A visit to the DMZ

One of the things that mom and I both agreed upon for our visit to South Korea is that we wanted to take a trip to the DMZ, the demilitarized zone along the border of North and South Korea. The only way that you can do that is to book a tour through one of the many companies that goes to pretty much the same stops. We ended up doing a full day joint to the DMZ and the JSA. One of the selling points of the company we used was that a North Korean defector spent the day with us and we could ask questions to gain a better understanding of what life there was like, why people try to get out, and what it takes to actually get out.

Our day started in the DMZ, with a trip down the third tunnel. Called this because it is the third tunnel that South Korea discovered. Discovered? Yes, North Korea had dug (at least) four tunnels under the entire buffer zone along the demarkation line that would allow them to come up well within the South Korean half. As you can imagine the discovery of these tunnels threw South Korea into an uproar. Today the third tunnel is more of a tourist attraction. We got on a "tram" (think seats like a low key rollercoaster) to go down and down. Then we were able to walk down to the first of three barriers that block the demarkation line, and peer through a small window to the second barrier. While an attack from North Korea does not seem likely to come this way anymore, there is still plenty of defence of this possible point of entry.

Our next stop was at Dorasan Observatory where it is just possible to see the electric poles that designate you are looking at North Korea. At times repetitive music would drift in the air, propaganda being played from "propaganda village" across the border. Frankly, we didn't have a clear enough view to make this all that interesting of a stop.

View into North Korea from Dorasan Observatory

We then stopped at Dorasan Station, which is a fully functioning train station ready and waiting for when the border opens up. They claim they are not the last station in the South but the first station to the North. Kind of crazy to imagine how much money has gone into building rail lines and stations for a path that is not allowed to be travelled.

The highlight of the day though had to be a visit to Panmunjom, the site of the Joint Security Area (JSA) along the border. There we were instructed to leave everything except for a camera behind and were joined by an armed guard to visit the famous blue conference room. In the JSA, the demarkation line separating North and South Korea is a clear concrete divide. Guards from South Korea stood partially shielded behind buildings eyes firmly fixed on the North.  

We were given about ten minutes in the conference room where the armistice was signed. Yes, technically, I crossed over to North Korea on that day. We were well warned not to attempt to exit the door on the far side of the building, however pictures were encouraged! So of course we had to take a few. Proof that we were actually in North Korea....by about 5 feet.

We used Panmunjom Tour Company and were pleased with our day.

Walking Seoul's Wall

 

When I get to a new city I like to walk, and walk, and walk. Being on my feet gives me a chance to get a feel for the place and as I like to spend as much time outside as possible is a natural choice for one of my first days of a visit. For Spring Break this year my mom and I travelled to Seoul, South Korea and realised we had an extraordinary choice for where to walk - alongside part of the old city walls that ringed the original city. There are actually five different sections of the city wall that have marked paths along or near them, as well as 4 main gates to check out and 4 smaller gates. 

     

We ended up choosing one of the more gentle sections to walk, the Naksan Mountain Trail which starts at Hyehwamun Gate and goes until Heunginjimun Gate. Coming in at a little over 2 kilometres it is a fairly short walk (although perhaps for uphill then we had anticipated). We were able to walk along the old walls (partially renovated, although you could still see the three different types of stone blocks used from different time periods) almost the entire way. There were several places to stop for views of the bustling busy city of Seoul. 

        

However I think my favourite part had to be the imposing giant city gates. Often set in the middle of a circle amongst busy city streets, they had amazing paintings on the underside of each gate. It definitely paid to look up! I saw dragons, phoenix, turtles, and deer along with some other creatures that seemed to be a cross of some mythological being and an animal. These vibrant colours and well preserved images were well worth a stop to check out.

In fact, we enjoyed walking the walls of Seoul so much that later in our trip we decided to head out to the town of Suwon, where we could actually walk the entire loop around their town walls. These walls were in remarkably good shape, and we were able to walk along the top of several sections. Technically these walls are part of Hwaseong Fortress, dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. The walls stretch over five and a half kilometres in total length.

 

It was interesting to see the difference in the walls from the interior and the exterior. We realised fairly early on that we were walking the inner trail of the walls. This makes the walls seem not quite as impressive as they actually are - as there is a raised dirt mound on the inside, allowing for defenders to reach the arrow slits and canon points of the walls. When I wandered outside one of the gates and looked back at the walls I realised that the walls were at least twice as tall as we had been experiencing. Quite an engineering feat back in the 1600s. I have to admit that I think walking the walls in and around Seoul was one of my favourite things about the city.

Touring Bohol

While mom was visiting I had a 3-day weekend and so we headed to Bohol. The last time I went I just relaxed on the beach and in a pool. This time I wanted to see all of the main tourist sites. So I arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport and do a tour of the island of Bohol. Since I didn't really know much about what was on Bohol to see, I just told them I wanted to see the main sights. In my mind that equated to two - the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers. Of course we got much more than that.

Our first stop was at the site of the blood compact, complete with statue commemorating the event. The sandugo occurred in 1565, between Spanish explorer Legazpi and Bohol chieftain Datu Sikatuna. The each cut their arm, let blood flow into a cup of wine, and exchanged glasses to drink. This ritual of friendship was the first treaty between Spain and the Filipinos. Of course when I returned to school a local teacher told me that wasn't the actual spot...but at least I learned a bit more of the history of the island.

From there we stopped at Baclayon Church or the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It is a coral stone church dating back to 1727. Strikingly simple on the outside the church surprised with its ornate paintings and decorations inside. We got a chance to look at statues of some of the local saints some of whom mom and I had never heard of. Unfortunately the church was mostly destroyed in 2013 by an earthquake, and so the current structure is the repaired and renovated church.

Do you want to dress up like a butterfly? That is the question we got asked as we left the reptile area and headed towards the butterfly garden (funny how I said I didn't want to see snakes and yet we still had to traipse past their crowded metal cages). In my head I was thinking those fabric wings that you see on kids, then I realised that they had a class wall of dried butterflies and you could stand on one side while the guide took a picture of you as if the wings were on your back. Kind of interesting. I was much more interested in the small butterfly garden. Where we saw a moth bigger than my hand, some fascinating butterflies with almost translucent wings (you could see the colours of the flowers through the wings) as well as many others. I've always had a fascination with butterflies, ever since the monarchs used to stop in our backyard on their migration south. When you're able to go out under the trees, clap your hands, and see thousands of them flutter their wings, how can you not?

After the early morning flight and several stops I was hungry! So off we went to Lobok River cruise which included lunch. It took almost an hour long wait before we got on a boat, this was clearly a popular tourist destination. While it was kind of nice to relax and watch the scenery on the river, I must say the food was hardly worth paying for. However, being in a covered area while the mid-afternoon rains come day made it a good choice for that time of day.

Finally, finally (!) we headed to what I wanted to see. The chocolate hills are one of the two things that Bohol is particularly known for. With over 1,000 hills scattered around 20 square miles there is what feels like an endless view of these. We happened to be visiting during the wet season, but during the dry season they are brown hence the names. The hills are made of karst, or limestone, that has been weathered away to form these hills. Although I must admit I enjoyed the legends we were told about the origin much more. My favourite was the tale of a giant who fell in love with a mortal. Upon the death of the mortal, the giant was heartbroken and cried. The tears dropped as he walked away forming the hills.

Rain prevented us from seeing the tarsiers the day we arrived. While upset, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. There are two places to see tarsiers on Bohol, and one of them has a better reputation for conservation and care of the animals. We would not have gone to that one as part of our tour. Instead we scheduled an early pick up for the day we flew out and head to the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary. As you head in signs remind you to be quiet. These animals, the world's smallest primates, are nocturnal and sensitive to sound and light. It makes visiting them somewhat questionable, and so it important to do so in as ethical a manner as possible. Mom and I were assigned a guide for the two of us, keeping the group extremely small (and therefore more quiet). He and the other guides had gone out in the morning to find where 6-7 tarsiers had settled themselves for the day, and he lead us along muddy trails to visit those that were within the region opened to guests. The rest of the nearby forest has restricted access to help the conservation of these endangered species. 

Long weekend in Guam

About a month ago I agreed to go with a friend to Guam. I didn't really want to mention it at the time, because you know, North Korean missile scare and all, but after some careful research and talking with parents at school who regularly do business in Guam, we decided to go ahead with our planned trip. I'm so glad we did! Guam wasn't really on my radar as a travel destination, but my general attitude towards any new location is "why not?" A four day weekend was a perfect amount of time to explore the island. After all it is only about 30 miles long (so you won't be surprised that we drove around the island more than once). I didn't really know what we would find when we arrived, except that it was supposed to have nice beaches and that there was a large US military presence there. So it was a true trip of discovery. 

First impressions: This is America! Being from the continental United States I've never really thought about Guam much at all, nor have I ever considered it a part of the US. However after one visit, it definitely is. As you go through immigration the wall behind the immigration desks declares "Welcome to the United States of America." The island definitely felt like I was (sort of) back in the US. With a huge K-Mart (yes, we went shopping), numerous restaurants that I would find back home, but also with a certain amount of businesses catering to the large number of Japanese tourists that come through. Guam became a territory of the US first in 1898 when Spain ceded the island in the Treaty of Paris. Although Liberation Day on July 21, 1944 when the Americans reclaimed the islands from the Japanese seems to be a much more popular date in history.

In fact while I was in Guam I learned quite a bit about the role it played in the War in the Pacific. There is a national historical park (definitely the most far flung national park stamp I've collected yet) that protects sites around the south side of the island. Since the majority of our weekend was rainy, I spent a couple of afternoons visiting the majority of locations, seeing left over (decommissioned) guns protecting the harbors and high points, bunkers dug into rocky hillsides, as well as memorials to the local lives lost. While there were not a huge number of locals actively involved in the war, it did affect a huge number of Chamorro (native people) and Guamanians when they were forced into working for the Japanese and then marched inland to concentration camps where many died or were injured. As in any war memorial, I found the memorial walls, with the extensive list of names of those affected sombering.

My weekend wasn't all about war history though. There are a couple of natural and historical sights that worth seeing. My two favorite being the Inarajan Natural Pools, a peaceful swimming spot on the south-eastern tip of the island, and checking out the lattes in Senator Angel Leon Guerrero Santos Memorial Park. No, I don't mean a latte you can drink. A latte is an original stone building block of the Chamorro. They were used as supports upon which the roof and sometimes the entire building rested upon. They are not widely used now, but are protected as part of the history of this island.

Of course I also spent time on the beach relaxing. Did a lot of eating. As well as a fair amount of shopping. Guam was a truly relaxing weekend away.

Long weekend in Hong Kong

Random beautiful staircase we found while walking

A few weeks ago I headed to Hong Kong with a friend for a long weekend. We didn't have much of a plan, but just wanted to go somewhere where we could walk around, eat good food, and get around fairly easy. Hong Kong fits the bill for all of that. It does make me miss having good, quick, public transportation, especially with how much easier it makes exploring. I've been to Hong Kong before so I wasn't all that interested in doing most of the typical tourist things, although I will admit I was excited to get to ride the world's longest escalator this time around. Although that is a bit of a deceptive title. It is actually a series of travelators and escalators that work their way up the hill from the harbor. The idea was to make commuting a bit easier for that area of town.

Colorful Choi Hung Estates

What we did do was go out and find all sorts of interesting spots for photos. The process of which reminds me of just how much the internet has changed travel. Most of the places we went to, we would have never known about before the plethora of photos that are now posted online. Andrea, the friend I was travelling with, was great at mining Instagram for idea of spots that we wanted to see. Those included the colorful Choi Hung Estate, an apartment block that is a literal rainbow of colors as you look up, as well as the Yik Cheong Building which is that quintessential snap of densely packed humanity that you expect from a huge Asian city like Hong Kong.

Yik Cheong Apartments

Perhaps my two favorite spots though were visiting the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, where the over ten thousand Buddhas was not actually the highlight (hey, one large number is as good as any other, right). No, for me the highlight was the over 500 golden statues that lined the path up. Upon returning I had to do a bit of research, as I was pretty sure that these statues weren't actually Buddhas. Seems I was correct, they are Arhan statues, images of individuals that are fairly advanced on the path to enlightenment but have not yet attained the level of being a Buddha. These showed a wide variety of features, and even situations. I saw one that stood out with its super long arm and others that were standing on animals (tiger, turtle, ox to name a few). It definitely kept the walk up the stairs interesting and entertaining. Although at one point I was wishing I had a statue by statue description so I knew more about each one. Of course then I might never have made it up the hill.

Arhan statues at Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery

Perhaps the most interesting and different stop was a quick walk through what is called goldfish street. A street that sells...goldfish. Something about seeing all those fish bagged and hanging from grates was just fascinating. Although I couldn't help but think about the guy in Turkey who used to sell goldfish from the top of his car close to my school there. So perhaps my fascination had something to do with memories. Or maybe it was just about how the bag changed the perspective on many fish. In any case it was a memorable street to explore. And seemed well tied to the goldfish that we saw being sold as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival decorations as well.

Goldfish street

Kaziranga National Park

My mom's month visit gave me the opportunity to check a few more places off of my India travel bucket list. I'm down to a month left in the country, so that doesn't really leave much time for travel. In fact, I'd have to say that I've done my last trips in India (yes, it is getting to the season of lasts). One of those trips was to Kaziranga National Park in the northeast, on a trip to search out the one horned rhinoceros, a unicorn of sorts. The Indian rhinoceros have been restricted to this one location, as well as a single park in Nepal. In my mind, I thought that this might mean that sightings of these prehistoric looking beasts might be rare. Luckily for us that turned out not to be true, with rhinos taking the key role on each of our safaris. A morning safari on elephant back brought us up close to these animals, close enough to see the amour like plating that make up their think leather skin.

In addition to this up close and personal view of the rhinos we also saw a mix of other animals. Most notably, a pair of great hornbills feeding their baby. A smattering of eagles. Water buffalo, cooling off in the river. Elephants, boar, deer, frightening red ant nests in the trees, and a smorgasbord of birds. There is something about seeing animals in a natural location that is so much more like discovery. A way of making yourself feel that you have truly seen something special.

The Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya

Last weekend mom and I went off to northeast India to discover the living root bridges for ourselves. A four day trip that may quite possibly be the highlight of my year. In the rainiest area of the world, you have some unique challenges - including how to cross rivers when any supplies you need must be carried in a bag, strap resting on your forehead, as you head down thousands of rock stairs. Needless to say, it is not an easy task. The locals have culitvated a tradition of guiding the roots of certain trees to form bridges; a task that can take several generations to accomplish, but which will last for centuries. This living architecture is what we went to see. In addition to hiking down slick, moss coated rock steps for hours amist the rain forest, an unusual experience for me in India, there were the bridges themselves to amaze me. Up to 95 feet long, each one seemed to have its own unique character. One village has even cultivated a doubledecker bridge. Another is the world's longest. This one, sees to sit in the middle of nowhere, but as we rest at the base we see 5-6 people crossing it on their commute to collect beetle nut or work their fields. The living root bridges really are a unique vision.

Check out this video if you want a bit more information.

A tuktuk ride through Jodhpur

Mom and I just got back from a weekend trip to Jodhpur. Time spent wandering around the fort and then the city searching for the blue part of the blue city. I'm sure I'll post more about that later, but I thought you might enjoy (? is enjoy the right word?) a glimpse of what a tuktuk ride is like in an Indian city. So I took a few minutes of video for you to get motion sick to.  You can see them here and here.

Buddha Park

I spent my Christmas in Laos this year; although I didn't see as much as I had anticipated (for a variety of reasons, not the least of which included that I fractured my foot on Christmas day) there are several things that stand out as memorable from my trip. Buddha park, or Xieng Khuan, is about 25 km outside of Vientiane, and it is definitely memorable. Odd, overwhelming and unique also come to mind. A large green space filled to capacity with concrete sculptures, everywhere you turn there is something different to catch your eye. My favorites included the pumpkin shaped structure with three levels representing hell, earth and heaven which you entered by scrambling through a mouth, a monkey like god eating a head, the oversized statue of a God with crocodile shoes, carrying what appears to be a dead woman with lightbulbs in his eyes, the enormous reclining Buddha and all of the multi-headed statues.

Containing over 200 statues the park was begun in 1958 Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat who was a priest-shaman that clearly had an interesting take on the integration of Hindu and Buddhist belief. It is said that all of the statues on the premises were cast by unskilled workers under his guidance. If that is indeed true, you'd have to admit they did an admirable and noteworthy job. In any case it was definitely a site worth exploring and climbing around.

Po Lin Monastery and the Tian Tan Buddha

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I had four days to explore Hong Kong. My favorite day was the one that I spend on Lantau Island. After a metro ride (metro! Hurrah for public transportation) I climbed on a cable car to take the trip over the hills...from the window the water and greenery led up and up until off to one side a giant Buddha sat nestled into the side of hill. This 112 foot tall bronze statue is a major attraction and point of religious journey for many Buddhists. The 268 steps up the hillside gave me a chance to contemplate the peacefulness that surrounds the statue, despite the large number of people surrounding me. As I took a stroll around the base of the statue my attention was split between the beautiful views and the smaller bodhvistas, who put off their entry to nirvana to guide others' path and symbolize that journey with gifts that represent the characteristics of charity, morality, patience, zeal, mediation and wisdom.

 

However, the giant Buddha was not the only source of peace in the area. The Po Lin monastery itself was also awe inspiring. The brightly painted outside, showcased the intricate carvings that decorated nearly every surface. The interior focused one's attention on the Buddha again. In addition, a short walk away, was the Wisdom Path...a short figure eight trail that passed by giant (half a tree trunk) poles engraved with Chinese characters. I might not know what they said, but the peaceful setting and impact of the stroll, left me feeling refreshed and at peace. Definitely a good way to embrace being out of Delhi.

Driving to Abu Dhabi

Last week I was back in the United Arab Emirates for this year's junior varsity volleyball tournament. My boys played well, but I have to admit it was a disheartening sixth (out of six) place finish. What was fascinating for me was that this time the school decided to fly us into Dubai and then we took a bus to Abu Dhabi, a 2-3 hour drive. The bonus - a chance to see some of the unusual architecture scattered around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and regions between. There are the twisty tall buildings that dominate the Dubai skyline. Some unusual ones that for some reason made me think of snails or mice. One that looked like a wheel, while another reminded me of the train of a wedding dress. There is always an overwhelming mosque - this time the pure white Sheikh Zayed mosque, along with smaller ones dotted around the city. One thing for sure, it is a big change from the architecture you see in Delhi!

The AES boys and girls jv volleyball teams

The temples of Khajuraho

In a small village in the heart of India lies one of the true gems of Indian history. The temples at Khajuraho are completely covered in intricate carvings. Layer upon layer entice the eye as you stand there looking. Each new angle revealing some new detail. A mix of Hindu and Jain temples, it is a bit shocking in conservative India, to find temples proudly displaying their erotic carvings. Providing a glimpse of different positions and even partners in the stone work. As you wander the grounds each new temple provides some other tidbit that is special - the carved boar under the Varaha Pavillion, camels being pulled along, an elephant tearing apart a person right next to a couple in flagrante delicto, elephants next to Ganesh statues, cow headed people and half male half female individuals, kisses and couplings...and that is almost all on the exterior of the temples. Inside you have tightly enclosed spaces, still filled with carvings, a Hindu or Jain representations taking the center stage, geometric patterns on the ceilings and columns. When you stop to think it is almost too much to take in. What a treasure that has been preserved from the 10th century.