Up to the border

After a decent night back with Ji Hee and her family, there's a fine Korean breakfast and before long we're linking up with an Immanuel group of 8 of us for the day in the minibus and we head  up to the border at Imjingak where you are signed on to a coach trip having shown your passport or ID card as you're entering the DMZ (pronounced DMZee) the demilitarised zone. Before we leave on our 4 hour trip - there are shorter and a longer one - we have a look round at the viewpoint to the railway bridge across the river which I think is the boundary into the zone. There's a shot-at locomotive to be photographed by, and some track to be tight-roped by our party, Pastor Kim leading the way. There are prayer wishes for a united Korea tied up along a fence. The coach is full, and there are trips leaving more than half-hourly. We're counted in at the boundary of the zone, and head up to the Dora Observatory where you can look into the north, and the view isn't bad so we can see the Gaesong industrial complex where South Korea provides jobs in the north, and managers etc go through each day when things are functioning. Effectively S Korea is an island because the border is basically pretty impermeable so any getting in and out of the South is much like Britain except they don't have a railway tunnel! There are gift shops at each stop-off place, and a bit of a fair at the place where the coach trips start. Here at the Observation point there are loudspeaker reminders that you can only take photos behind a yellow line that you hadn't noticed. Photos are not permitted as you're driving in the zone on the coach. The atmosphere is in fact pretty jolly, but it's a weird place. Then we're taken to the  third Tunnel, where you go underground on a train wearing helmets, especially for the likes of me who are taller than the average Korean. At the bottom there's quite a long walk where you can hear a few helmets knocking the roof, and when you come to the end it's where a tunnel extends into the North, constructed secretly by them, along with other tunnels for the purposes of invasion. They'd daubed it with black when they were discovered and forced to retreat, and they claimed they'd been mining coal. Then back up for an American propaganda film (at least the "English" version was!). On again to Dorasan newly built railway station, which will be for the purposes of travelling wherever you want in the future eg Europe. We were seeing planning for a future that in some shape or form will eventually come. At present the war isn't finished, merely a ceasefire, hence the DMZ. It was a moving visit. At least one of our Immanuel party had done military service in the DMZ - and there were soldiers willing to be photographed with you like Horse Guards Parade, probably jollier actually! Back from the coach trip there was another viewpoint to see, and then there was lunch to think about. We came out of one restaurant on the advice of another customer who subsequently offered us some pop corny things, and we got some street food before driving off to a very nice restaurant where you cooked the main food, duck (not dog) on the table, one round grilled, a second round boiled. A bit much duck for me - I'd forgotten it's on the fatty side, and soon didn't feel too good for the rest of the day. By now it was the first really wet weather of my visit, but we were still able to visit a traditional part of Seoul mainly for the purpose of stocking me up with traditional gifts to bring home. Pastor Kim is being very generous, and I've decided that being embarrassed is not the right way to appreciate the kindness. We were entertained by 3 young guys making honey sweets on the street, moving from a solid lump of honey to silk-fine threads (I suppose candy floss-like but done by hand). I've got some to bring back. It was 9pm-ish by now - I was feeling pretty groggy, but got back OK and soon recovered. Lively company made for a great day, and Ji Hee is totally my assistant carrying things, shepherding me, as well as translating when necessary. Quite apart from the fact that she's a delight, I could get used to this!