Hi Everybody,
I went to the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) today with my friend Osborne. It was a guided tour that I got through the base travel office here in Osan. I had to get up and meet the bus at 6:45 this morning for the two hour bus ride up through Seoul and North to the DMZ. Our first stop was at Imjingak, a small touristy area that featured a "reunification bridge" which was basically a really expensive bridge that went over a fake pond to a railroad track that leads to North Korea. There was also a Buddhist bell and monument. At the monument there were two guys that were sitting there, and one was constantly ringing a bell that got really annoying after listening to it for twenty minutes. But if you put a fruit basket in front of the monument the other guy would come up and pat you down with some colored strips of paper, then a chammy, and then a feather duster. After your pat down you would then do a big traditional korean bow to the guy ringing the bell. It was all pretty unusual to watch and wonder what he was doing to those poor people with that feather duster. The next stop was at tunnel number 3. It is the 3rd of 4 known tunnels discovered by the US and ROK (Republic of Korea) forces. I got to go down a tunnel created by the ROK that meets up with a NK tunnel that they had been digging to make incursions into SK. The NK tunnel stretches almost 3 kilometers, 1 of which is on the SK side of the DMZ. The tunnel was large enough to move 1 fully armed division of troops through the tunnel every hour. They give out helmets to everyone that goes down into the tunnel on the tour. Although I noticed that all the Koreans could walk upright and not have to worry about it while I felt like a 60 year old woman who had spent my life in the rice fields after walking through that tunnel. The pictures will explain the rest of my day.

This is a picture of my Passport with a stamp from the Dora Mtn. Rail Station which was built for when North and South Korea are reunified. It comes with all the amenities of a transcontinental rail station just without any trains that go across continents. North Korea doesn't allow any trains to go south to the train station or any trains to travel north from the station. So basically South Korea built a multi billion dollar train station, and also a huge toll booth for the throngs of motorists that will be going to North Korea upon reunification. Even though they aren't any closer to reunification now than they were 50 years ago.

This is a picture of a South Korean guard standing in a modified tae kwon do stance. This is taken from inside the main UN (note the baby blue background) negotiating room (T-2) in Panmunjom or JSA (Joint Security Area). He is actually standing on North Korean soil, as am I, when I took this picture. They have to stand motionless like that for up to three hours, and if you try to talk to them they'll go Jackie Chan on ya'. This guard is there to guard the door to North Korea so no North Koreans come in and none of us try to defect.

And here I am with my special UN guest badge. As you can see out the window there is a 1.5 foot wide concrete slab that marks the boundary between North and South Korea. At this point I am on the North Korean side. To my right is another South Korean soldier who is guarding the UN flag that is sitting on the main negotiating table.

Here, if you look closely you can see two of the most elusive creatures on the planet. Rarely seen

in the open it was quite a treat to see two such fine specimens wander out from cover. Because of loss of habitat they now rely on tree bark or grass for sustenance, and can be easily coaxed out of hiding with a carrot or apple. They must have found a bountiful feast today because they stayed at a cautious distance.

This a picture of a small "town" located within the DMZ on the NK side. After the war both NK and SK were allowed to have one village located inside the DMZ. SK kept a small village that now has about 220 inhabitants who mainly cultivate rice. The NK village is called "Propoganda Village" by the troops stationed across from it. Until recently the town used huge speakers to blast the South with propoganda messages. As you can see in the photo there is a huge flagpole that measures 160 meters tall and the flag itself is 3 stories in length and weighs 600 lbs dry. The town itself is just a shell. No one actually lives there, only occasionally do maintenance workers go in to keep up appearances.

This is the "Bridge of No Return". After the Korean War ended there was a POW exchange that allowed anyone to cross over to the other side with the knowledge that once you left you could never come back.