The group having dinner at a restaurant in Pyongyang Hotel, from left Mr. Kim, me, Jo, Sinead, Roger, Paula and Mr. Hwang.
My first meeting with North Korea is entirely different than what I had seen for me. Remembering the hard scrutinizing I got at the immigration control when I flew to Minsk in Belarus a year go, I expect to be met with a stern face looking me up and down. Which is far from what happens. This is actually the first time I have ever been met with a smiling face greeting me welcome.
Pyongyang Grand Theatre.
Pyongyang Grand Theatre illuminated in the evening.
When I get to customs however, the tone is different. My backpack receive a greater scrutiny than I did. Now, here is the deal. When entering North Korea, there is a something you need to know about customs. It would be wise to familiarize yourself with what you are allowed to bring in or not. For instance, you have to declare anything that you have with you of electrical items. Such as mobile phones, cameras, laptops or even usb sticks. Be sure to bring the same items with you again when you leave. Magazines are not allowed to be brought into the country, the person before me had some with him and they got confiscated straight away. Also, any money you bring with you should be declared. Our North Korean guides are meeting us at the customs, helping us sort out any problem and then we are on the way. On a bus to Pyongyang. I am here.
Posters at a wall at Pyongyang Grand Theatre.
Driving to the city, I am not sure what to expect. There are so many tales coming from people that has visited DPRK before. From the windows in the minibus everything seems normal, but it emanates the feeling of being a quiet city. People are out walking, driving or biking, doing their daily things. It is still quite strange to see the sort of normal life unfold, with regard to what we hear about the country back home. Getting closer to the city centre, I see several examples of the architecture that has become famous outside the borders. We truly are here.
Pyongyang train station.
The Tower of Juche Idea, Pyongyang.
We are staying at Pyongyang Hotel, and not at the usual tourist hotel (Yanggakdo) situated out on the island in the middle of the city. On this first evening we do not have time to do much. We check in at the hotel and then have dinner. It is a nice time to get to know our two guides, Mr. Hwang and Mr. Kim. Roger has been working with Mr. Hwang for a couple of years now, and so he will be the main guide of our trip. Visitors to DPRK will always be well fed, and this is no exception. We have a hearty meal. And afterwards, we are able to go for a little walk from the hotel. We cannot go on our own though, of course, at least one of the guides need to accompany us. The people we are passing by are a little sceptical when they come across us, I guess that they are a little bit unsure of how to react when being face to face with foreigners.
People training for the Mass Games outside our hotel window.
One of the numerous monuments to the grand leaders.
The next day we fly to Samjiyon. It is a bumpy ride to the outskirts of North Korea, and there are no doors to the lockers above our heads. I can slowly follow a suitcase beeing shaken loose from its place and fall to the floor. Fortunately, the woman situated underneath was warned in time. At Samjiyon airport, we get our luggage from a trolley outside. The rest of the staff and the local guides that will follow us on our hike also meets us at the airport. In the horizon we can see the silhouette of Paektusan, knowing well that we will be climbing that mountain tomorrow. It is exciting.
Paektusan seen from Samjiyon airport.
Kim Jong-Un has made it important to focus more on tourism and so all of this area has been designated as a tourist location. Hence, there are construction works going on everywhere. From the airport there is a very bumpy ride on long gravel tracks. On and next to the road are countless workers, laboring to improve the road. Through the trees, we can see new buildings being erected. But it is still difficult to see if all this work will truly attract a huge crowd of tourists.
Paegaebong Hotel, interior.
In Samjiyon we stay at the Paegaebong Hotel. Within its emptiness it bears a resemblance to Overlook Hotel. However, the food at lunch is anything but empty, it fills up a large table and more.
The small little shop at Paegaebong Hotel.
Tomorrow we will start our hike here in North Korea, but before that we will visit the Grand Monument. This we will do today, but as we prepare to leave the premises of the hotel, we are held back. Some high ranking officer is in the area and we are not allowed to drive on the roads. Confined to the hotel, we wait. After a while, we appear to get green light, but soon after we have started driving we have to turn back, having reached the township of Samjiyon. While waiting again, we can hear a lot of sounds and then a large motorcade are suddenly driving past. Could it be? There is a slight hope in the group that it was Kim Jong-Un visiting Samjiyon on one of his site guidances. Whoever it was, we are now free to go.
In fact: Kim Jong-Un was actually in Samjiyon at the time we were there. Whether he was in the motorcade passing by or not, is another matter.
What we had for lunch at Paegaebong Hotel in Samjiyon.
Korean guerillas monument at Samji lake.
The Grand Monument is a monument to commemorate Kim Il-Sung's leadership during the Japanese occupation. The monument consist of a huge statue of Kim Il-Sung, which in fact is the second biggest monument to him. The bronze statue stands 19.7 meters tall. Next to the statue is a tall torch tower, the symbol of the Juche Idea. On the other side is a monument depicting the Korean soldiers during the war, the Bugler of Advance monument. In the background looms the sacred mountain of Paektusan. The Grand Monument was unveiled in May 1979 (or in Juche 68).
The torch tower at The Grand Monument in Samjiyon.
At the statue, we show our respect and ask for a safe journey. Then a local guide tells us about the place. Next to the monument lies Samji lake, once a river turned into a lake after an eruption of Paektusan. It consists of three pools situated next to each other, providing the name of the lake as Samji means three pools. Out in the lake there is another monument to the Korean guerillas.
Statue of Kim Il-Sung at The Grand Monument.
Female guides at The Grand Monument, in the background is the Bugler of Advance monument.
Back at the hotel, we eat dinner. It turns out the hotel is not as empty as it appeared to be, a group of Chinese tourists are taking up space in the dining hall. I guess the Chinese also make up the majority of tourists in North Korea too. All that remains is the last preparations for our hike. Tomorrow we will be off. I am really excited to be here.
Myself at The Grand Monument.
<- Beijing, Yiheyuan The Summer PalacePaektusan ->
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