I finally got an opportunity to go on a
DMZ Tour again sponsored by
Trazy.com and K Story Tour, an English friendly tour booking website. It has been ages since my last visit of the
Korean Demilitarized Zone, and a lot has changed already.
WHAT IS THE DMZ?
"The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command." (SOURCE)
I can't remember these bronze statues of short-haired girls seated straight on a chair, with their hands on their laps from my last DMZ trip. So I was surprised to see two Statue of Peace at the rail tracks in Imjingak. It was striking to me after seeing it in the most heartbreaking episode of the KDrama Tomorrow, a grim reminder of the comfort women, victims of sexual slavery, during the Japanese military during World War II.
When we asked mom and dad which of the things we did was the most memorable during our Korea trip, dad instantly replied, "DMZ". Mom nodded and agreed.
"Suspense e! Exciting!" - Dad
"Nakakakaba, lalo na yun may pipirmahan!" - Mom
(It's nerve wracking, most especially when they asked us to sign a waiver!)
I was surprised because during the whole
JSA (Joint Security Area) Panmunjom Tour they were just silent. Mom even had her nervous face the whole time, I was kind of regretting we went for it! 😂 But after hearing this now that we are back home and just reminiscing, I am glad my Ate and I continuously searched for open slots for this tour because they are always fully booked. We were able to still get in via
Trazy.com.
DMZ is the buffer zone between North and South Korea, the border where negotiations take place. It is also one of our "let's see!" in our Korea itinerary.
First, I realized that we needed to book the tour in advance - legally speaking we can't go on our own thus the need for a tour group. Second, I fear that it might not be as safe as what the Internet is telling us. And third, worth it ba sa presyo?
Anyway, I went for it nonetheless because as always I asked myself my biggest travel question: if not now when? We booked through our inn keeper, who called Sun Burst Korea agency around 24 hours before our planned date. Before we knew it, we were set for pick-up by our tour guide directly at our guesthouse at around 7:30 in the morning the next day. Agad agad.
.jpg)
.jpg)
