Gherkins @ the DMZ

I'm hoping Zander and Stacia remember all they learned today when we study the Korean War. I'm sure the rest of us will. Today we visited the Imjingak Park, the Unification Bridge, the DMZ, the Third Infiltration Tunnel, Dorasan Observatory, Dorasan Station, the Amethyst center and Itaewon.  Yes, we did discover some blisters along the way. 

Veteran Memorial at Imjingak Park 

Peace Bell - hauntingly similar to the Peace Bell at Hiroshima

I like the Gherkins' reflection in this shot

Picture in contrasts...colorful - stark.....

This train is riddled with bullets...this track is no longer operable

Tours of the DMZ are given for two reasons according to our guide: 1. to make money and 2. to civilians from all nations is a deterrent to the North....there are 4 K separating the southern line and the northern line....with the DMZ running through the middle.  There are a couple of villages in the zone....gotta love their tenacity.  

Kim, our tour guide - pointing out the Demarcation line, the DMZ and various villages. 

We watched a 7 min dvd here about the DMZ....they are trying to get the world to see this spot as a spot of hope and reunification....but as Arielle commented...."It seems they opened the door and the North slammed it in their faces." There was hope in 2000 - 2002 that Korea would be unified.

Symbolizing the hope of the two becoming one again

A defector in 1974 claimed North Korea had built 20 infiltration tunnels. Four have been discovered. We visited, and climbed down into the third tunnel. We went UNDER the DMZ.....the tunnel is 73 meters deep....it was INTERESTING...and quite a hike back up. I'll include this shot with more info. Unfortunately, we had to put our cameras in a locker at this point and got them back as we finished our visit. 

From Dorasan Observatory one can see the flags of North and South Korea flying in their respective villages. It's easy to tell which parts of the country are North Korea as there are no trees. We were told it's because they burn the trees and they want to be able to see clearly what is going on.  I couldn't get a good shot of the flags as we weren't allowed to take photos beyond a yellow line - which I was standing on to take these.  A bit of a "flag war" developed with each country wanting theirs higher. South Korea finally decided they didn't care and  North Korea has the distinction of having the highest flying flag in the world. ::snort::

There you have it - North Korea

This station was built in 2000-2002. It is the most northern train station in South Korea. The dream is that the line would continue in to North Korea and the countries would be reunited....there would also be a Trans Eurasian Railway.....a dream which hasn't come to pass. We passed the industrial complex which has recently been shut down.

Positive Attitude displayed....km is to capitols

I wasn't impressed with the forced run through a fancy jewelry store....didn't take a single shot. The amethyst IS gorgeous - the prices not so much.

We got off at Itaewon and scouted up some lunch/dinner at Smoothie King. Stacia spent all her money (and some of mine) on sunglasses. We found some tangerines and I bought Nolan a back pack as I discovered the seams of his are split...he needed a new one for the trip.

The kids saw first hand what I meant by watch for traffic, don't just step off the curb when the man turns green....and I think some drunk congratulated me on my pregnancy.....and I'm not. ::sigh::

We found our way back to the post and the pool at The Pointe. Soaked our blistered feet and all hit the bed early in preparation for another full day tomorrow. 

Finally, we were told a couple of times today that large families as ours are uncommon in this time....we would have taken ROK by storm if all nine Gherkins were with us. ::snort:: 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

We're in the Republic of South Korea

First - Happy 26th Birthday to Krista! We are incredibly proud of the woman of God she has become! I can't wait to hug her neck in 6 weeks.

We got the last five seats to Osan AB, ROK.  I thought this would be a QUICK trip; but there seems to be no really quick way to get from Misawa to Seoul. We began our "trip" at 1000 when we signed in at the AMC terminal in Japan....the plane didn't fly until 1315 and we landed around 1530. THEN we had a briefing to tell us HOW to fill out forms anyone traveling internationally has filled out many times before....the juggling of people OUT of the briefing to the custom lines was HILARIOUS....it seems whoever is briefing excuses those in HIS particular category and leads them to the front of the customs line....So Army Active Duty; Army Families on leave, Osan Security Forces,  and finally "Air Force Families on leave"...the last shall be first? In an illogical move that must make sense somewhere we were escorted to the front of the line that snaked down the hall and then just left to stare at those who were already occupying the front of the line. After a bit of hesitation we simply began to process. I don't know why it was done this way.  We had an hour wait before the bus to Seoul. We used this time to walk to the lodge on Osan and check out hotel possibilities if we aren't able to extend here in Seoul past Friday.  We finally stepped into our rooms at 2000. The 2 hour trip took 10 hours. ::snort:: BUT WE'RE HERE!

We ate dinner, checked out the hotel, got stuck in the elevator a half dozen times and unpacked. We also picked up a few brochures to see if we can figure out what we want to DO now that we are in Seoul.

I got in touch with my inner packer and packed to shop.....a 1/2 filled suitcase within an empty suitcase....now to find something with which to fill the cases....

 The weary travelers...happy to be at the Osan Bus terminal. 

Zander has serious travel anxiety. I'd not realized it quite so clearly as I did today. He worked himself up to hurling....he was sure his chest was going to explode....and finally coping mechanisms kicked in...he simply spread out and closed his eyes at odd times throughout the day...but hey...he relaxed....and it is sure better than some of the other coping techniques he's tried throughout the years. I honestly believe he'll love the trip once he gets used to the idea of not being at home. I'm also thinking I'll ask the docs for some sort of kiddo Valium before the long flight in July...better living through chemistry.

Now what to do tomorrow.....

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sweet 16th Trip to Aoni Onsen

Arielle was blessed to be part of mentor group here in Misawa a few years back. Kim asked if Arielle and two other young gals - 14 at the time - would like to meet weekly for a bit of time....and it was very good.

Here you see the whole group at one of  Kim's (2nd from left) farewells from Misawa.  Not only was this a great, faith grounding experience for Arielle, but deep friendships formed with the other two girls in the group. They've maintained that friendship. I believe these girls will be friends for life.

We tossed around several ideas for Arielle's 16th birthday party and in the end she decided a trip before we all move would be the most meaningful.  Alicia had a birthday recently and agreed! This was a good thing for us moms - since we are fairly good buds as well. ::wink::

We massaged the ideas and the dates...and finally  left Friday night for Aoni Onsen - a Traditional Japanese Ryokan.  Becky suggested Aoni (and boy are we grateful she did). Going here HAD been on our bucket list and none of us had visited before. Aoni is built around natural hot springs...it's way up in the mountains and the scenery is breath taking. They are famous for  lighting with lanterns (though there WERE electric lights in the bathrooms) and for their natural hot springs.  The drive was  an adventure and I was suitably impressed with Mary's skillful maneuvering of hair-pin turns and sharp inclines.  Arielle reports the weekend was well worth the motion sickness the drive induced.

In the winter time snow mobiles meet you and drive you down into the little mountain valley where Aoni is located. I understand why!

We arrived right on time for our dinner of screaming fish. I was pleased to have MANY veggie options and happily passed the screaming fish and raw salmon off to the paleos in our midst.

This gentleman provided dinner entertainment. Arielle and I thought the Shamisen playing sounded a bit like a banjo....blue grass even....

He gave a bit of a speech and from the repeated mentions of lanterns and the word Aoni, we deduced he was sharing local history. Wish we could have understood.

Next up was Karoke...by this time we were trying to figure out how to politely exit the dining room.

At just the right time the show ended and we all filed out. There were about 10 other guests for the night. A couple  and a group of men up from Tokyo.

We checked out our rooms, laid out futons, and jumped into yukatas to check out the onsens.

The girls had asked we NOT go to the same onsen...so we alternated between  various tubs, passing on the paths which only added to the fun!  We had missed the Ladies time in the mix bath...but us Moms decided to chance it anyway late at night when we hadn't seen any other gender in the baths. My thought was it was DARK...and if any men came we'd just have to go deep into the water and stay a while. ::snort::

I can't describe the setting well enough to do it justice. It was peaceful and remote. Dim lantern light lent itself to the feeling of relaxation, and waterfalls and rapids created amazing "white noise." Our building had two rooms....the girls were in one room, with  us women in another. Beneath us were  onsens.  Our windows opened to waterfalls....and the onsen had a beautiful view of the waterfall as well.

The outdoor onsen below our rooms

These shots don't convey the full impact of sitting in this tub under the stars sharing deep conversation about our shared Misawa experience, discussing our hopes for our next assignments and for our daugthers. The lantern light only added to the experience. This will be a treasured memory; one I'm glad we took the time to create for our daughters - and for ourselves.  Becky and Mary packed out about a week ago. Becky and family will leave on Tuesday. We packed out this week. It was a good time to "breathe" and embrace the season  in which we find ourselves.

I ALWAYS wake up early. This morning I set out to enjoy some quiet time, a nature walk and to grab some photos . Before I knew it, I'd set down the camera, stripped off the yukata and jumped into an outside onsen to enjoy the early a.m. mountain air, the quiet, the peaceful waterfall...and I enjoyed an impromptu worship service until the men showed up beyond the barrier with much less inspiring morning noises. ::snort::

This bridge took us from the main area across to "our side" of the getaway.

Rushing water beneath the suspension bridge

This was our building.....the blue is the men's onsen and the red is the women's. Only two rooms in this building...this would be a great spot for a PWOC board planning retreat...or a mentor group retreat. LOL 

Mixed Bath Onsen

This was my favorite looking onsen, I loved all the cedar. I  wanted to get a shot of a couple of women soaking...just a back view...but no one was game....ah well. ::snort::   This was above a rushing river, we opened the windows and had a magnificent view of trees and the mountain.

We roused the girls and headed down for breakfast. It was fun to see a man out gathering lanterns in the morning.

Breakfast....not as many vegan options...but with the rice, miso and pickled veggies I had plenty. I think I fared better than a girl or two who didn't really feel up to rice and fish for breakfast. 

We discovered a little workshop where the man was servicing, refilling and cleaning lanterns.

An outside tub.....

The view from the tub!

 Some things  just can't be rushed....

 The main building

The Girls

The girls again

 The Moms

 Arielle and I on the bridge....

Cropped to show our faces! ::snort:: Wow - she really is taller than me now. ::wink:: 

There are few times in life when you simply KNOW an idea was the RIGHT one and this is one of those times. I'm thankful God graced our lives with these friends and I go so far as to suspect He breathed the idea of the getaway into our hearts. Treasured memories...I may  frame some of the onsen shots for one of our bathrooms in California.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...