welcome to my DPRK photo album
click on the pictures to expand
In July 2006 I spent a week in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), with eleven other travellers (who I met in Beijing, the day before flying to Pyongyang). This fascinating trip (which was expertly arranged by Koryo Tours) dispelled a few preconceptions about the country, while reinforcing others.
The people there are obsessed with the glorification of their Dear Leader (Kim Jong il) and his deceased father (Kim il Sung), and they are equally obsessed with villifying America, Japan, and South Korea. This common adulation of the Kims and hatred of America unifies the country in a way that would make any cult proud. People have asked me if their emotions seem sincere, and in fact they do. In conversation, North Koreans seem like any other people, until the talk turns to domestic politics, at which point they start to sound more like Tom Cruise talking about Scientology.
Day 1
The flight to Pyonyang (via Beijing) was smooth, short (less than two hours) and pleasant. Air Koryo uses 1960's Russian passenger planes which have a roomy, nostalgic feel to them. Although full, our flight was comfortable, and the service was good. The first sign that we were heading to another world came with the in-flight safety announcements: while telling us to fasten our seat belts they managed to work in a reference to the American imperialist aggresors.
Upon landing in Pyongyang, we met our guides and headed into the city. As we would find everywhere we went, there was very little traffic on the road. Having said that, during our first day there we saw a pedestrian get hit by a car. There are so few cars that pedestrians probably become accustomed to having the road to themselves, and we witnessed the unfortunate result.
Before checking into our hotel, we made a stop at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace, an after-school club for gifted children. 
They learn embroidery, calligraphy, musical instruments, computer skills, and who knows what else. We looked in on a few of the classes, then watched a spectacular music and dance performance.
Whenever we had the chance we asked the guides to let us walk from place to place. That was one of the highlights of the trip, getting a chance to see the locals' daily lives as we walked down the street. 
Although there weren't a lot of cars on the roads, there were always people milling about, chatting, going places, and playing with their kids. A smile and a wave was usually all it took to transform their fear into curiosity. After the Schoolchildren's Palace, we took a stroll to the Grand People's Study Hall (which we would visit later) and then went to our hotel to check in for the evening.
The Yanggakdo Hotel is a comfortable, modern high rise hotel on an island in the middle of the Taedong River, and similar to just about any other hotel around the world--except that you're not allowed to leave the island. Think of a luxurious version of Alcatraz: there's a bowling alley, a casino, pool tables, a spa, and a 9-hole golf course. 
They even had BBC news on the television, as well as Chinese and Russian TV stations (but nothing from South Korea). My room was on the 39th floor, so the view was spectacular. A fellow traveller and I decided to get up early on our first day and play the hotel's short golf course. It was over-priced and very basic, but then how many people can say they've played golf in North Korea?
A note about the food on this trip: 
it was plentiful, often delicious, and very eclectic. Every meal consisted of several individual dishes, brought out at different times in no discernible order. Lunch might be: kim chee, a fried egg, then a bowl of chicken soup, followed 10 minutes later by a plate of grilled meat, a cheese sandwich, some onion rings, a cucumber salad, and 5 minutes later a bowl of white rice and a hamburger patty. A couple of times we had 'traditional' meals, which consisted of many different types of Korean fare, beautifully presented in small metal bowls. There was never any hint of dessert.
Day 2
Our second day in the DPRK began with a visit to the Pyongyang Film Studios, North Korea's answer to Universal Studios. We wandered around the sets, hoping to be cast as extras in a DPRK cinematic epic, but there was no filming that day. Culture shock: our guide didn't know what a stuntman was. It's not that she didn't understand the word, the whole concept was new to her.
The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum was next on our itinerary. This was our first taste of the DPRK propaganda machine in action. We had a very articulate and emotional guide who told us all about the myriad atrocities committed by the Americans and her allies (who apparently started the Korean War by invading the north).
Later it was on to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Memorial, followed by a trip up the Pyongyang Radio Tower, where we were served lunch with a panoramic view. 
After enjoying the views we headed to the Grand People's Study House - a glorified library, in a huge and impressive building. Pyongyangites can go there to study, listen to music, learn a language, take out a book, or just get out of the rain. A donation of my two solo CDs was graciously accepted, so I'm happy to report that the people of North Korea can now listen to Euphonic Bach and Telemann Fantasias in the Music Room of the Grand People's Study House.
A quick stop at a bookstore on Kim il Sung Square was followed by a speedy and efficient visit to the Chollima Statue, a monument to the speed and efficiency of North Korea's industrialisation, and then a stroll down the street to the Arch of Triumph.
After dinner we had a special outing to a shooting range, where we had a chance to blast away with some North Korean firearms. I had an interesting conversation with the proprieter of the range, who took me aside and asked a lot of questions about the recent missile crisis. 
His take: the missile tests were a huge success, and a necessary deterent for the war-mongering imperialist Americans and their running dogs, and nobody knows where they took place ("it's top secret"). I wanted to tell him I've seen the test sites on Google Earth, and that the tests were a dismal failure, but then after all, I was in his shooting range.
Day 3
The next day (July 27, anniversary of the Victory of the Glorious Fatherland - end of the Korean War) began with a visit to the USSÂ Pueblo, an American spy ship that was captured by the North Koreans in 1968. 
We had an interesting tour by an articulate member of the Great People's Army who railed against the US aggressors while sheltering from the rain under a Disney umbrella.
The Mansudae monument to Kim il Sung was next on our itinerary. Reverence and respect were in order as we were instructed to bow before the statue of the Great Leader and Eternal President. 
After the formalities however, we were free to walk around and snap as many pictures as we wished.
One of Pyongyang's funfairs was our next stop, where we had some memorable experiences interacting with local people. 
Digital cameras are still such a novelty that parents get just as excited as kids to see their faces on a camera screen. The funfair itself was exciting by nature of the ancient and rusty machines, and the lack of safety controls, more so than the rides themselves.
And that brings us to the Juche Tower, a monolith erected for the commemoration of Kim il Sung's philosophy of self-reliance ("juche" in Korean). If countries were children, "juche" would be the kid next door who refuses to let anyone play with his toys. But all the other kids have better toys, so I guess mom was right when she said "share!"
The Pyongyang Metro is famous for having at least two ornately decorated stations, and for being more than 100 metres below ground. 
We were shocked to see graffiti on one or two of the subway cars, but were quickly informed that the graffiti were there when the train cars were purchased from Germany. (And indeed, the obscenities were scrawled in German.)
As it was a holiday (the anniversary of the Victory of the Glorious Fatherland) there were a lot of local people out singing, dancing and imbibing, and we had a chance to do some of that ourselves with them.
Day 4
The next morning we left for a two-day/one night outing to Panmunjom, the DMZ, Kaesong, Sinchon, and Nampo. 
We toured the sights around the completely mis-named De-Militarized Zone--in fact it's probably one of the most militarized places in the world, with two huge armies squared off against each other.
Then a pleasant traditional Korean lunch in Kaesong was followed by a visit to a historical museum highlighting Kaesong's splendour as the ancient capital of Korea. (This museum was also one of the few places in the DPRK that wasn't rife with Kim-philia and Ameri-phobia.)
Our evening and night were spent at the Kaesong Folk Custom Hotel, a beautiful and charming traditional Korean hotel. By charming I mean: no beds, no decent pillows, and no hot water. The dinner and entertainment were superb, however.
Day 5
The next day found us learning all about the American atrocities at Sinchon at the US War Crimes Museum.
A pleasant drive through the countryside brought us to Nampo, site of the West Sea Barrage, a dam that prevents seawater entering the Taedong river, so that crops can be grown upriver. Interesting enough, but it wouldn't have got so much as a mention in most countries.
Day 6
The highlight of the trip in the surreal category was without a dobut,
Other stops that day: Revolutionary Martyr's Cemetery, a Buddhist Temple, Mangyongdae Native House
(the birthplace of Kim Il Sung), and a souvenir shop. Our last night in DPRK was spent enjoying a delicious Korean barbecue meal with our guides, followed by an evening stroll through Pyongyang.
Day 7
The next morning we said goodbye to our guides, and boarded the train for the five hour trip to Dandong, China, just across the border.
