DMZ and Lotus Lanterns

Today, we did a half day tour which began with a tour of the DMZ. We got to walk through the 3rd tunnel found by S Korea that N Korea had dug into S Korea occupation area. Then we went to an observation area where we could see N Korea. We were not permitted to take any pictures at the edge...only from behind a yellow line. It ended with a tour of a train station which is the most northern train station. It is not in use, but was built with donations in the hope that someday it will be used to travel through N Korea. It is bizarre to be in this very modern and beautiful train station that has only been used one time by a train. It just sits there and is only visited by tourists....strange. Then, we went to an amethyst jewelry making store. The amethyst is mined in the southern part of S Korea and is a darker hue than other like stones.

The rest of the day we spent in the Isadong are and participated in the Lotus Latern festival in honor of Buddha's birthday. It was a street fair and you could make your own paper lotus flower lantern. For dinner, we just couldn't do Korean again so we found an Italian place and had spaghetti... it was a welcomed change. The parade was very beautiful with all the lit lanterns and inflatables. I got Aspen a lotus lantern for her room. It was a fun day.

I am looking forward to the end of the weekend for visits with Aspen will resume tomorrow. We have the agency lunch at 11:00 and then we'll head to the park. I really miss her. I think these visits will really make a difference when it comes time to leave. One of the more valuable pieces of getting to know her is understanding her look. She gets this look on her face that is very serious. It's a look that says, "I just don't like you." But I've seen her give it to her foster parents who she obviously adores, so it's more of a "You don't think I'm actually going to do what you say, do you?" look.