Friday morning brought sunny skies once again. I got up early and went for a bike ride while Luke and Dana got ready for the DMZ. When I got back, we had some breakfast and headed for the bus. We took the bus into Seoul and made our way to the meeting spot for the DMZ tour.
We boarded the bus at noon and headed north. It took about an hour to get the the DMZ. It was a very cool drive up, looking north to North Korea. Our tour guide was a Korean girl and she was awesome! She was pretty funny and really easy going, she made the whole tour more enjoyable. Our first stop was the third tunnel. South Korea has found 4 tunnels that the North made that go from North Korea directly to Seoul. It was these tunnels that lead the North Korean soldiers into Seoul to start the Korean War. North Korea built 17 tunnels to invade Seoul, so far South Korea has only found 4! That scares me a bit.
Anyway, we got to go down into the tunnel, it was really cool! We climbed down about 75 feet to reach the tunnel. We got to walk through the tunnel and see how they made it. It was really cool and a little creepy to know that North Korean soldiers marched through that exact tunnel 60 years ago to invade Seoul. What a strange feeling.
After the tunnel, we headed to the JSA, or the Joint Security Area. During this portion we were under the guidance of the US military. We were told when we could and couldn't take pictures and how we needed to act. We got to see a lot of cool things during the JSA portion but the best part was actually seeing buildings that belong to North Korea and seeing the North Korean soldiers! We got to stand and face North Korea and North Korean soldiers, they were even looking at us through binoculars, it was quite humorous! We were instructed at this time that we couldn't wave, point, or gesture in any way to North Korea or their soldiers. I had to hold my hands in front of me so I wouldn't accidentally point their way. After looking to the north, we went on to a few of the check points. One that we stopped at was really neat. We got out of the bus and stood looking North, we were surrounded by North Korea on three sides! It was a little intense but really really cool! North Korea has some gorgeous landscape and mountains, it's a shame no one can enjoy them.
After all this we headed back to the entrance of the JSA, got back on our original bus and on with the tour. We went on to see the train station that has been built and the tracks that have been laid that connect North and South Korea. It is a gorgeous building and ready for action when/if the Koreas become one again.
Once the tour was over, and we made it out alive, we ate dinner and headed home. It was a long day and we were all tired, most of the people fell asleep on the ride back to Seoul. We got back to where we started from, caught a cab and headed back to Bundang. We were all really tired, we wanted to go out and party a little since it was Dana and Luke's last night here, but we just didn't have it in us. We just spent the night talking and being with each other.
Saturday was yet another gorgeous day but a sad one at that. Luke and Dana had their things packed and ready to go as we headed out to explore Migeum one last time and grab some lunch. They enjoyed their last Korean meal and we headed back to the apartment to grab their things and head to the bus.
The whole week they were here I tried to take in and soak up every moment. It felt like a dream, to have my best friend and my brother with me in Korea, I felt like I was home. I knew it would all end too quickly but I treasured every moment I had with them. It was amazing to have them here, and even more amazing since I didn't know Luke was coming. The homesickness never really goes away when you live half way across the world, but being able to see and spend time with family and friends helps beyond words. It wasn't any easier to say good bye to the both of them a second time around, but I was okay with the sadness and tears because of the time I got to spend with them.
