hello communism

[gadget530]

I made it back. I've crossed over into communism, if only for five minutes. The queer thing was that those five minutes were not my scariest in the DMZ. Nor was the fact that I could see a North Korean soldier eye me from binoculars less than 100m away. Nor was it when I was 500m underground in a tunnel within the DMZ, approx. 100m from the DML (demarkation line separating the two nations) staring at a door that led to N. Korea. No, it was the fact that our bus stalled on an S-curve hill surrounded by land mines. To make make matters worse...it happend 4 times! Each time leading us closer to our fateful plunge into the abyss that is the DMZ. This USO tour that we (UGH, John Deveau invited himself again. Thankfully I only had reason to shove him over to the N. Koreans twice. Wait, there is nothing thankful about that. Jerk.) took proved to be the best $40 ever spent. We arrived to the DMZ at about 930 and left around 1430. First was the Joint Security Area, where we changed onto UN buses and drove for a briefing. We then signed our lives away and got cool UN badges. Next stop was the DML. This is where we saw the N. Korean officer staring at us. We crossed into N. Korea. Then we drove further into the DMZ to see "Freedom Town", where S. Koreans are asked to live (for $80K a year - tax-free). There is a 30m pole with the S. Korean flag. In reactionary tactics, North Korea built a town in less than a week. It's been deemed "Propaganda Village" because it houses no one and plays propaganda tapes for 6 hours a day. The buildings are empty (in fact, they have no floors), they just look real from afar. And to top it off...the built a 50m pole with a 600pound N. Korean flag (largest in the world) in spite?! I don't really know. It's hillarious to see though. So we saw the Bridge of No Return, where in 1953 or so all the POWs were allowed to choose which side to go on. Everything was so somber, and calm. But that's what makes facades so appealing. The N. Koreans are in constant instigiation mode. They brutally axed two men in 1976 or so fo cutting down a tree. The dragged a ROK solider through the Peace Room Door (where I was standing when I was in NK) 10 years back. They captured a Russian. Most recently...when Bush was in Seoul signing something, they snuck in, took the American flag and wiped their shoes with it. We moved to the Observatory (where the Russian was captured) and saw a HUGE statue of Kim Jeong Yi (the first dictator) about 12km in the disance. From up here we could see the DML everywhere and all the guard posts. Then we went to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. This is the 3rd discoverd, of what they think to be 20, and is so huge. Its 500m underground...and clearly goes into the South, past the DMZ. Ok timeout, there is a DML that marks off the EXACT place where each country ends. There was an agreement that 2km from each side would be neutral ground and both militaries could walk around freely and occupy space. Thus the DMZ. There is no techincal 38th Parallel anymore, that was in 1950, before the war. So this tunnel goes beyond the 2km...and it's big enough for tanks.

I really have nothing more to add about the DMZ. A surreal experience cannot be confined to paper. I can only manage basic concepts for you all to read; the images forever imbedded in my mind provide the best definitioin of my weekend. I wish you could join me and see such images. Speaking of which my pictures are up on my yahoo photos account; the link is through facebook. I'll write descriptions asap...my laptop is still being ridiculously difficult with photos. Plus Seth and Laura have a few more to give me.

I've come to terms with the fact that I only like melancholy music. Somehow it makes me happier.
But I opened my eyes and walked out the door
And the clouds came tumbling down
And it's bye-bye, goodbye I tried
Treading a sea of a troubled mind
Had to leave myself behind
Singing bye-bye, goodbye I tried

If you wrote me off I'd understand it
Because I've been on some other planet
So come pick me up...
I've landed