Korea trip day 3, DMZ tour

I try to not take a tour if it is possible to avoid it, today  was one of those days when independent tourism was not possible.
I arrived at the tour registration desk at seven in the morning, way too early for my taste, but that is the way of  the tour. With a guide speaking nearly constantly during the hour-long drive north, she made it more than abundantly clear that we could only take photos when told it was OK. We arrived at a checkpoint on the unification bridge, just shy of the border with north Korea, and showed our passports to a stone faced Korean soldier in sunglasses. We then crossed the river into the military controlled area and the advanced base at camp Bonafis. Here an American soldier with a gun on his hip stepped on the bus, then checked our passports a second time before letting us off the bus into a building.

Checkpoint at Unification bridge

Here we got a briefing about the days main attraction, a visit to the Joint Security Area, a military facility right  on the border with north Korea. We were also asked to sign a  waiver, denying UN responsibility if we should be injured in an attack. With the armed soldiers, passport checks and this waiver, the atmosphere was feeling tense. Our guard come guide, military police PFC Hindenburg lead us from the building onto a bus driven by another soldier, and we were taken through the Demilitarized zone, passed a number of guard posts and mine fields all the way up to the JSA. Here we could see fierce-looking South Korean solders with dark glasses, standing in martial arts poses, staring at the other side. They even let us in to one of the buildings where they sometimes hold armistice talks, and walking around the central conference table, we crossed the Military Demarcation Line and actually took a few steps into north Korea. It is a special feeling to be this close to the border between two countries that are technically still at war, it is very tense and exciting at the same time. It is almost unreal, like it is all for show but you are still aware that the guns at the soldiers sides are very real, and considering the photography ban and lengths of barbed wire visible in the distance, you know they are taking security very seriously.

Serious looking soldier

The conference table, the microphones in the middle ark the border line.

Watching the north

PFC Hindenburg looking cool

Observing

The visit over, PFC Hindenburg brought us back to our normal bus and we went on our way. From here on, the tour was considerably less interesting, we made quick stops at a memorial park, a train station, an observatory and a tunnel.  The tunnel had been intended as an infiltration route by the communists, which was interesting but the tunnel itself was rather boring. The train station was pretty thought provoking though, as it is the last stop on the south side for a train into the north, the railway has been connected all the way to Pyeongyang the only thing  stopping the trains from rolling is the political situation; once th countries are unified, this will be an international train station, connecting Korea with the rest of Asia.

Dorasan train station, the tracks actually lead to North Korea

Dorasan observatory, on a clear day, this is where the South Koreans spy on the north.

The weather throughout the day was overcast and rainy, but I do feel gloomy weather suits this kind of place better than sunshine. Other than the JSA visit, the rest of the tour was not so interesting, but worth checking out for anyone not in a hurry.