Rakhi: Despite me, Joel AND Lyndsey all being a bit run down with colds, we still managed to have an action packed couple of weeks. Neal and Lyndsey couldn't escape from the norebang experience while they were here. Like others before them, they totally got into the spirit and once they got going there was no stopping them! Everland was great, the cherry blossom festival was nothing special, the atmosphere at the football was electric, but I'd say that going to North Korea was my highlight!

The DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) is the most heavily fortified border in the world and has thus been said to be one of the most dangerous places on earth. If ever there was another war between the two Korea's it’s most likely to kick off here. Our first tour guide was very knowledgeable and helped us better understand the fraught history of this divided country. One particularly sobering fact that she shared with us was that North Korea’s obligatory military service for males over 17, is ten years long. She also told us that it is compulsory for everybody over the age of 15 to learn how to handle a gun and twice yearly there are drills in order to practice this skill. No wonder North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world- nearly everybody is a potential recruit.

The first stop, the Third Infiltration Tunnel (the biggest of four tunnels built under the DMZ), was built in order to launch a surprise attack on Seoul which is only 44km away from the DMZ. When questioned about the tunnel, North Korea said that they were mining coal but when the black walls were tested black paint rather than coal was discovered. En route to Panmunjom, the truce village where the ‘Joint Security Area’ between North and South is, we stopped off at the ‘Freedom Bridge’ where POW's were exchanged, the observatory and Dorasan Station. Dorasan Station is connected on a train line that used to run between north and south before the country was divided. The northernmost stop on the line in South Korea is Dorosan. The hope is that it will soon be used as the first station into North Korea rather than the last station in the South. We all got our passports stamped at the station which at the time I thought was quirky but in hindsight I'm worrying that having a North Korean stamp in my passport may cause some problems!

The Joint Security area is the only place where North and South Korean soldiers stand -off face to face and is used for diplomatic engagements. In the JSA, there is a building where both sides hold talks and half the room is in North Korea and the other half is in South. Once inside the room, you're allowed to cross into northern territory. What I didn't know though was that you could only go one way around this massive table. This is where I commited my now infamous faux pas; I stepped in front of a soldier and he nearly karate chopped me in half and deported me! Whoops! There are so many rules and regulations you have to abide by on the tour; I can't believe that I was the only one to make a such a sizable mistake! It was extraordinary being so close to the North, we could see the city of ‘Gaesong’ and the North Korean flag so bulky and heavy that unless there's sufficient breeze it hangs limply. Very eerie- particularly because it’s only an hour away from Seoul.

It was so nice to see Neal and Lyndsey we had a lot of fun with them. I'm eternally grateful to them for lugging our belongings half way accross the world- sorry for all the bother guys!

Last week, Joel and I were both off sick from school. We phoned our respective institutions early in the morning then climbed back into bed. To say that I was shocked to have Joel's co-teacher banging on our door and angrily shouting and demanding that we go to hospital with her is an understatement. Consequently, I was more than a little nervous at meeting her yesterday for an arrangement that we had made prior to the above events. She had managed to get tickets for Joel and I plus her husband and daughter to see this martial arts performance called 'Jump.' I really was in two minds about going since she had been so rude to me but I decided to be magnanimous about the whole thing. As soon as we met yesterday she apologised profusely and we ended up having a really nice day with her cute French-Korean daughter and her French teacher/magician husband who kept us entertained with his endless card tricks.

So, now that the last of our guests have gone and some of our belongings have been packed up and sent back to Manchester, it’s starting to feel like the beginning of the end. We only have two weeks left in this weird and wonderful country so we have to make sure we spend them wisely.