Seoul & Beijing - Jan 2005
A tightly-timed business trip to Taiwan, Korea and mainland China allowed a little time to relax - a weekend in Seoul and half a day sightseeing and shopping in Beijing.
I've been to Seoul several times, but this was the only chance I've had to explore a little. For it's staggering size it's a very friendly city. The locals insisted in helping us on the underground (railway), ensuring that we bought the right ticket and got off on the right stop.
The view from my hotel window on arrival. The trade tower is on the left.
The view in daylight.
Near the central station.
This guy had a small shop packed full of all kinds of trinkets. We spent ages in his shop and bought far too many gifts.
The over-ground railway.
Hen with colleagues Paul and Rhodri dining at the Trade Tower.
The restaurant is right at the top.
The view from the restaurant.The Korean DMZ
There is a demilitarised zone covering the last few miles miles of South Korea and the first few miles of North Korea. The southern half of the DMZ has become an official visitor attraction and tourists are encouraged to go on the organised tours of the zone. There is an extensive museum describing the history of the war, monuments to the past and buildings with hopes to the future. You cannot help but be moved by the visit.
A memorial at the entrance to the DMZ.
Paul in front on the Freedom Bridge. Korean war prisoners returned from the North by foot over the bridge.
At the fence on the end of the bridge, messages are left either for loved-ones separated by the north-south divide, or more general pleas for peace and unification.
A monument to dividing walls elsewhere in the world.
The symbolic statue shows two halves being pushed back together.
The train takes visitors down into one of the many infiltration tunnels that have been discovered dug from the North. Before evacuating the tunnel, the North Korean soldiers painted the walls black in an attempt to disguise the tunnel as a coal mine.
We engage hard hats before taking the train down into the tunnel.
The observation point. The nearby turret looks across the river to North Korea.
The best shot I can bring you of North Korea. There is a yellow line that you mustn't stand in front of whilst using your camera. As the telescopes are mounted a long way forward of the line, this seems odd.
The station in the DMZ is remarkable. It's an impressive glass building with ticket barriers etc etc - but virtually no trains. The station is the last station in the South and is symbolic. There are two trains a day back towards Seoul, but the station is ready and waiting for trains to depart North. The line is fully restored up to the border and is apparently being (very slowly) restored on the other side.
We made a lightening tour around the Forbidden City, before desperately searching for a taxi to get us back to our hotel in time to catch our plane. The Forbidden City was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties - there are literally hundreds of buildings with the palace complex and we only took a glimpse at some of them. Apologies for the appalling lack of info accompanying this photo set.
I loved the sign.
One of many very impressive ceilings.
No stay?
Most of the soldiers were not happy to be photographed, but these ones were putting on a display
Paul with Tiananmen Square behind.
Tiananmen Square.
Looking back towards the Forbidden City.
