In this summer vacation, we had an unofficial holiday which let us (Hee Yuan and me) sneak out from lab for around 5 days. *you know the meaning of ‘unofficial’, so shuuhhhhhh~~ :-$ * Frankly, we are hardly to get a long holiday during our study due to lab projects and classes.
Thus, We decided to go ‘far far‘ out of Busan which is Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province), the Nortern part of South Korea. After researching around, one of the main attractions in Gangwon-do is DMZ (De-militarized Zone) which is a narrow buffer strip that was setup to divide the Korean Peninsula into two and it cause the death of millions. Today, it is the most heavily guarded border in the world.
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We reached Cheorwon was about 3.30 pm and we found a ‘quite-ok’ motel just beside the bus terminal. We need to stay in Cheorwon for one night then only depart to DMZ on the next day morning.
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After settled everything, we walked around the small town and had our tea break.
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One of the famous foods in Cheorwon is its local pork. Due to the huge different temperature between winter and summer, the local piggies have thicker fat to protect themselves. Thus, the yUmmy grilled pork is our dinner in Cheorwon.
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At night, there is no any happening street or activities as Cheorwon is just a small, rural ‘kampung’. So, we just bought beers and chips from Mini Mart and enjoyed in our motel.
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First Destination : DMZ
Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a narrow strip of land running across the Korean peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea.
It is 248km long and approximately 4km wide, and is the most heavily fortified border in the world. And, since the Korean War from June, 1950 to July 1953 ended with an armistice between the United Nations forces fighting on the side of South Korea and the Communist North, it is technically still a war zone.
To visit the DMZ, tourists must first apply for admission passes. At the entrance, all passports were carefully cross-checked by soldiers against their list of approved visitors.
Source: Thestar Online
On the next day morning, we checked out the motel and ready for DMZ’s registration.
While we were checking out our room in the lobby, a 65 years old grayed-hair man talked to us and volunteered himself to fetch us to DMZ’s registration station which was quite far from our motel.
Through our conversation in his car, we got to know that he is a retired marine cop who served South Korea the old days. Furthermore, he offered himself to fetch us to all DMZ spots with little charge of 40,000 for two of us. Before this, in a blog Hee Yuan found a guy paid 60,000 per person for the entire DMZ trip. Thus, after some calculations, we decided to hire him as our driver and tour guide. Easily, he settled all the required registrations for us and we didn’t even need to show passport to the officer and we even got some discounts as well i guessed because he is an old retired marine cop and is quite well-known person in Cheorwon. The Best thing was he explained to us the history and things happened in the old days in DMZ spots. Thanks to Hee Yuan for translating for me. LOL
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Along the road to the tunnel, there are plenty of undeveloped areas that was barricaded with barbed wires and according to our tour guide that areas are still contain mines that were planted by North Korea soldier in the old days . *SCaRy*
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Photos Deleted
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Then, we continue visited the underground tunnels which the North Koreans had drilled and blasted through limestone, intruding few hundred meters into South Korea before being discovered. When we walked through the tunnel, it got cooler and the floor was wet and slippery. We reached a point blocked with iron gate and cross the gate will reach North Korea.
Later, we stopped by the Observatory Platform. The observatory looks across the DMZ and we could catch a rare glimpse of the reclusive North Korean state through binoculars. There is only 2 KM from the Observatory to North Korea territory.
The DMZ trip was ended with a visit to ancient headquarter of Labor Party which was built by North Korean before the Korean War at the time Cheorwon was under their control.
The building has a gloomy presence that betrays its sad history; the place was used to torture and kill Korean patriots, whose bodies were then discarded in the trench at the back of the building. One can only imagine the horrors this building as seen, yet the pain and anguish that sip through every pore of the structure like a bad wound overwhelm. If these walls could talk, they would tell a tale few would want to hear.
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=====================DMZ Trip Ended=========================
Next, we visited Seung-il Bridge
Construction of this bridge commenced in August 1948 from the side of Jangheung-ri under the rule of the North Korean Communist regime. The original design was patterned after a standard Soviet design. Construction was suspended at the outbreak of the Korean War, at which point it was halfway completed.
After the area was recovered by South Korea, the South Korean government completed the bridge using a different design. The bridge was dedicated on December 3, 1958, with its name, “Seung-il Bridge”. It is believed that the name of the two Koreas, South Korea President Lee, Seung-mahn, and Noth Korean Communist Leader, Kim, il-Seong, to irony of both the South and North Korean government being involved in its construction.
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Then, we back to DMZ’s registration office
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Then, that was the end of DMZ/Cheorwon Trip. Thus, we decided to go back to bus terminal and continue our trip in Chuncheon. BUT !!! From Registration office to bus terminal is quite far and…….we didn’t see any taxi or bus around that area. So~~~~we had only one choice…..which was WALK !!!!!!
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Seriously, i nearly fainted in one of the paddy fields. =.=” We had walked for more than 5 KM and we took 2.5 hours to reach terminal under an extremely HOT Sun.
Unbelievable eXperience !!
Then, we took a bus back to Chuncheon and stayed for 2 days………..Next Post 
