16, 2017
By the time we left our hotel for our walk to the Korean Cultural Museum it was 10:00 am. By now we are becoming more familiar with Seoul, and ventured through some backstreets and alleys, twisting turning, but eventually finding our way. It's much easier to navigate on the ocean with a gps than the city streets. It's a good thing Russ doesn't get disoriented, ortherwise I would still be wandering around in the back alleys. I need to see the horizon and position of the sun.The cultural museum was really interesting and we were glad we had a couple of extra days to see both cultural exhibits on the inside
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| The Traditional Wedding Ceremony |
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| Meticulous records of one family's genology |
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| Wheel takes the load off carrier. |
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| Korean doctor's office |
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| Finer Points of Acupuncture |
and the historical buildings (a collection of store fronts from early to mid-century),
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| San Francisco Style Cable Car |
Leaving the museum, we did some souvenir shopping and returned to our hotel to rest up a bit before attending a cultural dinner show at Korea House.
The Korea House was once a prominent person's home in downtown Seoul that has been expanded and remodeled as a cultural center. It's very lovely and hosts a restaurant, meeting rooms, theater and large central courtyard for outdoor events.
Getting to Korea House had a few hitches. We had arranged or a private transfer. Our expectation was that we would be picked up by car outside of our door. We were met by a young lady inside the hotel, who guided us outside the hotel presumably to a vehicle. Tanbi spoke little English and looked confused as we stepped outside. There was no car.
She whips out her cell phone with nervous giggles, and suggests we might want to go back inside, then after her phone call, she changes her mind and guides us with more nervous giggles two blocks away to a main street where we are to catch a taxi. (This is what we had to do last night when we took a taxi to the TV Tower).
More phone calls, more giggles, and an admission that this is her first time being a transfer guide. After 10 minutes a taxi arrives across the street, and Tanbi steps out into the the middle of a small cross street while the light is still red. We call her back and point to the red light. She steps back, more giggles. Finally, we get in the car and get our seat belt fastened. This taxi cab driver like the one we had last night does not get out and open doors for us
The cabbie and our guide speak in Korean, but we can tell that guide and driver are in a heated discussion. We drive in the direction of the TV tower. Korea House is located on the same hill. Tanbi and driver have another heated discussion. She wants him to pull a u-turn and drive up the drive way on the opposite side of the street to the Korea House. He says no, get out and walk. She gives up talking to him and hands the driver a credit card for the 5,800 won equivalent to $5.80, cheaper than last night.
The driver is anxious to pull away once we have exited from the car. I have JUST stepped out of the car and have yet to close the door when he pulls away with the door wide open. Two women run after the taxi because they want to get in. He stops and they jump in, (why not? The door is already open). I tell Tanbi that she needs to connect with a different driver next time. She giggles. I don't think she has understood a word. This driver fell short in traditional Korean politeness that we have experienced everywhere.
When we get into Korea house, Tanbi tells us that a different driver will pick us up. "How will he know us?" She isn't sure, so we suggest she take a photo and send it to him. She does so and she says he will be back after the show. We are staying for both the show first and then having dinner. I try to convey this information to her to no avail. After the show but before dinner, the new driver arrives. He speaks English and has attended one year of university in Madison, Wisconsin. He is very pleasant but has to wait for us until the dinner is over. The fare for the ride back to our hotel was $3800, cheaper than the ride to Korea House, but I think that may have been due to rush hour traffic and extra time.
In between taxi time, we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of Korea House, the high quality dramatic performance with song and dance of Sim Cheong.
Our Korean dinner was fresh, artistically presented,
and delicious We had fried eel as a small side dish for the first time along with different types of mushrooms, pumpkin soup, bulgogi marinated and grilled beef/pork meat balls and bibimpop (rice with fresh vegetables).
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| Eel |
and delicious We had fried eel as a small side dish for the first time along with different types of mushrooms, pumpkin soup, bulgogi marinated and grilled beef/pork meat balls and bibimpop (rice with fresh vegetables).
WTRD 14, September 17, 2017
Happy First Birthday, Sweet Granddaughter - Adelia!
Today we are going to the DMZ between North Korea and South Korea. But before we go our guide for the trip, Judy refreshes us on Korean War History:
In 1945 after the end of World War II, Korean was liberated from Japan who had lost the war. All of Korea had been under Colonial control of Japan since 1910 for 35 years. Russia and USA separated Korea into two occupying protectorships to help Korea rebuild after the war, just as they had done in Germany with East and West Germany.
The border line was drawn loosely at the 38 parallel separating North and South Korea. Seoul is 56 km from the DMZ. We must show our passports to enter the DMZ.
Soviet Union was managed by Russia and communism (Stalin). US managed South Korea. The USSR and Communist Supreme Leader of North Korea wanted the whole Peninsula and to reunify the country.
In July 1950, North Korea armed by Soviet Union (Stalin) invaded South Korea and the army of Kim Il-Seong, Leader of North Korea.
The attack was such a surprise that in three days Seoul was captured . North Korea continued to captured all the land down to the southeast while the USA sought support and approval with the United Nations.
With a coalition of 16 United nations under General McArthur's command, North Korea was pushed almost to the top of North Korea again in 97 days.
The attack was such a surprise that in three days Seoul was captured . North Korea continued to captured all the land down to the southeast while the USA sought support and approval with the United Nations.
With a coalition of 16 United nations under General McArthur's command, North Korea was pushed almost to the top of North Korea again in 97 days.
This would have been a better ending for reunification for an independent republic of Korea, but, there is no happy ending here or peace agreement. China decides to jump in. With China's military support, the North pushes South again, and once again Seoul is retaken by the North the first part of January 1951. The conflict continues while armistice talks stall.
Finally in July 1953 after millions of people died or were injured in the back and forth fighting, a cease fire was negotiated and the DMZ was created in approximately the same place as the original North South demarcation. With each passing year a peaceful reunification becomes less and less likely.
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| All the Kings Horses and all the King's Men, couldn't put Humpty Together Again. |
The DMZ, encompasses 1 km south of border and 2 km north of the border. There are many military in this area, but no military action is allowed in this area. There are four villages inside the DMZ, who were original land owners and retirees. The advantage of living in the DMZ, residents do not pay taxes, free housing, no military service for children. ( For South Koreans, taxes range from 15-38 percent on a sliding scale depending on income, and all boys must serve two years in the military, girls are voluntary).
The drawbacks are they live in the DMZ on the south side of border which could be the first battle ground if the DMZ is broached, and there is a daily curfew. People must be in their homes between 10 pm and 5:00 am.
We learn that the average salary for North Koreans is about $140.00 a month and the residents pay 45 percent taxes. That doesn't leave much to live on.
We watched the CNN documentary last night on the North Korea and the Secret State. The journalist was in capital city Peongyang in a cell phone store where there were three phone brands, but all were about $350.00 per device, and he asked how people could afford to buy a cell phone. Her answer, was basically North Koreans are making more money now. That may be true, but it didn't answer how people with $80-$90 a month of expendable income can afford a cell phone?
While we are in the DMZ we have four stops:
Imjingak
This is a popular tourist destination on an old battlefield where bridges were destroyed to keep the North Koreans from crossing the river.
Third Tunnel
While there was no obvious military action occurring in the DMZ above ground, there was another story going on underground. The North Koreans were boring tunnels underground toward Seoul. Four tunnels have been discovered so far. They have been sealed off near the actual border. but there is no assurance that this activity isn't continuing, but can't be seen.
Third tunnel was discovered in 1978. The tunnel is 1,635 meters in length, 2 m wide and 2m high. It is large enough for 30-35,000 fully armed soldiers to reach South Korea in one hour.
We cannot take our cameras into the third tunnel, but we are issued hard hats as we traverse down a steep entrance tube to the tunnel opening 75 meters below the surface. When we reach the bottom of the incline the tourist tunnel now transitions into a flat tunnel the North Korean's have dug to invade the South.
Two meters high is an overstatement. Russ and I are bent over as we walk to the end of the tunnel (or at least to the border where it is blocked off). My hard hat gets knocked of once, Russ's several times. We can hear the clacks and bonks of lots of tourists crashing their heads against protective piping with foam cover crossing horizontally along the ceiling of each tunnel. It is sobering to know that the will for invasion is still prominent from the North.
DMZ observation deck
We reach the furthest north observation deck in South Korea where we can look over to North Korea. We see the South Korean Flag and the North Korean flags on opposite sides of the border.
Propaganda village (prosperous looking buildings) and farmland can be viewed from the observation deck. We need to use the powerful telescopes to see anything close enough where we might recognize individual buildings.
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| The border between South and North is Prominent |
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| One can barely see the buildings in Propaganda Village without binoculars or high powered telescope. |
Dorasan Train Station
This train station was meant to be a gateway of interchange between the South and North, but in 2008 it was closed off by North Korea into their country. It is 700 meters from the border.
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| Looks like a Ghost Town |
There were 17 international English speaking tourists from USA, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Australia, and Norway on our DMZ mini bus. All of them disembarked at Seoul City Hall except for us. We had signed up for the full day tour that included the War Museum and memorial, but first we had lunch with our tour guide in a little restaurant where we ate Army soup of vegetables, noodles, and ham. It was very good.
The best part was our conversation with our guide who teaches kindergarten three days a week and works as a tour guide the rest of the week. Judy is knowledgeable and has a wonderful sense of humor. We talked about all kinds of things, but mostly about the likelihood of South and North Korea ever being reunified which is the hope of many older Koreans, but maybe not so much for younger Koreans.
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| Russ, Judy, and I make small hearts with our fingers. |
Korean War Museum
After lunch, we spend time in the Korean War Museum. The exhibits are informative and well done. We learn more about this sad page of human history. War is so futile. Victory is temporal and achieved through so much death and destruction leaving a legacy of hatred. It brings out the worst of us and the best of us as we help each other with the struggle. Imagine no more wars.
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| Tear drop made from military dog tags |
Tomorrow is laundry and packing day, as we will be leaving for Japan on Tuesday, September 19.
