The food was delicious and Sean and I both got to try some new things. One night we ate grilled clams and oysters for dinner. They were really yummy. We also tried a local delicacy. Sundae is traditional Korean sausage which is a mix of different things cased in pig intestine. This local sundae, called ojingeo sundae, is made from ingredients wrapped in squid and then fried in egg. It sounds strange, but was actually quite tasty.
seafood dinner
the shells were so hot I had to use gloves
ojingeo sundae
Our evenings were spent relaxing and having drinks on the beach as we watched families, couples, and people of all ages enjoy the summer nights. People were going crazy over fireworks and they were being set off all over the beach.
Sean and I did a few day trips and got to see some pretty amazing things during our vacation. We drove north of Sokcho to a town called Hwajinpo and saw the former North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's villa where the family used to vacation. There was an old photograph of his son, Kim Jung Il on the very steps that we were standing on and it was a little eerie to think the lunatic himself once stood there too.
We also drove to the very tip of South Korea and got as close to North Korea as possible without crossing over the DMZ line at the 38th parallel. The further and further you drive towards the boarder, the more desolate and creepy the feeling gets. We passed miles of beautiful beaches that were deserted and lined with barbed-wire fences and look out towers. There were even giant concrete blocks lining the roads that will be tipped over and used as road blocks for tanks in times of war. As we got closer, Sean joked "I can smell North Korea from here" which of course he couldn't, but still made me laugh. We reached an education center and had to stop and fill out our information and car number before moving forward on our journey. There were lines of cars and we had to wait until a certain time to go ahead and drive the 10 or so more kilometers to the Unification Observatory sight. Once we arrived at the gate dotted with barbed wire and patrol men, a South Korean solider examined our papers, saluted to us, and let us pass. After parking the car, Sean and I hiked up the steep hill to the look out point. From the look-out point, you can view the shore and mountains that run into North Korea, the most isolated country in the whole world. This is about as close as South Koreans can get to their neighbors in the north. North Korea completely caught my attention as I became more and more interested in the separation of this country and what's happening in the north right now. I began scouring the pages of my Korea Lonely Planet for as much information as possible and as soon as I got home I was engrossed in watching some documentaries that people have filmed in North Korea.
our paperwork
the gate
figured a smile had no place in a photo of me and one of the "axis of evil", North Korea
I want to share some things with you that I had absolutely no idea about and maybe you yourself never realized either.
- North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war. A Peace Treaty has not officially been signed, even though the fighting stopped over 50 years ago.
- North and South Korea are separated at the 38th parallel by the area known as the DMZ. (Demilitarized Zone) Funny they call it that because it it one of the most heavily guarded boarders in the whole world, with North Korean soldiers to the north and South Korean and American soldiers to the south and undisturbed land mines throughout.
- President Bush called North Korea part of the "axis of evil" in his first inauguration speech.
- Kim Il Sung was the original leader and president of North Korea until he died in 1994. He is still the president of the country even though he is dead and his son, Kim Jung Il is now in power. Anyone else find this strange?
- North Korea has the largest army in the world. There are over 1 million people that make up their armed forces. Men are required to serve a minimum of 6 years in the military.
- There are no cell phones and very very very limited internet access in North Korea.
- North Koreans need to have a permission slip from the government to travel to another city or area of the country.
- North Koreans are fed anti-American propaganda every day of their lives. They still believe we are Imperialists and are attacking countries all over the world for no reason. The North Korean people are also taught that Americans are the ones who have caused such damage as poverty and starvation in their country. Essentially, they are taught to hate Americans from birth.
- Kim Jung Il has only ever spoken one sentence in public. He has also promoted bizarre self-propaganda facts to the people such as he is the one who created the hamburger, he is the best natural golfer in the world, the world loves him and all over the world people celebrate his birthday.
- If someone is caught doing something the government disapproves of, that person's family can and most likely will be punished or murdered up to three generations. We're talking husbands, wives, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins' lives at stake for one person's mistake.
- The population of North Korea is around 23 million, but they don't actually know the real number. It is estimated that about 1/3 to 2/3 of the population is malnourished or starving.
- People are given a ranking according to their servitude to Kim Jung Il and the regime. The lucky people get to live in the capital, Pyongyang, and are said to lead the best lives.
- Only "chosen" people are allowed to speak with foreign visitors to the country.
- If you visit North Korea, you are forced to bow to a giant statue of Kim Il Sung and give flowers.
- Less than 2,000 foreigners visit North Korea a year.
Ok, so I'm done ranting about North Korea, but it just amazes me that we are so close to them here in South Korea and it's like a whole different world. I had no idea that there were so many people only a few hundred miles from me that are literally living in hell on earth. I just really feel sympathy for the people of North Korea and pray that somehow, someday their lives can be changed for good.
After exploring around Sokcho, Sean and I headed west to Seorksan National Park for our last night. We stopped in the park on the way and took the cable car up the mountain. The view of the park was absolutely stunning. The mountain peaks were amazing and the sights were incredible. We also walked through the park a bit and saw a giant Buddha statue which of course amazed me and I had to stop and take tons of pictures of. I read in my Lonely Planet that there were hot springs south of the park, so we hopped in the car and went that way. When we got to the little town we found out that there were no natural hot spring pools sitting up in the mountains as I had imagined, but a hot spring water pool in a hotel. Boo. At least I got to shower with natural spring water from the faucet. Somehow not quite the same.
Sean and I 800 meters up
catching dragon flies
big Buddha
I snuck a picture of the monks praying and chanting
We arrived in Seoul on Sunday a little earlier than expected and since we still had the rental car for a bit, decided to drive south of Seoul to Suwon and see the Hwaseong Fortress, an ancient fortress and fortress wall that dates back to the 18th century. The wall is expansive and surrounds the city. Walking it would take about 2 hours. Since it was about 90 degrees with the sun blasting down on us, Sean and I opted out of the walk, but drive a little around it and climbed a bit for a photo-ops.
Hwaseong Fortress
photo-op, I am becoming quite Korean posing for pictures by myself
I rested up Sunday evening from a fantastic weekend and unpacked and repacked again for my next adventure with Sam.
Namaste
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