mands1072

[mands1072]

[mands1072]

Heungnyemun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace

[mands1072]

Changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace, Seoul

[mands1072]

DMZ south side

[mands1072]

A trip to the DMZ

A fascinating tour to the Demilitarised Zone along the border with North Korea. 

A couple of immediate things to clear up:

Firstly, it’s not a border, it’s a military demarcation line as the war has never ended;

Secondly, it’s heavily populated by the military, agreed by both sides, to respond when mines go off (there are a million each side)

Seoul has a population of 10 million, with another 10 million living in satellite cities. 40% of the total population living within 30 miles of the ‘border’ with North Korea. 

During the trip we visited a tunnel which was discovered in 1978 (one of 20 that are known of, 4 of which have actually been discovered) making it’s way from the North towards Seoul. The tunnel has approximately 3 million visitors a year, so is now viewed as a gift from the North.

The Dora observatory allows visitors to see across the ‘border’ with the aid of binoculars, and whilst the picket fence is not visible, the lack of trees (they have cut them all down!) clearly is. 

We also visited an new station, with full customs facilities, along a railway that crosses into North Korea, the gateway to the rest of Asia and Europe beyond that; it has never been used. We were informed of other initiatives towards reunification, all of which ceased in 2016.

It is eerie to see guard posts and fences with barbed wire along the river close to Seoul. The river joins with one from North Korea so they protect against defectors. Perhaps a hint of what I didn’t experience in Russia, arriving 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, but (more worryingly) of what may be to come in the UK!  

And for anyone who might think I am creating this from my sofa (you know who you are), here I am obviously taking a selfie

[mands1072]

Public art around Seoul

[mands1072]

Seoul......

........I hear you calling!

With no visa requirements and a connecting city between Vladivostok and Da Nang; it would be rude not to stay a couple of days. My bag is once again ready before me, sitting by the carousel, one of those random bags I’ve often wondered about. It was only 30 minutes since I got off the plane this time!

I find I am staying in the central Asian neighbourhood, so am surrounded by Russian restaurants and signs in Cyrillic script, strangely reassuring and familiar!

A large walled city, with huge personality (and hills!), clashing rather than blending old with new, everywhere. 

[mands1072]

Russian reflections

Wow, what a trip. A last minute decision, which brought it’s own challenges, with no regrets. 

I loved everything, with Siberia a particular favourite. I learnt where Siberia is i.e East of the Urals (the whole of Asian Russia) and that it is not a barren wasteland covered in snow! It has so much to offer; cities with personality, vast expanses of beautiful scenery including Lake Baikal, and close to 30 degrees the whole time we were there.

From the majesty of the Moscow metro to grotty 4 berth cabins shared with locals on the Trans-Siberian Railway, it was a a journey of discovery, full of laughs, wet wipes, illicit vodka drinking and plastic noodles!

[mands1072]

I made it to Valdisvostok. After years of wanting to visit, it did not disappoint.

[mands1072]

Ulan Ude, Buryatia

[mands1072]

Ivolginsky Datsan, Buryatia, including a traditional (delicious) lunch

[mands1072]

Life of the Decembrists, after hard labour, in Irkutsk, Siberia

[mands1072]

Listvyanka and Lake Baikal, 20% of the world's fresh water

[mands1072]

9288km completed, on the Trans-Siberian Railway, from Moscow to Vladivostok

[mands1072]

Vladimir, on the Golden Ring in Russia

[mands1072]

Suzdal, on the Golden Ring of Russia

[mands1072]

Red Square & St Basil's Cathedral the morning after Victory Day celebrations