THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: originalz on August 21, 2012, 12:40:47 PM

Title: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 21, 2012, 12:40:47 PM
Yeah so I heard that Kim Jong Un is a fan of the NBA so I figured that such a great guy must run a fantastic country!  I did see a lot of basketball hoops around so I guess I'm satisfied with the trip.

Spent a week and a half there seeing all sorts of interesting shit, from the DMZ to the northern mountains.  Overall my experience was very positive and the people were super-friendly.  Yeah it was a guided tour but we did have a lot of freedom to do stuff that we wanted, and could walk around and take pictures without much restriction.  Despite the divide, the people are still very-much Korean and you can see so many similarities between the North and the South.  They're also really proud of their history and culture, which I was happy to see since lots of communist countries rejected the past.  Really, that's the best way I can describe the people is that they're still Korean, perhaps moreso than those in the South?

The country itself is like a world that started at the 60s and evolved completely differently from the rest of the world.  There is still a lot of that old-style feeling, but there is also modernization that you can see, like some weird alternate universe.  Even when I was there it was hard to believe that the place existed.  From what they told me they just stick with what they learned and what works, there was really no incentive to reinvent the wheel and keep updating due to modern trends so even new projects can seem fairly retro.  I guess that makes sense.

Anyway as you could imagine I took a fair amount of pictures and videos, I guess I can show off some things that I saw.  No bullshit or agendas here, I'll give the REAL TALK!  Might as well start at the beginning!

(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8426/img3909ao.jpg)

The most common way to get into the country is to fly from Beijing.  I spent a few days there and experienced such marvels as the Great Wall and the Great Pollution which always gives you a cloudy sky.

(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4991/img6020b.jpg)

Staying in Beijing also taught me that military-grade firearms are apparently considered dangerous to bring on public transport.  Good thing I didn't bring my sniper rifle.

(http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5664/img5982r.jpg)

Entry visa.

(http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/751/img3911ts.jpg)

Air Koryo is the official airline of the country.  No complaints.

(http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/3271/img3912b.jpg)

Terrible shot of the interior.

(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/8936/img3914po.jpg)

It's all very red.

(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8421/img3915ft.jpg)

Weird outlet in the bathroom.

(http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4076/img3918hw.jpg)

Airplane food.

(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8822/img3917uk.jpg)

Entry forms.  Indeed, foreign cell phones are banned in the country!  Any device with GPS is, including newer digital cameras with GPS featuers.  I brought my Kindle with me with no problem.

(http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2058/img3920vu.jpg)

View from the plane.

(http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7222/img3921yh.jpg)

Another view.  I was pretty shocked at how few roads were paved.

(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6574/img5951a.jpg)

Arrival at Pyongyang airport.

(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5958/img5952f.jpg)

The runway.

(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1194/img5953jb.jpg)

Main entrance of the airport.   The airport itself is super-tiny, just one large room that handles everything.  Immigration, baggage claim, and customs are all next to each other.  I didn't take any pictures inside the airport since I'm not sure if it would have been considered a security risk and I wasn't about to take any chances on my first day.

(http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/313/img5981a.jpg)

One thing worth noting is that they don't stamp your passport at immigration.  They only stamp your visa so there's no record of the trip that other countries can see, which is good since I think Japan has some restrictions for entering the DPRK and I'm sure you'd be singled out at security at plenty of other countries if they saw it.

Yeah I'm gonna go to bed now so stay tuned for the next exciting episode.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Great Rumbler on August 21, 2012, 12:47:57 PM
:bow Best Korea :bow2
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Diunx on August 21, 2012, 12:53:19 PM

Airplane food.

(http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4076/img3918hw.jpg)



Holy shit! back in the 90's I used to get a tiny sandwich or some shitty pasta when going to mericu, now I'm lucking if I get some pretzels and a coke.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on August 21, 2012, 12:58:33 PM
Did you smuggle an iphone in your ass, Christopher Walken-style?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on August 21, 2012, 01:04:06 PM
 :hyper
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Atramental on August 21, 2012, 02:12:36 PM
Pretty cool stuff.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Arbys Roast Beef Sandwich on August 21, 2012, 03:04:59 PM
Fucking jealous bro. Have always wanted to go just for the kitsch factor of it; since the country seems to be stuck in a timewarp.

Did they show you the "poor" parts of the country or did you get the touristy "Best Korea" song and dance?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on August 21, 2012, 03:35:23 PM
Fucking jealous bro. Have always wanted to go just for the kitsch factor of it; since the country seems to be stuck in a timewarp.

Did they show you the "poor" parts of the country or did you get the touristy "Best Korea" song and dance?

Quote from:  Tour Guard
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN BEST KOREA.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND.

It's a complete propaganda tour.  The "guides" are with you at all times and you are not allowed to go anywhere on your own.  Check out the VICE Guide To North Korea for a good documentary on it:

http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3

Props to Z for going...I'd be too afraid of getting stuck there for any number of reasons.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on August 21, 2012, 03:51:06 PM
That Outrun cabinet is one of the prime attractions of their entire country.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Himu on August 21, 2012, 04:09:03 PM
this is amazing
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Cerveza mas fina on August 21, 2012, 04:12:34 PM
Need more pics!

Also you say the people you met were nice. Im wondering, did you happen to go to a park where there were people dancing andnyou were asked to join in?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: recursivelyenumerable on August 21, 2012, 06:53:00 PM
Quote
From what they told me they just stick with what they learned and what works, there was really no incentive to reinvent the wheel and keep updating due to modern trends so even new projects can seem fairly retro.

ah, so it's a whole country run like an IT department. That explains a lot
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: tiesto on August 21, 2012, 09:08:58 PM
did you get some (unshaven) North Korean strange?

 :o

Keep dem pics coming Z, looks like a helluva trip!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: pilonv1 on August 21, 2012, 10:29:30 PM
This is great, please keep the pics and descriptions coming.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Diunx on August 21, 2012, 11:13:55 PM
I'm the only one thinking he is in a concentration camp right now?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 22, 2012, 12:34:06 AM
Fucking jealous bro. Have always wanted to go just for the kitsch factor of it; since the country seems to be stuck in a timewarp.

Did they show you the "poor" parts of the country or did you get the touristy "Best Korea" song and dance?

It's always been a dream of mine to visit the country.  I studied the history and political situation of North-South relations in university, and that kind of snowballed into doing a lot of research and reading books, it just really fascinated me.  I've also read a lot of pro-DPRK stuff so I consider myself to have a pretty open mind about the country compared to most people.  It wasn't until recently that American citizens could visit the country, so I figured that I might as well take a summer vacation and see it for myself.

I saw plenty of poverty.  Most bathrooms in the country don't have running water, there are electricity problems.  Even still, we could kind of request certain things, like there were specific sights and restaurants we were interested in visiting and they allowed us to go.  Obviously I can't say whether or not the whole country was a showcase but we did pass by some pretty bad areas so who knows.  Like I said though I didn't come in with any agenda and I've seen plenty of shithole villages and slums in every country so it's not like it's a problem unique to the DPRK.

Fucking jealous bro. Have always wanted to go just for the kitsch factor of it; since the country seems to be stuck in a timewarp.

Did they show you the "poor" parts of the country or did you get the touristy "Best Korea" song and dance?

Quote from:  Tour Guard
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN BEST KOREA.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND.

It's a complete propaganda tour.  The "guides" are with you at all times and you are not allowed to go anywhere on your own.  Check out the VICE Guide To North Korea for a good documentary on it:

http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3

Props to Z for going...I'd be too afraid of getting stuck there for any number of reasons.

I've seen the Vice guide before and I dunno, they've done other travel guides and they're all garbage so I'm not sure why this one is so well-regarded.  Anyway apparently tours were significantly different back then, they only showed you Pyongyang and the DMZ and there were a lot of restrictions.  They've slowly been opening up more of the country and being more relaxed about it, I've heard stories about how they used to check your pictures and delete anything they didn't like, never happened to me.

There's apparently another tour option where you travel the Eastern side of the country and you really see the unexplored parts, perhaps I'll adventure it someday.

Need more pics!

Also you say the people you met were nice. Im wondering, did you happen to go to a park where there were people dancing andnyou were asked to join in?

Not sure what you mean by the dancing.  We were there during a national holiday and there was supposed to be a mass-dance in the main square, but it was raining and got cancelled I guess.  Just as well.  By friendliness, people were constantly waving to us, whether we were passing on the bus or walking on the streets, people that obviously weren't plants.  Some people tried talking to me but my lack of Korean really showed through there.  Even the military guys we ran across were really friendly and wanted to take pictures with us and such.  Even when they heard I was American they didn't care.  The only time we encountered any hostility is when we went to an amusement park and got the VIP treatment, being able to immediately go to the front of the line.  Some of the people who had been standing in line for a long time got pretty pissed of and started yelling at us, heh.

I guess at one of the parks we were having a barbecue and one of the tourists tried to chat to the waitress in broken Korean, eventually they got to the point where she was encouraging him to sing national anthems and have him dance to traditional Korean songs, rather embarrassing to watch and I didn't get the impression that was planned out.

Anyway, piczzzzzz!  I should say that I saw plenty of pictures and stuff from other tourists so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into.  Even still, being there is completely different, you really can't prepare yourself.  Also being on a long tour I saw a lot of things that a lot of tourists never visit.

Many pictures were taken from the inside of the bus so mind the glare and shoddy positioning.

So the airport is about 30 minutes away from the main city.  Got a few good shots of the countryside as we drove by.

(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5821/img3925j.jpg)

(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8135/img3937n.jpg)

(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7745/img3935p.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2393/img3926x.jpg)

(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8216/img3927g.jpg)

I'll assume this is a school, you can see a basketball hoop!

(http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/6651/img3941n.jpg)

Slowly making way to the city.

(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1779/img3942h.jpg)

(http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/9586/img3944ox.jpg)

Murals all over the place.  They replace them often too, they were already changed by the time we left.

(http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/723/img3945v.jpg)

(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4299/img3946uu.jpg)

(http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/9166/img3947hc.jpg)

(http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8941/img3948m.jpg)

(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/859/img3949x.jpg)

(http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/9926/img3954ti.jpg)

(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/921/img3955lv.jpg)

(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9594/img3959zx.jpg)

(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2071/img3961wz.jpg)

(http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2499/img3963r.jpg)

(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8444/img3965h.jpg)

(http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/462/img3967zf.jpg)

(http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4576/img3969y.jpg)

(http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/998/img3971i.jpg)

(http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8784/img3972g.jpg)

(http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/1701/img3981f.jpg)

Pyongyang city is actually pretty big and takes quite a long time to drive through.  That kind of surprised me, it was also pretty amazing to see just how there's very much a lifestyle here.  Even at that point I was still kind of shocked to just see it being a "real" place instead of a setpiece.  I can't even describe the emotions that I had going through the city at first.

Anyway that's enough for now, stay tuned for the next episode where I show off the hotel and the Arirang games!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 22, 2012, 12:46:36 AM
Awesome pictures.

Were you traveling alone? And did you bring back any cool souvenirs?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Diunx on August 22, 2012, 12:49:25 AM
So fucking empty!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: pickle on August 22, 2012, 04:22:03 AM
From the sounds of it, North Korea's government has really calmed down. Good news?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Beezy on August 22, 2012, 05:48:07 AM
The calm before the storm
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on August 22, 2012, 08:41:21 AM
Nice pics Z. I've heard that NK is surprisingly full of seriously beauteous girls, is this true?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Brehvolution on August 22, 2012, 09:44:44 AM
Thanks for sharing! :hyper

You are best originalz.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 22, 2012, 11:48:32 PM
Awesome pictures.

Were you traveling alone? And did you bring back any cool souvenirs?

Went on my own but in a tour group.  It's possible to get private tours but they're quite a bit more expensive.  Bought tons of shit, mainly books and DVDs, some candy and posters as well.

From the sounds of it, North Korea's government has really calmed down. Good news?

The economy has definitely been picking up, you can really see it with the development of new buildings and projects.  I really have a lot of hope for Kim Jong Un.

Nice pics Z. I've heard that NK is surprisingly full of seriously beauteous girls, is this true?

In all honesty I found the ratio about the same as everywhere else, there were definitely some lookers but overall I'd say they were no better than those in the South.

Some of the more attractive girls I saw were in the military, oddly enough.  Here's a shot I was able to sneak since it's quite rude to take someone's picture without their permission.

(http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/278/img4387t.jpg)

Anyway we finally arrived at the hotel.

(http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6038/img5464j.jpg)

They really love their revolving restaurants there.

(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4561/img4013ls.jpg)

(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5151/img4012bu.jpg)

(http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1015/img3996xg.jpg)

(http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/7918/img3995na.jpg)

(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4789/img3998n.jpg)

(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8831/img4000w.jpg)

(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/4149/img3988ob.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4547/img3986a.jpg)

(http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8839/img3987n.jpg)

(http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5425/img3993q.jpg)

Looking out the window.

(http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/756/img3991qx.jpg)

More basketball.  They told me that it had been popular long before Kim Jong Un showed up.

(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1131/img4009ka.jpg)

Dinnertime!

(http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2522/img4008vk.jpg)

(http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/96/img4001v.jpg)

Similar to South Koreans, people love drinking here.  This bottle of beer costs around 50 cents, so needless to say I drank quite a bit during the trip.  DPRK beer is bloody good yo, completely different from the shit in the South.  Tastes more like Belgium beer, very deep like you're drinking bread.  There were some people from Germany and Belgium on the trip and they said that this was the real deal.

DPRK has some similarities to food in the South although there are some differences.  Overall I find ROK food to be better, although I did eat some great things.

(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2206/img4005e.jpg)

(http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8370/img4004nk.jpg)

(http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/2893/img4007wl.jpg)

(http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/7535/img4006w.jpg)

After food we went to the Arirang games.

(http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/5209/img4014ub.jpg)

Arirang was amazing and worthy of its own post, so stay tuned!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Bebpo on August 23, 2012, 02:01:32 AM
Great pictures. 
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Mr. Gundam on August 23, 2012, 02:07:37 AM
I love the pics and your commentary.

I want some North Korean beer. I would be the envy of everyone on Beer Advocate and Untappd.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: pickle on August 23, 2012, 05:26:33 AM
I do hear good things about North Korean beer.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on August 23, 2012, 05:29:55 AM
The food looks pretty decent. Great thread btw.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 23, 2012, 06:54:40 AM
The food looks pretty decent. Great thread btw.

Yeah, it's totally different than the Vice Guide documentary. All the food that they had was too fried/over cooked apparently, I think the speculated that it was because North Koreans don't have much experience cooking things.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: tiesto on August 23, 2012, 08:54:52 AM
I love the pics and your commentary.

I want some North Korean beer. I would be the envy of everyone on Beer Advocate and Untappd.

I actually found Pyongyang Soju imported from NK in a local liquor store. Had to pick it up due to curiosity, but it was disgusting.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 23, 2012, 09:14:56 AM
All right, time for Arirang!

So Arirang itself is a famous North Korean song that's based on a folk story.  It's also the basis for the Mass Games, which is really something that you can't convey through pictures.  Like, you guys will have no idea how amazing this thing is in person, it's unreal.  It's also apparently the last year that these games will be held, for some reason Kim Jong Un thinks it's a waste of money.  That was one of the reasons why I decided to go this year.  They're not really "games", more like a grand stage performance that's separated by themes.  The more I think about it the more impressive it seems, even watching a video can't compare.  I did take a few vids of it, I can upload them if people are interested but they're nothing fantastic.

(http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2135/img4021ek.jpg)

The stadium.

(http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9039/img4022a.jpg)

(http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/5816/img4024c.jpg)

See all those colorful boxes in the stands?  Those are all people holding cards.

(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7113/img4031h.jpg)

That shit in the back is all switched on the fly, it's seriously unbelievable.

(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9348/img4032l.jpg)

(http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/7408/img4039b.jpg)

(http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/999/img4042y.jpg)

(http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/7172/img4045xt.jpg)

(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3647/img4046o.jpg)

Juche, the philosophy of the country.

(http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/783/img4047rs.jpg)

Flowers.  Yup, all humans out there.

(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/8913/img4049u.jpg)

DPRK flag.

(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5050/img4051lq.jpg)

(http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7483/img4052n.jpg)

Remember, all of those pictures are just people holding cards.

(http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/5820/img4053vc.jpg)

(http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6262/img4054y.jpg)

(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/480/img4057r.jpg)

(http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2120/img4059al.jpg)

(http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5298/img4063d.jpg)

(http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3282/img4064a.jpg)

I did eat a lot of apples in the country.

(http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8221/img4071s.jpg)

Taekwondo, I got a video of this section.

(http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/4120/img4080f.jpg)

Unified Korea.

(http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3746/img4083pu.jpg)

Chinese-DPRK friendship.

(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5157/img4085jb.jpg)

(http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5228/img4087o.jpg)

(http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6196/img4088i.jpg)

Grand finale.

(http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9262/img4089km.jpg)

Goddamn, what a show!

(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7094/img4095zn.jpg)

I tried so hard to get a good picture of the night skyline from my hotel window but it never came out right no many how many pictures I took and how hard I tried to remain still.

Well, that's the end of day 1!  Day 2 was the Pyongyang city tour.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: demi on August 23, 2012, 09:17:27 AM
OriginalZ > EviLore
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on August 23, 2012, 10:10:44 AM
Did you see any neon lights/signs there?  It seems like they have none.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Mupepe on August 23, 2012, 10:51:34 AM
Holy shit that looks amazing!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on August 23, 2012, 11:21:12 AM
:bow Thread of the Year. :bow2

This is great stuff.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Atramental on August 23, 2012, 01:46:12 PM
 :bow

It's like a dystopian Disneyland resort.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 25, 2012, 09:16:38 PM
Day 2.

Did you see any neon lights/signs there?  It seems like they have none.

There is neon there but it's very different from other countries.  You can kind of see it in that picture of the night skyline.  I really don't know how to explain it, but it has a kind of retro-60s scifi look.  Here's a few shots where you can see how it looks:

(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9007/img5635o.jpg)

(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/361/img5636s.jpg)

(http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/3650/img5637ir.jpg)

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program!

(http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/3343/img4099h.jpg)

Good morning!  Time to ride around the city!

(http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/1538/img4113f.jpg)

(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3346/img4123ua.jpg)

(http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8931/img4122j.jpg)

(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7663/img4112yq.jpg)

(http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8062/img4119i.jpg)

(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1349/img4124jp.jpg)

(http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/220/img4105i.jpg)

(http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6522/img4117cr.jpg)

That huge pyramid in the background is some hotel they've been working on the past 20 years.  Looks eerie with all the fog.

(http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/9474/img4108j.jpg)

(http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4987/img4132hn.jpg)

(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/7809/img4127qc.jpg)

Subway station.

(http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6879/img4135ar.jpg)

(http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/319/img4126b.jpg)

(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9887/img4134bj.jpg)

The city seems unreal at first but after spending some time there you kind of get used to it.

First stop for the day was the Pyongyang film studios!

(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/360/img4137h.jpg)
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Olivia Wilde Homo on August 25, 2012, 09:37:04 PM
Fantastic thread, keep it up!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Great Rumbler on August 25, 2012, 09:57:57 PM
The city seems so surreal. It's like those movies where it's the end of the world and there are only a few people left wandering around in the city, it just looks so empty.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Spurgeon on August 25, 2012, 10:58:18 PM
This is an awesome thread. I sort of regret not trying to visit when I was on that side of the planet, but I think you've inspired me if/when I return.

How much did the trip cost you? Did you ever feel nervous at any point? Also, what kind of camera did you use for these pics?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on August 25, 2012, 11:02:02 PM
dude, this is so freaking awesome.

thanks very much for the sharing of your adventures.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Snuflupagulus on August 25, 2012, 11:26:13 PM
No clue why, but I think of Wim Wenders or Fellini when looking at the pictures. Just some daft, disjointed association...

Looking forward to more.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 26, 2012, 02:25:08 AM
Yeah, the DPRK has a lot of frogs.

Heh, but does anyone know of a better image hosting site then?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 26, 2012, 02:53:46 AM
imgur.com
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Brehvolution on August 27, 2012, 11:16:42 AM
Amazing pics!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on August 27, 2012, 11:25:16 AM
The sports-night card show looks amazingly trippy.

Really envious.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on August 27, 2012, 12:02:12 PM
Use Imgur or Flickr.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: pilonv1 on August 27, 2012, 09:35:46 PM
Just brilliant, I find the photos of random shops/buildings fascinating.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Diunx on August 27, 2012, 09:58:11 PM
How were the hookers?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 29, 2012, 08:03:27 AM
This is an awesome thread. I sort of regret not trying to visit when I was on that side of the planet, but I think you've inspired me if/when I return.

How much did the trip cost you? Did you ever feel nervous at any point? Also, what kind of camera did you use for these pics?

I'd definitely recommend visiting!  I had a fantastic time overall and for some reason want to go back again someday, it's just such a fascinating place that's unlike anything else out there.  If there was something I would do differently, it would be to learn more Korean.  You have lots of chances to talk to locals but I was unable to take advantage of it.  There was a Korean-American on the trip and he struck up a lot of conversations.  The average person had no English ability at all, as expected.  There were a few "normal" people I talked to who could speak English, they definitely felt more "authentic" than the guides.  The guides are actually really professional and don't keep talking about the Kims all day, they were great fun to talk to and I really got along with them.  I guess they know that we don't want to hear shit about Kim all day  The normal people were very friendly but definitely had more of an adoration of the Kims.  They're not people that you talk about casually, and you can really see the expression on their face change to pure joy when you talk to them about them.  We also met a guy who worked at a factory where Kim Jong Ill and Jong Un visited, he said it was the greatest moment in his life.

Either way, the people are still very much Korean and you can see so many similarities with those in the South.  That was almost a shock to me, they're so proud of their Korean history and culture prior to Kim's birth, and the people really do act like Koreans, especially when they're talking to each other.

The trip wasn't cheap, about 2200 Euros for the 9 days, although that did include almost everything including flight, hotels, and meals.  You also have to cover the trip to Beijing, along with any extra purchases within the country like souvenirs and alcohol, sometimes there are side trips or extra meals (not expensive on their own and always an optional thing, but I'm not about to cheap out after coming so far so I more or less did everything extra that I could).  Overall I easily dropped 3-4 thousand USD on the trip.  The shorter trips are less expensive, but I figured that I might as well go all out.  The Euro also started becoming weak against the Yen just as I was starting to pay for everything so that was a plus.

Anyway, the DPRK loves movies and I've heard that they're actually pretty good.  I bought a lot of DVDs there but haven't had a chance to watch any of them yet.  We ended up visiting Pyongyang film studios in the morning before the actual filming starts, so we could walk around the sets.

Using Imgur now!

(http://i.imgur.com/BG4YFh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/stbd0h.jpg)
Main courtyard

(http://i.imgur.com/cALWsh.jpg)
Studio map

Traditional Korea

(http://i.imgur.com/YqE1Sh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NM9zqh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/JUzkKh.jpg)

Korea under Japanese occupation

(http://i.imgur.com/CsZjlh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/q0w7Xh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/izvrnh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Z3AcKh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/sxXNoh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/P6PmSh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jGkzZh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MyN15h.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/HHVnnh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MmHash.jpg)

Postwar Korea

(http://i.imgur.com/WQ3M4h.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Sq32jh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xgOW4h.jpg)

Europe

(http://i.imgur.com/khEaph.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/hYhQqh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/0a8Kbh.jpg)

Maybe I'll see some of these scenes in the movies I bought.  Apparently they can change all the signs and buildings as necessary for the movie so that it doesn't get stale.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Pringo on August 29, 2012, 01:35:09 PM
This thread is so cool. Thanks for continuing to update it.

I noticed the visibility in your photos is pretty low. Was it just foggy out during your visit or is that smog? I kind of figured North Korea would have quite clean air.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 29, 2012, 04:30:05 PM
fuuuuuuuuck that looks cool. The universal studios of North Korea.

And $4,000 for a trip like this sounds like a good deal relative to visiting Paris or somewhere for a few days.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on August 29, 2012, 06:13:07 PM
The card thing seriously dude.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 30, 2012, 08:45:51 AM
This thread is so cool. Thanks for continuing to update it.

I noticed the visibility in your photos is pretty low. Was it just foggy out during your visit or is that smog? I kind of figured North Korea would have quite clean air.

Not much pollution at all, I'm pretty sure it was just foggy that morning.

Anyway Imgur isn't letting me upload shit anymore so I'm using Flickr, how do you share using this?  I right click the picture and it won't let me save, seems to be using flash or some shite.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Mr. Gundam on August 30, 2012, 11:57:53 AM
From other articles I've read, attending the Ararang Games is pretty much the only way Americans can visit North Korea, and with them going away, we're kinda SOL.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 30, 2012, 10:18:54 PM
From other articles I've read, attending the Ararang Games is pretty much the only way Americans can visit North Korea, and with them going away, we're kinda SOL.

This was true in the past, but since last year they've completely opened the country to Americans and Japanese for tours.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on August 30, 2012, 10:57:11 PM
I wonder how many Japanese will actually go. Most of them are probably terrified they'd be kidnapped.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 30, 2012, 11:13:34 PM
Oh imgur is letting me upload shit again.

Welcome to the streetz of Pyongyang!

(http://i.imgur.com/Qpzrg.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/T2XD1.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/MuKh3.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/yE8nX.jpg)

The statue of Kim Jong Ill was made recently in honor of his passing.  They make these things pretty fast I guess.  These statues are really, really big too.

(http://i.imgur.com/pX7G5.jpg)

You can sort of get an idea of the scale with this shot.

(http://i.imgur.com/91mS2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/VAnlw.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/XScV4.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/HbFuk.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/lGpDw.jpg)

The legendary flying horse, a symbol of the country's fast economic growth in the 60s.

(http://i.imgur.com/6eIrG.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qVCGi.jpg)

Older pictures of Pyongyang were famous for the "traffic girls" standing in the middle of the road and directing traffic at intersections.  Apparently they've since installed stoplights, making the future of these girls in question.

(http://i.imgur.com/RH2QI.jpg)

As for now, they just stand on the sides of the streets.

(http://i.imgur.com/Am1be.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/uapQa.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/9NcTC.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/1GUYD.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ffo2B.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/2EX94.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/TCwPf.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/INN78.jpg)

Students setting stuff up.

(http://i.imgur.com/Gz1zc.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/BFW5u.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/uE8AO.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/cL1na.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/gWj3M.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/N8Zll.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/rQ6rF.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/x2e0f.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/CPkEO.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/XVZB9.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/owbse.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/TjWwV.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/mxssr.jpg)
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on August 30, 2012, 11:18:15 PM
I thought the world in Mercenaries 1 looked pretty desolate and bleakly colored: turns out it was just mostly accurate?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Mr. Gundam on August 31, 2012, 12:25:55 AM
From other articles I've read, attending the Ararang Games is pretty much the only way Americans can visit North Korea, and with them going away, we're kinda SOL.

This was true in the past, but since last year they've completely opened the country to Americans and Japanese for tours.

Really? Huh. Wish they'd do the same with Cuba for us Americans.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 31, 2012, 06:08:17 AM
Cuba bans American tourists?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on August 31, 2012, 07:58:15 AM
Cuba bans American tourists?

Actually it's America that bans travel to Cuba. Or at least heavily restricts it.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Great Rumbler on August 31, 2012, 08:49:49 AM
So, on a scale from communist cesspool to inexplicable socialist utopia, what was your overall impression of North Korea?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on August 31, 2012, 09:56:59 AM
I'd like to post some videos of the real North Korea, but they're just too damn depressing.   :-\
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: brawndolicious on August 31, 2012, 04:30:38 PM
Cuba bans American tourists?

Actually it's America that bans travel to Cuba. Or at least heavily restricts it.

ah that's what I thought.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on August 31, 2012, 11:28:31 PM
What is unreal about these photos or his own experience?

Indeed, I'm not going to say that I could do anything that I wanted on the trip, but I still think I got a pretty good feel for the country and its people.  Most people come into the DPRK with an agenda to serve, and will use what they've seen in such a way to paint a negative image.  Anything positive is considered propaganda and discredited instantly, so you get garbage like that Vice documentary as a "real" look into the country, despite the rest of their travel guides being seen as worthless.  Shit, give me a few days and I can come up with some footage of Japan that only focuses on poverty in Tokyo and traveling around the decaying countryside.

So, on a scale from communist cesspool to inexplicable socialist utopia, what was your overall impression of North Korea?

It's really hard to say.  I definitely saw a lot of poverty, but at the same time people seem to be satisfied with their life.  There's stability, low crime, everyone has a job, it's a hell of a lot better than lots of impoverished nations like those in Africa and Southeast Asia.  I'd say the system "works" there, but it only works because the people don't know any better.

It still does feel very old though, that was a feeling that never went away.

Anyway, lunch break!  Barbecue in the park!

Ah damn, I forgot to resize the pictures.  Don't really feel like reuploading them again so I guess you get the full-rez shots on this post.  I'll try to remember to resize the next batch.

(http://i.imgur.com/4touC.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/QgCMA.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/2S35S.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/GhBIU.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RRB08.jpg)

They call it "Dragon Park", due to there being statues that construct a huge dragon which wraps around the place.

(http://i.imgur.com/4nnD8.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/XCK8B.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/guj4S.jpg)

Time for some Korean Barbecue!

(http://i.imgur.com/yKmj0.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Y1TVO.jpg)

Duck meat seems to be the thing to barbecue in this country, we had it several times on the trip.

(http://i.imgur.com/BZPOu.jpg)

Your typical outdoor public toilet.  You really gotta hurry up or the insects will eat you alive.

(http://i.imgur.com/IN6Fn.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qKA7j.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/VZnS9.jpg)

So, next up was Kim Ill Sung's old house.

(http://i.imgur.com/OP4js.jpg)

One thing that the Koreans love to express is how Kim was just a normal guy who grew up very poor, like you and me.  Truly a man of the people.

(http://i.imgur.com/OP4js.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/M3SIL.jpg)

Pictures of Kim and his parents.

(http://i.imgur.com/3kN5E.jpg)

The family well.  I took a drink of the water.

(http://i.imgur.com/0po6B.jpg)

Picture showing the young Kim going on an adventure.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on September 02, 2012, 12:45:11 AM
What is unreal about these photos or his own experience?

Go check out any number of videos that show footage of what North Korea is really like outside of the tours foreigners get, showing the privileged denizens of Pyongyang.  Either the footage of villages that has been recorded or the horrific stories from people who escaped the country.  The government being more tolerant of black markets seems to have helped, but you still have public executions and people dying in the streets from disease and hunger.  The footage that was smuggled out of the country backs this up.

I don't think it's that anything positive gets discredited so much as it is that there's way, way more negative things about the country that overshadow it -rightfully so- in a big way.

I also think it's fascinating that the tour originalz went on seemed to be more "open" than the tours others have been on.  Wonder if that is a result of the new Kim in power...
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on September 02, 2012, 02:16:13 AM
I'm not derailing the thread- I simply mentioned that he was taken to and shown specific places for obvious reasons.  People who have been on these tours have in fact pointed out the "fake" nature of things so it is interesting to get originalz' perspective on it.  There's no hate on him coming from me-- he's one of my best friends.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on September 03, 2012, 08:49:09 AM
Damn reds!  I swear I looked for the resize option!  For some reason it only appears if you upload from your album and not the main page, stupid user-unfriendly nonsense.  Imageshack never gave me that problem, other than the images dying fast and all...

Next time I'll def find the right option so that you don't have to mess around with these huge images!  Just suffer this last time!

Oh well, driving back to the hotel...

(http://i.imgur.com/9RnUkl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oyBGBl.jpg)

Near the main train station is a huge TV which shows movies and other programs, always seemed to have a lot of people watching.

(http://i.imgur.com/CLIm9l.jpg)

The hotel elevator uses flat-touch buttons.  I think there were 47 floors or something which seems unnecessary, but the hotel was actually pretty damn busy while we were there.  The majority of tourists were Chinese from what I saw.

(http://i.imgur.com/CzhMHl.jpg)

In the basement lies Casino Pyongyang!  It's apparently run by the government of Macau and DPRK citizens can't go in.

(http://i.imgur.com/WUreBl.jpg)

Loads of slots.  I went into the main casino but the big games were majhong and some Chinese card game, neither of which I knew how to play.  They also had a blackjack table but the minimum bets were 10 euro and it seems to be the style where you keep raising against the other players.  I would have played if the bets were a few euro or so, but I'm not that great at blackjack and didn't want to waste money.

(http://i.imgur.com/bDu2cl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oLORJl.jpg)

One of the hotel shops.  They carried various things, from candy to shampoo.  Lots of the stuff was imported.  The purchasing system in the country is extremely backwards.

(http://i.imgur.com/NXwwTl.jpg)

Here's a receipt.  I tried so goddamn hard to take a clear picture but for some reason my camera refused to focus.  I kept taking pics and the store staff started to look at me strange so I gave up.

Anyway they don't use computers or any machines for receipts.  You go to the counter, choose what you want to buy, and they write down the item and price.  You then bring the receipt to the front cashier, pay for your stuff, and they stamp the receipt.  You then go back to the initial counter, give them the proof of purchase, and they'll give you what you bought.  Takes forever.

Next up was exploring the Pyongyang subway system!  Lots of these pictures came out bad for some reason.

(http://i.imgur.com/Uh8upl.jpg)

Your typical station entrance.

(http://i.imgur.com/y6GZil.jpg)

Station lobby.

(http://i.imgur.com/de2Wfl.jpg)

They use an IC card system, somewhat surprising.

(http://i.imgur.com/jbdRil.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/vp7zGl.jpg)

This thing lets you press the button to the station you want to go to and it'll light up your route and any transfers you have to make.  Not a bad idea, although it seems kind of unnecessary for a network with only two lines.

(http://i.imgur.com/hUdbFl.jpg)

Station platform.

(http://i.imgur.com/b22mSl.jpg)

The trains were all quite packed, although this was a terminus station.

(http://i.imgur.com/fXNBul.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/0A2FNl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/3EinPl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/N82icl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/GM2Jol.jpg)

Inside the car.

(http://i.imgur.com/AT6mOl.jpg)

Notice the graffiti on the glass!

(http://i.imgur.com/jeJTAl.jpg)

Another station.  Going in the subway was a lot of fun actually, you really saw how the city moved.  Also funny to see random schoolgirls get off the platform and be absolutely shocked to see foreigners.

(http://i.imgur.com/K6QIVl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/r3JWAl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/NyHc3l.jpg)

Back in the train!  Only one station and it's already quite full.

(http://i.imgur.com/6kv0jl.jpg)

Something I found interesting is that I saw some people playing games on their cell phones.  No matter what the country, people need to kill time!  Tried to get a pic of the guy but it was too dark and I wasn't about to use flash, the pic came out unusable.

(http://i.imgur.com/SNabHl.jpg)

Another station.

(http://i.imgur.com/DkLDal.jpg)

Yet another one.

(http://i.imgur.com/0xegzl.jpg)

We got off here.

(http://i.imgur.com/5Daall.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RO14cl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/cyjjol.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/79ldnl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/sUKB3l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/M4jwRl.jpg)

Kiosk inside the station.

(http://i.imgur.com/WmWpYl.jpg)

Random crap to buy.

(http://i.imgur.com/kj8KGl.jpg)

Back outside.  The outside of the stations really don't match the insides.

(http://i.imgur.com/foVdKl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oWbLml.jpg)

Public restrooms.

(http://i.imgur.com/0fgHMl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/wKJVjl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/X3d9sl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/faX2ol.jpg)

I guess there's no escape from overpriced tourist photo services.

(http://i.imgur.com/9Kra6l.jpg)

Underpass.

(http://i.imgur.com/lIFUOl.jpg)

Next was the subway museum!

(http://i.imgur.com/zej3Ll.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/r5pzDl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/8Q0uwl.jpg)

The museum is less about the actual subway and more about Kim Ill Sung's influence on it.  Everything that he used is on display, from chairs that he sat on to ashtrays and flashlights that he used. The majority of the rooms banned photography to preserve the objects or some shit.

Still, there were some cool things I could get pics of...

(http://i.imgur.com/JNnqCl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/n2A5vl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/PbQm1l.jpg)

This was a huge 360-degree diorama room.  Holy hell was it amazing, probably one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

Next was dinner!

(http://i.imgur.com/p0kisl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/M9jY5l.jpg)

Streetcars all over the place.  They also seem to run extremely frequently during rush hour, you can see the upcoming tram from the stop.  The stops always had insane lines during rush hour.

(http://i.imgur.com/qYqXFl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/46NCfl.jpg)

So here's a story.  One of the guides mentioned that there aren't many ethnic restaurants in Pyongyang, only Chinese and Italian.  We were all interested in trying some DPRK pizza, and convinced to guides to change the dinner to the restaurant and get us reservations.  We had to pay for everything out of our own pockets, but it's the kind of experience that you really can't pass up.

(http://i.imgur.com/IChj7l.jpg)

I was kind of expecting some generic ugly interior, needless to say I was pretty surprised.

(http://i.imgur.com/Wnfydl.jpg)

The majority of the menu was normal pizza choices, I chose the strangest one possible which was this ham with french fries monster.  To be honest, the pizza was a hell of a lot better than I expected.  It wasn't gourmet or anything, but it was legit enough.  The cheese was also really good.

It was night by the time we finished.

(http://i.imgur.com/G4wuql.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/TXCJal.jpg)

Here's something worth talking about.  Karaoke is absolutely HUGE in the DPRK.  Every restaurant seems to have a karaoke setup, and we heard the staff singing songs several times.  Karaoke is also on TV constantly.  There isn't enough programming to occupy 24-hours worth of TV space, so between normal shows and the news they just show karaoke.  I kind of got used to DPRK music after awhile and became a fan of some songs.  I bought a few CDs but didn't really know anything so just randomly bought some shit and most of them were these revolutionary songs which I'm not the biggest fan of.  I kind of regret not getting suggestions for more poppy music.

Anyway, here's a song which was very, very popular.  Almost guaranteed that it'd get sung if someone started up for a karaoke session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEp5mBMpUZ4
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bork on September 03, 2012, 08:58:35 AM
Damn reds!  I swear I looked for the resize option!  For some reason it only appears if you upload from your album and not the main page, stupid user-unfriendly nonsense.  Imageshack never gave me that problem, other than the images dying fast and all...

You have to use the "Large" option when selecting picture links.  You can also just put a lowercase L after the last part of the generated filename.  I did this for you in your post since there's too many pics and they were MASSIVE.   :lol
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: tiesto on September 03, 2012, 12:12:14 PM
Indeed, I'm not going to say that I could do anything that I wanted on the trip, but I still think I got a pretty good feel for the country and its people.  Most people come into the DPRK with an agenda to serve, and will use what they've seen in such a way to paint a negative image.  Anything positive is considered propaganda and discredited instantly, so you get garbage like that Vice documentary as a "real" look into the country, despite the rest of their travel guides being seen as worthless.  Shit, give me a few days and I can come up with some footage of Japan that only focuses on poverty in Tokyo and traveling around the decaying countryside.

There's a blog called Spike Japan (http://spikejapan.wordpress.com/ (http://spikejapan.wordpress.com/)) that has a lot of pics of the decaying Japanese countryside, and discussions on its demographic troubles. It's kind of interesting to see the rural decay, since the average foreigner never hears anything about "ghetto" or "rural decay" when they hear about Japan.

I love reading your insight, Z. And believe me I'm jealous... going to DPRK would be an amazing experience, but I can't go since that'd cause me to lose my clearance and my job :P
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on September 04, 2012, 02:33:46 AM
That spikejapan guy needs a goddamned editor.

spoiler (click to show/hide)
(http://i.imgur.com/DCFWU.gif)
[close]
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on September 06, 2012, 08:55:46 AM
Day 3.

(http://i.imgur.com/rTtNZ.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Z8BGU.jpg)

First stop, the tomb of Tangun, the first king of Korea.

(http://i.imgur.com/LIdhP.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/mdtQ5.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/n72tG.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/f70Yj.jpg)

The man with his wife.

Moving on...

(http://i.imgur.com/CkquT.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Odabw.jpg)

Some village.

(http://i.imgur.com/xArWF.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ggHKx.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/gxG8W.jpg)

Turtle factory.  Don't ask me.

(http://i.imgur.com/pzZxT.jpg)

Yup, turtles.

(http://i.imgur.com/xWUXO.jpg)

Frogs too!

(http://i.imgur.com/jFr4K.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/IdIgv.jpg)

Lunch was at the hotel's revolving restaurant.

(http://i.imgur.com/yXIg2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/48CEq.jpg)

Some cheese french fry things, I think they were pretty good.  These were the only food pictures I took here so it must have not been very interesting.

Regardless, the revolving restaurant did provide some nice views of Pyongyang.

(http://i.imgur.com/agzLr.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RDPtx.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/WrgWV.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/P4iIo.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/BPYO5.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tM2ki.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/QxeZ3.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/c9JPL.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oWvWp.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/b0xRn.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/KsMX6.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RWcRS.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/uyaCc.jpg)

Back to the streets!

(http://i.imgur.com/lZll2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ufXYP.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/TZBJo.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/yHBCU.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/7dYW5.jpg)

Off to Kaesong we go!

(http://i.imgur.com/gR8x2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/724I3.jpg)

Kaesong was pretty cool so stay tuned!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on September 06, 2012, 09:12:19 PM
On the way to Kaesong...a good 2 hour journey.  There's a highway which connects the two cities.

(http://i.imgur.com/9SlH8.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/604hL.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/w4G55.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/n8sq8.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/yXiWG.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Qushh.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/8HCcn.jpg)

Stopping at a rest area.

(http://i.imgur.com/jJIdE.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qPqzQ.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/xYvEp.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/AxYaf.jpg)

Not much traffic on these roads.  I asked my guide about it and they said that it's because the highway is only used to go to Kaesong, and most people don't really have a reason to do so.  Makes sense.

(http://i.imgur.com/1ERow.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/BH7pt.jpg)

We arrived at the tomb of some ruler of the Koryo dynasty.

(http://i.imgur.com/XDLA9.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/CZ6Ce.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Fiy8M.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/0sEC9.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/8Zzm6.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tOJxg.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/orbOd.jpg)

It was actually quite refreshing to see that the people here are so proud of their history and preserve everything.  Many communist countries condemned the past and destroyed cultural landmarks.

After all this it was getting dark so we went to our hotel.  It was more of a traditional-style inn, actually.

Kaesong is one of the few cities that wasn't torn up during the Korean War, I guess it was a neutral zone or something.  It's an awesome place, really felt like being in a movie.

(http://i.imgur.com/NtcDf.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RUf6H.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/o9EfN.jpg)

Living in Japan has made me used to sleeping on the floor, although I guess some people had trouble.

(http://i.imgur.com/ho02N.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oA9M5.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ZE3Vs.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/4mroN.jpg)

Dinner time!

(http://i.imgur.com/zg6B4.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ttYQl.jpg)

Here it is, the legendary dog soup!

(http://i.imgur.com/7bGEF.jpg)

Dog meat is actually really goddamn good, maybe one of the best things I ate in the country.  It's not like they're hunting stray poodles or anything, these are special giant dogs bred specifically for food.

(http://i.imgur.com/ThgOk.jpg)

The inn's bar.

(http://i.imgur.com/Jhmoz.jpg)

I had a shot of every single one of those bottles, within the span of 30 minutes.  Well, wouldn't be a proper trip to Korea if you didn't get completely hammered!

(http://i.imgur.com/llW73.jpg)

Snake liquor.  I thought it was pretty good, thought about bringing a bottle back but I think it would be considered bringing an animal across borders.

(http://i.imgur.com/TWynO.jpg)

Dried fish, a good pair to drinking.  We eat it in Japan as well, although here they give you the entire fish to tear apart.

The next morning I walked around the streets a bit since there was some time.

(http://i.imgur.com/zTgUx.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/cIP7C.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/wz7Ex.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qvyoq.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/2V7ox.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/M2SNd.jpg)

All right, next up is the DMZ and more adventures in the city!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: T-Short on September 07, 2012, 03:31:15 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/AxYaf.jpg)

Not much traffic on these roads.  I asked my guide about it and they said that it's because the highway is only used to go to Kaesong, and most people don't really have a reason to do so.  Makes sense.

Might also have something to do that there's almost no private car ownership. hehe. think there was some estimate that there's only like 30000 cars at best in the country?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Robo on September 07, 2012, 11:04:21 AM
This recent batch of shots are my favorite so far.  Just amazing.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on September 08, 2012, 06:14:16 PM
Oops, I went back to the States and forgot to backup my pictures to the CLOUD so no updates until I return in 2 weeks!  I'll make it worth the wait!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on September 10, 2012, 02:52:28 AM
Seriously. Keep them coming! This looks like a country that I really wouldn't mind occupying some day.
:lol :lol :lol
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on September 30, 2012, 08:48:05 PM
Yeah so I came back to the States but who would have thought that taking two long vacations in a short period of time makes the work pile-on.  Haven't had time to post any new pics but they'll be coming soon you can sure bet on it!

Anyway as the next section is the DMZ and Korean War here's a short preview video!  Real DPRK stuff right here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwr1C8XFKK0

From what else I read they seem to think that the Americans are partly responsible for the Japanese occupation of Korea by making an agreement with Japan to not mess with them if they leave the Philippines alone.  Considering that the Philippine occupation was based on the Spanish-American war and thus completely unrelated, I found that amusing.  Upon further research apparently there is some truth to the matter, there was an informal agreement between the two countries between a couple of people who didn't really have any decision-making power, but despite the overall irrelevance the Koreans love to jump on it to demonize the Americans.

I knew better than to bring up the finer points of the war but there were a couple of people in the group who tried to debate it with the guides, to no progress being made.  They have their own version of history, and it's simple fact for them.  They talk about it the same way that we'd talk about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it's simple fact.  They don't go on rants against the States or make a big production, they just talk about it as this is the way things are and have always been, imagine what we'd think if some Japanese guy started telling you that Pearl Harbor wasn't instigated by the Japanese but was a counterattack from an offensive operation that's been heavily covered up, you'd think he was crazy.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on October 01, 2012, 07:06:18 AM
Not really, the Japanese were basically forced into attacking the United States after the oil and steel embargo placed against them by the US, Britain, and the Netherlands. The Japanese were getting the vast majority of their oil from the United States at the time and could not continue their war in China without it. Global relations aren't as black and white as you may have been lead to believe.

I'm aware of how the embargoes affected them, but the attack was more or less a preemptive strike so that they could expand their empire into Southeast Asia without worrying about the Americans getting in the way.  They also used it as an opportunity to attack British Burma and take the oil fields there.  Japan was hardly innocent in the campaign and there's little question that they struck us first without any previous direct aggression.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on October 01, 2012, 02:37:12 PM
I love this board. I think it's great when people stay civil and respectful of each other, even when dealing with relatively high levels of anonymity.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on October 02, 2012, 07:17:39 AM
I'm back and ready!

Well, I didn't mean do imply you didn't know what you were talking about. Sorry if it came out that way. I just think an opportunity to learn about WW2 via the North Korean perspective shouldn't be so readily dismissed. Most people don't get to see that viewpoint.

Oh indeed, it was a fascinating view on history.  Some of the arguments they make about the south starting the war even kind of make sense if there wasn't so much evidence against such views.  Either way, it's just a normal thing there.  It's not like they're all "THE AMERICAN IMPERIALISTIC PIGS CAME AND RUINED OUR COUNTRY", it's all very professionally done and in fact recognize that it was UN forces in conflict, not just the Americans.  I was actually kind of surprised with that, definitely less radical than I expected, but at the same time it's just simple historic fact for them.

Hell, I didn't know about that conversation about the Philippines, and although most people say that it was meaningless, who's really to know?

On the way to the DMZ...

(http://i.imgur.com/7J5CS.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/DDsAd.jpg)

Tank traps

(http://i.imgur.com/IguWa.jpg)

Notice how the farm the hell out everything they can, even on steep hillsides.

(http://i.imgur.com/yncRB.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/VIxst.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RDF5r.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/3pz5W.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/BcvB4.jpg)

This is apparently a DPRK-produced car.  Not bad.

(http://i.imgur.com/qOCol.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/joGXf.jpg)

The DPRK flag at the border, higher than the southern one!

(http://i.imgur.com/VlY6z.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/lnQWk.jpg)

Some conference room I guess.

(http://i.imgur.com/ctkE3.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/EnsrX.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/LNhge.jpg)

The DMZ museum.  Nothing was in English so I didn't get much out of it.

(http://i.imgur.com/6VTLx.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/dOtg2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/mH3Va.jpg)

This was the axe used in the famous axe murders.

(http://i.imgur.com/2tUnz.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/GIRkj.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Vf6zh.jpg)

The last signature of Kim Il Sung.

(http://i.imgur.com/Yvaju.jpg)

Welcome to the line!  I've been before on the Southern side, I found it interesting how there were no Southern guards on duty.  On the south, they keep making it out to be such a dangerous place where guards are constantly on duty, but I guess it's all for tourists.  The dress code is also pretty strict on the south, but no one cared on the north.  I actually joked about that with the guides.

(http://i.imgur.com/KPruc.jpg)

This place looks familiar!  Heh, for most people this is the closest they get to the DPRK.

(http://i.imgur.com/JgpHY.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/OUgKC.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/R0kHb.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/fxucF.jpg)

Well, I guess I saw some southern soldiers walking around.

(http://i.imgur.com/Ksl6g.jpg)

I guess that's the ROK flag.

(http://i.imgur.com/nZ0ej.jpg)

So close, and yet so far to Seoul.

(http://i.imgur.com/QRiQ2.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ntg0T.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/vA9fz.jpg)

Back to Kaesong.

(http://i.imgur.com/R5mit.jpg)

We found some locals organizing for something.  One of the tour members took a picture of a girl and printed it out using a portable picture printer.  That was quite a scene, everyone in that group became extremely interested in the printer.  I'll bet that they didn't even know such a thing existed, I wonder what the locals think when they see the tourists using technology that doesn't exist in the country.

(http://i.imgur.com/f0Oo4.jpg)

Views of Kaesong.

(http://i.imgur.com/48B5e.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/XdWfu.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/y6naD.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/B6PHE.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/bUjUB.jpg)

Kaesong was the old capital of Korea and still has a lot of preserved history, so the DPRK wants to keep things as they are and not demolish the old buildings.

(http://i.imgur.com/9npPI.jpg)

The Kim Il Sung statue of Kaesong.

(http://i.imgur.com/mw38B.jpg)

Off to the Koryo Museum!

(http://i.imgur.com/13bV3.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/3mtsM.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/JQTLG.jpg)

Gift shop girls.

(http://i.imgur.com/wonNQ.jpg)

Construction work.  Notice how people are laying bricks by hand.

(http://i.imgur.com/t5rFD.jpg)

The Koryo museum is built on the sight of an old university, lots of old structures.  Inside the buildings are countless cultural treasures.

(http://i.imgur.com/baNzv.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/7mms1.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RUyzO.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/EYoJC.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/DY8aO.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/V6Q4f.jpg)

Korean ginseng.  Apparently Kaesong is famous for the stuff, they said it's the best in the world.  I bought some ginseng tea and snacks myself.

That's the end of that!  After that was a short stop in Pyongyang before heading to the city of Nampo, so keep watching!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on October 02, 2012, 10:31:53 AM
Very neat. I've been fascinated with the DMZ since watching the Korean movie Joint Security Area back in college.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: BobFromPikeCreek on October 07, 2012, 12:43:49 PM
Way late to this thread, but just thought I'd mention something about that beer in case you weren't aware. The reason it tasted Western European is because it basically is. Kim Jong Il went to Germany and really enjoyed the beer, so he had a brewery (German brewery, though it was located in England) disassembled brick by brick and reassembled in NK.

I've had it here in the South and, yes, it's fucking delicious. It's hard to get and a little expensive in the south, but it blows everything made here away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taedonggang
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on October 07, 2012, 05:24:55 PM

(http://i.imgur.com/n8sq8.jpg)


This is a genuinely creepy image.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Verdigris Murder on October 07, 2012, 05:25:24 PM
But awesome pics also dude.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on October 15, 2012, 08:35:04 AM
Back to Pyongyang for a quick stop...

(http://i.imgur.com/QRUMh.jpg)

The USS Pueblo, an American spy ship that was captured and is now proudly displayed as a trophy.  They're really happy about this thing.

(http://i.imgur.com/NOTJe.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/T9yqd.jpg)

Just an ordinary ship otherwise.

Next was the drive from Pyongyang to Nampo!

(http://i.imgur.com/33nTS.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/u9mqA.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/A361I.jpg)

Just a random roller coaster!

(http://i.imgur.com/6vTSH.jpg)

The city of Nampo

(http://i.imgur.com/3QaSC.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/kKuPL.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/oeGwa.jpg)

Nampo hot springs resort

(http://i.imgur.com/tZscl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/GF2BN.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/pLVnv.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/VoZjp.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/1B4qJ.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/CJEmo.jpg)

The baths were in the individual rooms, not public like I was expecting, I suppose that's not surprising though since most tourists wouldn't like that.  Really damn hot, but enjoyable.  Living in Japan has really made me fond of them!

(http://i.imgur.com/iNIAh.jpg)

Before dinner we did a traditional Korean-style clam bake!

(http://i.imgur.com/H1qmC.jpg)

Burn baby burn!  They just pour gasoline on them and light them on fire.

(http://i.imgur.com/eKhjd.jpg)

You can really taste the gasoline!  The smell was on me for the rest of the night as well.

(http://i.imgur.com/LhVSK.jpg)

Was quite a fun experience, overall.

(http://i.imgur.com/ByOPq.jpg)

Well, time for dinner!

(http://i.imgur.com/zKc1o.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/sIb4X.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/u4mHL.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/38eqp.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/6ANI2.jpg)

Damn good chocolate, this was.

(http://i.imgur.com/o0HMu.jpg)

During my stay the Olympics were still in progress.  Surprisingly, they showed a good variety of sports, not just ones that the DPRK were successful in.  Kim Jong Un must have determined some of the lineup since I saw a lot of Olympic basketball.

Bonus video!  Watch some basketball with thrilling DPRK commentary!  SHOOOOOT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsGGqOJ7T70
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on November 24, 2012, 10:41:30 PM
Revival!  You know how you kind of just get lazy if you don't update something for awhile and it just dies out?  I'll never let that happen!

Exploring the Nampo countryside.

(http://i.imgur.com/7bpxEl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/TgBC2l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Q5S6ml.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/lCFaPl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/YaUDvl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/bdSYvl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RxjzWl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/LQCCIl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/m13xBl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/UMGAgl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tJOgil.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/vPPK1l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qjvRgl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tXLIil.jpg)

The Nampo salt fields.

(http://i.imgur.com/IqkVLl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/EoaWGl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/UNonpl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/bQGvpl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/91zm7l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/2ZRGSl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ZpYUZl.jpg)

The Nampo West Sea Barrage.  Functioning as a dam and bridge across the sea, it's actually pretty impressive.

(http://i.imgur.com/RdCqkl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/E73q7l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/jyXPtl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/lrCnWl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qbfyKl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/nepNEl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/f14iXl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Ux1ifl.jpg)

Going to downtown Nampo...the city is a major port with a large shipbuilding industry.

(http://i.imgur.com/zZbB4l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/LovFyl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tAkF7l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/9yrMil.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/NGxYpl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/HZD4il.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/gI4xtl.jpg)

Nampo's Kim Il Sung statue.

(http://i.imgur.com/YujDVl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/9DQ3Gl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/c4543l.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/rwJnol.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/tohqVl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/rgmiol.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/BlmOLl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/RycUMl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Wlfdjl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/CHb1Yl.jpg)

Stopping by for lunch...

(http://i.imgur.com/yDeNkl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/rvC7ol.jpg)

I guess the North and South can agree on some things after all!

(http://i.imgur.com/cZmR7l.jpg)

This is such an amazing picture.  Kim looks so happy whereas Clinton just looks like he wants to get out of there.

(http://i.imgur.com/DeU4El.jpg)

The road back to Pyongyang.

This thread will survive forever, much like the juche ideals of the DPRK!
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Don Flamenco on November 25, 2012, 03:00:51 PM
this is all very cool, but apparently tourists get a very manicured picture of the country.   Like, you wouldn't get to see the forced labor camps or get to take a free stroll through a middle/lower class area.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: chronovore on November 25, 2012, 06:36:52 PM
I just spent half an hour reading about the USS Pueblo. It sounds like it wasn't prepared for what it had to face.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on November 26, 2012, 04:08:22 AM
this is all very cool, but apparently tourists get a very manicured picture of the country.   Like, you wouldn't get to see the forced labor camps or get to take a free stroll through a middle/lower class area.

Somehow I don't think a guided trip of NYC would take you to Rikers Island prison or the deprived areas of the Bronx, of course they're not going to take you to questionable areas.  I'm just showing what I saw, nothing more and nothing less.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Don Flamenco on November 26, 2012, 10:44:19 AM
this is all very cool, but apparently tourists get a very manicured picture of the country.   Like, you wouldn't get to see the forced labor camps or get to take a free stroll through a middle/lower class area.

Somehow I don't think a guided trip of NYC would take you to Rikers Island prison or the deprived areas of the Bronx, of course they're not going to take you to questionable areas.  I'm just showing what I saw, nothing more and nothing less.


wow, so discussion over, just like that  :lol

The "underbelly" of NYC is not even a tiny iota as crazy as North Korea. 

Try reading this before being like "oh, they don't actually have it so bad there" or making comparisons to anywhere in the U.S.:
http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Camp-14-Remarkable-Odyssey/dp/0670023329/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353944667&sr=8-3&keywords=north+korea
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Don Flamenco on November 26, 2012, 04:41:32 PM
I didn't say that he shouldn't share his pictures, i just said that the tour is pretty much entirely planned from the places you go to the people you see, to the answers to the questions they get.  The comparison to new york seemed pretty flippant considering the differences between the two places.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Joe Molotov on November 26, 2012, 05:52:43 PM
I think it's neat to see a side of North Korea other than just "communist hellhole" like you usually think of when you think of North Korea.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Steve Contra on November 26, 2012, 09:32:04 PM
So how many cars did you see on the road besides the one you were in?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on November 27, 2012, 04:34:49 AM
So how many cars did you see on the road besides the one you were in?

In all honesty it seemed like there were a lot more than what you can see in pictures, at least in Pyongyang.  Major intersections had plenty of cars waiting, and the roads could get quite busy during the evening.  The pictures really don't convey that, I did take some videos of going through the city where you can get a better picture of things.  Sure, compared to most capital cities it was nothing, but they do exist.
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: bud on November 27, 2012, 09:46:53 AM
is it possible to hook up with a north-korean girl?
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: Don Flamenco on November 27, 2012, 02:08:14 PM
is it possible to hook up with a north-korean girl?

she would be arrested and have generations of her family kept in labor camps.


apologies in advance for painting north korea in such a negative light and for seeming like I'm trying to take OP's thunder
Title: Re: Adventures in North Korea
Post by: originalz on November 30, 2012, 12:09:40 AM
is it possible to hook up with a north-korean girl?

I'm sure that absolutely nothing good would come out of it.  There were a few guys in the tour group who kept trying to hit on one of the young tour guides, to no success (they sucked anyway, shit was embarassing to watch).  I did get along with one of the guides and we had a lot of fun talking to each other, but I also had the sense to not try to go any further.  I'm sure that the guides are trained about the evils of western men and I would guess that there would be severe penalties if something was to happen.

The citizens that we came in contact with didn't speak English so maybe if you knew Korean you could try to get your game on, but again, I'm sure that they know better.