Visiting the DMZ

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Seoul was to take a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is the neutral/buffer zone between North and South Korea. 

The Korean flag at the DMZ

Although I was only in Seoul for a few days, I really got the sense that the Korean War is far from being regarded as a major historical event of the past; It appears to be very much a part of current politics and even everyday life. Realistically this makes sense as the war is technically still ongoing and violent skirmishes continue to occur (including this incident which happened just yesterday).

The DMZ

For me the most interesting part of the tour was walking through the "Third Tunnel", one of several tunnels that North Korea had been digging but were discovered by the South in the 1970s. (It is believed that these tunnels were part of a plan to attack the South but North Korea denies this tooth and nail and maintains they were strictly for mining purposes.) The tunnel, which is almost 100m underground and only 2m high x 2m wide, takes you underneath the heart of the DMZ and leads right up to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which is the official border line between the two nations. This part of the tour was especially moving: Our guide explained that because we were visiting so close to a Korean holiday (their equivalent of Thanksgiving) many Koreans were coming to send prayers and wishes to their family members in North Korea, with whom they are not able to have any kind of contact. Walking underground through a dark and drippy tunnel is the closest they can get to their family.

You can't actually take a train to North Korea (the
sign is for show!) but hopefully one day you will be able to...

Taking this tour also showed me that there seems to be a lot of hope for reunification one day. Many Koreans view the North and South not as two countries but as one country divided. It may not be for a while, but I hope that one day Koreans need not walk through a tunnel to feel close to their families.

We're Not So Different, You and I

I spent most of last night wondering around the streets of Hongdae, a district filled with university students and known for its countless streets of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. I happened upon a really funky looking little boutique where a Korean girl around my age was working. I complimented her on the beautiful clothes in the store (which it turned out she owned) and from there I somehow ended up staying for over an hour, sitting and talking and eating chocolates.

She didn't speak much English but it really didn't matter. She showed me some notes with sentences she'd written from an old English class. She had written things like "I wanted to open a clothing store so I could share my style with others", "Money is not the most important thing to me" and "My dream is to travel around the world". I told her of my travel plans and she told me how she hoped she could do the same one day. She is traveling to Thailand next month she said, her first solo trip, and she expressed great interest in coming to Cambodia as well. She told me she thought I was cool, which coming from an uber-trendy Korean I took as a huge compliment.

This little anecdote just goes to show that even in a country completely different from your own where at times it may seem like you can't relate to anything, you can meet people with whom you are able to share so much, even if you don't share a common language. This is just one of many reasons why I love to travel.

Pure Bliss: The Korean Spa

Korea is well known for its luxurious spas and saunas so it was high on my list of things to do here.

The Dragon Hill Spa

Approximately $10 CAD gains you admission to a series of pools, each with a different temperature and its own list of healing properties. (One even claimed to promote weight loss; I didn't know you could lose weight by sitting in water but I'll take it!) There was also a wide array of treatments you could get for an additional fee, ranging from about $25 for a body scrub (I opted for this one, it was incredible) to about $300 for a full spa package. On top of all this most spas have a common area where you'll find things like an arcade or a restaurant. There's even a room with mats and pillows where you can sleep! Needless to say I left feeling relaxed and revitalized, not to mention super duper clean! It was a lovely (and affordable) experience that I would highly recommend.

The Hills Are Alive...

...with the sound of Korean music?

The most intense set of stairs I've ever seen

I thought duckies were for kids, who knew?

The VonTrapp kids sure have changed since I last saw them!

These are only a few examples of things I saw in the streets of Seoul today that I found a bit funny. I don't really "get" a lot of the things I see going on here but it sure has been giving me a lot to look at!

Tentative Itinerary

I have been thinking about this trip for a while now and I thought I had a pretty good idea of where I was headed and what I was going to see/do. That is, until I had appointment with the travel clinic nurse a couple of months ago to discuss what vaccinations or medications I might need to take. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Will I need to take anti-malarial pills for Southeast Asia?*

Her: It depends on your travel plans. If you're only going to be in main cities you should be fine, but if you're going to be heading into rural areas you should probably take them. What is your itinerary? Will you be in any rural areas while you are away?

Me: Umm... maybe? Should I take them just in case?

Her: Well, like I said, it really depends on your itinerary and what you'll be doing exactly.

Me: Oh, right, hmm, well, I don't really know yet..?

Although I felt a bit silly during the appointment, there is no way I could have known at that point what exactly I wanted my trip to look like. Heck, I still don't! Southeast Asia is a region totally foreign to me and I honestly have no idea if I'll want to just stay in urban centers or venture out to more rural places.

While I don't have all the details figured out, I do have a tentative itinerary for this trip:

October 4-7, 2012: Stopover in Seoul, South Korea.

October 7, 2012: Arrive in Cambodia.

October-November-December 2012: Volunteer in Siem Reap, Cambodia for roughly two months.

January-February-March 2013: Travel around Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia.

April 2013: Head to Australia with a work visa. Work there for roughly six months (although a work visa is valid for one year).

September 2013: Head to Fiji for one last hourrah.

September/October 2013: Return back home.

Again, this is how I envision the trip going but I am 100% aware it very well may turn out nothing like this. Maybe I'll hate it and want to come home after two weeks, or maybe I'll love it and never come home at all! The point is you never know what might happen, and I'm okay with not knowing. I just want to go with the flow and take things as they come.

*For the record I decided against taking anti-malarial pills. They are expensive, can have very unpleasant side-effects and I shouldn't be in rural areas very often, if at all. I am relying on my mosquito net and lots of DEET to protect me!

Pre-departure turbulence

After dreaming for two years and saving up for one, planning for months and preparing for weeks, the trip I've been anticipating for so long is a mere three days away. I've renewed my passport, gotten my immunizations, called my credit card company and booked a place to stay. Although I'm feeling pretty well prepared, it hasn't been all smooth sailing. I have most definitely encountered some "turbulence" leading up to this trip which, just like when you ride in an airplane, can make you reconsider your decision altogether.

Contrary to what some travel blogs might say, I don't think it's easy to decide to leave home and travel for an extended period of time. You need to have an idea of where you want to go. You need at least enough money to get there and back. You may need to get vaccinated (ouch), or buy lots of Pepto Bismol to prevent traveler's diarrhea (yuck). You need to be okay with leaving family, friends and other commitments behind. All in all, to me it seems like a pretty big decision to make and at times it can all feel kind of overwhelming.

But the other day I came across a quote that reminded me why all of this stuff doesn't matter:

"Always try to follow the road that makes your heart feel good."

While I've had some doubts about the trip, the bottom line is that traveling makes me feel alive and inspired. At the risk of sounding a bit cheesy, it makes my heart feel good, and that is why I'm going. Because after the airplane ride is over, you forget all about the turbulence that had you so scared. You forget because you've arrived somewhere new, and you're so glad you're there.