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Some Notes on a Visit by Lily Thomas, Jan 2011

Lily Thomas (with additional comments from Robert Willoughby)

January 2011 

The Bradt Travel Guide to North Korea, 2nd edition (2008), is invaluable. Carefully assembled information avoids any text that might be construed as criticism of an extraordinary regime so the book may safely be carried into the country and referred to while on tour.

Any tourist who travels to North Korea will be met at the port of entry by officially appointed minder/guides from the Korean International Travel Company. But if restrictions (see box below) initially seem daunting, do not be deterred, your reward will be an exceptional experience. Pyongyang under a vivid blue winter sky, with its colossal monuments, wide near-empty boulevards and acres of immaculately landscaped, laboriously tended public parkland is an astonishing city.

Integral to the design, symbolism and lore of Pyongyang, indeed all North Korea, is the veneration, indeed the deification, of its long-dead founder and leader Kim Il Sung, and his son, the current leader, Kim Jong Il. An absolute essential on any tour (and you have no choice in this) is to pay homage, with flowers, at the vast gold statue of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang. But a more surreal experience, albeit one that it is a genuine privilege to be part of is to join the 'pilgrimage' of hundreds of followers, respectfully dressed for the occasion, to Kumsusan Memorial Palace once the home of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung now his final resting place. He is today revered as the one and only President. (It wasn't until 1997, three years after his death, that his first son Kim Jong Il took over as general secretary of the Party and commander-in-chief of the army, effectively becoming leader of the country.)

The mausoleum experience could be a scenario straight from James Bond; a motionless silent line of young and old transported via endless eerie conveyor belts, passing through rotating brushes for cleansing of feet and a wind tunnel to blow away dust from garments and emerging eventually into a vast darkened hall, one entire wall roseate as if at dawn and dominated by a gigantic, gilded statue of the President. Finally steps are slowly mounted to the chamber where the super-realistic embalmed body lies in state and around which one has been instructed to walk bowing at each corner (no hats to be worn, nor any bags carried).

Pyongyang guides are justifiably proud to reveal the city's metro system. Architecturally spectacular, it is one of the deepest in the world and as such not perhaps best suited for claustrophobics. Nor is it ideal for those who suffer from vertigo, the escalators being steep and slow-moving with any actual walking up or down forbidden. But boy is the exercise – or lack of it -- worthwhile. Though the gleaming marble stations bear idealistic names such as Glory and Triumph that do not necessarily reflect their above ground location this will not be your problem; your driver will be awaiting wherever you emerge. Lofty as underground cathedrals, each station is lit by ornate chandeliers and decorated with wonderful wall paintings depicting romanticised scenes of socialist endeavour, some rural some urban. In these stations photography is positively encouraged.

As with the general itinerary, your hotel will be pre-selected for you, usually one out of the two or three best in town and where your room will be perfectly clean and adequate. We stayed at the Yanggakdo located on an island in the Taedong River. In addition to Chinese and Korean stations, we were able to receive BBC World Service on the flat screen television in our room whereas our neighbour in an adjacent room was unable to pick up the British service on hers. She asked for a change of room and as the hotel appeared to be relatively empty was surprised when her request was refused. It is customary for the guides to stay in the same hotel although you will see little of them other than at pick-up and drop-off times and they will not eat (western) breakfast with you. For meals in restaurants outside the hotel (always pre-selected by the host organisation) they will normally eat with you. Menus generally consist of a variety of small dishes, the ubiquitous kim'chi (pickled cabbage), cold noodles, egg soup and not too much meat. The dreaded dog meat jaegogi (but watch out there are other words for it too) is seasonal, summer only, and ''often especially requested by visitors'' the guide assured us. The top (47th) floor revolving restaurant bar at the Yanggakdo is run-down, with only a limited choice of drinks and dirty windows that mean you can barely see the view. Not vaut le detour – not even the wait for the lift. There is a reasonably sized and clean swimming pool in the basement. 

In general the museums are fairly interesting, though anything to do with the Korean War – especially the Fatherland Liberation War Museum with its brilliantly constructed action re-enactment displays – may require some carefully controlled reaction on your part. That said, every war has two sides which invariably go down differently in history, so one must wonder whether the western version of events is entirely faithful to the truth.

The captured US Spy ship Pueblo, now operated as a museum on the Taedong river, is a further case in point. All museums and monuments provide their own bilingual guides (lady majors for the military ones) to show you around.

In downtown Pyongyang we thought The Foreign Language Bookshop to be the best place for colourful post cards (which you can mail, aware they will be subject to censor, from the in-hotel post office and which do reach their destination a few weeks later) as well as calendars and picture books of the country. There is also a well-stocked gift shop, featuring some good copies of ancient local pottery, at the Koryo Museum in the historic town of Kaesong 160km south of the capital and just off the road leading to the DMZ (De-Militarised Zone on the border with South Korea). A visit to this town takes up part of a full-day tour from Pyongyang and is normally included in any four or five day travel programme. As well as offering an intriguing peek across the Military Demarcation line to the buildings on the opposing side, the journey allows an opportunity to take a good look at some rural landscapes, much of which are now sadly de-forested. In December 2010 when we visited the DMZ there had recently been some renewed rattling of sabres on both sides and there was no obvious evidence of individuals taking in the northward view as we were looking southward but doubtless cameras continued to scan in both directions. It felt a most strange stalemate. Like the South, the North certainly claims to wish for an united Korea. But on their own terms.

Throughout our stay our young guides, one male and one female, proved lively companions, friendly and fun, matching our many questions with their own curiosity about Britain and our lives at home. But from time to time a question from one of us would elicit simply a polite blank. ''When did the wife of Kim Il Sung die?'' I asked. The response was a bare shake of the head. They seemed particularly pleased and patient with our attempts to master a few basic phrases in Korean. Did they genuinely like us? Or were they just good actors? Either way, I felt a tinge of sadness when we kissed goodbye on the railway station.

The overnight sleeper train back to Beijing (24hrs) was not as exciting as we had anticipated. Our compartment was grubby although the sheet and pillowcase provided for each bunk were clean. The other passengers were noisy and the buffet car offerings sparse and not very appetizing. Fortunately we had assembled some snacks and the fourth occupant of the compartment, a charming Chinese lady, had brought a box of delicious pears so, as recommended in the Bradt Guide, we shared. (Access to the upper bunks requires a degree of agility. There are a couple of awkward foot props but no ladder.) Foreigners mainly seem to be assigned to the front (less crowded) carriage, but where unfortunately the train attendants and guards reserve the nearest lavatory and washroom for their own use.

For most of the daylight journey through DPRK there isn't a great deal to be seen through the windows. Mile upon mile of mud flats and paddy fields and at various intervals alongside the track the rather disturbing emplacement of a large spotlight usually monitored by a woman and presumably an aid in the apprehension of potential escapees making their way along the railway line. At Sinuiju the Korean border town on the Yalu River things become more interesting. Frontiers are edgy places and this one is no exception. Officials are thorough and laborious, checking papers, cameras and the lady's box of fruit. On the other side of the river is China. Burgeoning China. 

I cannot speak highly enough of Carl Meadows at Regent Travel who took care of bookings in Beijing, obtained visas and organised our adventure in North Korea. He cemented all arrangements in record time.