After meeting back up at the bus again Zoe had some good news; we would now be able to see the military parade after all!

A lady traffic guard as we head off in the bus again back to the Chang Gwang San Hotel.


People queueing up at a retail kiosk. Apparently these are relatively new to Pyongyang.


Looking over to the famous Ryugyong Hotel.


After arriving back at the Chang Gwang San Hotel we walked over to Chollima Street where the crowds were waiting for the parade.


Local ladies dressed in their traditional Joseon-ot.


People looking down from their apartment windows.


And after a few minutes the start of the parade came into view.


At the front was a Mercedes S-Class stretched limo carrying aloft a large portrait of the Eternal leader Kim Il-sung.


Followed by another equally large portrait of Kim Jong-il.


Members of the Air Force, Army and Navy under a large red and yellow flag of the Workers' Party of Korea, the founding and ruling political party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea).


Although we had been advised not to take photographs of the military during the trip, an exception was made for the parade.


Commandos with camouflage makeup and night vision goggles.


Sharp bayonets on top of their assault rifles.


It was really fun to mingle with the crowd and be part of the celebrations for the National Day.


The female army soldiers coming next.


North Korea has universal conscription for males and selective conscription for females at a ratio of one female for every nine male conscripts.


A smiling medic.


Large red banners bearing patriotic slogans along the side of the trucks.


The fluttering flag of North Korea on the 70th anniversary of founding of the country.


Air Force Officers.


It was great to see the genuine excitement, cheer and respect for their countries armed forces.


A school band playing music.


Conductor.


Trumpets.


More soldiers joining in on the excitement and adulation.


A female shoulder with a yellow aiguillette on her shoulder.


These bright and colourful balloons were an interesting contrast with the heavily armed commandos!


Local ladies cheering on the soldiers.


The energy of the crowd and of the soldiers certainly didn't diminish as the parade carried on.


I can now definitely see why President Trump wants a military parade of his own!


It was hard to not to get caught up in the excitement and celebration, despite being one of the 'enemy'.


And to take some memorable photos.


More colourful balloons.


After the very cool experience I managed to find Ms. Chang and the rest of the group again and we then headed back to the hotel for a late lunch at 2:30pm.


With my shirt and tie while wearing dress trousers and black polished shoes, all ready for the opening of the Mass games this evening at Rungrado 1st of May Stadium. Smart dress was required although the tie was optional. Zoe, our western tour guide, also dressed up in a traditional Korean Joseon-ot dress which looked really cool.


As part of the great honour of being in the presence of the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, we unfortunately could not take any cameras or phones with us this tonight. The following photos are hence from the official broadcast of the event.

After getting dressed up we met to take a bus ride to a meeting point in the city for a special security screening before proceeding to Rungrado 1st of May Stadium.

After arriving at a hall we chatted for a while with the other tours groups and then lined up for a quick pat down and metal detector sweep and then boarded the buses again for the drive to the stadium.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium was quite impressive, both architectually and for its massive size. With a capacity for 114,000 people it is officially the biggest sports stadium in the world.


As it was the opening night the stadium was packed with a sea of military officers, VIP's and other government officials.


Just after 8pm Marshall Kim walked in with Chairman Li Zhanshu of China.


As expected the crowd erupted into raucous cheer and clapping as soon as they saw him! Although I guessed that some of the applause was obligatory, there was definitely a sense of genuine excitement in the air.


It was my first time seeing a leader of a country while visiting so it was a bit of a buzz, especially as most North Koreans will likely never get to see the Supreme Leader in person in their lifetime too. We were seated about 100 metres to his right and could definitely tell it wasn't just an impersonator. (Photo credit: David Guttenfelder, NPR)


The ~2 hour spectacle then soon began, first with a drone show and then the amazing extraordinary sight of watching literally thousands of performers. The human 'screen' backdrop is made up of 17,000 children each holding cards that each present a single 'pixel' of the large display.


Dancers in the colours of the flag of North Korea.


Eternal leader Kim Jong-il in a sea of red.


The show involves ~100,000 performers training continuously for over 6 months.


The Supreme Leader and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, looking on in approval.


Gearing up for the grand finale.


And with lots of fireworks to finish!


The Supreme Leader and the other VVIP's clapping their appreciation as the show came to a close.


A totally amazing spectacle and I couldn't wait to see it all again in two days time!


Back at the hotel just before midnight with my souvenir program and ticket. After a quick dinner I headed to bed to get some rest before our trip tomorrow to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).