Air Koryo (JS) Y class - PEK to FNJ (Pyongyang)
May 30, 2005, 12:23 pm
#49
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Originally Posted by SMART51
Come on you kept us waiting for so long 
May 31, 2005, 9:29 am
#50
Join Date: Jul 2003
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I remember seeing another trip report, done by a westerner who lives in S. Korea, and can speak Korean fluently. Anyway, my point was that he and another traveler snuck in cell phones from S. Korea, and attempted to make calls from the DMZ. His own didn't work, but his friend's, whose cell phone uses a different company than his, did work. Not sure how thorough they are with the searches now...
May 31, 2005, 2:44 pm
#52
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Day 3 Kaesong and the DMZ
A 6.30 doesn’t normally feature high on anyone’s list of holiday pleasures. However after 9 hours sleep I positively bounded out of bed in anticipation of the day. We set off at 8 and headed south from Pyongyang in the morning rush hour. Not much traffic but plenty of people walking through the city . Pyongyang has very little urban sprawl - we drove down an apartment block lined street, under the spectacular Reunification Monument and - wallop - into the countryside. Shortly after we passed through a police check point rigorously checking ID’s. Coaches carrying foreign guests just get waved through.
Life in the country looks pretty hard. No mechanical help, just bullock carts, hand tools and the extraordinary sight of people cutting grass on the roadside with scissors. The road we drove along was a broad 4 lane highway - built in the 80’s and avoiding most of the communes. But even in the distance they looked pretty beaten up and ramshackle, with low, mean looking one storey houses and little evidence of power or light. A brief stop at a deserted service station have a chance to grab a photo of the deserted road before we plunged on through the increasingly mountainous landscape to Kaesong.
Kaesong has a population of around 1 million which meant even less traffic than Pyongyang. Our coach certainly attracted more attention than in the capital. We had a brief stop at the Koryo Museum, which showcased some of the history of the area. Set in some delightful old temple buildings, the exhibits were pretty dull save for the socialist tint to them - for example a chart depicting the cost of slaves in medieval times.
A short drive out of town brought the huge DRPK and ROK flags at the border into view. The number of military establishments dug into the hill sides increased significantly - mysterious looking doors, pillboxes scattered amongst the bushes. The highway sprouted several huge concrete tank traps with more and more barbed wire on the fences. Around a corner and the highway ground to an end - replaced with a huge concrete block suspended over the narrow road leading to the visitor centre. A brief stop to check in and pick up a military escort and we drove on into the DMZ itself - the tension in the air quite palpable. Our first stop was the Armistice Hall. A short explanation from the guide highlighted the interchangeable nature of the UN and US roles - unsurprisingly there was little acknowledgement of the role of the UN in the Korean War and the US were blamed for the aggression. Even those of us from ‘satellite’ nations (I.e. .the UK) were spared the vitriol aimed at the US. Next door was an intriguing propaganda museum but we ran out of time to look around - a pity.
The border area itself was familiar from previous visits on the southern side - thought the perspective was much changed. The photos really speak for themselves, but I can safely say that watching the RoK soldiers taking our photos and then peering in to the hall was very strange indeed. It was also instructive to talk to our trainee guides later . They found it a most emotional experience, with a mix of anger, deep sadness and fear all rolled in to. Mentally putting yourself in their shoes helped remind me that Panmunjom isn’t a tourist attraction, rather a symbol of the damage politics can do to lives. The visit itself was also less tense than on the RoK side - no detailed code of conduct, waiver forms etc. Plus you don’t bung the guide a few hundred cigarettes at the end of the tour either. That brings to mind a rather funny DPRK joke.
Tourist spots DPRK guide smoking a Marlboro. Shocked that a good Socialist would be smoking a symbol of American imperialism the tourist is compelled to comment. The guide replies - ‘I am not smoking, I am burning American cigarette’. Boom, boom.
Lunch was followed by a drive into the hills for a look at the Concrete Wall. Described on the South Side as an anti-tank barrier and in the North as a imperialist wall erected by the Southern Puppet clique to suppress the desire of the Korean people for reunification the barrier/wall snakes across the peninsula. Not an especially interesting sight, it did reinforce the very sombre message of Panmunjom. Our trainee guides were more interested in the sun glittered buildings of a distant RoK town. The video at the Wall observatory was especially memorable for an especially venomous commentary; fire and brimstone directed at the puppets and the US imperialists.
There was time before dinner to visit the huge Kim statue looking out over the town and to get some photos of the very different traditional and modern architecture in town.. We spent the night in Kaesong in the folk hotel. This was the full traditional experience - a roll on the heated floor, a wooden pillow and a dinner of many small plates eaten cross legged on the floor. Walking out of the restaurant we were struck by the beauty stars in the sky - before the realisation set in that there was NO artificial light coming from the city of 1 million souls around us. Kaesong simply does not get any power after dark - at all.
A 6.30 doesn’t normally feature high on anyone’s list of holiday pleasures. However after 9 hours sleep I positively bounded out of bed in anticipation of the day. We set off at 8 and headed south from Pyongyang in the morning rush hour. Not much traffic but plenty of people walking through the city . Pyongyang has very little urban sprawl - we drove down an apartment block lined street, under the spectacular Reunification Monument and - wallop - into the countryside. Shortly after we passed through a police check point rigorously checking ID’s. Coaches carrying foreign guests just get waved through.
Life in the country looks pretty hard. No mechanical help, just bullock carts, hand tools and the extraordinary sight of people cutting grass on the roadside with scissors. The road we drove along was a broad 4 lane highway - built in the 80’s and avoiding most of the communes. But even in the distance they looked pretty beaten up and ramshackle, with low, mean looking one storey houses and little evidence of power or light. A brief stop at a deserted service station have a chance to grab a photo of the deserted road before we plunged on through the increasingly mountainous landscape to Kaesong.
Kaesong has a population of around 1 million which meant even less traffic than Pyongyang. Our coach certainly attracted more attention than in the capital. We had a brief stop at the Koryo Museum, which showcased some of the history of the area. Set in some delightful old temple buildings, the exhibits were pretty dull save for the socialist tint to them - for example a chart depicting the cost of slaves in medieval times.
A short drive out of town brought the huge DRPK and ROK flags at the border into view. The number of military establishments dug into the hill sides increased significantly - mysterious looking doors, pillboxes scattered amongst the bushes. The highway sprouted several huge concrete tank traps with more and more barbed wire on the fences. Around a corner and the highway ground to an end - replaced with a huge concrete block suspended over the narrow road leading to the visitor centre. A brief stop to check in and pick up a military escort and we drove on into the DMZ itself - the tension in the air quite palpable. Our first stop was the Armistice Hall. A short explanation from the guide highlighted the interchangeable nature of the UN and US roles - unsurprisingly there was little acknowledgement of the role of the UN in the Korean War and the US were blamed for the aggression. Even those of us from ‘satellite’ nations (I.e. .the UK) were spared the vitriol aimed at the US. Next door was an intriguing propaganda museum but we ran out of time to look around - a pity.
The border area itself was familiar from previous visits on the southern side - thought the perspective was much changed. The photos really speak for themselves, but I can safely say that watching the RoK soldiers taking our photos and then peering in to the hall was very strange indeed. It was also instructive to talk to our trainee guides later . They found it a most emotional experience, with a mix of anger, deep sadness and fear all rolled in to. Mentally putting yourself in their shoes helped remind me that Panmunjom isn’t a tourist attraction, rather a symbol of the damage politics can do to lives. The visit itself was also less tense than on the RoK side - no detailed code of conduct, waiver forms etc. Plus you don’t bung the guide a few hundred cigarettes at the end of the tour either. That brings to mind a rather funny DPRK joke.
Tourist spots DPRK guide smoking a Marlboro. Shocked that a good Socialist would be smoking a symbol of American imperialism the tourist is compelled to comment. The guide replies - ‘I am not smoking, I am burning American cigarette’. Boom, boom.
Lunch was followed by a drive into the hills for a look at the Concrete Wall. Described on the South Side as an anti-tank barrier and in the North as a imperialist wall erected by the Southern Puppet clique to suppress the desire of the Korean people for reunification the barrier/wall snakes across the peninsula. Not an especially interesting sight, it did reinforce the very sombre message of Panmunjom. Our trainee guides were more interested in the sun glittered buildings of a distant RoK town. The video at the Wall observatory was especially memorable for an especially venomous commentary; fire and brimstone directed at the puppets and the US imperialists.
There was time before dinner to visit the huge Kim statue looking out over the town and to get some photos of the very different traditional and modern architecture in town.. We spent the night in Kaesong in the folk hotel. This was the full traditional experience - a roll on the heated floor, a wooden pillow and a dinner of many small plates eaten cross legged on the floor. Walking out of the restaurant we were struck by the beauty stars in the sky - before the realisation set in that there was NO artificial light coming from the city of 1 million souls around us. Kaesong simply does not get any power after dark - at all.
Jun 6, 2005, 3:05 pm
#59
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Posts: 23,433
Day 4 Kaesong and Pyongyang.
A block of wood makes for a surprisingly good pillow - I slept like a log. Sorry……..
I was catapulted into consciousness at 6am by the loudspeaker van. One of the many novel features of DPRK life is the communal alarm clock broadcast either by sirens (Pyongyang) or the aforementioned truck. Load it was, but as the sun was already up the lack of electricity made for an early start to the day. No hot water in the hotel meant no shower, but gave plenty of time to hangover the hotel gate and watch the world go by. Plenty of people walking, a few bikes and one car in 15 minutes, all under the gaze of a cheery looking Kim Il Sung - surrounded by flowers.
A long drive back to Pyongyang enlivened by some interesting political debates between tourist sheep and tour guides. The guides are surprisingly well informed about world affairs, though predictably they have an anti-US bias. The Iraq war conversation was entertaining - they were pleased to find the 12 sheep in their care through the whole thing was a disgrace too!
Back in the big smoke - wow look cars - our first stop was the USS Pueblo. Anyone over 50 years of age will probably remember this incident very clearly - for those younger the Pueblo was a US armed aggressor spy ship/unarmed reconnaissance vessel (delete depending on ideological preference) that was captured by the DPRK Navy when it was inside/outside N Korean territorial waters. The vessel is now moored in Pyongyang as a monument to the foolish big nosed Yankee imperialists who thought they could take on the might of Socialist power. Etc.
It was an interesting visit - not least as we were guided around by one of the sailors involved in the original capture. He had the most spectacular uniform and medals, not least a Hero of Socialism award - one of the highest honours in the country. Another vitriolic video preceded a tour around the vessel, with the locations of various gun fights, secret spy equipment etc all pointed out to us. Most telling were copies of the crew’s confessions and apologies from the US Government - both proudly on display. Fascinating stuff - and hearing the very different stories from both sides (US on the internet, DPRK in the flash) makes you realise that the truth is a very elusive concept in anything relating to North Korea.
A unmemorable lunch was taken on the Number 1 Pyongyang Boat restaurant. Much more fun was to be had trying to get the passing groups of schoolchildren to wave at us - most were interested but would only permit us a sidewise look. Only a few brave souls risked a wave. Having overdone the shochu at lunch, a 2 hour visit to the Victorious Fatherland War Museum was perhaps not top of the list for an afternoon’s activity. Still, that was where we went, pulling up in the largest, emptiest car park I have every seen. We were guided around endless rooms of propaganda by a smartly uniformed female guard. The displays were executed in a very distinctive style with the user of bold, simple graphics to drive the message home. Most impressive to my eyes, especially when combined with always striking Socialist emblems. What is entertaining is being able to read some of the English texts - it helps you realise just how selective the museum is being in its translated and highlighted quotes. It is also revealing to hear how the DPRK forces being pushed almost the entire length of the peninsula following the Incheon landings could be described as a ‘strategic retreat’.
The freezing, oily basement held a remarkable selection of Korean War vintage materiel. Everything from intact DPRK fighter jets (A Mig-19 in pride of place) through to the wreckage of US Supersabres. The wreckage was what I found distasteful - people had undoubtedly died in those planes and yet the hulks were on display rather than being left as a war grave. Not pleasant. There was also the testimony of a US helicopter pilot who strayed over the DMZ. His handwriting told a great deal about the treatment he received……The one amusing note was the stump of a ‘Hero Tree’ which had sheltered many thousands of soldiers. So what did they do - cut it down and stick it in a museum.
After a visit to a remarkable model of the Sincheon battle - a huge revolving diorama - we left the museum and walked over to the Victorious Fatherland War Memorial. More spectacular Socialist Realism on display and a photo op with our remarkably attired guide.
Next up was the Schoolchildren’s Palace. The Palace is a glorified after school club with a capacity in the thousands giving the opportunity for the Young Pioneers to do extra-curricular staff like music and martial arts. Here we hit the tourist mainstream and mingling with at least 3 other tour groups were treated to some impressive displays of musical ability in a building that smelt largely of cabbage. Just like my primary school in England! Only later did we notice that only one of the keyboards was plugged in, that not everyone’s amps was connected…we were had by the Potemkin children! The culmination of the visit was an hour long theatre, circus and dance performance. Visually spectacular I am sure but frankly I found the whole thing a little distasteful. The Chinese tour group in front of us loved it.
Dinner was Pyongyang Cold Noodles - nicer than it sounds. A few beers in the revolving restaurant on the top of the Yanggakdo hotel - looking out at the darkness - rounded off a day of normal strangeness in the normally strange land.
And apologies from me for the delays in posting. Sadly real life keeps getting in the way!
A block of wood makes for a surprisingly good pillow - I slept like a log. Sorry……..
I was catapulted into consciousness at 6am by the loudspeaker van. One of the many novel features of DPRK life is the communal alarm clock broadcast either by sirens (Pyongyang) or the aforementioned truck. Load it was, but as the sun was already up the lack of electricity made for an early start to the day. No hot water in the hotel meant no shower, but gave plenty of time to hangover the hotel gate and watch the world go by. Plenty of people walking, a few bikes and one car in 15 minutes, all under the gaze of a cheery looking Kim Il Sung - surrounded by flowers.
A long drive back to Pyongyang enlivened by some interesting political debates between tourist sheep and tour guides. The guides are surprisingly well informed about world affairs, though predictably they have an anti-US bias. The Iraq war conversation was entertaining - they were pleased to find the 12 sheep in their care through the whole thing was a disgrace too!
Back in the big smoke - wow look cars - our first stop was the USS Pueblo. Anyone over 50 years of age will probably remember this incident very clearly - for those younger the Pueblo was a US armed aggressor spy ship/unarmed reconnaissance vessel (delete depending on ideological preference) that was captured by the DPRK Navy when it was inside/outside N Korean territorial waters. The vessel is now moored in Pyongyang as a monument to the foolish big nosed Yankee imperialists who thought they could take on the might of Socialist power. Etc.
It was an interesting visit - not least as we were guided around by one of the sailors involved in the original capture. He had the most spectacular uniform and medals, not least a Hero of Socialism award - one of the highest honours in the country. Another vitriolic video preceded a tour around the vessel, with the locations of various gun fights, secret spy equipment etc all pointed out to us. Most telling were copies of the crew’s confessions and apologies from the US Government - both proudly on display. Fascinating stuff - and hearing the very different stories from both sides (US on the internet, DPRK in the flash) makes you realise that the truth is a very elusive concept in anything relating to North Korea.
A unmemorable lunch was taken on the Number 1 Pyongyang Boat restaurant. Much more fun was to be had trying to get the passing groups of schoolchildren to wave at us - most were interested but would only permit us a sidewise look. Only a few brave souls risked a wave. Having overdone the shochu at lunch, a 2 hour visit to the Victorious Fatherland War Museum was perhaps not top of the list for an afternoon’s activity. Still, that was where we went, pulling up in the largest, emptiest car park I have every seen. We were guided around endless rooms of propaganda by a smartly uniformed female guard. The displays were executed in a very distinctive style with the user of bold, simple graphics to drive the message home. Most impressive to my eyes, especially when combined with always striking Socialist emblems. What is entertaining is being able to read some of the English texts - it helps you realise just how selective the museum is being in its translated and highlighted quotes. It is also revealing to hear how the DPRK forces being pushed almost the entire length of the peninsula following the Incheon landings could be described as a ‘strategic retreat’.
The freezing, oily basement held a remarkable selection of Korean War vintage materiel. Everything from intact DPRK fighter jets (A Mig-19 in pride of place) through to the wreckage of US Supersabres. The wreckage was what I found distasteful - people had undoubtedly died in those planes and yet the hulks were on display rather than being left as a war grave. Not pleasant. There was also the testimony of a US helicopter pilot who strayed over the DMZ. His handwriting told a great deal about the treatment he received……The one amusing note was the stump of a ‘Hero Tree’ which had sheltered many thousands of soldiers. So what did they do - cut it down and stick it in a museum.
After a visit to a remarkable model of the Sincheon battle - a huge revolving diorama - we left the museum and walked over to the Victorious Fatherland War Memorial. More spectacular Socialist Realism on display and a photo op with our remarkably attired guide.
Next up was the Schoolchildren’s Palace. The Palace is a glorified after school club with a capacity in the thousands giving the opportunity for the Young Pioneers to do extra-curricular staff like music and martial arts. Here we hit the tourist mainstream and mingling with at least 3 other tour groups were treated to some impressive displays of musical ability in a building that smelt largely of cabbage. Just like my primary school in England! Only later did we notice that only one of the keyboards was plugged in, that not everyone’s amps was connected…we were had by the Potemkin children! The culmination of the visit was an hour long theatre, circus and dance performance. Visually spectacular I am sure but frankly I found the whole thing a little distasteful. The Chinese tour group in front of us loved it.
Dinner was Pyongyang Cold Noodles - nicer than it sounds. A few beers in the revolving restaurant on the top of the Yanggakdo hotel - looking out at the darkness - rounded off a day of normal strangeness in the normally strange land.
And apologies from me for the delays in posting. Sadly real life keeps getting in the way!