Weather: Heavy rain.
Someone must be watching over us. I cannot believe how lucky we have been, as we wake up to yet another rainy day. Apparently, we had one frame to be able to climb Beondaebong and Seonosan for views, and we got it. Today is another day that it does not matter much if it is raining, the menu for today consists mostly of a visit to Paektusan secret camp. This is the usual secret camp that is open for and visited by tourists. After the visit, we will have finished the trekking expedition. We eat breakfast in the company of the rain.
Jong Il bong, with its three huge granite blocks with letters on.
Paektusan secret camp is a short distance from our campsite. This camp was the headquarters of the Korean People's Army during the Japanese occupation. Preserved in the camp are several log cabins that housed everything from headquarters, barracks, a sewing workshop, a printing house, an arms repair shop and a secretariat. There are also slogan trees found here, as well as other historical objects from when the camp was in use. After passing by the entrance to the camp, the first thing we see is the usual monument with a mosaic of the Kim family. Also near is the Ode monument, which is commemorating the ode that President Kim Il Sung composed for Kim Jong Ils 50th birthday.
Monument at Paektusan secret camp with a mosaic showing the Kim family.
Looking over the camp is Jong Il bong. Most notably is not its height, at 1798m, but the three gigantic letters almost at the top of the peak. Each of the letter is a granite block, together spelling the name of the peak in Korean, Jong Il bong.
Interior of a cabin in Paektusan secret camp.
Under the cover of trees we go into the camp. First stop on the visit is a water source next to a creek running through the camp, said to never freeze. The water tastes fresh. One cannot say that they have tried to be creative when building the log cabins, they all look very much the same. Not that it does matter for the purpose they were built for, but for me it was not so interesting to see the same type of cabins again. The history around is more interesting of course.
Cabin in Paektusan secret camp that is the birthplace of Kim Jong Il.
Apparently Kim Jong Il was born in one of the cabins here, on February 16, Juche 31 (1942). There are many pictures of the cabin with Jong Il bong looming over it, but today the peak is hidden behind the clouds. Outside the cabin there are some trees that looks like they belongs in a hospital. Attached to the trees are various drips, providing nutrition to them. These trees are seemingly of great importance.
Trees with drips attached them to provide sustenance.
There is a smaller camp nearby and before wrapping it all up, we head for it. It is called Saji and the large barracks that we get to see there is quite interesting. In order to hide the smoke used to heat up the cabin and cook food on, vents were made and distributed to smaller pipes outside the cabin.
Pathway and cabin on Paektusan secret camp in the rain.
Barracks in Saji secret camp, with thatched roof and vents for distributing smoke.
The last day on the hike was all about the secret camps, so it did not matter that it was raining, but it was good to walk back to and get into the bus. The bus is fully loaded with all our gear, staff and us when we leave on the bumpy gravel roads. We will spend some time in the bus, getting shaken around by the uneven ride.
Rimyongsu waterfalls.
On the way back to our hotel in Samjiyon, Paegaebong Hotel, we make a short stop at Rimyongsu. A small village known for its waterfalls. It has actually 42 big and small waterfalls within an area of 4 kilometres, with 9 outlets. Average height is 6m. Chonji lake on Paektusan is claimed to be the source of them. Enough water is coming from the waterfalls, so the rain has diminished a little when we arrive. It is a beautiful place. Thin veils of clouds are drifting over the river, also named Rimyongsu. Above the river is a jeongja, an ornamented pavilion. We climb up to the pavilion for an overlook of the river and village, and an explanation of Rimyongsu by a female guide in a local dress.
The village of Rimyongsu, next to the hillside with several cascades.
Another bumpy ride follows, before we are back at the hotel. Leaving our gear in our rooms, we go straight for lunch. No need to take a shower, the hot water will not be turned on before nine o'clock. In the meantime, they have filled the bathtub with hot water. It feels strange to be back into this hotel after the days out hiking on the Paektusan highlands. Even though we can walk freely around the hotel, I feel more confined here than out on the walk, where we had to be accompanied by the guides at all times. We can of course not leave the hotel.
Guide dressed in a local costume at Rimyongsu.
While we wait for the hours to pass, dinner and the hot water to be turned on, we plan of playing some rounds on the ping-pong table, but power outages is not uncommen here in North Korea. When the power is out, it is too dark to play. Eventually, we get access to the pool table instead. It is located in a separate room with windows, so the daylight provides enough light for us to play. The power comes and goes. Eventually it is time for dinner. Cut a little short when the time strikes nine, and the hot water is turned on.
The village of Rimyongsu.
One can argue about that we had six days of hiking here in North Korea, as one day was spent in our campsite in the gamble for better weather the next day, and that we cannot say we did much of hiking today. That being said, those days we went hiking on has been a remarkable experience. The landscape is a beautiful alpine mountainous landscape, and on our hike we went through lush rolling meadows, up on mountain peaks with panoramic views, through pleasant forests with larch trees and over green ridges. It is an area truly suitable for hiking. Paektusan itself is a mountain that looks nice, but a bit ordinary when standing right below it. Only when you come up to the top of it and to the edge of the caldera will you witness the true beauty of the mountain. It feels nice to have been able to go hiking in such a secluded country as North Korea and doing something that really is an unusual activity for tourists to do there.
Dinner at Paegaebong Hotel in Samjiyon, good with local beer, but all of us are also waiting to get a hot shower after the hike. From left, Roger, Paula, Sinead, Jo and me.
Tomorrow we fly back to Pyongyang, where we will be doing more ordinary tourist activities. For now, we end this day with a few local beers, while looking back at the days on the highland plateau.
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