Drama at the DMZ

I believe I am now on Korean time and quickly recovering from the effects of jet lag. I got up this morning at 7:15 and was ready to hop aboard the shuttle to the DMZ by 8:10. Steph met me at the hostel and we were off. We were unsure of what to expect, but the drive was quick and pretty. At one point, we passed under a bridge that held dynamite in the event that the North invaded the South. The bridge would explode and collapse, thereby slowing the attack on Seoul. During my time in Seoul, it's been easy to forget that the country is still technically in a state of war with the North. Today, there was no forgetting or avoiding that fact. We drove along barbed wire fences and saw the Han river that is divided at different points between the North and the South. We arrived at the first stop and transferred shuttles. At this point, we wandered out to the Freedom Bridge where prisoners of war were traded during the Korean War. The bridge is closed, but we took pictures and could see the bridge from a look-out point.
We boarded the shuttle to the DMZ and went through the checkpoint. After going through checkpoints in Israel, the process here was a piece of cake. We wrote our names and passport numbers on a sheet of paper and never showed the guards our papers. Steph and I had opted for just the morning tour, which consisted of the DMZ and the Third Tunnel. After the armistice agreement, North Korea dug multiple tunnels under the DMZ to allow for covert military access into South Korea. The South Korean military has discovered 4 tunnels thus far, but a North Korean defector claims that there were 20 tunnels included in the original plan. We trekked down into the tunnel and walked a little ways in. We couldn't go all the way to the North Korean side, but it was still trippy to think about how close we were to North Korea.
Our tour guide was amazing and super bubbly. It didn't seem to fit perfectly since we were witnessing some very serious landscape and thinking about the horrible things happening on the other side of the DMZ. She was very informative and answered any questions we had. Our final stop of the tour was at a train station. The station was the last one north, but is also a symbol of the hopeful future involving a reunification of the Korean peninsula. It was shiny and beautiful, but eerie since it was empty.
Steph and I made it back to the city around 1 and headed straight towards the bank. I needed to exchange some money, which involved signing a form that included my passport number. It was a little bit of a process and a new experience. We ate lunch in Insadong at a traditional restaurant. The meal was bibimbap that is a popular Korean dish with lots of veggies, an egg, and rice. I was not a huge fan of the seaweed involved, but it was still good to experience it. Bulgogi is still my favorite Korean dish, but I'm always willing to try new things.
After lunch, Steph and I were cold and tired, so we opted for a Korean movie to pass the time this afternoon. The weather had been nice, but today was bitterly cold. We had toyed with the idea of visiting a palace, but the thought of being outside for an extended period of time was not appealing. We found a movie that looked like it involved dancing of some sort. When we asked the salesman what it was about, we were informed that it was action/comedy. We forgot to ask about English subtitles, but decided to just go for it. The movie involved lots of physical comedy and was entertaining. I was immersing myself in the language and culture, while staying out of the cold. It was a win/win situation.
We met Nick at home after the movie and discussed dinner options. Last night, Stephanie and Nick took me to an AMAZING Nepalese restaurant. I got the Everest Special Curry Chicken that was so yummy. I have to say that I may enjoy Thai and Indian food more than Korean. For dinner tonight, we opted for Bulgogi at the neighborhood restaurant again. I know it may be silly to eat the same thing twice in 4 days, but it is so good and a fitting meal for my last night in Korea. We had more great conversation and food. Steph and Nick have been SO hospitable and wonderful. I'm blessed to have friends like them! Since Steph has had off work, she's been able to be a tourist with me and be my guide to the city. I know my adventures and experience has been better because of her!
After dinner, we were super tired, so I headed back to the hostel. I took the metro all by myself and didn't get lost once. It's a good sign of how the rest of the trip will go. :) Tomorrow entails a visit to a palace, the Namdaemun Gate, and an art museum before flying out to Hanoi. I can't believe I already move on to Vietnam tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion this trip is going to fly by!