A few weeks ago a few friends and I toured the highly militarized zone separating the North and South Koreas. It is known as the DMZ and is the most heavily patrolled border in between any 2 nations in the entire world. We partook in both the 'touristy' portion of the tour along the outskirts of the DMZ as well as ventured into the center and most dangerous portion, the JSA (Joint Security Area)
The DMZ has been the ground where clashes between the two sides have happened. Naturally, you would have thought that the DMZ would be one of the most dangerous place in the world given it’s history of hostility, so why they would even make a tour out of it still baffles me. The tour was an eye opener for me to learn about the history behind the division between South and North Korea. The tour also gave an opportunity to "step inside" into North Korea. Even though it was a long tour, it was very interesting and I would recommend it to travelers to Korea.
Ahh, the send of September and the beginning of October. To most people this represents the end of summer and arrival of fall. The days become shorter, the temps are a bit cooler, and the autumn colors and scents fill the air. Not always true for every environment, but the welcoming of fall often also means one thing- harvest time. This is true for Korea as well.
Along the cusp or October is the Korean holiday of 추석 Chuseok) or Korean thanksgiving. Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held in Autumn and symbolizesharvest. Korean families visit their ancestral hometowns and similar to the American Thanksgiving, they have a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon and rice wines such as sindoju and dongdongju. I would have liked to partake in some of the cultural relevant Chuseok activities, but I did not have many opportunities arise (that didn't require me having to find them!). However, since it was a long holiday weekend I took the time to go on a mini vacation with my close friends. We traveled to the southern beach city of Busan, the 2nd largest city in all of Korea. Busan is a historically important city as it is one of the few left un touched during the Korean war and is filled with gorgeous beaches, ancient temples, traditional markets, and beautiful architecture. The mountains that also surround Busan are equally as beautiful as the beaches - but I myself am much more of a coast dweller than a mountain climber!! (altho I do enjoy both). As discussed in the video, I spent three of my days during Chuseok weekend surfing, swimming, temple viewing, an exploring both of what Busan has to offer in the day and nightlife! It was a very nice holiday weekend spent with good people and great times. I thoroughly look forward to visiting Busan again and saying hello to those beautiful beaches! Here is a link to my FB album with all the pictures from my weekend in Busan(as well as my trip to the DMZ which will be my next blog entry). Enjoy! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4572170619341.187843.1144020019&type=1&l=8ca3ccf19d
