We arrived in Seoul’s Inchon airport (regularly voted the Worlds Best Airport) and headed to our hotel which was a golf/health resort
https://www.mayfield.co.kr/main/ The hotel was lovely with a great indoor swimming pool, gym and spa. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise that access to the sauna and spa was not included in our accommodation and I was only advised of this while lounging in the sauna when I was told I had to leave! Luckily, I was able to use the gym and pool facilities but the experience of being thrown out of the sauna put me off using the rest of these facilities for our stay.
The highlight of our time in South Korea was my day trip to the DMZ (Demilitarisation Zone) between North and South Korea. It is only possible to enter the DMZ on an organised tour and the time in the area is restricted with passports being held at the border to ensure you return. The DMZ is 4kms wide and 250kms long. Since 1974 South Korea has discovered 4 tunnels which are believed to have been built by North Korea. We visited and climbed down into the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel which is 260m long and 73m below the surface. It was an interesting experience but not an easy walk/climb and a large part of the descent is so low that the only way through is to bend over. At the end of the tunnel is a small window where we could see two North Korean troops guarding their side.
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| The Monument at the Third Infiltration Tunnel in the DMZ |
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| The entrance to the Third Infiltration Tunnel in the DMZ |
After recovering from the walk into the tunnel, I headed to the Dorasan Observatory, which offers views over into North Korea. There isn’t a great deal to see except the Propaganda Village (named by South Korean) or Freedom Village (named by North Korea). I could see the North Korean flagpole, once the highest flagpole in the world. We also visited Freedom Bridge and our final stop was the Unification Village. The whole trip was fascinating and one I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting South Korea.
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| Peace ribbons, hung by South Koreans with messages to family members in the North |
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| Freedom Bridge in the DMZ |
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| Looking into North Korea from the Dorasan Observatory in the DMZ |
