A Tourist In North Korea
Jan 22, 2019, 6:40 am
#79
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: TPA
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Been looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint! NK has always fascinated me, but as a US citizen, getting there right now is quite the pain. Should've gone when it was still legal... Awesome pictures too, shame you couldn't bring the camera along to the Mass Games.
I would've paid you BIG money to bring me back a few of those "See You in NK"/Air Koryo shirts. I just spent more time than I want to admit scouring Aliexpress/eBay/Amazon for one.
I would've paid you BIG money to bring me back a few of those "See You in NK"/Air Koryo shirts. I just spent more time than I want to admit scouring Aliexpress/eBay/Amazon for one.
Jan 22, 2019, 1:44 pm
#80
Formally known as reinmedia
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Los Angeles | Honolulu
Posts: 362
Wow! What an incredible Trip Report. North Korea is fascinating to me and it's definitely on the bucket list. It looks like they are becoming more relaxed on photos and video taking while in the country. Absolutely fantastic, thank you!
Jan 22, 2019, 3:08 pm
#82
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Only you, Daniel... Only you. Thank you for yet another epic and entertaining trip report! ^^
Jan 22, 2019, 10:06 pm
#83
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
. Yes, Pyongyang seems to be the 'crown jewel'. Would be great to visit some of the industrial cities next time too.. I'm sure he gets his photo taken frequently by all the visitors.Cheers, Taoyuan
. Defintiely won't forget this trip soon
!. Can't actually remember seeing any butter on the trip, although they probably had some local margarine
.Been looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint! NK has always fascinated me, but as a US citizen, getting there right now is quite the pain. Should've gone when it was still legal... Awesome pictures too, shame you couldn't bring the camera along to the Mass Games.
I would've paid you BIG money to bring me back a few of those "See You in NK"/Air Koryo shirts. I just spent more time than I want to admit scouring Aliexpress/eBay/Amazon for one.
I would've paid you BIG money to bring me back a few of those "See You in NK"/Air Koryo shirts. I just spent more time than I want to admit scouring Aliexpress/eBay/Amazon for one.
. Yes, hopefully they rescind the state dept rules soon. Apparently Americans made up a large portion of visitors before the ban. The shoplady said it was a new t-shirt design so may take a while to filter through to ebay.. Yes, I was surprised about the lack of photo restrictions. Most of the time we were allowed to click away. I guess they realise that most of the photos are harmless and no one cares about the rest.. It was great to relive the trip again while writing up the TR.. Just worried now that I'm running out of these strange and interesting countries to visit!
Jan 23, 2019, 3:45 am
#84
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Jan 23, 2019, 8:19 am
#85
Moderator, OneWorld
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: SEA
Programs: RAA RIP; AA ExEXP
Posts: 11,792
What a terrific read, and full of remarkable and revealing (and beautiful) photos. Thank you SO much!
45 years ago I went on an Intourist tour of Soviet Central Asia - mainly Uzbekistan but a couple of days in Tajikistan. The whole scene - the factory tours, the focus on giant monuments, the carefully curated "museums" and cultural sites... so very similar to your descriptions. Of course there were lots of ancient buildings and complexes from Silk Road days to balance out the Party landmarks, but what struck us was that in the markets and bazaars, in the streets and parks, life was being lived with joy, with laughing children, old men drinking tea... The banners and statues of Lenin were everywhere, but people just kept walking past them. Some of your images are disturbing, but many are hopeful, and we should focus on those instead of the creepy ones. Thanks again.
45 years ago I went on an Intourist tour of Soviet Central Asia - mainly Uzbekistan but a couple of days in Tajikistan. The whole scene - the factory tours, the focus on giant monuments, the carefully curated "museums" and cultural sites... so very similar to your descriptions. Of course there were lots of ancient buildings and complexes from Silk Road days to balance out the Party landmarks, but what struck us was that in the markets and bazaars, in the streets and parks, life was being lived with joy, with laughing children, old men drinking tea... The banners and statues of Lenin were everywhere, but people just kept walking past them. Some of your images are disturbing, but many are hopeful, and we should focus on those instead of the creepy ones. Thanks again.
Jan 23, 2019, 10:33 pm
#87
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
:A Journey Through Kyrgyzstan
Return To New Zealand Via South-East Asia
A Trip To Bhutan
What a terrific read, and full of remarkable and revealing (and beautiful) photos. Thank you SO much!
45 years ago I went on an Intourist tour of Soviet Central Asia - mainly Uzbekistan but a couple of days in Tajikistan. The whole scene - the factory tours, the focus on giant monuments, the carefully curated "museums" and cultural sites... so very similar to your descriptions. Of course there were lots of ancient buildings and complexes from Silk Road days to balance out the Party landmarks, but what struck us was that in the markets and bazaars, in the streets and parks, life was being lived with joy, with laughing children, old men drinking tea... The banners and statues of Lenin were everywhere, but people just kept walking past them. Some of your images are disturbing, but many are hopeful, and we should focus on those instead of the creepy ones. Thanks again.
45 years ago I went on an Intourist tour of Soviet Central Asia - mainly Uzbekistan but a couple of days in Tajikistan. The whole scene - the factory tours, the focus on giant monuments, the carefully curated "museums" and cultural sites... so very similar to your descriptions. Of course there were lots of ancient buildings and complexes from Silk Road days to balance out the Party landmarks, but what struck us was that in the markets and bazaars, in the streets and parks, life was being lived with joy, with laughing children, old men drinking tea... The banners and statues of Lenin were everywhere, but people just kept walking past them. Some of your images are disturbing, but many are hopeful, and we should focus on those instead of the creepy ones. Thanks again.
, I would have loved to have been able to see the Soviet Union at its peak. So many different people, cultures and languages under one big communist umbrella.. Safety-wise there is no real issue, unless you do something stupid. Ethics-wise is up for debate I guess.
Jan 24, 2019, 11:18 am
#88
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Posts: 1,530
