6 Sep 2014 - Taking the DMZ train ^^

It was Saturday and also the eve of Chuseok 2014. 

Decided to check out the new DMZ route from Seoul to Baekmagoji by taking the DMZ train. 

So excited!!

I was early ^^

Haven't had my breakfast so I decided to buy a 도시락 to eat on the train.

Nasi goreng...mee goreng....NOPPEEEE!!
I don't miss them at all!!

I felt there were more choices of 도시락 than before.

This kiosk selling 주먹밥 JuMeokBap (riceballs) had the longest queue.

I finally settled on this kiosk ^^

I decided to get this ^^

Order and pay.
Wait for your number to be called.

The bright colours set the mood for the trip!
Everyone was busy taking pictures of the train.
I was not the only one ㅋㅋㅋ

I got here early and there was not many people yet.
Actually, I was surprised that the train was fully packed because it was the eve of Chuseok.
I thought the locals will be busy shopping, preparing etc.  
BTW, I was the only foreigner on this train *I likeeeee

The 도시락 comes with a cup of water, napkin and wet tissue ^^

Swallowing my saliva as I looked at this picture.
I can still remember how good it tasted!!

It looked simple but this is exactly my kind of 도시락. ^^
An ordinary and simple 도시락 can be so tasty as well!
This 도시락 will not taste as good without the kimchi.

Yum Yum!!!

The crew on the train went around to ask which city tour you would like to join. So glad they have such service becos I was still wondering where to sign up for city tour as the website did not specify clearly. 

I remembered the train stopped at Ujeongbu to pick up passengers and set off shortly. There was a very brief stopover(about 1 min) at Yeoncheon station at 11.20am. A few passengers went down to take pictures but was quickly shooed back to the train by the crews. You will have a chance to get down the train to take pictures and even visit a very small local market for the returned trip back to Seoul.

The train ride took slightly longer than 2 hours but time passed by faster than I thought.
They tried to make the train ride experience as interesting as possible.
This was especially so for the returned trip.

Hand paintings.

One of the crew asked me something. She came back to me with this pamphlet when she realised I am a foreigner. She asked me to choose one. I asked her which is more popular and she told me everyone on the train chose "Tour 2". Hmmm...an answer which I did not expected because I had secretly wanted to choose "Tour 1". She must have noticed my dilemma and told me its also ok if I wanted "Tour 1". I decided to go with the crowd. "Tour 1" cost 11,000 won per adult and "Tour 2" cost 18,000 won per adult. Price was inclusive of lunch.

Reached Baekmagoji Station at 11.45am.

Follow the arrow to get to the tour bus.

There was a washroom inside this waiting area. The queue is always very long for the LADIES and since I was not sure what time the tour bus will drive off, I skipped the washroom. 

Inside the waiting area.

There were two tour buses at the carpark and they served different tour routes. Obviously, I did not know which bus to go to, so I showed the pamphlet to the tour operator/guide standing near the buses. They guided me to the second bus.

Come to think of it, what was the purpose of the crew asking me which city tour I wanted to take. Anyway, I did not have to pay the fees to the crew. I paid my fees just before I board the tour bus.

Yup. I paid the tour fees to her.

죄송합니다. This picture is to let you have a better understanding of how the whole thing works. I didn't mean to be rude by taking this picture. Btw, my student pass didn't secure me with a cheaper rate hahahaha

My ticket.
They were so surprised when I spoke English becos I was the only foreigner in the city tour ㅎㅎㅎ
The tour was conducted in Korean....
That's fine with me although it would be better if it was conducted in English.