Getting rather bored typing all these up so long after the fact, especially with Japan blowing my tiny little mind every hour or so.
But, some other highlights from the trip, to jog my memory when chatting in the future…
Kindergarten – creepy/crazy… 5 year olds playing piano/violin perfectly, and then a group “show” for the tourists… horrifyingly good. But mostly horrifying.
More big statues and monuments.
Mount Paektu – where I did some stupid stuff taking advantage of getting access to Chinese cell-towers with the border so close. But also – a rather beautifully scenic spot in itself.
Some waterfalls, of various quality.
Change of plans re: airports and hotels, due to some missile testing.
A ski resort… next ski trip: North Korea
International School Children’s Camp – complete with an aquarium boasting some fish and mammals I’m sure are illegal to be kept in captivity elsewhere in the world
The bus breaking down
A “Collective Fruit Farm” – effectively a massive group of orchards… all with apples literally falling off the trees – making me wonder… are these ever going to be picked, or are they just left there for the tourists to see?
A typically North Korean “Buddhist Temple” – complete with “Buddhist Monk” extolling the virtues of Juche and the Kim Dynasty, and how they totally fit in to the Buddhist Way
The Museum of International Friendship – the two massive underground complexes displaying every gift ever presented to any of the Dear Leaders… this really does deserve a full write-up, but… in short – typical of DPRK – an insanely great idea, a great insane idea, and lots of numbers/facts/statistics that don’t really add up under scrutiny
A country-side hike, during which I took the opportunity to lag behind, and instead just get lots of photos with locals
A final day’s walking and tram-ride through Pyongyang, dinner on a riverboat with weird live music show.
And then – all over. Final bit of confusion at the airport, where they saw my two passports, and I’m pretty sure I am now on record as entering DPRK on one passport/nationality, and leaving on another.
