DMZ.

Today was our trip to the DMZ. So many things happened so fast, and it was such an exhilarating yet nerve-wracking experience, but I'll do my best to capture the day here.

We left the hotel around 10:00 with a guide from the tour company taking us to the DMZ. He inspected our clothing to be sure we passed inspection. The rules for what to wear are pretty strict because in the past the North has used photos of visitors as propaganda. We joked that we were in a "fashion-free zone" for the day.

We had to surrender our passports for inspection which made us all a little nervous. The bus took us to the Lotte hotel where guide #1 disappeared, and guide #2 joined us. The DMZ is about a 1.5 hour drive from Seoul. We stopped for lunch in Munsan city, where we had beef bulgoggi. It is a delicious meal of thin strips of beef, boiled in a tasy broth with vegetables. It was also my last meal with kimchi and chopsticks.

We boarded the bus and entered the area of South Korea where we got our first glimse of the tense situation with the North. There were anti-tank barriers - concrete walls loaded with dynamite that can be detonated to block the advance of tanks.

We made a quick stop at the Freedom Bridge, Imjingak. This is as far north as civilian South Koreans can travel. It was set up as a place where South Koreans can go to pay respect to families who are in the North. There is a bridge containing ribbons of prayer messages, and a monument to a railroad that South Korea hopes will be built, allowing South Korea to make rail connections to China and Russia via North Korea.

Next, on to the Civilian Control Area. We were not allowed to take pictures here until our guides allowed it. In the Civilian Control area we saw Taesong, the so-called "Peace Village." It is the only South Korean village within the DMZ. Only those with an ancestral connection dating to before the war can live there. Women can marry into the community, but men cannot. That's because male members of the village are exempt from military service, and they don't want men marrying in as a way to avoid their 2 years of compulsory service. Villagers are also exempt from taxes, but they are under strict curfews. They tend to rice fields withinin the United Nations Command Security Battalion Joint Security Area (JSA) and in general are more well-off than the average South Korean.

We were checked at "Checkpoint 1" by a South Korean soldier. We learned that the "ROK" (Republic of Korea) soldiers in the JSA are taller and smarter than the average soldier. They are also black belts in Tae Kwon Do.

Next, we were brought to Checkpoint 2 and were met by a US soldier who was our guide for the rest of the trip. We were advised to put our passports in our pockets, and bring only our camera - no bags or anything else. We went to an auditorium and were briefed by another US soldier, then got on a bus operated by the JSA.

Then, it started getting real. We passed mine fields, and soon were in sight of North Korean observation towers. We arrived at the UN command headquarters, walked up a flight of stairs and my heart stopped. Right in front of me were the iconic blue buildings, and the North Korean headquarters directly behind. Right away a North Korean soldier emerged from the building and trained his binoculars on us. Soon, 2 others came out. We had been reminded over and over not to make any gestures towards the North, or attempt to communicate in any way.

We were allowed into Building 2, which is where the high-level negotiations take place. I was near the front of the line and took my place along the far side of the negotiations table. When we were all in the building, Sgt. Guidry (our guide) informed us that those of us on the far side of the room were in North Korean territory. I'm not sure how that works, because a ROK soldier was there too.

We could get our pictures taken next to this soldier. He was so still, in his ready-to-fight Tae Kwan Do stance, I'm still not convinced he wasn't a statue. Looking out the window, North Korean soldiers marched past, probably not more than 20 feet from where I was standing. Once we all had our pictures taken inside the building, we went back out. We could take whatever pictures we wanted towards the North, we were not allowed to take any pictures towards the South.

Next, back on the bus to "Checkpoint 3", which is an area surrounded on 3 sides by North Korean territory. It was a very hot and hazy day, but we could make out North Korea's "Propaganda Village" from there. A flagpole of 160 m flies a 600 pound flag before a village that is basically a movie set. It's designed to make it look as though life is great in the North, but it's all a facade.

Finally, we saw "Checkpoint 4" site of the "Axe Murder Incident" in 1976. Two American soldiers - Captain Boniface and Lieutenant Barrett were hacked to death while attempting to trim a poplar tree that obstructed their position. A small plaque now marks the spot where the tree once stood. "Checkpoint 4" is also the site of the "Bridge of No Return", formerly used for prisoner exchanges.

Now, the tour was over. We were deposited a the gift shop and encouraged to spend freely. It was such a strange experience. While the checkpoints, warnings, and proximity to North Korea made it seem scary, it really wasn't. Driving around with busloads of other Americans snapping pictures freely, I wonder what kind of propaganda instruments we were.