A 5.30am wake up call got us moving and joining the massive queue of 2,000 passengers to be processed by the South Korean Immigration officials, who appeared to be in absolutely no hurry to get us through. Fortunately, we had booked a private tour with a fellow passenger before leaving home, so were able to get through before the multitude who were heading off in big coaches.
Incheon is South Korea's fifth largest city and their largest seaport, but it's off to SEOUL today, about 30kms from the port…. in the rain again!!! Our guide was Jessie who was extremely informative and our small van was very comfortable. We began our journey by driving to the border of South Korea and North Korea, where a strip of land almost 4kms wide, known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), still divides these two sides who are still officially at war after a truce ended hostilities in 1953 and where 3million lives were lost in the Korean War.
It was then time to venture down a very steep 350 metre narrow walkway underground to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, one of a network of tunnels built by the North Koreans. There is a rail car but as a Princess Tour was using it, we had to do the walk - it was gruelling, to say the least…. and then of course the trek back up was even worse!!
In the hope that unification can one day be possible, Imjingak was built in 1972, with imposing monuments, a park, the Bridge of Freedom, the Dorasan Railway Station, and the Dora Observation Platform, but no view of North Korea today, due to the weather.
Our morning was very interesting, although sombre and one we will never forget, but it's now off for lunch and a brighter afternoon :) Continued…..
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