Trip to North Korea

In September 2016 we decided to visit this much discussed part of the world to find out what the fuss is all about. We visited both South and North Korea (in that order). This post is about the Northern part of the peninsula and the South will follow soon.

How to travel to North Korea?
Travelling to North Korea in 2016 is unlike any other trip. From visas, to planning to getting there and leaving, everything is much different and I will get into all the details soon. The actual name of the country is DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and this is the only one being used inside the country.

Socialist realism in Mansu Hill Grand Monument

I knew nothing when I started planning the trip in April 2016 so the natural place to start is the North Korean embassy (yes there are a bunch of them in European countries). So I sent an email to the one in Bern, Switzerland and a very polite person replied that I need to plan a trip through a travel agency attaching the list of ones in my country, the Netherlands. I contacted the travel agencies to get prices and different itineraries. For the visa, we sent the passports to the travel agency who forwarded them to the embassy in Switzerland.

Tower of Juche idea

Travelling to North Korea is very expensive although, all meals, entrances to sights, transportation and hotels are pre-paid as we were not allowed to use the local currency. Euro, Chinese RMB and dollar are widely accepted and you will need some for water, some extra meals or to buy souvenirs. We spent more money in N.Korea for 5 days than in the South for 10 days. Talking to some fellow travelers we met in hotels, we were told that they planned the trip through Chinese travel agencies for much less than we did but then it requires more research and it is probably riskier. To be honest, the experience was well worth the money.

There are only two ways to reach N.Korea for Westerners and both are from China. One is to take the
train from Beijing or the border town of Dandong and the other is plane from Beijing. Both options will take you only to Pyongyang, the capital. We chose to go by train from Dandong and fly to Beijing with the North Korean carrier, Air Koryo. More on those later.

Monument to People's party founding

When in the country, you will have two guides and a driver who are responsible for you, they will be your best pals, show you around, tell you what you can do and what you cannot do, where to go and where not to go, what to take picture of and what not. They are the ones who will make your trip either fun or miserable so better be good and most important listen to them. They will be 24/7 with you, staying in the same hotels and sometimes eat with you. What I found interesting is that every tourist (or group) is assigned two guides because they have to check on each other so one does not become curious about capitalism or western societies and start asking questions (!).

Few things about travelling to N.Korea
Because of what it is, travelling to North Korea is a unique experience. You get a glimpse of how a Stalinist state actually is in the 21th century. Combined with a trip to the South you will get to understand how a single nation can grow so much apart in just 60 years in different conditions. Much as their southern brothers North Koreans are very friendly and kind people and everyone will make sure you have a great stay (provided all the limitations).


When visiting N.Korea you have to be prepared to bow 5 times per day to pictures, statues and

Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il pictures everywhere

paintings of the deceased leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il (the current one, Kim Jong-un, is too "humble" to have a statue, painting or picture). Of course you will get a lot of propaganda but you will quickly get used to it.

There have been stories of tourists detained in the country (most recently Otto Fredrick Warmbier) but if you follow the rules and not act stupidly you will not have any issues at all. Your travel agency will brief you on what you can and cannot do, your guides will make sure you know the rules and it is up to you to follow them. If you plan to make fun of the state or sneak pictures better think twice because the North Koreans will not.

Getting in

Our trip started on the Chinese town of Dandong, just on the border with N.Korea. There we took the train that would take us to Pyongyang. The train starts from Dandong and after crossing the Yalu river, reaches the station of Sinuiju where it stops for a 2hr inspection. Army officers come onboard the train, take all passports and search everything and everyone. For some reason my suitcase was not searched but the officers went crazy on my backpack. They took the North Korea travel guide and were really upset about the TomTom GPS watch but they still let me have it. What was really impressive is that they took all the hangers from the suitcase of a fellow Korean traveler. No clue why!

The route to Pyongyang is around 5hours and from the train I got the first glimpse of North Korea. The landscape is truly unique with many rice fields. The people are visibly poor and the infrastructure old and inadequate. For hundreds of kilometers in the country, I would spot only trucks and buses with a cloud of dirt behind them showing the lack of paved roads. It was very sad, considering the leaders of this country are spending billions on nuclear weapons.

Getting out
Getting out of the country is far less complicated. We flew with Air Koryo, the N.Korean national carrier. Voted as the world’s worst airliner, it was far from that. The plane was Russian made Tupolev Tu-204 as Boeing and Airbus are not allowed to sell airplanes to N.Korea. It looked modern and clean and the stewardesses could speak good English. A fellow European passenger tried to take a picture of one of them and when she realized, she kindly asked him to delete it. We were served drinks (much like any other flight) and a burger.

Air Koryo Tu-204

The Pyongyang airport is modern, clean and spacious. We were expecting for someone to search our backpacks, suitcases and cameras but nothing of that happens! What was abit awkward is that the electronic board with departures for that day, had only 1 entry, our flight to Beijing. Guess if you miss that one you are stuck.




Pyongyang
The capital of N.Korea is a city of 3 million people. This was our base and the town we spent 4 out of 5 nights of the trip. There are only 2 hotels available for foreigners so you will either stay in Koryo hotel or the Yanggakdo International Hotel. We stayed in the Koryo.

Pyongyang

There are many things to see in Pyongyang but unfortunately we got to go only where our guides wanted us to go. I wish I was able to walk around walking in the city. Anyway, these are the some of the places we visited:

Mansu Hill Grand Monument: This is the first stop of our tour and the place we were introduced to

Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il statues

bowing to the leaders. It is a complex of many monuments, with the center of it being two massive bronze and really important statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, 22 meters tall each. We had to present flowers and perform a deep bow. Around the statues are 2 revolutionary monuments, one celebrating the Anti-Japanese struggle and the other Socialist revolution.

What was surprising is that nearby the statue was a road and when cars pass-by, they reduce speed! When leaving this place, I wanted to drink some water so I opened my bag and took my bottle out when our guides told me that I should not drink now and do that later. I was probably too close to the statues...

Grand People's Study House: As the name implies, this is a library but also a place where

In Grand People's Study house

N.Koreans can study various topics. It is built in traditional Korean architecture in the very center of Pyongyang. We were shown rooms where students learned how to use computers (Windows XP!), German, English etc.

The highlight in that tour was the music room. Large room with cassette and CD players where students could get to listen music from around the world. The lady working there, when she found out we were Greeks she searched and found a tape with Greek music which she played for us. It was a very old song but still very touching to listen to music from our country in North Korea J

Victorious War Museum: This is a massive museum which tells the Korean War story from the

War museum

N.Korean point of view. Upon arrival, a military officer shows us around and explains the artifacts. In our case it was a lovely lady, both funny and kind. Most of the artifacts we were shown, were captured American weapons from the period during and after the war (from planes to helicopters and guns). The highlight is the USS Pueblo, which was captured venturing into N.Korean waters in January 1968. We were shown around and forcibly asked to take pictures.

What I will remember from this museum is how cold it was inside. Beautiful warm summer day outside and freezing temperatures inside. And lots of details how N.Koreans fought bravely the American imperialists. And a lot of emphasis on how the Americans bombed innocent Korean civilians (which is partially true).

Monument to Party Founding: This monument is dedicated to the 50 years of the founding of the

Taking a picture in front

Worker’s party of Korea. And because of that it is 50m high. The hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush symbolize the workers, farmers and intellectuals. It is one of the communist symbols that are a must see.

Pyongyagn metro

Pyongyang metro: For many years this was one of the few things I knew about N.Korea. According to this page some of the trains in the Pyongyang metro came from the Athens metro. As a kid, riding the metro was something I loved so my father used to take me often. For a short period of time, around 1982, some fancy yellow trains were used and they were my favorite. After a short period they disappeared and I was always wondering what happened to them. Many years later I found that they had ended in Pyongyang and you can imagine my happiness that this childhood mystery was solved! Those specific trains don’t run in the Pyongyang metro anymore but I spotted a couple of them on some stations when coming from Dandong. They were painted blue and fitted with electrical aerials.

The metro is soviet style inspired with chandeliers, paintings and large stations. N.Koreans claim that it is the world’s deepest, dug over 100m below the surface. It serves as a bunker in case of war. Like most of the tourists we saw only two stations.

The metro has 2 lines, each of them having 8 stations. Our guides asked us about the metro in Athens

Reading the news in the metro

and they were quite surprised when we told them that it has 3 lines and around 60 stations. I could not dare telling them about the Seoul metro that has 19 lines.

Cycling in Pyongyang: This was probably one of the best experiences in Pyongyang. Living in Amsterdam, we love cycling. When in N.Korea we were not allowed to walk around freely and always moved around in a van. To be able to cycle in the streets like the locals do, even if only for 7km, was a fantastic experience. We got to see the city closer, listen to the noise, feel the vibe and be free (still with a guide cycling with us). Loved it!

Korea Central Zoo: The zoo is located in the outskirts of Pyongyang and it was not in the foreign

Entrance to Pyongyang zoo

tourist path. One of our guides, worked there and she was very proud of the work she has done so when she asked us if we wanted to visit, we gladly did. I had read reports about how bad the conditions are in there and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was clean, spacious and modern. The animals lived in pretty much the same conditions as the zoos I have seen in Europe. Our guide kept telling us how bad the international sanctions are for the zoo as they could not exchange knowledge with other international institutions. And I can imagine that this is true for many aspects of the Korean life which is sad as common, peaceful, folks have nothing to blame. Still, the zoo has had a lot of knowledge exchange with Skansen in Stockholm (one of my favorites!) and there is even a part of the Pyongyang zoo named after Skansen! A small Stockholm in Pyongyang.

Mangyongdae Children's Palace: This is kind of after school activities place for children. They can learn how to code, learn various musical instruments, calligraphy, ballet etc. Apart from visiting all

Playing the accordion

the different study rooms, we got to see in a large auditorium a 1hr performance, together with all the other tourists in Pyongyang. Some kids had really good talent there.

Kim Il-sung Square: Right in the center of Pyongyang, this is the place where all the military parades take place so you have probably seen it on TV. Modeled after Tiananmen in Beijing, it is used for the same purposes. It is surrounded by important buildings, like the ministry of foreign affairs, the Grand People's Study House and a folk museum. Worth visiting at night when all the lights are on.

Tower of Juche idea and women with Korean dresses

Tower of Juche idea: Built in 1982, on the banks of Tadong river, to celebrate the 70^th birthday of Juche (meaning self-reliance) ideology. For 5 euros we could take the elevator to the top, where we could enjoy nice view of Pyongyang 150m above the ground.
Kim Il-Sung. It is named after the





Kaesong and the DMZ
Around 160km south of Pyongyang lies Kaesong, a historical town. The Korean Demilitarized zone

DMZ visit briefing

(DMZ) is only a few kilometers away. Roughly running along the 38^th parallel, it is the border of North and South Korea. All tourist packages include either a daily visit or overnight stay in Kaesong. We chose to stay overnight.

The drive to Kaesong is on a very bad and almost empty highway. We counted 5 military blocks where we had to stop on each and every one to present a permit to move further. I could not stop thinking how difficult it must be for locals to travel within their own country.

In Kaesong we spent the night on a very simple but clean hotel. We had the chance to meet 2 American doctors, who were there on a Red Cross mission to help set up a (solar powered) hepatitis lab. One of them had visited North Korea in similar missions around 25 times (!). He told us that the situation in the local hospital is very bad and doctors have no way to diagnose the different types of hepatitis. They mentioned the shocking fact that the hospital receives 2 hours of electricity PER MONTH. In high contrast, the lights on our hotel were always on. As we suspected, we were told that hospital for party members in Pyongyang are equipped to western standards.

Joint Security Area (on the back is South Korea)

Visiting the DMZ, includes a stop to the Panmunjom village where the armistice treaty was signed between the North Koreans and the UN forces. Sadly the South Koreans refused to participate and up to this day, no peace treaty has been signed. Next stop was the Joint SecurityArea (JSA) where occasional talks are being held between the two Koreas. It is a set of buildings right on the border with North and South Korean soldiers on each side.

Worth mentioning that on that day I wore a T-Shirt writing some words in English among them was “New York”. This was totally unintended and when the military officer who was leading the tour noticed that, he told our guides that this is provocative and I should not wear shirts like that. In order not to further irritate him, I wore the shirt inside out for the rest of the visit!

In the JSA, we were shown a signature of Kim Il-sung. The story goes that this is his last one, few days before he died. Also, right before his death, he had reviewed and signed a bunch of documents about the reunification of the two Koreas. And right before it happened he died. And since 1994 no one cared to pick it up… 

Also in Kaesong are 2 UNESCO World heritage monuments which we visited. First was the tomb of King Kongmin,

Tomb of King Kongmin

an important figure of the Koryo dynasty. The tombs are located on a beautiful hill, far away from any civilization so it was very relieving to be away from all the slogans, the pictures of Kim dynasty members and the stories about the greatness of the leaders. Next was Songgyungwan, a higher educational institute, also during the Koryo and Choson dynasties.





International Friendship Exhibition and the Pohyonsa temple
In Korea it is a custom to exchange presents in every occasion. So when businessmen sign a deal,

International friendship exhibition and Myonhyang mountains

they exchange small presents. When a foreign delegate visits the country, they bring a nice present. In that case Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, during their time as presidents they received thousands of those, so why not build a museum was built to display them and show how much are leaders were loved by foreign countries? This is the International Friendship exhibition, a massive 150 room windowless building, build in the Myonhyang mountains, 160km north of Pyongyang.

According to our guide, the museums has around 140.000 items from all the countries in the world. They are grouped per continent and country. We asked to see the European section. It was fun to see presents from Greek political parties, Dutch organizations and Swedish-Korean friendship organizations. No pictures were allowed so among all the exhibits, I remember some basket balls, an iPad and a whole airplane given as a present from Stalin.

In the museum there are 3 different rooms with wooden statues of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Suk his wife and mother of Kim Jong-Il, and Kim Jong-Il. We had to pay respect to each one of them (by bowing) but what I noticed is that the guides would walk backwards in those rooms so to not turn their backs to the statues!

A stone throw away from the International Friendship exhibition is the beautiful Buddhist temple of

Pohyonsa temple

Pohyonsa. Heavily damaged by the Americans during the war, it was re-constructed to its original state. We were shown around while listen to propaganda how N.Korea promotes freedom of religion from everyone. The truth is that the constitution promotes freedom of religion but since it contradicts the target of building socialism, it is not practiced. I read there is a Christian church in Pyongyang but only foreigners are allowed to attend.

Anyway, back to Pohyonsa, we got to meet some Buddhist monks. I got the feeling that they were not real monks and were just working there just to get tourist money (we were told how many people from around the world visit the temple and pay respect by donating money…).

My impressions of the trip to N.Korea
My impressions of N.Korea are along my expectations. Of course it is much different reading about a place and visiting one. I got the feeling that people are very scared and struggle too much for their every day life. I had no way to participate to any conversations and all the information came through our guides.

Korean delicacies

A tourist visit is tailored so us foreigners get only to see the best of the country. There is much good to it but I was wondering if most locals ever get to live as we lived. The food was always nice and more than we could eat (and I am a big guy!), the hotels were nice, the sights were tidy. But how are the homes of people, how is life far away from the capital, how is the education? We turned on the TV and what we got was steel production, missiles being fired and military parades. It was all in Korean so no clue what it was about.

All the locals we interacted with, even the ones that did not speak a word in English, visibly tried their best to make our stay as pleasant as possible. And they were not forced, it was genuine. Like South Koreans, people are kind and proud of their country. And I also got the feeling that they know it is a mess and they are embarrassed, so since we are honored guests they want to show us only the best of it.

My only thought of this country is about the N.Korean who is deprived of even the most simple freedoms like the ability to travel between one part of their country to the other. They certainly do not deserve this. It might be difficult and complicated but I wish that soon the two Koreas unite again. And then I want to return to the one Korea and meet again those people who will be free and can dream of a better future.

For more pics, please visit my flickr page: https://goo.gl/0XcG6Q

Trip to Svalbard

Travelling to Svalbard

Polar bear danger sign

Checking on the map, Svalbard seems like a far-away isolated and probably impossible-to-reach destination. The truth is that is no more difficult accessible than any other town in Norway, perhaps a bit further away. There are daily flights, either from Oslo or Tromso in Norway, both by SAS and Norwegian. If you are looking for a good price, book your tickets long in advance. On Longyearbyen there is a number of hotels and hostels, and the prices vary.

Brünnich’s guillemots

Once there, it is best to plan some activities. Depending on the season, the island is a mecca for outdoor activities lovers. There is possibility of multi day hiking (provided all necessary permits have been obtained, including the riffle one), dog sledge (both on snow and on wheels!), kayaking, cruise, climbing, ice caving, hiking, bus tour.... It all depends on the time, the adventure level, the budget and of course the time of the year. The main portal where all activities on offer can be found is Visit Svalbard

A bit of history
The Svalbard archipelago was discovered by the Dutch in 1596. Trying to find a passage to the East via the North Pole, the explorer Willem Barentsz, made a few attempts as he believed during the summer months, the ice cap would melt completely. He soon realized that this was not the case but he kept coming back and during the 3rd expedition, in 1596, he discovered the Spitsbergen island.

Greenland husky

The following centuries, Europeans travelled to Svalbard for its rich natural resources. At a time when lamps were running on whale oil, whale hunting was a very profitable business. The Europeans managed to almost completely wipe the local whale population and the number still have not recovered. Along with whales, foxes, walruses, seals and of course polar bears attracted hunters.

In the late 19th century large coal deposits were discovered on the island. Americans, Norwegians, Swedes and Dutch quickly set up colonies to extract the precious mineral. After only a few years, only Norwegians and Russians were left on the island as the rest found it difficult and expensive to continue business.

Reindeer in Longyearbyen

After WWI, along with the treaty of Versailles, the treaty of Svalbard was signed (1920). It recognized sovereignty of Norway over Svalbard but any of the countries that signed could (and still can) set up a settlement on any of the islands. The only country that ever did, apart form Norway, is the Soviet Union.

During WWII all the settlements were evacuated so they would not be captured by the Germans. A small Norwegian garrison stayed behind and in 1943 the Germans managed to capture it. Longyearbyen and the Soviet town of Barentsburg were destroyed.

With the beginning of the Cold war started, the Norwegians and Soviets returned to the archipelago. It was now more a matter of prestige than a real economical necessity to have settlements on the Svalbard. Coal was being produced (and still is) and the two communities lived in harmony together.

Sign in Longyearbyen airport

In terms of transportation, until 1975 Svalbard was only accessible by boat and only in the summer months. The last boat with provisions, Christmas trees etc would come to Longyearbyen in November and the next one only in in April. The coalminers in Longyearbyen would live in isolation during the cold winter months. The airport opened in 1975 which changed completely the life of the locals. For the first time they could get fresh food!

Nowadays, with much of the coal either depleted or financially not viable, the Norwegians are trying to diversify the economy. Tourism and scientific research are two important and growing sectors. There are several meteorological and space observation stations with permanent staff. Russians, also not wanting to give up their part on the island, still extract coal in the town of Barentsburg but have left all their other settlements.

Nordenskjöld glacier

Svalbard of Spitsbergen?
Svalbard in the name of the archipelago that consists of several islands, Spitsbergen being the largest one. The size of the whole archipelago is around 61000sqkm, similar to the size of Sri Lanka. For many years the name Spitsbergen was used but after the Svalbard treaty the Norwegians changed the name to Svalbard.

Longyearbyen
"The town where no one is born and no one is allowed to die"

Yes, this is right! In the largest town of Svalbard, no one is being born because the hospital is not well enough equipped, so pregnant women are flown to the mainland. Also, no one can die there because they cannot be buried (the permafrost makes decomposition a very difficult process). In reality, unless one has a job in Longyearbyen, they are not allowed to stay on the island. So as much as someone would love to stay and enjoy their pension there, they cannot!

Longyearbyen colorful houses

With a permanent population of over 2000, beautiful colored buildings and constant presence of tourists, the city is vibrant and welcoming. There are a handful of well equipped stores and a super market which sells most of the stuff (including fruits and vegetables) that I find in my local super market in Amsterdam! The local restaurants serve excellent food (even at 1:30am which is hard to find proper food at this time in Amsterdam!) and the prices are generally lower than Oslo because there is no VAT. Also alcohol is much cheaper. In Radisson Blue, Barents restaurant I had one of the best pizzas I have ever tried (either it was very good or I was extremely hungry!).

Sign in Longyearbyen store

Although a bit hilly, the city can be visited entirely on foot. It is spread out but it is well worth visiting every "neighborhood". The local tourist office (located opposite Hotel Svalbard) offers bikes for rent. Because of the polar bear, they can be used only within the city limits.

Global seed vault

Around 3km away from Longyearbyen, the Global seed vault is located. Although, just outside the city, it is a nice ride to visit by bike or even on foot. There is no way to enter the seed vault but the exterior is still a nice attraction, considering the good purpose it serves. There is no permanent staff, no guard so it is just the entrance you see in the pics. Still it is well worth the visit.

Other things to do in Longyearbyen is to visit the local cinema (Yes there is one!), one of the cafés offering delicious pastries, the Svalbard museum and stroll around to see if you can spot the reindeer that frequently roams the city.

Pyramiden

Artikugol sign

On the island of Spitsbergen and in the Billefjorden, lies the ghost town of Pyramiden (Piramida in Russian). It was founded by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927. Until 1998 it produced coal, and on March 31 of that year the last wagon of coal left the mine and now lies at the entrance of the  city. All the workers and their families quickly left Pyramiden, leaving the buildings and their interior largely intact.

Abandoned kitchen

Currently there are 8 Russians in Pyramiden who take care of whatever is left and run the hotel, the restaurant and the bar. In its glorious days, Pyramiden had around 1000 citizens. The life of those 8 is quite hard, considering the harsh environmental conditions (up to -20 in the winter and absolutely no sun) but also the fact that there is no internet, no telephone and no TV. Once a month, a helicopter comes from Longyearbyen, brining post and other goods from Russia. Cant help thinking how isolated those guys are but then I though it would be nice to detox from internet, social media and all the other beeps and blips of modern era.

Our guide with his gun

Slightly northern than Longyearbyen, Pyramiden is the world 's northernmost city. Despite that, the Soviets managed to create a place where it did not lack much of the rest of the Soviet Union at the time. The workers could enjoy a well equipped cinema and a library, a swimming pool, sports hall a hospital and even an animal farm which produced meat and fresh eggs!

Pyramiden harbor

Pyramiden is accessible by boat and snow scooter from Pyramiden. Since we visited in the summer, the only way to get there is by boat. Upon arriving on the port, a friendly and fully armed (for the polar bear) local guide showed us around the town, allowing us to enter a few of the abandoned buildings. At the end of the tour we had a chance to visit the bar/restaurant and try some delicious Russian sweets made by the cook who lives on Pyramiden for 9 years (!).

More pictures?
You can visit my flickr page on www.flickr.com/gpahas