The 38th Parallel and the DMZ

train station in South Korea to take you the the DMZ

Ok, so going to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between North Korea and South Korea was definitely an adrenaline rush! There are many tours in Seoul that offer this trip, but we decided to pick the one that was run by the US Army’s USO. Not only for safety reasons, but also it is one of the only tours that allows you to actually go into the DMZ and the JSA (joint security area).

The beginning of the tour is actually quite tame. You get outside of Seoul and start to see ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers and barbed wire along the river/highway, but other than that it is more informative information on the Korean War. In actuality, Korea is always on alert and in “war time” since the separation of the country. The people and government will never be out of “war time” until the reunification of the country. South Korea takes many steps to try to incorporate North Korea economically and in business. However, I personally think that the attempts are in vain. The North is brainwashed so much to hate the South, something major needs to happen in order for the reunification. Unfortunately, I doubt it would be peaceful, but there is always wishful thinking.

After a few hours of museums, looking at tunnels the north built into the south, and going to an observatory, it was time to head to Camp Bonifas. Camp Bonifas is where the US and ROK soldiers work together to protect the boundary and the DMZ. There are also other UN Nations here sometimes as well. The JSA (joint security area) is also located here. It is where the north and south meet. Also, both countries have meetings here, together if necessary. We were allowed to go into the building where these meetings take place. There is a microphone in here and everything is recorded by the north and the south 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

our feet inside of North Korea in the JSA

in the JSA

After our briefing and signing our life away, we were escorted outside in a two line formation to go see the JSA. Well, the North Korean military were using the room. This was not expected, so we were asked to stand still, not move or talk, and do not walk any further. We got to see the North Koreans leave and go back their side of the DMZ base….. to see the US Army soldiers and ROK soldiers concern made us a little bit on edge. However, nothing happened and we were allowed to go into the JSA where the meetings are held. As this room is over the border, we were allowed to walk to the North Korean side. Which means, I temporarily have been inside of North Korea! When we left we saw the soldiers up high on their post looking at us. We weren’t allowed to point towards them or anything like that as we were being “observed”. The joint governments didn’t want to give them any reason to make negative propaganda towards the western tourists.

the hills are cut clean to ensure no one tries to escape to the South.

After our escorted tour was over, we were told that there are always a few North Korean soldiers that are always there as both sides are on alert all the time. However, they’ve never had that many there at once; especially in the middle of a tour. They said we were quite lucky to have a view of so many North Korean soldiers. So, I would say that the one hour at Camp Bonifas and within the DMZ made the entire day trip worth it. I was glad to get back to Seoul as I was a little creeped out and definitely had my adrenaline running when I saw the North Korean soldiers!!! One of the weirdest day trips I’ve done, but also one of the most interesting and intense !

North Korean Flag inside of Propaganda City

Hanoi and Ha Long Bay 19 April – 23 April 2014

what we woke up to every morning on Ha Long Bay

At first glance Hanoi wasn't very impressive. It was raining and misty and didn’t seem to have the glitz and glamour of HCMC. However, in the end it was quite an interesting city. If you paid attention to the big poster boards it had the inklings of a very “communist comrade” feel to the city. There were billboards that looked like old communist propaganda artwork, but the date on it would be 2014. I found it quite interesting as we were all having so much fun we definitely forgot about Vietnam's history and that it was a communist country.  I guess that was a good thing as we learned a lot in the South, and now we were just enjoying the current Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum reminded us of the past, but it was an extremely impressive piece of architecture.

all of us enjoying Hanoi  =)

at the Mausoleum

We stayed in the Old Quarter which was fun as it was easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the city. Yet, you open a door to a restaurant and are completely transported from the dirty streets to an elegant dinner setting. Hanoi also had lots of traffic with motorbikes like its competitor of the South. Only having 2 days here (in my opinion) was enough as the best parts of Vietnam are out of the cities.

along the Lake in Hanoi

The best part about our time in Northern Vietnam was the trip to Ha Long Bay. The drive to Ha Long Bay was so beautiful. Mist and clouds floated above rice fields and farmers were working in them. It was very picturesque. Then, once you get to the bay to board the boat it became even more beautiful. We literally were sailing through an UNESCO World Heritage site composed of 1600 different islands.

We did a 3 day and 2 night boat trip through the bay. Our time here consisted of kayaking through caverns, jumping off the boat and swimming, hiking through a large cave overlooking the bay, and also climbing to the top of one of the islands to a view point. We also went to a floating water village and a floating pearl farm.

kayaking in the caves !

enjoying the sunset on Ha Long Bay

It was amazing. In the morning you wake up and look out the window to mist hovering over the water and through the islands. In the evening we would sit on the top deck enjoying cocktails and watching the sunset with great friends. I don’t think it could get much better than that.

the last night on the boat.. all of the fun ones enjoying our last happy hour !

Sadly, my time in Vietnam ended with Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. It was sad to say goodbye to our friends. Especially as Joe and his girlfriend live in a different country from Jayda and I, we don’t know when we will see them again. Fortunately, we can’t be too sad as we spent the past 2 weeks travelling through Vietnam with them adding to our already amazing memories.

only THE GIRLS, were brave enough to jump off the top (just saying)... in Ha Long Bay

Vietnam truly is a beautiful place and nothing I write will be able to express how awesome Vietnam is. We felt quite lucky being able to enjoy some of the best sites and food in South East Asia with great friends. Not very many people can say that. Jayda and I are incredibly grateful to have such close friends to travel with. Vietnam was spectacular and I can't wait to see what country I will see my friends in again next !