The DMZ tour

DMZ tour

Before moving to South Korea I knew little about the Korean war and The DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone) was something I heard about but didn't know the full history behind it. Living here and being able to read and learn more about South Korea really sparked my interest to go visit this historical sight. This past Saturday morning Dennis and I went on the USO's tour of the DMZ. For those of you that might not know much about the DMZ here is a little brief synopsis I got off of wikipedia.


The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Hangul: 한반도 비무장지대; Hanja: 韓半島非武裝地帶) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It is 250 kilometres (160 miles) long,^[1] approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide and is the most heavily militarized border in the world.

Our first stop on the tour was the third tunnel. The third tunnel was one of the tunnels built by the North (there are four total) that the South Koreans discovered over the past 50 years. The North Koreans built these tunnels secretly in order to try and infiltrate the south. Before we went down in the tunnel we had to put hard hats which seemed silly at the time but after I bumped my head on the very low ceiling once or twice I was very thankful for that helmet. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures while down in the tunnel but there really wasn't much to see. It was just a normal tunnel and once you get to the end there is some barb wire and some heavy metal doors with locks on them. It is said that there are only four tunnels but the South Koreans and Americans think there are probably more that have not been discovered. After the tunnel we went to an observation deck where we got to see our first view of North Korea. This observation deck was interesting because there was a yellow line that you could not cross to take pictures. It seemed silly, especially later on when you were allowed to take pictures of the same view at even a closer range. But rules are rules and the South Korean soldiers that are monitoring the place take them very seriously.

No photos past the yellow line

North Korea in the background

Says to Pyongyang

After the observation deck we headed to a train station which is the last stop of the line that runs in South  Korea to the north. The whole point of visiting there was to emphasize the importance of a re-unification someday. With this re-unification they could have a trans-continental railroad that would run from South Korea all the way to Portugal. The only hold up is obviously North Korea.





Our last stop was the JSA (Joint Security Area) which included Camp Bonifas and the Panmunjom the village inside the DMZ. This is where we got a close up glimpse of North Korea. While in Camp Bonifas everyone is under very strict orders not to take pictures while on the bus on base. We were taken into a room where we shown a brief video on the history of the DMZ and the Do's and Dont's while on this part of the tour. The big don't is not to take pictures when you're not suppose to and also do not to point. The North Korean's could use this pointing as propaganda. After this brief you are taken to Panmunjom where you are literally inside the DMZ and surrounded on 3 sides by North Korea. Sadly, we did not get to go into meeting room where you actually get to step over the line into North Korea. The "floors" were being redone. Not sure if that is the whole truth but that's what they told us. It was still interesting to get a close-up glimpse of North Korea we even got to see one of the soldiers who was looking at us through his binoculars.

View to North Korea's side

One North Korean soldier standing guard

Next we headed to one of the observatory parts of the DMZ where we got a better view of the north and "Propaganda" village. In the past there used to be a huge speaker system on the North Korean side that used to blast propoganda most of the hours of the day trying to get South Koreans to cross over. No one lives in the village, it's all show, and people are only there once in a while for maintenance reasons. In this village there stands the third largest flag pole in the world with a huge North Korean flag adorning it. The flag is said to weigh 600lbs and it takes about 12 men to take it down when there is inclimate weather. It will tear under it's own weight if it gets wet and very heavy winds are needed in order for it to even flap in the wind.

Propaganda Village 

The bridge of no return

We boarded the buses again and also got to see the sight and monument of the 1976 axe murder incident where two American soldiers were killed while cutting down a tree obstructing there view. If you want to read more on this tragic story click here. We then continued on the bus and drove past the bridge of no return. Literally if you cross it there is no returning back. We were told that in the 1960s two US soldiers defected to the North and were never seen again.

Each location we went to had a gift shop with some touristy things to buy. In fact, they even sold North Korean wine. Dennis and I did not buy the wine but many people on our tour did. I think if you could taste Communism that wine would be it.

On happier note I leave South Korea this week and will be home on the sixth to visit my family, Kendall Jackson, and friends. Dennis will follow me shortly and meet me in Texas to see two of our good friends, Meredith and Brian, get married!!! Yay!! Then I will head to New Orleans for a little bit to visit with Dennis' family and then back home for Christmas in Florida. I can't wait to see everyone soon! Love you all!

Turkey and Tea

I like to first start off by saying that I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving was the first that Dennis and I were able to celebrate together which was really nice. Though it was sad to be away from our family and friends and I would of loved to be eating Turkey at the South Carolina Lake House we still had a wonderful time. The Officers of the squadron got Thanksgiving catered and to my surprise the food was actually very tasty (of course, not as good as your mom). We had the normal Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and there we also many tasty treats for after dinner. We all got our into the buffet line and brought our turkey into one of the rooms with a projector and watched Wall-E and then Elf. It was a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving. Seeing that Dennis and I will be in Japan I think we will be doing something like this probably for the next three years. Maybe next year I will even be brave and attempt to make my own Thanksgiving dinner.

The weekend after Thanksgiving Dennis and I went down to Seoul and visited a district called Insa-dong (인사동). It is a culturally rich area of Seoul and has a lot of stores with traditional clothing, paintings, crafts, and pottery. There is even a row of about 20 fortune tellers who all have their own tents set up to read your palms or cards. It is also known for having some famous tea houses. Dennis and I checked out a local tea house called the O'sulloc Tea House. There I had some of the best tea of my life. It was a honey milk tea and it was to die for. Probably pretty fattening but so worth it. Dennis and I also got some little desserts. I had square pieces of chocolate with a powered coating of green tea. The powered green tea was interesting and not my favorite but the chocolate inside was amazing. This district is a place I would love to go back to again.

At the tea house.

My amazing tea

Dennis being so proper.

Dennis and I ended the night with a trip to one of his favorite places in Seoul called the Craftworks Taphouse. It is one of the only microbreweries in South Korea and I have to say the beer is pretty tasty. It was the bars one year anniversary and they were having a raffle. For every beer or cocktail you bought your name got put into a drawing for a free trip to Balli. We wanted that free trip to Bali and decided the only way to win was to drink more : ) Sadly,They drew the winners last night and neither Dennis or I was contacted but at least we enjoyed lots of tasty beer.

Wedding Planning

We are in the beginning stages of our wedding planning but have some important details already up on our website about our at home receptions and our Maui wedding. Click the link below to come check it out!

http://BreannaAndDennis.ourwedding.com/

The Noryangin Fish Market

The other day I had the opportunity to visit the famous fish market in Seoul with Dennis and some of his co-workers. It was a very interesting experience especially when you get off the subway and you are over powered with the smell of fish. At least you know that you have gotten off at the right stop. You enter this 66,000 square foot warehouse that is filled vendor booths with tanks containing all types of sea life. We saw everything from flounder, squid, eel, crabs, and even some sting rays and sharks. It was the biggest assortment of live fish that I have ever seen besides going to an aquiraum. So after we recovered from the shock and awe we picked out a booth to haggle and buy some fresh fish from. We ended up buying a flounder, some sort of sea bass (i think), a gigantic crab, and some shrimp and prawns. You then have them take your freshly killed fish to one of the local restaurants where they cook it up for you. They first served us the fish that they just cut up in the back and you can choose to eat it like sashimi or roll it up with some seaweed and rice like sushi. It was so fresh, since it was recently killed, and had no fishy taste at all. After the meat from the fish is gone they take the bones and make a stew called Maeuntang. When you eat this you have to be very careful since there are fish bones and those can be pretty rough going down if you accidentally swallow them. We also had them boil up our enormous crab which was so delicious and then they grilled up our shrimp and prawns. I wouldn't necessarily just call this a meal but it was also a cultural experience and I am glad that Dennis and I were able to partake in. 

Fish Market from Above

One of the many booths with shrimps, prawns, etc...

Live crabs 

Sting ray...I wonder how that tastes?

Weighing our Monster Crab that we picked

Our fish alive 

Our Fish dead

Shrimp and Giant Prawns 

Fish Stew 

The Land of the Rising Sun

Dennis received his next assignment and we are going to JAPAN! He will be flying F-16s for the next 2-3 years out there and if everything goes right I will be back in the classroom teaching! We both so overjoyed with the news and are looking forward not only to living in Japan but getting to travel and explore Asia and the South Pacific further....China, Austrailia, New Zealand, Vietnam, etc... Another very important detail is that we will finally be able to bring Kendall Jackson (my doggy) with us. Then we can be one big happy family : )

So not only is this news exciting but Den and I can now finally plan our Wedding Ceremony that we have been delaying since being overseas and waiting on this assignment. We are now most likely going to get married in Maui on December 29, 2012!!  So save the date and start saving up if you would like to join on us on our special day.  We would love to have you there! 

I must go and now put down my Korean phrase book and start searching for a new Japanese language book. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to see you in December! 

We will be based at Misawa, Japan

Back in the States

Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I blogged and it's for a good reason. For about the whole month of October I have been lucky enough to go back to the States to visit family and friends. This trip was packed full of activities and lots of quality time with the ones I love. So instead of being on the computer for hours blogging about my memories, I made memories.

It began with the long flight from Seoul to West Palm Beach where I was picked up from the airport by my Dad and Kendall-Jackson (my doggy)! I missed my family a lot but I think that little fur ball, KJ, is who I missed most. He went crazy when I got in the car and later that night we had a nice little snuggle session like old times. I was only in WPB for a day before before driving up to Gainesville for the 3rd annual girl's weekend.  This is where me and my girlfriends from college meet up in Gainesville for a gator football game. This trip usually includes night going out to Gator City/XS the night before, all day tailgating, and going to the gator game. This weekend was our best yet since some of the girls were really on the ball with organizing this year with tailgating and the hotel. The game, sadly, was another story. My best friend Sarah had gotten us tickets for the game which was great...the only minor problem was that we were in the Bama section. This wouldn't of been such a big deal if the gator's were winning but unfortunately that was not the case. The game started out so well with a touchdown on the first play but it only went downhill from there. We definitely snuck out a little early since we were the only ones not cheering in the bama section and we wanted to avoid the harrassment we would have to face after the game. We still had a great time though and actually were surrounded mostly by really nice Alabama fans. So even though the gators lost, the weekend was so much fun and I loved being with all my Florida girls.

The next weekend home I flew out to Fort Worth to go visit my Texas friends. One of the main reasons I was heading to the lone star state was my good friends Meredith and Brian were having a couples shower that weekend. Little did I know the plans my friends had in store for me. I arrived at the airport with Meredith, Megan, Jeremy, and Brian all there to pick me up and go get some dinner. I felt so loved when all them showed up at the airport and I got to see Megan's cute little baby bump. The next day I went with Meredith to school to visit my old students from Sendera. It was great to see them and it really made me realize how much I miss teaching them. It was a half day so Brian and Jeremy picked me up to go golfing which was more like go drinking and try not to lose your ball kind of golf. After having a great time, while playing some not so great golf with the boys, we head back to Meredith and Brian's house where I think I am going to get to shower and relax for the night. I walk in the door and hear surprise! The girl's decided to throw me a little wedding shower without me knowing. It was so sweet! They even had chick-fil-a for the food...my favorite! Thank you to everyone who showed up that evening...it was great seeing you all! We then ended the weekend with the Texas state fair, some top golf, and shopping in Southlake. It was a wonderful weekend and I can't thank my friends enough.

The rest of my trip included a lot of family time and meeting up with some old friends which was just what I needed. I love my family and I think they are best. My mom, sister, and I drove around the state trying to find me the perfect wedding dress. It turned out to be very successful and I will order my dress when I come back in December. I went to one of my oldest friends baby showers and can't wait until December when she has her little guy and I get to meet him. I was able spend a lot of quality time with my Grammy and all my great aunts...love those ladies. My Parents, Naner, and I even went to the Dolphins vs. Broncos game which was pretty sad until the last 5 minutes where Tebow worked his magic and helped lead the Broncos to a victory. Go Tebow!!

Coming home this past month made me realize how blessed I am with the people that are in my life. I have some of the best family and friends anyone could ask for. Thank you to everyone that made this trip so wonderful. I love you all and I can't wait to see you in December. Now it's time to go back to Korea to be with Dennis who I miss dearly.

The Land of Smiles

Sawadee ka! That's hello in Thai. After spending 10 days in Thailand I think that and thank you are about all language I picked up. I did start brushing up on my Korean a little bit on this trip and learned some more key phrases. I am looking forward to start using these while I am out and about.

View from our room

Pool with swim up bar

Dennis and I left Chiang Mai and continued on our Thai adventure to the beautiful island of Phuket. We  arrived at the one of the most luxurious hotels that I have ever had the pleasure of staying at called The Indigo Pearl. The really nice part was we only paid about 200 dollars total and we stayed for 5 nights.  Thailand probably is one of the most inexpensive places to vacation and your American dollar can go really far. (30 baht equals about 1 dollar) Our room was incredible and had one of those rain like shower heads and a bathtub outside on the balcony. The next day we got to explore the rest of the facilities the and we discovered the rest of the hotel was just as unique and luxurious! It might of not been near the most popular area on the island but was perfect for a more quiet and romantic atmosphere that Dennis and I wanted. We went to the adult only pool, with a swim up bar, the first day and then visited the private beach club most other days. The ocean had this beautiful emerald color to it and it was the perfect temperature for a nice swim. Just outside our hotel there was a little back street which had lots of local restaurants and some cute shops where you can buy very cheap touristy items. This hotel and location had everything that we could of imagined and more.

Kendall Jackson of Thailand

While in Phuket we had the pleasure of going on an all day sailing tour to visit the famous Phang Nga Bay. What a spectacular sailing trip that was. We got to go inside several caves and check out their hidden lagoons (hongs), swim and eat lunch at our own private little beach, and view some of the most marvelous looking islands in the bay. It was an amazing day with our hilarious Aussie captain on our little sailboat called Sakai. It was a highlight of our time on this gorgeous island. Overall Phuket was BEAUTIFUL and Dennis and I had a fantastic time.

Sailing with adult beverages!

Hongs from inside the cave

Our final days were spent in the city of Bangkok. The night we arrived we decided to check out the Muay Thai boxing at Lumpinee. What a neat experience it was. We got ring side seats and got to see several matches with beers in hand. Mauy Thai boxing is a combination of boxing and kickboxing since they are allowed to use their hands, legs, elbows, and knees. At the beginning of each match both boxers did this sort of dance routine which was a graceful tribute to pay respect to their trainers, spectators, and buddha.  It was a exciting Thai tradition that I was glad we got to see.

Mauy Thai Boxing 

The next day we decided to take a boat taxi to explore the rest of the city. In the past Bangkok used to be referred to as"the Venice of the East" which now most of the canals have been covered by roads....I guess a little more efficient than a boat. We road the water taxi first to Chinatown where we visited the very famous market. They had the biggest selection of jewelry and accessories that I had ever seen. It was like the store Sam Moon but on crack and even cheaper. Hundreds of booths with more jewelry and accessories then anyone could imagine. Poor Dennis had to be dragged through this market and I don't think it was a favorite stop for him. Our next stop was to visit the famous Wat Pho with the reclining buddha. This buddha is enormous; about 150 feet long. It was a very impressive sight to see. After the Wat Pho we headed home for our dinner cruise. The dinner cruise was a very toursity thing to do but was a great way to see all the famous sights at night on the river all lit up for the night time viewing. They also had a entertainment on each deck. Guess what American songs they sang?? The YMCA and Country Roads. I think Country Roads is an international favorite since I also heard this a lot in the bars in Austria. Along with those selections they sang some famous Korean, Chinese, and Indian songs. This cruise catered to all cultures and it was fun to party the night away with them.

Overall, Thailand was a great place to visit and Dennis and I hope someday that we might be able to visit again. The people are so nice, the food is so tasty, and the beaches are beautiful. Plus, it is so inexpensive compared to most vacation destinations. If you ever get a chance I would highly recommend visiting this beautiful country.

Sunset at Patong Beach 

I hope you all are having a great week! I will be making my way back to the states for about a month in less than a week. I can't wait to go to a Gator game for "girls" weekend, fly to Texas for Meredith and Brian's couple shower, go wedding dress shopping, and see all my wonderful family and friends! I hope you have a great rest of your week and I can't wait to see most of you soon!!

Elephant Owner for the Day

Dennis and I arrived in Thailand a couple of days ago and what we have experienced so far here has just been magical. We arrived in Bangkok for the first night and got to explore a little bit the next day before taking a plane up into the northern region of Thailand to a city called Chiang Mai. We checked into our boutique hotel and I cannot tell you how great the service was. We were only paying a little over 60 dollars a night but it felt like we were celebrities staying in the penthouse at a Four Seasons hotel. The people that worked there were so friendly and helpful and would come outside to greet you with your room key in hand. I kept thinking if only more hotels in America were like this what a much more enjoyable experience a vacation could be with such great costumer service.

Besides the great hotel, Dennis and I got to experience one of the most amazing adventures ever in our lives. When we first booked the trip I went on trip advisor looking up "things to do" in Chiang Mai. The number one thing to do was to visit the Patara Elephant farm and take the elephant owner for the day tour. Everyone raved how it was the best thing they did in Thailand and how you didn't want to miss it. After I read the endless amount of positive reviews I knew Dennis and I had to take this tour. Let's just say that we were not at all disappointed. We started off the day learning about the elephant farm and what to expect on our elephant owner for the day adventure. We put our very sexy elephant attire on and got to meet our elephants. My elephants name was Praelia and she was rescued from a circus about 6 months ago. I liked her because she seemed to be an Alpha female of the group. We dominated most hikes when she wasn't getting distracted by the yummy looking shrubbery we passed by. Before we got to ride our elephants we learned all about elephant health and how to check it.  We checked to make sure they were dirty which meant they were sleeping on the ground at night, their ears were flapping (that means they are happy), that their feet were sweating, and their poo was moist and it didn't have too foul of an odor. We also learned some commands for our elephants in Thai. The Thai word"Bon" meant they would open their mouths for us to feed them and "dee dee" meant good girl! We got to feed and clean our elephants which included brushing them off and bringing them into the river to scrub them down. Once our elephants were clean we got to put on our elephant riding pants and attempt to get up on the animal. We watched one of the guides demonstrate and he made it look so easy. I did get up on my first attempt but it was definitely not as easy task. We then preceded to hike through the Chiang Mai country side to a beautiful waterfall for lunch. The lunch they provided was amazing and even included fried chicken drumsticks along with many other famous Thai finger foods. Then we got to do the most incredible thing....swim with our elephants. I never thought in my life that I would ever swim with an elephant. I cannot describe how amazing it was to swim with the biggest mammal on land. After our swim we got back on our elephants and rode back to the farm where we sadly had to say goodbye. Dennis and I had an experience of a life time and I am so thankful that we were able to have this opportunity of owning an elephant for a day.

Swimming with the elephants

We are now at the Chiang Mai airport where we are waiting to get down to our next destination, Phuket. This stint of our trip will probably include some lounging on the beach, a boat trip to various islands, and maybe even seeing some of the famous Thai lady boys. I just know that we will probably to continue to have an incredible vacation.

Bikinis in Busan

It's been a while since I last blogged but to be honest not much had been going on here in South Korea to write home about. Other than going out to eat with friends and Dennis having a two week exercise there wasn't too much too much excitement. Thankfully, this past weekend we got off base and headed to the beaches in South Korea. It took fours hours to get down there by train to the city of Busan but it was completely worth it. If there is another city that is a must see if you ever visit South Korea besides Seoul it is the beach town called Busan. A beautiful fun city with an abundance of things to do and of course BEACHES! So we hopped on a bullet train in Seoul and took a 3 hour ride to Busan or also known as the "Miami" of South Korea.

On the train down to Busan

There are many sites to see and things to do in Busan like the aquarium, shopping at one of the largest malls in the world, and touring temples but Dennis and I were concerned about one thing....relaxing on the beach with a beverage in hand and not having a care in the world. Unfortunately, the first day we arrived there was a typhoon nearby hitting Japan so it was a little cloudy and the ocean was pretty much un-swimable. There had to be 7-8 foot waves which meant the only people in the water were the surfers. The second day was a little better with the sun breaking through the clouds every now but the water was still not safe to go swimming in. We did decide to lay out a majority of the day and had a wonderful and relaxing time. At one point they actual made several announcements over the speakers, first in Korean and then in English, saying all swimming was banned due to the conditions of the water. It was pretty entertaining to watch some of the Americans, who don't listen very well, try to get in the water after that announcement was made. A Korean police/lifeguard would follow around anyone getting too close to the water until they thought they had gone too far in and would whistle for them to get out. As for the Koreans at the beach, almost all of them come in their full clothing and sit underneath umbrellas so they are not in the sun. This is very different from the American and western culture where everyone is in board shorts or their swim suits baking in the sun. It seems as a culture they are just not big fans getting tan or being in bathing suits at the beach. Another great perk of going to Busan on labor day weekend is that all the Americans seem to flock to this beach town as well. There were several bars and restaurants that cater to western tourists and in some places it almost felt like you were back in America. We had tacos and margaritas at a mexican themed restaurant, ate a yummy burger at local place, and even went out to an irish pub owned by ex-pats. It was a nice change from what we have around the base up in Uijeongbu. The last day that we were in Busan ended up being gorgeous. We got some great beach time in before we made the four hour trek back up to base. It was an awesome weekend and it's kind of neat to say I swam in the Sea of Japan.

View from our Hotel

Mexican restaurant called Fuzzy Navel

I hope everyone had a great labor day weekend and stayed safe. Dennis and I are off to Thailand on Friday and we can't wait to ride an elephant and get some more beach time in! Love and miss you all!

The local supermarket

I went on a little trip this past week to a local Korean grocery store in the city we live in. It was very interesting and below I took some pictures of some unusual and interesting items that they have. 

Watermelon that cost 30 to 35 dollars each. Fruit is very expensive in Korea.

Grass??

A whole bag of garlic. They need this much since it's in their very famous dish called Kimchi.

A jar of very tiny shrimp. 

Fresh fish

This lovely squid was in my lunch the other day. 

Bird eggs...interesting.

This is a college students dream.  There are so many choices of Ramen noodles! 

Whole legs of pigs. If you look closely you can see the hooves. 

Dried Fish. 

When you check out you they do not provide free plastic bags like the states. You either have to pay for plastic bags or bring your own re-useable bags. I know this is how it is in Austria as well and I really think the US should try this out. We could be helping out the environment a lot more just by making this small change.