We took a bus across the middle of Korea to get back to Seoul. Mom and Adam were flying back home that day, so it’d just be Jacob left with me. The group met Damin for lunch (she treated us!), and then we split ways. Jacob was needing more stays with Starwood, so over the next couple of days, we made our way through Seoul’s Starwood properties (mainly using points or a mix of points and cash).

Through our time in Seoul, we stayed at the Westin Chosun (great location and food), Sheraton Cube City (super friendly staff), W Walker Hill (super cool hotel), Sheraton Walker Hill, and Sheraton Incheon (LEED certified hotel). It was nice to rest my ankle and catch up on sleep.

I always love W Hotels. They are so detailed about everything they do, which makes the stay really special. We had Pizza on the Hill and tried seafood pizza. It was a great view, and we stopped by the Paradise Casino for a couple hours to observe. I enjoyed betting Jacob’s money.

We were surprised how clear the skies were in Seoul this time around. Earlier I’d mentioned smog, but there wasn’t a lot. It had rained while we were away, so I guess it temporarily helped clear out the sky. We also took a trip to Seoul Tower and the DMZ.

 Seoul Tower: I’d say this is a big tourist trap. The lines for the cable car were extremely long, and the views once we got up there weren’t that great. Unless you just want to “check it off the list” I’d say don’t waste your time and money going here. However, the trip was worthwhile because while we were waiting in line, we ran into somebody from our high school that was close to Jacob’s age: Tim Renkoski. It was quite a shock!!!!! For those of you that don’t know, I’m from a very small town of 2,800 people in southern Missouri, so it’s crazy to run into somebody in a random line in Seoul. For those of you that grew up with me, Tim is Rachel R.’s brother and Mrs. Renkoski’s son. We were able to finish the tour with him and catch up a bit.

Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ): Here’s the description from Wikipedia:

• The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ is a de-facto border barrier, which runs along the 38th parallel north. 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 was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and the United Nations Comand forces in 1953. It is 250 kilometres (160 miles) long,approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide and, despite its name, is the most heavily militarized border in the world.The Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is the de facto maritime boundary between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea and the coastline and islands on both sides of the NLL are also heavily militarized.

We visited the Dora Observatory, Dorasan Station, The 3rd Tunnel, and the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmumjeom (the place where North and South dialogues take place). There were guards everywhere just staring at each other. It was sad, but it was an interesting part of history that everyone should learn. In one of the buildings, I was able to step over to the North Korea side. I’m surprised they allow tours, given the situation.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with Korea. Mom bought a t-shirt that said: “Korea, Asia’s best kept secret,” and this is true in a lot of ways. I didn’t know much about Korea prior to going, but it’s a really wonderful place.