The Pyongyang traffic ladies have changed from their white uniform into their autumn attire.
German publication, Deutsche Welle mentions Taedong Travel in an article.
An interesting article by journalist Julian Ryall about the arguments for and against tourism to North Korea. Stuart Leighton, who runs Taedong Travel gets a small mention and a quote.
http://www.dw.de/north-korea-tourism-finances-nuclear-program/a-17133713
My Favorite Destinations. Part 1: Nepal.
It’s been a while since we last posted a blog… a busy summer so to speak. When I was last in North Korea, I realized that every time I returned to the country it became more of a special place to me, and that it had become one of my favorite destinations worldwide (actually it is now my most visited country by a long way). It then got me thinking about which were in fact my top three favorite places in the world. In this three part blog, I will write about some of the adventures which I have had in these marvelous countries. First up, the majestic kingdom of Nepal.
I knew since I was very young that Nepal would be a place which I would immediately fall in love with. The Himalaya mountain range, the people and the landscapes just make the place utterly magical and soaked in a captivating mystique.
I first went to Nepal in 2011, on a two week trekking trip up to Annapurna Base Camp. I remember landing in Kathmandu around midnight and in the darkness driving to our guest house through the bumpy roads in a clapped-out old taxi. It wasn’t until the next morning, when we woke up that I realized how the darkness had seemingly hidden the shocking poverty that one can witness in the Nepalese capital. Daylight had unveiled the impoverishment and it was a huge shock to the senses. It was the first, and really only time in my life that I have experienced such a profound culture shock, and I remember that after a few hours of wandering the dusty streets of Thamel that I was desperate to escape from Kathmandu. The next day we headed to the Phewa lakeside in Pokhara, which was an infinitely more relaxing place than Kathmandu, and then started on our 4 day trip from Phedi to ABC. The Annapurna Sanctuary trek was the most magnificent walk that I had been on at that point of my life. It contained huge steep valleys, creaking rope bridges stretching across ravines with rotting planks of wood for floors, snow peaked giant mountains, beautiful hill people (living in dreadful poverty but always with beaming smiles on their faces), and the great hulking Annapurna range, one of the most dangerous mountains to climb in the world.
I got back from that trip, and I discovered that Nepal was in my blood. After a few weeks of being back in China, I began to plan my trip back. Instead of another 2 week trip, I would go for 2 months and take on the toughest trek in the Everest region (according to The Lonely Planet), the Three Passes Trek.
I trained in the gym for a good 6 months beforehand to get my fitness level ready, and then on March 26th 2012 touched down in the Nepalese capital once more. The second time around, Kathmandu didn’t seem anywhere near as shocking as the first morning that I had wandered the streets just a year earlier, and like North Korea, the more time I spent there the more I grew to love the place. We headed to Pokhara once more, and did the Annapurna trek again as part of an acclimatization exercise before we headed into the Everest region. Truth be told, I had fallen in love with the people of the Annapurna region and had longed to go back and spend time with them again, being such well natured, humorous, peaceful and dignified people.
Once we had completed the Annapurna Base Camp trek, we immediately headed back to Kathmandu and took the petrifying 10 hour bus ride to Shivalaya, so that we could spend a further 5 days hiking into the Everest region, yet another process to aid our acclimatization for the high altitude trekking over the three passes. The Shivalaya to Lukla trek took in some very beautiful landscapes, but for the most part I cannot recall us seeing a great deal of the huge mountains that were to come in the Everest region. We met some very interesting people along the way, including many of the lodge owners where we stayed overnight. To sit and chat to these people, many of whom had scaled Everest, and risked their lives to make money to ensure that their children were given an education, was an absolute privilege and an experience that is both close to my heart and one that I’ll never forget.
We eventually arrived in the high altitude market town, Namche Bazaar, knowing that this was the last big settlement before we truly embarked on the Three Passes Trek. We replenished our high energy snacks, purification tablets, ate our last hearty meal, and had one final ‘knees up’ before we waved goodbye to Namche and edged closer to getting our first view of Everest. Climbing the steep slope an hour out of Namche, we got our first glimpse of Mount Everest far off into the distance with a trail of snow being blown off of its peak. That first sight was so profoundly moving that tears welled up in my eyes, and the excitement of what we were about to face took full grip.
Over the next few days we realized that all of the preparation on the Annapurna and Shivalaya treks meant that we could afford to miss out a mind numbing acclimatization rest day, so we arrived early at Chhukung ready to climb Chhukung Ri (5550m) before heading over the notorious Kong Ma La pass the next day. The climb up to Chukkung Ri was exhilarating. We had scrambled to the summit of a 5000m peak the day before, and at the top were closely circled by two big eagles which flew around us for what seemed to be an eternity, spiraling upwards until we lost sight of them in the heavens. In utter amazement, I remember saying to my friend that to date this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. When I reached the summit of Chhukung Ri, I stood at the large cairn complete with colourful Buddhist prayer flags, the world a huge distance below me with Mt Lhotse (8516m), the fourth highest mountain in the world smack bang in front of my eyes. It then quickly dawned on me that in two consecutive days I had been blown away by two out of this world experiences, which is something many people do not get a chance to have, and is something I was and to this day am utterly thankful for.
The next day we were up at 5:00am and after receiving a packed lunch from the lodge owner, we headed out into the darkness with the task of getting over the Kong Ma La. This we knew would be the most difficult and energy sapping trek, and if I have to be honest we didn’t prepare well in terms of getting our bearings and getting on the right track from the start. We ascended to what must have been over 5000m, which proved a lot more strenuous and exhausting than the climb of Chhukung Ri the previous day, after all we were now carrying our badly packed and overloaded backpacks. It was when we got up to a high point that we realized we had somehow ascended too early and were very much in the wrong place. After further shorter climbs to try and ascertain where we were, we decided to descend. By this time we were already tired and had not even really started the trek.
After about an hour, we came across a farmer who was searching for his lost yak, and he was able to point us in the right direction and show us the way to the pass. We were way off!. The second climb up to 5565m was a real struggle as our legs had already been punished, and it seemed that despite all our efforts to acclimatize, the decreasing levels of oxygen was rooting against us and turning our legs into lead weights. At times the climb up to the Kong Ma La was treacherous with narrow slippery paths lying in close proximity to sheer drops, large enough to stir up a certain amount of fear. But by midday we managed to reach the top of the pass, and for a split second breathed a short-lived sigh of relief. When looking over the pass, and seeing what we had to climb down through, the climb up seemed tame in comparison. The steep path down was covered in ice and snow, and straight away I knew there was no time to rest after seeing clouds rolling in from the distance. In actual fact, we decided to climb down on our behinds, keeping a low centre of gravity so that we would not slip over and slide in an uncontrollable fashion down the slope toward serious injury or possibly even death.
Eventually we got past the slippery slope and onto an hour or so of jagged rock hopping before we found a comforting carpet of grass. It was then that we released our backpacks, and fell onto the floor, scoffing down energy bars and rehydrating in an attempt to claw back whatever power we had left. We sat for what must have been half an hour, seriously depleted in strength and spirit, knowing full well that to get to our destination we faced a grueling crossing of the Khumbu Glacier, a pathless creaking monster where one must rock hop and rely on the guidance of cairns for safe passage. It was not long after we eventually set off that we came to the edge of the glacier, which bore more resemblance to the moon’s cratered surface than to anything I’d ever seen on Earth. We discussed which was the best way of venturing across, had a few disagreements and uttered a few irritable words, and then set off navigating by sight of cairns and hoping that they would keep us away from danger.
It was a very tough two hours, which seemed to last an eternity. Rock hopping when energy reserves are in the red, not knowing if you are on the right track, and having the creaks and groans of the glacier reminding us that we were standing on a constantly moving mass of ice and rock was the one time when I questioned whether I had made the right decision to do this hike. In retrospect, had we not initially gone the wrong way and tired ourselves out before even getting to the Kong Ma La, then it wouldn’t have seemed so bad, but at that point in time I was definitely in a dark place mentally. When we finally got to the other side of the Khumbu Glacier and saw the lights of the lodges at Lobuche in the not so far distance, I was too exhausted to feel relief. If we would have had another hour of walking then morale would have certainly hit rock bottom, however luckily it was only about another twenty minutes before we staggered into a guest lodge and ordered a pot of steaming hot tea and garlic soup. We sat down, and for a good 45 minutes could barely utter words to each other, such was the uncomfortable ache of muscle and psychological fatigue.
The Cho La and Renjo La passes were much easier compared to the Kong Ma La, though we did witness a near fatal rock collision from on top of the Cho La pass. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt, though for a moment our hearts were pounding as a big boulder tore down the mountain towards a German doctor who was treating one of our friends for altitude sickness. They got out of the way with minor injuries, but the boulder smashed through an icy lake at the bottom of the pass. I shudder to think of what may have been had they not got out of the way, as you don’t want to get badly injured on the top of a Himalayan pass. Aside from trekking, we also took a 9 day white water rafting trip down the Sun Kosi all the way to the border with India, camping on the sides of the riverbank at night. It was a yet another amazing experience, but that’s a separate account to describe in possibly another blog entry.
There is not a day that I do not think of Nepal. Like North Korea it is a place where I would love to spend a year or two living and working, as these really would be life defining experiences.
Giving gifts and tipping the Korean guides in North Korea
When you embark on a tour of North Korea, it is customary to bring small gifts for the guides, or other Koreans that you meet on the trip to show your appreciation for their hard work. A small gift or two, which is either unique or typical of where the tourist comes from, will be greeted with a warm smile and a friendly handshake.
The following are situations which present excellent gift giving opportunities:
Gifts for Korean Guides
The Korean guides really work hard during the trip and go out of their way to make the tour memorable for the visitors. A lot of the time when tourists give gifts, they are usually for the guides on their tour, as naturally during the tour they interact and develop a bond with them. Of course, when giving gifts, tourists need to consider the different gender of the guides. A carton of cigarettes, or a bottle of wine will instantly please a male guide, whereas chocolates or cosmetics will be warmly received by the females.
When presenting the gift, it’s sensible to use your common sense. It’s best not to give the gift upon the first meeting as no bond would have been established. Furthermore, on the final day of the tour things can be quite rushed as people leave the hotel and board the coach for the railway station. As the gifts are a way of expressing your appreciation for their efforts, it is better to give them to the guides on the penultimate day of the tour, or at least once you feel you have got to know them better. When giving a guide a gift, it is also best to wait for a private moment when there are not too many people around, just so that the guide does not feel any awkwardness in receiving the gift in front of others.
School visits
On occasions, the itinerary will take you to a middle school or even a kindergarten, where children will stand and sing for you or play some traditional Korean music with their instruments. This situation provides a great opportunity to hand over gifts such as stationery, colored pens, crayons or any gifts you have brought that are suitable for children (obviously not a carton of cigarettes procured at duty free in Beijing airport). I remember a time on a previous tour when a tourist gave some invisible felt tip pens to a group of middle school students. Seeing the amazement and joy on their faces was really uplifting, and you could see there and then the power of a small gift, that would have cost next to nothing for the tourist. This is particularly appreciated when outside Pyongyang, such as when visiting schools on the east coast of the country.
Mangyongdae School Childrens Palace
If the amazing School Children’s Palace is on your itinerary, then this is one of the best opportunities to give gifts. After the stunning performance, there is an opportunity to present suitable gifts for the kids such as candy, chocolate, felt pens, crayons, coloring books etc.
Guides at landmarks where tourists visit
It is always nice for tourists to present gifts to the people who take them around different landmarks in the country, for example USS Pueblo, DMZ or Pyongyang Film Studios. Again, depending on gender, small gifts can range from cosmetics & chocolate to a box of cigarettes etc. The first time I visited North Korea, I happened to have a couple of Cuban cigars in my bag. When visiting the Pyongyang Film Studios, I gave one as a gift to the studio guide, who was even more impressed when I told him that they had come all the way from Cuba. It was incredibly heart-warming to see the wide grin of appreciation and receive a friendly tap on the back.
Why should the tourists tip the guides?
No matter where you go in the world, it is customary to tip a tour guide. The KITC guides do a job that is considered well paid, and has good prospects in North Korea, however the guide is often not just responsible for their immediate but also their extended family. Therefore any tips that they are given from the tourists will often be passed to someone in their family who needs money the most, and will not always be kept by the tour guides themselves. These tips are incredibly valuable to the guides, and they rely on receiving them at the end of a tour.
For a group tour, we suggest that a minimum of 5 Euro per day is given to the guides by each tourist. Therefore on a 5 day tour, each tourist should really pass 25 Euro to the tour leader, who will then divide up the tips between the two tour guides and the driver. If any tourists feel that they wish to generously give more than the minimum 5 Euro per day, then this is fine. Furthermore, if a tourist gives more than 5 Euro per day, and wishes the extra to be given to the Korean guide who they have developed a closer bond with, then they should speak to the western tour leader who will make a note and divide up the tips according to the tourists’ requirement.
Note: If on a group tour which is accompanied by a western Taedong Travel guide, please do not give any tips for their service. Taedong Travel staff to do not accept personal tips, and ensure that all tips collected are divided up and given to the Korean guides.
The following article has hopefully given an insight into giving gifts in North Korea. A small gift in North Korea will be greeted with a big smile of appreciation, and will also be just as heart warming an experience for the giver of the gift. If you take a trip to North Korea, try it and see for yourself.
Group Tours vs Independent Tours
As you may well be aware, if you want to visit North Korea then you have the choice of entering the country as part of a group or an independent tour. Both have their merits and potential drawbacks, which is what this blog article will highlight in order to help those interested in a trip to the DPRK choose what kind of tour they would like embark upon.
Group Tours
This is the cheaper option of seeing the country, and in to some it’s also more fun than going on an independent tour. Those on a group tour will get to meet interesting new people, a few of whom may develop into real and lasting friendships when the tour is over. I have remained in regular contact with a number of people from previous tours, some of whom I continue to meet whenever I am visiting their neck of the woods. A few tourists I have befriended have even come back for a repeat visit to the DPRK. I love meeting new people and making friends from different walks of life, so the more sociable tourists who feel the same way might want to opt to select this tour.
For many, group tours can also be more fun than their counterpart in the evening upon returning to hotel. In the DPRK, tourists are not given the freedom to wander the streets at night, so when they arrive back at the hotel then this is where they will be based for the remainder of the evening. On a group tour, new found friends can relax and get to know each other better in the bar area, or they can wander around the hotel premises taking advantage of the recreational activities that are on offer (typically pool, KTV, table tennis etc).
There are a couple of potential drawbacks though. Firstly, the itinerary on a group tour is more or less fixed, and is difficult to change. The itineraries are actually designed by ourselves to ensure that the tourists get the most out of their trip. We do not sell on tours passed by a local tourist body, which is the practice for some of the budget tour companies. Therefore, on a group tour, the tourists will have less flexibility to select alternative places to visit. It is possible for the itinerary to change, but this usually only happens on a group tour if a place is declared as ‘unable to visit’ (due to maintenance, renovations etc). In this situation, the guides will inform the group and provide them with an alternative destination. Other than this scenario, the group itinerary more or less stays fixed for the tour, which might not be so appealing to those who are visiting the country for a second or third time. Furthermore there might be those tourists who prefer privacy and quiet, and do not wish to experience the country with a group of potentially 15-20 people who they have never met before. These kind of people would gain more benefit from an independent tour.
Finally, on a large tour (when I say ‘large’, the group would never exceed 20 people, we are always looking to keep our groups small), the tourists get slightly less ‘one to one’ contact with the KITC guides than if they were touring independently. This is only a minor issue though, as even on a large tour the guides make themselves available to those who are interested in interacting with them. I have been on many tours where the number of tourists have exceeded 15 people, but those interested in forming discussions and getting to know the guides had more than plenty of opportunities to do so. If the tourists develop good relationships with their guides (and they often do), then the guides are usually happy to join them for a drink in the bar in the evening.
Independent Tours
One benefit of an independent tour is that they generally contain a smaller number of people (between 1 – 5), and therefore tourists are able to have more control over the itinerary, provided that the landmarks that they want to see are not undergoing reconstruction or renovation. Tourists can to a certain extent tailor their itinerary with Taedong Travel, taking in the places of interests that they most want to see, and missing out landmarks they are not interested in, or have seen before on a previous visit. As there are less people to slow things down, more places of interest can be visited, which is an obvious advantage over the group tour. The greater flexibility of an independent tour also allows the tourists to choose whether they have a busier or relaxed schedule, depending on the number of places that they want to see (Group tours have a full schedule so that people feel that they are getting more value for the money they have spent). If on an independent tour, the tourists wish to have more downtime to relax, then this is entirely up to them.
As mentioned in the ‘group tours’ section, the independent tours have less people and therefore this allows for more one to one contact with the guides, and a chance to interact and get to know them better. It enables tourists to gain a deeper understanding of life in North Korea, and will almost certainly enhance the enjoyment factor of the trip. I recently returned from a three day trip to North Korea, whereby I went in alone. I spent all my time with the guides and it really was a fantastic experience to not compete with other tourists for questions and attention.
A minor downside of Independent tours is that if a tourist goes in alone then at meal times they might be left to eat all by themselves, as the guides eat their breakfast and their dinner separately (they need a break from their work like anyone else). Furthermore, in the evening, when back at the hotel, independent tourists generally will have a smaller group of people to hang out with and relax before they go to bed. Interestingly, when I visited on my own in March 2013, the guides joined me in the evenings and we relaxed, chatted and told jokes whilst sharing a few bottles of Soju. It was a very fun experience and held to break the ice and enabled us to become familiar with one another.
To sum up, the decision about whether a tourist decides to go on an independent tour or a group tour depends on many factors. Group tours are fun as you get to meet new people and possibly develop new and lasting relationships with others. They are also cheaper in comparison to independent tours. The only real drawbacks are limited flexibility in terms of itinerary, and less interaction with the guides. In reality these drawbacks do not take away any of the enjoyment from a tour. The independent tours are more expensive, and lower key than a group tour. However, independent tourists will get more time with the guides and will be able to tailor their itinerary, taking in the sites that they really want to see. These are the factors which need to be considered when deciding which kind of tour to choose. For the more sociable person, group tours are probably more enjoyable, but all in all both give you the chance to experience North Korea and enjoy the sheer uniqueness of the country.
Talking with the Korean guides
As mentioned in an earlier blog, the KITC guides on a tour of the DPRK are incredibly interesting people, and are as friendly as they are humorous. For many, the bond that is created between the guides and the tourists can make a visit to the DPRK that much more memorable.
It is important to remember though that the lives of people in the DPRK, including the guides who get a lot of exposure to foreign tourists, are vastly different to the lives of those in western countries. As a result, historical, political and ideological beliefs are just not gonna be the same. Therefore it is essential that tourists know which subjects to ‘steer clear’ of when visiting the country, so as not to irritate the guides who have been assigned to you. Upsetting the guides on tour by use of inappropriate comments or questions will only cause an unpleasant atmosphere during your stay, and will reduce the enjoyment for both parties.
The following are some areas which should not be discussed with or within earshot of the guides:
- Do not criticize the leaders or the country. The Kims, especially President Kim Il Sung, are revered in North Korea, and any criticism or flippant comments designed to get a few cheap laughs will cause the utmost offense to the guides. Even innocent comments or questions can be insulting to them, so its best to not to discuss rumors you have heard or anything you have read about the past or present leaders. The guides will at times catch you off guard and openly discuss issues affecting the country, occasionally they will even drop in their opinion. However, please remember that under no circumstance should you say anything negative about the leadership. This is the biggest ‘no-no’ for tourists.
- Do not lecture the guides on religion or politics. No-one in any country likes to have religious or political beliefs forced upon them, and the same goes for North Korea. It is totally fine to discuss religion or politics with the guides as long as it is not done in a way where they feel they are being converted, or having your views forced upon them.
- Do not discuss rumors or news. It is not advisable to discuss current affairs which have been circulating in the western press, especially involving prison camps, nuclear weapons, or refugees. The Korean guides will certainly have not heard many of these news stories, or if they have, their version will be quite different. It’s best to stay well away from discussing western influenced news stories relating to North Korean issues.
- Do not challenge historical perspectives. The guides are very aware that western tourists have heard a different version of events related to not-so-distant Korean history, events which contradict what North Koreans have been taught. It is not a good idea to argue about whose version of events are correct, as you are not going to suddenly make them see the light and radically change their historical perspectives. Arguing about who is right and who is wrong will only succeed in alienating and irritating the guides.
The above points may give the impression that chatting to the guides is restrictive, but in reality it’s not at all. The guides are happy to chat and answer many questions about life in the DPRK, and they will also show genuine interest and ask questions of personal nature about the lives of the tourists. Any questions the guides ask about the tourists lives, their home country etc should be answered seriously. The guides are adults, and tourists should not feel that they need to be coddled or protected from ideas about the outside world. However, answers to guides questions must be polite, and delivered in a way that doesn’t cause offense.
By avoiding the above questions, tourists will get the most out of the guides, who will accommodate your many needs on the tour. They will also provide you with a wealth of information regarding the country and what it’s like to live there. On a tour the KITC guides are tourists’ main point of contact in terms of Korean people, as due to language barriers it is rare to talk to other Koreans you will meet (unless you either speak Korean or have the guides translate for you). If you treat the guides with the respect that they deserve, they will ensure that your trip to the DPRK is a truly remarkable and heart warming experience.
Getting in and out of North Korea
Surprisingly, there are quite a few options to choose from when deciding about how to enter and leave North Korea. The mode of transportation in and out of the country will largely depend on the amount of money the tourist has allocated for the trip, and how much time is available to them, although there may be certain circumstances when the mode of transportation used is dictated by the North Korean authorities. For example, during the rainy season, flooding may cause damage to sections of the railway network resulting in tourists changing their plans and being required to fly back to Beijing. This is quite rare though and has only happened a couple of times in the past decade. Furthermore, US citizens are not permitted to take the trains and must enter and depart the DPRK by airplane. Fortunately people from the rest of the world are generally given a choice, so for those non-Americans it is possible to train in / out, fly in / train out, train in / fly out etc.
For those who are on a tight budget, and wanting to experience the DPRK for as cheap as possible, the most economical method of transportation is to train in / train out. If with a small group of friends, this is certainly a fun and exciting way to start the trip, and allows the tourists to get a glimpse of North Korean countryside and life before they arrive in Pyongyang. However, as attractive as financial savings are, there are a couple of problems with this method of travel. If you have a small window of time for the holiday then this option is not so ideal. It takes approximately 22 hours to get from Beijing to Pyongyang and vice versa, so that’s two days of traveling, which is a day less than you would spend in Pyongyang say if you were to fly in. Moreover, there are some people (me, for example) who have problems sleeping on moving transportation. The last thing you would want is to arrive in Pyongyang, red eyed with a few days of busy itinerary in front of you. Typically, a visit to the DPRK doesn’t allow for a great deal of downtime (not during the day anyway), and tends to be quite tiring if on a short tour as there is a lot to see. This is something to seriously consider if on a short whirlwind tour.
Flying in and out is the most time effective method of transportation, but understandably will make the trip much more expensive and unattractive to those on a tight budget. The flight duration between Beijing and Pyongyang is about 1hr 45min, and there almost certainly won’t be delays flying out of Pyongyang (though its common to fly out of Beijing a couple of hours late due to the airport being notorious for delays) as there is not a great deal of air traffic going into and out of Pyongyang. Unfortunately (or ‘fortunately’ for those who are nervous flyers) these days it is quite rare to fly on the rickety old Russian-made Tupolev 154, or the Ilyushin 16, which always seemed to provide the first eye-opener of the tour, bizarrely more than 2 hours before tourists even landed in the DPRK. The sound of that old rust-bucket rolling down the runway, with its groans and creeks, certainly added to the experience of traveling to the DPRK. The old Tupolev is still in action, but is mainly used these days for domestic charter flights within North Korea. Recently Air Koryo has upgraded it’s fleet, and flying into and out of the DPRK is generally achieved on the more modern Tupolev 254. Those with time constraints and without budget concerns may be sensible to choose this method of traveling into and out of DPRK. Again, for American citizens, this is the only means of entering and leaving the country.
For a lot of first-time tourists, the preferred transportation option is to fly in, and take the train back to Beijing. Tourists generally seem quite excited about taking the overnight train back to Beijing, where they get to spend the last few hours strengthening bonds with those that they have met on the tour. There is also the opportunity to gaze out of the window and see different parts of North Korea before the train crosses the bridge into the Chinese border city of Dandong.
The train leaves Pyongyang Railway station at around 10:30am, and arrives at the border city of Siniuju at about 3:30pm. Once in Siniuju train station, tourists are required to remain on the train for up to two hours where they will have their bags searched by customs guards. Quite often the guards will look through the tourists photos on digital cameras and on occasions will delete photos that they do not approve of. Despite these searches, the guards are very cordial, and have been known to engage in small talk with the tourists, so this is nothing to be nervous or concerned about. It is recommended that tourists go along with what the guards ask them to do, and be polite and friendly during these procedures, as this is all part of the DPRK experience.
Whilst the train is stood at Siniuju, the toilets will be locked for the duration of the search procedure and will remain so until the train leaves Dandong Station, bound for Beijing. This is a long time, so it is advisable for all tourists to ensure that they have visited the bathroom before they arrive in Siniuju, as it is not possible to leave the train at this station. It is possible to use the W.C. in Dandong train station, but tourists must wait for their passports to be handed back as these are required to be shown before entering the train station bathroom.
It is advisable for tourists to buy snacks and refreshments in Pyongyang before leaving the country, though they do have the opportunity to dine in restaurant carriages both on the North Korean and Chinese trains. On the North Korea side of the border, lunch can be purchased for 6 Euro per person (the North Koreans will accept payment in RMB, or USD). On the Chinese train, evening dinner is served at the further end of the train in the restaurant carriage, and will cost RMB80 per person. It is important to note that on the Chinese train, tourists can only pay using RMB and not EUR/USD, so it is worth having some RMB left over for the train journey home. After a comfortable night in the sleeper compartments, the train will roll into Beijing Central station at approximately 8:30am.
These are the main transportation options available to tourists wanting to visit North Korea. All have their pros and cons, whether it be money saving / time consuming, or vice versa. If you have any questions related to travel in / out, or even within the DPRK, please drop us a comment and we’ll be happy to answer it.
The Arirang Mass Games
I first went to North Korea in August 2008, which turned out to be a welcome break away from the Olympic fever that was beginning to reach its climax in the Chinese capital. My tour was a 7 day, 8 night trip which took me around Pyongyang, and out to Kaesong and the eastern coastal city of Wonsan. It was a great first trip to the DPRK, as obviously I was getting out of Pyongyang and Kaesong and seeing a very different city by the sea. My tour group consisted of mainly Europeans and were a very pleasant bunch of people to wander around North Korea with.
There were a number of profound experiences from that trip that I fondly reminisce about today; the long ride out to Wonsan along the empty highway, the close bond that we all developed with our lovely guides, Lee Jong and Un Hui, the train ride back to Beijing (where we very nearly got locked out of the North Korean carriage for what would have been a very long and unpleasant evening on our feet) and the strangely surreal feeling upon arriving back in Beijing to be reacquainted with our normal habits of freedom of movement and choice. All these things made up for an incredibly satisfying first trip to North Korea, however it was my two visits to the Mass Games on that trip which absolutely blew me away.
Prior to my first trip to the DPRK, I had heard a little about the Mass Games, having seen a few snippets of footage on YouTube, or on the odd DVD documentary. To be honest, it didn’t really interest me in the slightest, and I would go as far as stating that I wasn’t particularly excited or even remotely thrilled about spending an evening at the May Day Stadium. As we left the Yanggakdo International Hotel, our guide Un Hui stood at the front of the coach, introduced the tragic love story of Arirang to us, and with the aid of a microphone confidently sang us the Arirang folk song. Although that was a pleasant enough introduction to the performance, it still didn’t really fire up any enthusiasm for what I was about to witness. It was as we were pulling into the grounds of the May Day Stadium that my lack of interest in the Mass Games took a sudden u turn, and I realized that I had completely and somewhat naively underestimated the sheer scale of the Arirang performance.
As we pulled into the car park of the stadium there were hundreds, or more likely thousands of performers in costume, marching and singing in their groups to what I assumed was their respective positions before the performance began. We got off the coach, wide eyed in amazement at the hordes of young kids passing us by, some dressed in military uniform, others as gymnasts or in their Taekwondo uniforms. Some of the kids, upon noticing foreign tourists staring at them, uttered comments to their partners and this was quickly followed by shy giggles, and even at times a quick wave. This went some way to shattering my again naive preconceptions that North Koreans were humourless people with no sense of fun or mischief.
We ascended the staircase leading up to the stadium entrance, purchased some chilled refreshments, and headed up to the cheap seats in the stadium. I can remember that some of the guys in our group went all out and paid the EURO300 charge for the best seats in the stadium, but the cheap seats (EURO80) were so well placed that we still got an excellent view, just a little to the right of being smack bang in front of the performers. The only benefit that the premium ticket holders had over us was that they were dead central to the performance and that they had cushioned chairs and a table to lean on. Other than that, the cheap seats were by no means vastly inferior to the more expensive ones.
Prior to the performance starting, we settled into our seats and observed a rather enjoyable 20-30 minute warm up drill where the children providing the backdrop images for the show practiced so that their co-ordination was synchronized and precise. Each individual child sitting on the far side of the stadium held a book of images, that when changed in unison along with the other children, created a hugely impressive mosaic image. The children were able to turn their pages of their image books with such precise timing that if you blinked then you would never see the change occur. This warm up session was a performance in itself, and certainly drew amazement from the tourists in our group, and no doubt also the other people in the stadium.
At 8:00pm, the lights dimmed down, and the performance commenced with the Arirang folk song that Un Hyee had sang to us on the bus less than an hour previously. From the start, I was entranced by the whole atmosphere in the stadium and at times I could feel myself almost becoming carried away by the nationalistic whirlwind, such was the scale and power of the performance in front of me. How so many people could perform with such synchronization, making it look easy, with minimal mistakes was beyond my comprehension.
The tale of Arirang is one of tragic lost love, and the North Koreans have modified the story to incorporate the struggle against the Japanese occupation, the Korean War as well as the close relationship with China. The 90 minute performance included traditional dances, fresh faced children performing acrobatics, gymnastics, taekwondo, militaristic-style dancing and even acrobats performing gymnastics on a wire, hundreds of feet at the upper reaches of the stadium. Part of the acrobatic performance high up on the wire involved one of the gymnasts intentionally losing their grip and plunging toward the stadium floor, only be saved by a well concealed safety net. There were a few gasps from the tourists, and for a split second (as a result of me being acrophobic) my heart skipped a few beats. Some of the acrobats were even cannoned from the side of the stadium a good 100 metres or more into the air to be swallowed up by the safety net below them.
By the end of the 90 minute performance, I felt exhausted by the sheer ‘in your face’ barrage of propaganda, but I was also left in awe after having seen a very human performance, without any reliance on cutting edge technology. Just weeks before, I had been mightily impressed as China had stopped the rot of mundane and yawn-fest style Olympic opening ceremonies, with their message to the world that they can do it bigger and better than anyone else. However, the Chinese had relied on special effects and technology to create what was an astoundingly brilliant Olympic opening ceremony. The Arirang Mass Games performance had for me been that much better as everything was physical and human. There were no interludes involving CGI or special effects to modernize or futurize the performance, this was 100% human labour and it was all the more impressive because of that single fact. It was the human-side of the performance, which lay etched in my mind as I left the stadium that evening, and it is something which I have continued to look forward to experiencing whenever I return to the DPRK during Mass Games season.
To view more photos of the Mass Games, please see our Arirang Mass Games Flickr photo set.
North Korean Souvenirs
I have recently been reading and commenting on some of the social media sites related to travel in the DPRK, and have noticed a few topics which regularly crop up on forums which would make good blog articles for this site. Over time I’ll do my best to look at many of the questions people are asking and post related articles here in the blog section of the website. Today’s interesting topic focuses on cool souvenirs to purchase when visiting the DPRK, as when you are in North Korea you’ll undoubtedly be taken around a good few souvenir stores.
A lot of tourists seem very drawn to getting their hands on the ‘leader’ badges that you see all North Korean people wearing. I don’t know if this is because they genuinely like the style of the badges or because they understand that these badges are generally not available to non-Koreans (I would guess the latter to be true). There is absolutely no chance that a tourist can obtain one of these badges in North Korea, so it is pointless to try and ask for one from the guides or at any of the souvenir shops. Please don’t bother the guides with attempts to either buy or get a badge through any other means as this will just be refused, and there is a very real chance that it will cause offense or create a bad atmosphere on your tour. They are just not possible to obtain.
The coolest thing that I have picked up in the DPRK is a gigantic North Korean flag, which I have hanging on one of the walls in my living room. The North Korean flag for me is one of the more eye catching flags in the world with its color scheme and communist star, and seeing the sheer size of it in the Pyongyang bookstore just off Kim Il Sung Square made me snap it up immediately. It cost me around RMB300, and in my opinion is money well spent (provided you have enough wall space in your house or apartment). You can also pick up smaller, and less grandiose flags at the bookstore, so if you like the flag and don’t have a big apartment wall then there is still the option to purchase one.
A really good find in Pyongyang is the Arirang Mass Games posters, of which there are about 4-5 to a set, and these can be purchased at the May Day Stadium during the Mass Games period (July – Sept / Oct). When I purchased my set they cost between 3 and 5 Euros each, and are perfect for framing and hanging up on your wall. If you are looking to pick up some art, are on a budget and do not want to pick up the more expensive hand-painted propaganda posters then these are perfect. I have two on my wall at home, and are definitely a good reminder of the Mass Games and my trips to the DPRK. They also make a good gift for those who ask you to bring something back from your North Korean adventure. If you are traveling to North Korea outside of the Mass Games period then try politely asking your guide if they can locate these posters for you, as the same posters have been available for some years now and shouldn’t be too difficult to obtain. The guides certainly will try their best to get hold of the posters for you, if you cannot locate them yourself.
During your visit, if you are wanting to spend money on art you can also request to visit the Mansudae Art Studio. Here you will have access to purchasing more expensive block prints, hand painted propaganda posters, hand-made embroideries, and a wider range of North Korean art. On a recent tour, I picked up a very nice propaganda wood block print displaying three North Korean marines on a warship, which set me back about RMB 900. Prices for art in the Mansudae Art Studio start at around RMB 800 so if you are looking for more expensive art then this is the place to come, but make sure you bring enough money (remember that there is no access to cash machines during your stay). A good place to pick up hand painted propaganda posters is at the souvenir shop next to the Arch of Triumph, where you will find a range of hand painted art which are sold for about RMB 400 each. These posters are very popular, and often on a tour there will be quite a few tourists who snap them up.
Stamps are very sought after souvenirs, and you can find good collections at most souvenir shops, though by far the best range of stamps are located at the stamp shop at the Koryo Museum in Kaesong. Here you can pick up propaganda stamps, and some very interesting anti-US stamps if you ask the shop assistant for them. The price of stamps start at about RMB 5 each.
Many tourists will usually buy a book or two, and these can be found pretty much anywhere, from the bookstore just off Kim Il Sung Square to the bookstore in any hotel in the city. Books for sale include biographies about the North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Il’s book on film making, anti-US books about the Korean War etc. A favorite amongst the tourists seems to be ‘Anecdotes of Kim Il Sung’, as well as its follow up ‘Anecdotes of Kim Jong Il’, which basically inform the readers of tales about some of the past deeds of the leaders. Some of the stories seem a little far-fetched, and have been known to cause amusement amongst the tourists, however, when discussing stories with each other, be aware of the feelings of the guides (who no doubt will be within your vicinity).
You might be delighted, or surprised to know that in the Yanggakdo Hotel there is a tailor who is happy to measure you up and provide you with your very own North Korean suit, similar in style to the one worn by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and other North Korean people. This tailored suit costs around USD90, and takes about a day to make, so if you are interested make sure you have enough time to get measured up and fitted. You’d be surprised at how many people on different tours I have been on have opted to have this style of suit made.
In terms of alcohol, you can buy a number of different beverages from blueberry liqueur to ginseng wine. However, for me, the daddy of all drinks has to the the ‘Adder Liquor’. This costs around 15 Euro per bottle and is effectively a bottle of spirit with a dead snake coiled up inside. This makes for an interesting gift to friends back home, or if you are brave enough you can drink the bottle yourself. Beware of one or two issues with this bizarre beverage. Firstly, once you start drinking the liquor, the adder will start to decompose, as we once found out many moons ago. We did manage to finish off the bottle about 2-3 weeks after opening, and had no ill after effects so it couldn’t have been that bad. Secondly, some of the tops on these bottles seem secure, but in reality if they are led on their side then they can be prone to leakage. It is advisable to wrap them up well in a plastic bag, and try to keep them as upright as possible otherwise you might return home to find clothing smelling of drunken dead snake.
Finally, and remaining on the subject of alcohol, in the souvenir store next to the Arch of Triumph, you will find a brand of tea called ‘Hangover Cure Tea’. This so called cure is preventative rather than a curative, but is a good gift for friends who want you to bring them something back from your visit to the DPRK.
There are lots of things you may choose to buy in the DPRK, above are in my opinion the coolest things, or the souvenirs which I have noticed have been popular amongst the tourists. This is by no means a complete list, and there is a good chance you will visit the DPRK and see something worth buying that I have not mentioned. Of course if that is so, please drop a comment below and inform me of what you found to be the souvenirs which you were most interested in purchasing to remind you of your stay in this strangely fascinating country.
Along the empty roads out of Pyongyang
A short three day tour to the DPRK, gives the curious traveller a brief taste of North Korean life in the capital, Pyongyang, and also provides the opportunity to take a day trip to Kaesong and the DMZ at Panmunjom. These short whirlwind tours provide tourists with the cheapest possible way to tick North Korea off their list of countries visited, and are of course hugely enjoyable and very good value. However, in my opinion, the best way to experience North Korea is to get out to the other cities in the east of the country, in addition to spending a couple of days in the capital.
On a recent tour of North Korea, I led a group out to the cities of Wonsan and Hamhung, both very interesting places to visit and definitely worth seeing for a variety of reasons. The drive out towards the East Sea gives tourists not just a chance to see cities very different to Pyongyang, but also to view the North Korean countryside with it’s pleasantly rugged and mountainous landscapes. It also allows visitors to experience what is possibly the quietest and most under-utilized highway in the world, where on a four hour journey, the amount of transportation passing-by can probably be counted on the fingers of both hands.
Quite a fascinating highlight of long coach rides in the DPRK is that they offer tourists the opportunity to move to the very front of the bus, so they can get surreal shots of the deserted open road stretching off for miles into the distance. A twenty minute stint, sat low down next to the driver (up close and personal to the huge front windows) also offers another interesting experience. With the correct setlist on an iPod, you can really soak up the moment of speeding down this seemingly forsaken highway (The Cure’s ‘Jumping Someone Else’s Train’, followed by it’s b-side, ‘Another Journey by Train’ were appropriate songs which embellished the ambience of the moment). This is definitely a cool thing worth doing on a long coach journey outside of Pyongyang.
Towards the end of the drive to Wonsan, the coach passes through the longest tunnel in the DPRK, which is approximately 8km in length. Trying to get a good photo of the light at the end of the tunnel, on a very bumpy road, whilst sat at the front of the coach was a huge challenge, which didn’t prove to be too successful.
Wonsan is the scenic capital of Kangwon Province. The day we spent in Wonsan included a trip to the Children’s International Summer Camp, and a temple just outside of the city. The highlight for me though was taking a sunset stroll along a pier to a small island about a mile off-shore. Whilst walking along this pier, we got to see Koreans doing a spot of fishing, a number of whom were selling their fresh catch. With the help of the guides we were able to briefly interact with the locals and try some of the food that a few were cooking on one side of the pier. When we eventually got further out towards the island, we turned around and were rewarded with views of Wonsan port city hugging the coastline, complete with its moorings of ships and boats, and it’s hilly backdrop. As the sun started to fall in the evening sky, the colors merged from clear blue to blood-red, creating a scene that was nothing short of beautifully picturesque.
If time permits on a tour, it is possible to drive two hours to Mt Kumgang, one of North Korea’s most well known mountains. Here at an elevation close to 1650m, it is possible to see weird and wonderful rock formations, waterfalls and mountain lagoons. On a longer tour, it is always nice to get a mix of coastal scenery, city-scapes and mountainous regions. On a long tour of North Korea in 2008, Mount Kumgang was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.
The next day we had another long coach journey from Wonsan to Hamhung, much of which was through hilly terrain. Along the way we got to see Koreans making their way to work, by bike or on foot, along the tree lined roads. Again, this was a great opportunity to take the time to sit beside the driver, listen to music and get shots of the oncoming scenery.
Hamhung was notable for the residence of Ri Song Gye, who was the founder of the Ri dynasty. Ri Song Gye’s residence is a beautiful old Korean style house complete with propped up ancient trees, and humorous tales of his sexual endeavors. The tourists in our group all found it hilarious as the tour guide struggled without blushing to translate some of the more explicit tales that the local guide took great joy informing us about.
The highlight of visiting Hamhung though was getting downtime at the Majon Beachfront Villas, where we spent the final night of our east coast excursion. The Majon Beachfront Villas are equipped with private rooms, and are are situated on the beach front which overlooks the East Sea. Here we were able to get some downtime by sitting on the sand for a few hours before dinner was served and watching the sun dip down and disappear below the horizon. It was a truly wonderful and breathtaking moment to watch the sun sink in the sky to the tranquil and repetitive sounds of the waves gently lapping against the shore.
The short tours to the DPRK, whilst being eye opening and incredibly interesting, do not generally enable tourists to get the full range of scenery that the DPRK has to offer. If you have time, and are able to afford a longer 8-9 day trip, it is definitely worth the cost to get to see the many different sides of North Korean nature.
For more photos of the Wonsan and Hamhung road trip, please see our Wonsan to Hamhung Flickr photo set.
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