Air Koryo (JS) Y class - PEK to FNJ (Pyongyang)
Sep 22, 2005, 8:01 am
#106
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There's an apparent opportunity for Americans to travel to DPRK in October, see the front page of:
http://www.koryogroup.com/
From the notice...
http://www.koryogroup.com/
From the notice...
FINALLY! A chance for Americans to visit DPRK (North Korea)!!!!!
For only the 3rd time in 13 years of running tours to DPRK (North Korea) Koryo Tours have been given access for US citizens (American passport holders) to visit North Korea for this year’s Arirang festival. The festival began on August 16th and its finish dates has been extended to Oct 17th. US citizens will be allowed into the country for October only and only for a limited period, this is the first such chance since 2002 and the Mass Games will not be repeated until 2008. After Oct 17th US citizens will once again be unable to obtain DPRK visas.
This is your only opportunity to see the least visited country on earth and experience Arirang Mass Games – the biggest choreographed socialist realism spectacular on earth. Arirang 2005 has been performed in the May Day stadium (capacity 150,000) every night since August 16th and will be the last Mass Games until 2008, Be there for the finale of the largest Mass Games the world has ever seen!
Due to the incredibly short notice of this announcement we are able to offer only three set of dates for this trip, discounts are available for students and groups of 3 or more booking together, all prices are all inclusive from Beijing, China.
Koryo Tours have specialised in travel to DPRK since 1993 and are recognised as the leading experts in travel to this unusual destination. As well as consulting for the Lonely Planet and Bradt Guide we have made two award winning films including our recent piece on mass games (www.astatefomind.co.uk). In 1995 and 2002 we took over 100 US tourists to DPRK.
Following the tour details is some important information on booking the tours that must be followed to successfully get a place on this utterly unique trip, note that the DEADLINES FOR COMPLETE APPLICATION ARE 7 DAYS BEFORE THE TOUR, any applications after that point will not be accepted, so don’t delay in deciding to be part of the first group of American tourists in North Korea in 3 years.
The tour dates that we are offering are as follows, prices for all tours are 1490 Euros per person all inclusive from Beijing. Flight in and out.
US citizens can only be issued visas to stay in DPRK for 3 nights maximum so as a result we are only able to run short tours, we will be running these tours departing Beijing on Sat 1st October, Sat 8th October and Sat 15th October only.
AMERICANS TOUR 1: Saturday 1st October – Tuesday 4th October
AMERICANS TOUR 2: Saturday 8th October – Tuesday 11th October
AMERICANS TOUR 3: Saturday 15th October – Tuesday 18th October
For only the 3rd time in 13 years of running tours to DPRK (North Korea) Koryo Tours have been given access for US citizens (American passport holders) to visit North Korea for this year’s Arirang festival. The festival began on August 16th and its finish dates has been extended to Oct 17th. US citizens will be allowed into the country for October only and only for a limited period, this is the first such chance since 2002 and the Mass Games will not be repeated until 2008. After Oct 17th US citizens will once again be unable to obtain DPRK visas.
This is your only opportunity to see the least visited country on earth and experience Arirang Mass Games – the biggest choreographed socialist realism spectacular on earth. Arirang 2005 has been performed in the May Day stadium (capacity 150,000) every night since August 16th and will be the last Mass Games until 2008, Be there for the finale of the largest Mass Games the world has ever seen!
Due to the incredibly short notice of this announcement we are able to offer only three set of dates for this trip, discounts are available for students and groups of 3 or more booking together, all prices are all inclusive from Beijing, China.
Koryo Tours have specialised in travel to DPRK since 1993 and are recognised as the leading experts in travel to this unusual destination. As well as consulting for the Lonely Planet and Bradt Guide we have made two award winning films including our recent piece on mass games (www.astatefomind.co.uk). In 1995 and 2002 we took over 100 US tourists to DPRK.
Following the tour details is some important information on booking the tours that must be followed to successfully get a place on this utterly unique trip, note that the DEADLINES FOR COMPLETE APPLICATION ARE 7 DAYS BEFORE THE TOUR, any applications after that point will not be accepted, so don’t delay in deciding to be part of the first group of American tourists in North Korea in 3 years.
The tour dates that we are offering are as follows, prices for all tours are 1490 Euros per person all inclusive from Beijing. Flight in and out.
US citizens can only be issued visas to stay in DPRK for 3 nights maximum so as a result we are only able to run short tours, we will be running these tours departing Beijing on Sat 1st October, Sat 8th October and Sat 15th October only.
AMERICANS TOUR 1: Saturday 1st October – Tuesday 4th October
AMERICANS TOUR 2: Saturday 8th October – Tuesday 11th October
AMERICANS TOUR 3: Saturday 15th October – Tuesday 18th October
Oct 1, 2005, 10:36 pm
#107
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Swanhunter,
Truly a great series of reports. I will be visiting DPRK myself from October 15-18 2005. As one of the previous posters noted, DPRK is currently issuing visas to US citizens for the Arirang, or Mass Games, which apparently they do every three years. They are allowing Americans to stay for only 3 days, so the sights to be seen will not be as extensive as they were for you. According to Koryo Tours, after the October 15 departure from Beijing, US citizens won't be issued visas again until 2008. Since I don't even know if I will be alive in 2008, I decided to grasp the opportunity and go now. I plan on submitting a report when I return.
For those US citizens who think they might like to take advantage of this opportunity, you may contact the agency handling this at [email protected]. However, by this time it may already be too late, especially considering the fact that you will also need a double entry Chinese visa, if you don't already have one. But it never hurts to ask. The cost of the 3-day trip is steep, 1490 euros all-inclusive. Of course, the costs of getting to Beijing and staying there are extra.
Again, congratulations on a great report, and I hope to be able to compare notes after my trip is completed.
Truly a great series of reports. I will be visiting DPRK myself from October 15-18 2005. As one of the previous posters noted, DPRK is currently issuing visas to US citizens for the Arirang, or Mass Games, which apparently they do every three years. They are allowing Americans to stay for only 3 days, so the sights to be seen will not be as extensive as they were for you. According to Koryo Tours, after the October 15 departure from Beijing, US citizens won't be issued visas again until 2008. Since I don't even know if I will be alive in 2008, I decided to grasp the opportunity and go now. I plan on submitting a report when I return.
For those US citizens who think they might like to take advantage of this opportunity, you may contact the agency handling this at [email protected]. However, by this time it may already be too late, especially considering the fact that you will also need a double entry Chinese visa, if you don't already have one. But it never hurts to ask. The cost of the 3-day trip is steep, 1490 euros all-inclusive. Of course, the costs of getting to Beijing and staying there are extra.
Again, congratulations on a great report, and I hope to be able to compare notes after my trip is completed.
Oct 3, 2005, 7:39 am
#108
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Originally Posted by wjfickling
Truly a great series of reports. I will be visiting DPRK myself from October 15-18 2005. As one of the previous posters noted, DPRK is currently issuing visas to US citizens for the Arirang, or Mass Games, which apparently they do every three years.
Oct 3, 2005, 2:47 pm
#109
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Originally Posted by CApreppie
SwanhunterI don't think US citizens will be allowed in North Korea for a very long time if unless something radical and unexpected occurs. A US citizen would have better luck getting dual citizenship with a country friendlier to N. Korea and going with that passport.
Good job Swanhunter, looking forward to reading the conclusion.
Oct 4, 2005, 2:30 pm
#110
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Originally Posted by Swanhunter
No overhead lockers in the cabin, just a straightforward shelf which was sufficiently small that a standard roll onboard case wouldn’t fit.
Ha, ha.
Oct 9, 2005, 9:07 pm
#111
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Originally Posted by Arnur
I have some doubts about this statement. As a matter of fact, any country that accepts tourists on package deals seems to be rather accessible to me. Try visiting a place like Angola if you want real hassle with your visa (unless you are employed in the oil industry). As for personal security, police states tend to be good about that. I for once would be more concerned in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia or the DR Congo, where getting a visa is much less of a problem.
Well, the website says it's the least visited country in the world.
Oct 10, 2005, 10:21 am
#112
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Oct 20, 2005, 7:41 am
#113
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Originally Posted by SoManyMiles-SoLittleTime
Oh my God. The photos of the luggage racks are amazing. "Please be sure the overhead bins are locked for takeoff, and be careful opening during flight..."
Ha, ha.
Ha, ha.
Trip report to follow....
Dec 25, 2005, 2:06 pm
#116
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Day 8 Pyongyang to the border
Another hangover, another missed breakfast but still time to lean out the window and look at the peaceful Pyongyang skyline one more time, The only sign of life a truck belching black smoke as it drove along the embankment. The bus ride to the railway station was short and incident free - lack of traffic does have its advantages when planning travel. The square in front of the railway station was heaving with people, with plenty heading in and out of the locals entrance. Foreigners get to use a special doorway with lots of documentation checking (slightly traumatic for me as I was nominally in charge) before getting anywhere near the transport.
Alongside Platform 1 lay a classic Communist bloc train, familiar from travels in China, Russia and the Ukraine. The only splash of colour were the 2 Vostok cars - Pyongyang to Moscow weekly and painted in a striking Russian flag scheme. Trans-Siberian eat your heart out, 8.5 days to Moskva. We soon dumped our stuff in the Beijing bound Chinese soft sleeper car that was home for the next 21 hours and then joined the guides to say a pretty emotional farewell. The train seemed busy in the local cars, and in the 2 heading to Beijing but the Russian cars were resolutely empty. Rumour has it this service to Europe will end soon. A missed opportunity, but the toilets did reek.
Band on 11 the train pulled out and we treated the platform to a rousing rendition of a few DPRK Karaoke favourites. It got a laugh. Long train journeys are always a treat - a chance watch the world go by and ponder a little. 8 days in the DPRK certainly gave plenty of material to ponder and the glacially slow progress we made gave the time too. The track was in appalling condition and we did little more than 40 mph the whole way to the border. The trip took us through the same sad fields, villages and towns, with the same sad, ramshackle lives being carried on in full view. Little sign of industrial activity on the route, save the occasional coal train - seemingly all coming from China.
After 5 hours we ground into Sinuijiu and the border crossing. 4 hours after that, we left! The intervening period saw me get chased by guard with a big gun for trying to sneak a photo of the train, one of the group get a bad attack of the runs and discover all the toilets were locked and we all participated in an immigration check and customs search that makes the treatment received by aliens at the hands of the DHS and TSA look like a kids tea party. I have never, ever had every item in my wallet spread out on the table…!
The horn blast for the big, shining Chinese loco indicated we were away from all of this. The Chinese on board visibly relaxed and the conductor smiled for the first time. Grumbling onto the river bridge we caught our first sight of Dandong. The contrast with Sinuijiu could not have been greater. Glass fronted office blocks and neon glittered across the river. For the first time ever I really got to understand what the ‘shock’ of first world living is like for someone from a poor, deprived area. Impossible to explain clearly, I hope it makes some sort of sense. Suffice to say we spent the first 10 minutes open mouthed, occasional exclaiming at the sight of a barbers, supermarket or restaurant.
The overnight journey on to Beijing was routine - just like many other trains I have ridden in China. The anti-climatic bit was arriving the following morning in a city that for me once represent the apogee of ‘different’. Now it all seemed rather familiar, warm and ‘Western’.
Conclusion
7 months later, the whole experience is still vivid in my mind. So is the sense of sadness at the lives of the people of the DPRK. I won’t delve into the politics of the situation - I trust my report and some of the better academic texts will give people enough information on that - but I will say it is a deep sadness to me that a nation of people are deprived of so much that is good in the world.
Would I go back? Yes, without doubt. I just hope to make that trip when Pyongyang is a happier place.
Next up from me will be Turkemenistan sometime in the Autumn. Unless something interesting happens sooner!
Another hangover, another missed breakfast but still time to lean out the window and look at the peaceful Pyongyang skyline one more time, The only sign of life a truck belching black smoke as it drove along the embankment. The bus ride to the railway station was short and incident free - lack of traffic does have its advantages when planning travel. The square in front of the railway station was heaving with people, with plenty heading in and out of the locals entrance. Foreigners get to use a special doorway with lots of documentation checking (slightly traumatic for me as I was nominally in charge) before getting anywhere near the transport.
Alongside Platform 1 lay a classic Communist bloc train, familiar from travels in China, Russia and the Ukraine. The only splash of colour were the 2 Vostok cars - Pyongyang to Moscow weekly and painted in a striking Russian flag scheme. Trans-Siberian eat your heart out, 8.5 days to Moskva. We soon dumped our stuff in the Beijing bound Chinese soft sleeper car that was home for the next 21 hours and then joined the guides to say a pretty emotional farewell. The train seemed busy in the local cars, and in the 2 heading to Beijing but the Russian cars were resolutely empty. Rumour has it this service to Europe will end soon. A missed opportunity, but the toilets did reek.
Band on 11 the train pulled out and we treated the platform to a rousing rendition of a few DPRK Karaoke favourites. It got a laugh. Long train journeys are always a treat - a chance watch the world go by and ponder a little. 8 days in the DPRK certainly gave plenty of material to ponder and the glacially slow progress we made gave the time too. The track was in appalling condition and we did little more than 40 mph the whole way to the border. The trip took us through the same sad fields, villages and towns, with the same sad, ramshackle lives being carried on in full view. Little sign of industrial activity on the route, save the occasional coal train - seemingly all coming from China.
After 5 hours we ground into Sinuijiu and the border crossing. 4 hours after that, we left! The intervening period saw me get chased by guard with a big gun for trying to sneak a photo of the train, one of the group get a bad attack of the runs and discover all the toilets were locked and we all participated in an immigration check and customs search that makes the treatment received by aliens at the hands of the DHS and TSA look like a kids tea party. I have never, ever had every item in my wallet spread out on the table…!
The horn blast for the big, shining Chinese loco indicated we were away from all of this. The Chinese on board visibly relaxed and the conductor smiled for the first time. Grumbling onto the river bridge we caught our first sight of Dandong. The contrast with Sinuijiu could not have been greater. Glass fronted office blocks and neon glittered across the river. For the first time ever I really got to understand what the ‘shock’ of first world living is like for someone from a poor, deprived area. Impossible to explain clearly, I hope it makes some sort of sense. Suffice to say we spent the first 10 minutes open mouthed, occasional exclaiming at the sight of a barbers, supermarket or restaurant.
The overnight journey on to Beijing was routine - just like many other trains I have ridden in China. The anti-climatic bit was arriving the following morning in a city that for me once represent the apogee of ‘different’. Now it all seemed rather familiar, warm and ‘Western’.
Conclusion
7 months later, the whole experience is still vivid in my mind. So is the sense of sadness at the lives of the people of the DPRK. I won’t delve into the politics of the situation - I trust my report and some of the better academic texts will give people enough information on that - but I will say it is a deep sadness to me that a nation of people are deprived of so much that is good in the world.
Would I go back? Yes, without doubt. I just hope to make that trip when Pyongyang is a happier place.
Next up from me will be Turkemenistan sometime in the Autumn. Unless something interesting happens sooner!
^ A most interesting and quite poignant trip report to read.