DMZ

Today we visited the DMZ or as the Korean's call it Panmunjun. This was one of the strangest places I have ever been in my life. At the beginning of our day we arrived at the tourist site where you hang out before the tour guides actually take you to the DMZ, this was quite interesting, because the Dean of our university had actually fought in the Korean war, and even though it was no longer a conflict area anymore, it once was. As the Dean and I walked around the area he began to share a part of his life I'm sure he would much rather forget, he told me about the death and destruction that once had consumed this area that now had a restaurant and amusement park rides. The Dean even went as far as telling me how he still found his self shaking sometimes thinking about the experiences this foreign place had brought him. We had a early lunch and then headed to the DMZ. We first arrived at a base camp where we had the rare chance to see American soldiers, which was great, except they handed us the waivers that said they were not responsible for us getting killed if something happened. The ride to the DMZ then got a bit more interesting, you see all the land basically around the DMZ is covered with land mines and snipers so it wasn't exactly the most pleasant place. Once at the DMZ things didn't get any easier the North Koreans stared at us took pictures of us and had their weapons pointed at us (lovely day in the neighborhood). I had never been so happy to leave a place. The DMZ is one of those bragging rights's places I really didn't see the point in going their other than being able to say I've been their.

We concluded our evening with shopping near the U.S. Air force base, and dinner at Outback Steakhouse.