Hanoi traffic

Below is a video of me trying to cross a street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam.  This shows how crazy traffic intersections work in developing nations.  As you watch, wonder if you could brave this traffic day after day just as a tourist, let alone as a citizen.

Hong Kong

A typical park on Hennessy Road in Hong Kong Island.

A view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak.  Kowloon is in the distance and Hong Kong Island is in the foreground.  Victoria Harbor is the body of water separating the two.

Chinese lanterns dangle above the Sik Sik Yuen Temple in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

A view of Hong Kong Island from the iconic Victoria Harbor ferry.

The Tian Tian Buddha sits above the tourism area below on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

Lantau Island is a gorgeous mountainous place that also holds the Tian Tian Buddha (on the right) and the airport.

The city is loosely translated in Cantonese as “fragrant harbor,” but it is commonly referred to all foreigners as Hong Kong.  However, Hong Kong is not just a city but a deepwater harbor consisting of over 200 islands, 426 square miles of land, and vast areas of open space ripe for hiking.  Furthermore, Hong Kong is not just a city in China but officially known as the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong.  This classification gives the Hong Kong SAR complete autonomy in all governance aspects except foreign affairs and defense.  Hong Kong citizens have a Hong Kong passport, not a Chinese passport.  The Hong Kong SAR has borders, visa regulations, and a currency.  Example: American citizens can obtain a 30 day visa upon arrival, but are required to obtain a visa prior to entrance to mainland China.

This special jurisdictional classification has given Hong Kong a unique free market fast moving a-la-Manhattan feel while infusing Chinese culture.  The food and local language are all entirely Cantonese, yet all signs are in English along with most citizens having a high level of fluency.  You’ll feel a banking center with people walking and filling the sidewalks on all streets, yet if you are savvy enough you can figure out how to walk around Hong Kong using sky walks and underground tunnels (especially in Hong Kong Island).  There are markets serving local food next to gorgeous malls like the IFC where every high end western store is available and connected to a Four Seasons Hotel. 

Lantau Island is the largest and farthest island from the mainland but one of the most important.  The new high end airport is located there along with Disneyland Hong Kong and the highly popular Tian Tian Buddha.  Hong Kong Island is the most famous section and well known part of Hong Kong due to its famous skyline.  Victoria’s Peak, the new amazing Hong Kong Convention Center, and the International Finance Center are all on the iconic island.  Separating Hong Kong Island from the peninsula is Victoria Harbor and the ferries giving amazing views of the city.  The most famous area of the peninsula is the southern section of Kowloon.  Hosting a night market, temples, and a main commerce section, this area is lively at all times. 

The city can be explored in a few days, but you can add a day or two to take the hour long ferry to Macau.  Public transportation is fantastic but very crowded, yet is catered to foreigners for ease of access.  You’ll benefit from great food, lively atmosphere, and great weather in winter.

The Korean DMZ

The Freedom Bridge.  POWs and South Korean prisoners would walk across this bridge to South Korea once realeased by North Korean authorities. 

Observation Point is where you can see Propoganda Village, Kaesong (a North-South industrial complex agreement), the tallest flag pole in the world (North Korean), and a long section of the DMZ. 

The Dorasan train station was the last stop in South Korea on the formerly used North-South railroad line.  Since North Korea has terminated trains from entering, this station is now just a glorified bathroom.  I'm standing next to a South Korean DMZ soldier.

A soldier stands guard inside the meeting room in Panmunjeom.  The North/South border goes directly through the middle of this building and has been the center for many North/South talks in the past.  Photo courtesy of theworld.org.

An excellent map of the current North/South border and DMZ.  Photo courtesy of jcs-group.com.

A diagram of the Joint Security Area in the DMZ.  The area below the blue buildings is the South Korean side, and buildings above are part of the North Korean side of the JSA.  The blue buildings in the middle are the meeting rooms (see the photo above).  This is the only section of the DMZ where firearms are not allowed and where the famous tree cutting incident of 1976 that resulted in the death of two American officers.  Photo courtesy of johngonglewski.com.

The Korean War had come to a general standstill when an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953 created a 240 kilometer long military buffer to be known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  The agreement required both countries to move their infrastructure and weaponry two kilometers from the border, thereby creating a four kilometer swath of untouched land.  Only a couple notable exceptions to this rule are in effect: a tightly controlled farming village and the peace village famously known as Panmunjom. 

The village of Panmunjom sits inside the DMZ and is split between both countries.  This area is commonly referred to as the Joint Security Area, a special area where North and South Korean troops patrol without any firearms.  Important North/South talks and diplomatic developments have occurred in the famous meeting room that literally sits in the middle of both countries.  Famous incidents have taken place inside the JSA, most notably the August 18, 1976 Axe Murder incident in which two American officers were axed to death while trying to remove a tree inside the JSA. 

The DMZ is still subject to high tension with skirmishes taking place along the border in addition to areas being heavily mined.  During our tour we were not allowed to walk around in many areas that were cordoned off with the explicit message that mines were still present.  Furthermore, South Korea has discovered four major tunnels the North Koreans have dug in the past sixty years.  While small, these tunnels were designed to make a surprise attack on Seoul.  There are rumors of possibly twenty tunnels in total in the DMZ (all by North Korea), and the South Korean government has placed several different types of technology in the area in hopes of finding all possible security leaks. 

Due to the lack of development in this swath of tension, an unlikely benefit has arisen from what Bill Clinton called, “The scariest place on earth.”  No human encroachment has resulted in a nature haven from birds to leopards.  One desire for environmentalists is to someday establish the DMZ as an environmental sanctuary. 

DMZ tours are in high demand and can be easily accessed via Seoul.  Visitors get to see the Freedom Bridge, Panmunjom, an observation post, and a walk through the one of the tunnels discovered by the South Koreans (Tunnel No. 3).