Day 5: Ganghwa Island

Today we rented another car to drive to Ganghwa Island in the northwest of South Korea. In the morning, we had dumplings for breakfast again at the same Korean dumpling restaurant near Angie’s apartment. Once again, the dumplings were delicious, and I felt appreciative of the friendliness of the staff at the store. I also enjoyed the kimchi here and have in general noticed how much better the kimchi in Korea is than back home. After our late breakfast, we set off to Ganghwa island, a drive which took around 1 hour.

Luge

When we arrived on the south side of the Island, we went to a luge place so we could take in the views of the area. We bought some tickets, and then road the chairlift to the top of the hill. We spent some time taking in the views of the mountains and the sea and taking some photos before partaking in the luge. We purchased two runs each, so we were able to try out each of the two tracks they had. I was slightly too tall, so it was difficult to pull the break as the handles were blocked by my knees. Regardless Angie and I still had fun racing each other down the hill.

Driving to the northern part of the island

After the luge we set off to drive to the north side of the island which is separated from North Korea by only a relatively narrow river. The drive across the island also took around 1 hour but was interesting driving through the farms that are on the island. Life seemed very normal on the island despite its proximity to the sadly mutually hostile border. It became very real when we arrived on the edge of the island and could see the South Korean fortifications including barbed wire fences and guard towers.

Visiting the Ganghwa Peace Observatory

As we drove along the northern edge of the island we reached the observatory, one of the closest points to North Korea. We passed through a military checkpoint where the guards were friendly and saluted to us as we drove through, although I could feel the tension of the area. I was hoping to read and learn more about the South Korean perspective however the museum in the observatory was entirely in Korean. There was a room with many letters wishing for reunification. This was a nice sentiment, although unfortunately has not yet come into fruition due to the political differences. I can only imagine how sad it must be for those who are separated from family and friends by this division. It is a weird feeling knowing I would be welcomed to visit either side but just cannot cross the border between. We looked through the binoculars towards the town on the northern side and I could see North Koreans, some walking and some riding bikes living normal lives just as they were on the side I was standing.

In the evening, we returned to Seoul to have dinner with one of Angie’s university friends.