North Korea

Ryugyong Hotel by Joseph Ferris III
[CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The more I read about North Korea the more fascinated I become. I've also read many people who have been there say it's the most fascinating unique place they've ever been. After lots of research, I propose a trip!

How long for?
I'm thinking 6 nights in the country, but could be persuaded otherwise.

When?
Ideally the last week of July so we will be there for Victory Day (July 27, which this year is the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War), and the mass games (July 22nd or 27th to September 9th) which is the number one thing I want to see. If not then, possibly over August 15th (Liberation Day).

What will we see?
Lots of things - the itineraries are generally pretty packed. Highlights include the mass games performance, seeing the mausoleum of the Kims, the International Friendship Exhibition which contains hundreds of thousands of gifts from foreign dignitaries, the DMZ, lot of monuments and the general craziness that is everyday North Korean life. Depending on how many people want to come, I propose either joining a group tour such as Group B of http://www.youngpioneertours.com/tour/victory-day-tour/ or making a private independent tour which would cover similar things.

How much will it cost?
About EUR 1350 (AUD 1700 or USD 1750) for the North Korea tour (including flights to and from Beijing, visa, guides, transport, accommodation, food, attractions, cheap seats at the mass games, standard tips for guides etc). You might want extra money for souvenirs, better mass games seats, drinks above the standard beer and water provided at meals, or a few optional activities such as rides at the theme park or bowling (usually under EUR 5 each).
If we get at least 6 people and decide to get a private tour, costs will be slightly more.
In addition, you will need flights to and from Beijing and probably some accommodation in China (depending on flight timings). Chinese transit visas are complicated, and may not cover this trip so you may need to apply for a multi-entry Chinese visa.
You should also get travel insurance.

Will the trip be comfortable?
Hotels are comfortable; 4* in the capital with 24h electricity, air conditioning, hot water etc plus a bunch of "luxuries" - pool, revolving restaurant, karaoke etc. If we end up staying outside of the capital, hotels are 3* with sporadic electricity and hot water are (though you may be able to upgrade to a better hotel). The food will be satisfactory but not amazing. It might be problematic if you are vegan. The planes may be old.

Can I go?
Yes, unless you are South Korean, live in South Korea, or are a professional journalist or photographer. (Before 2010, US citizens could only go during the mass games but can now go anytime. US citizens must fly into and out of the county; they can not take the train).

Will going prevent me from going to other countries later?
No. In fact, North Korea doesn't stamp your passport. If you go by train, you will get a China stamp that could give it away, but I can't find any reference to any country caring.

Isn't it dangerous? Didn't tours all get cancelled a few weeks ago?
No, it's not really dangerous and even with the recent event almost no western tours were cancelled (some day trips for Chinese tourists were cancelled).

Is there anything I can't do while in the country?
Yes, for example:
Go anywhere unless accompanied by a North Korean guide.
Take photos of anything not "allowed" (e.g. military everywhere but at the DMZ, anything that makes North Korea look bad, closeups of people, lots of other stuff...).
Communicate with the outside world. Technically, there are ways to, but they are complicated, monitored and expensive so you're probably better off assuming you won't. You will however get international TV in your hotel room.
Argue with propaganda told to you.

What can't I bring into the country?
The usual things most countries don't like - weapons, drugs, pornography, large amounts of cash etc
Anything overly American or South Korean (e.g. nationalistic tshirts)
Be careful about bringing professional looking cameras, particularly video cameras or DSLR lenses over 150mm (may or may not be allowed).
Until January this year, mobile phones were confiscated at the border. This is no longer the case, but note that you won't have any reception in the country.

What must I do?
Pay respect to the Kims, including bowing at various statues or laying a wreath of flowers.
Wear nice clothing when visiting the Memorial Palace and somewhat nice clothing when visiting the DMZ (same rules apply from the South Korean side).
Follow all the guide's rules (e.g. about not taking photos).

Will I get to interact with any North Koreans?
It's possible, e.g. on the subway, at the park, but many are shy and few speak any English. It is more likely you can during a public holiday, hence the timing of the trip.

Can I write about my trip?
Yes, so long as you are not a professional writer/photographer or have a very popular blog or a blog devoted to North Korea.

What's the minimum effort to get on this trip?
Tell me you want to go. Transfer some money somewhere at some point. Send details (including a scan of your passport page and a recent passport sized photo) for the North Korean visa at least a month in advance. Get flights (and possibly accommodation) for Beijing. Oh, and maybe a Chinese visa. (Yes this question was a legitimate question about the Galapagos trip).

What about seeing some of China too?
I probably will. Obviously this will increase the costs (additional accommodation, meals etc) and will definitely require getting a Chinese multiple entry visa too.

Can I invite my friend along too?
Sure

Going to North Korea is morally questionable.
That wasn't a question.

What happens if I don't get my visa/the trip is cancelled?
You will get a full refund (less bank fees if there are any).

I've done a bunch of research and think we should go with company X, see Y, fly from Russia, catch the train out rather than fly, <insert suggestion here>.
That wasn't a question either. But obviously you should let me know what you think.

Tell me more fascinating things about North Korea.
No one has ever asked me this. But since it's my blog and I will briefly tell you about the Ryugyong Hotel from the photo at the top of this post. It was set to be the world's tallest hotel when construction began in 1987. In fact, it still would be one of the world's tallest except that it hasn't actually being finished yet. Similarities between the Ryugyong Hotel and the fictional "Ministry of Truth" from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four lead some to believe that it was used as a semi-blueprint.

Your task
Please let me know in the next week if you are possibly interested in wanting to do this trip and any additional questions or requirements you might have.

South Korea Part 2: Jeju, Haeinsa, and Gyeongju

Jeju
Somehow Jeju Island became one of the new 7 wonders of nature. I thought this was rubbish when I heard it, and still think it is - it's a nice enough place but not *that* nice. Anyway, we spent most of our time here seeing naturey things. If you want to do as much as we did in 1.5 days you need a car (which is probably a good idea anyway).

We walked to quite a few waterfalls, including Cheonjeyeon Falls, Cheonjiyeon Waterfall and Jeongbang Waterfall. It's claim to fame is that it's the only waterfall in the world to fall directly into the ocean. I suppose that's because it sounds better than "the only waterfall in the world that almost falls directly into the ocean".
The first of the three falls at Cheonjeyeon
Falls was dry when we were there but still pretty
Jeongbang Waterfall

The cliffs at Yongmeori Beach were lots of fun to walk around. Nearby is Mt. Sanbangsan which we climbed about half way up to a Buddha Cave.
Cliffs at Yongmeori Beach
Mt. Sanbangsan from Yongmeori Beach

We walked through the very impressive Manjanggul lava tubes. If you were to read about it, you might read "Only 1km of the 13,422m Manjanggul Cave is open to the tourists" which implies that it's not going to be that great, but really walking 1km in a tube underground is quite a distance.
Manjanggul lava tubes - the people walking
in the distance should give a sense of scale
Another place we visited - Jusangjeolli Cliffs

We also walked up Seongsan Ilchulbong, which is nice though more impressive from the air. Since we didn't see it from the air, I'll just let you Google image search it.

Haeinsa Temple
My second chance this year to sleep in a UNESCO designated building :) Haeinsa is a famous Korean temple set in the mountains quite a way from anything (we had a hire car here too). It is particularly famous for the Tripitaka Koreana - Buddhist scriptures carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century with no known errors. Sadly you do not get a very good look at them. Staying here over night is part of the Korean temple stay program. You learn how to behave (how to hold you hands when you walk for instance), eat food in the same way the monks do (not with them, but the same vegetarian food in the same room, in silence), and can attend ceremonies (including one at 3am which I skipped) which involve specific drum and bell ringing and many prostrations. The stay was very peaceful.
Buddhist monk at one of the outlying temples
The main temple. The building behind it that you can see
on the right contains the Tripitaka Koreana

Gyeongju
Home of the Silla Dynasty and therefore containing many historic sites. My favourites being the many burial mounds (sort of like the pyramids, but shorter, rounder and without a way to be ransacked. One had been set up in a half-cut-out way so you could appreciate the inside. Plus there were lovely magnolia trees everywhere.
Double burial mound
Inside a burial mound. The box in the middle is where the
body was.
Other sites were:
  • Yangdong Folk Village - somewhat interesting and different to the typical temples. We went here on the way from Haeinsa so it wasn't too far out of the way, but might not be worth it if it was a long way out of the way.
  • Seokguram Grotto - containing a large granite Buddha, also not as impressive as I was lead to believe
  • Bulguksa Temple - similar to most other temples. Though I did get here by walking down from Seokguram Grotto (approximately 2km rather than 7km by road) which was quite pleasant.
  • Cheomseongdae Observatory - the oldest surviving observatory and more impressive for what it was back then than what it is now
  • Anapji Pond - The pavilions here were nothing new but the pond and the sunset made it quite beautiful.
Yangdong Folk Village
A different view of a temple. Buddhist temples have
guardians at the entrance. These are the ones at Bulguksa.
Cheomseongdae Observatory and
another magnolia tree
Anapji Pond

All in all, I really enjoyed South Korea. It's fairly easy to get around and cheaper than Japan. I prefer the culture of the Japanese people more though so I'm glad I'm living here :)

South Korea Part 1: Seoul

My Mum has been asking me forever if she can go on a trip that I plan and this was to be it. High expectations called for lots of planning and I am very happy with how it turned out. It was relatively busy and we saw almost all of the UNESCO sites, Hillman Wonders, Michelin 3-star tourist attractions etc. In case you're planning a trip, I'll outline what we did. The general plan was
  • Seoul 3 days
  • Jeju 1.5 days
  • Haeinsa Temple 1 night
  • Gyeongju 2 days

Here's the major stuff we saw in and around Seoul.

Changdeokgung Palace
One of the better palaces (similar enough to the others that you could be happy just coming here) with the bonus of the Secret Garden. Unfortunately we were there in late March when Spring hadn't really started so a lot of it was dead, but the pavilions surrounding pools were still pretty and the tour was interesting. Note that the secret garden can only be visited by joining a free tour and it may need to be reserved in advance. We went on the last tour of the day which finishes after the closing time for the palace. I thought they'd kick us out straight away but they actually let us wonder around the palace for another 30 minutes with no other tourists which was nice.
Main palace building - deserted!
Secret Garden
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Apparently the best palace. Quite large - lots of buildings and a few museums too.

Jongmyo Shrine
This is where shrines of most of the kings of the Korean Joseon Dynasty are. It is usually only accessible on a guided tour but the tour was very interesting, explaining both about the dynasty and their beliefs in spirits. Outside was a park where many people were playing Go (and it was a weekday). I also saw some Go games on TV.
Jongmyo Shrine
Playing Go
Hwaseong Fortress
About 90 minutes on the train from Seoul, this is a pretty large now built up area surround by walls. We skipped the palace in the centre (in favour of other palaces) but did check out the martial arts demonstration.
Fortress walls from outside
One of the 24 types of martial arts they demonstrated
Mt Namsan
It's in the middle of the city with pretty good views (good enough that I didn't bother going up the tower). There are some "trees" and fences where couples can leave a lock, in the same way that couples do in Paris except here they don't mess around with trying to pack as many locks in as possible. We took the bus up for sunset which was easy and cheap.
Nanta show
It's a comedy / drumming / knife wielding show with a cooking theme. I went because of the good ratings on TripAdvisor. I have to agree that it's probably enjoyable for almost everyone.

DMZ
Not in Seoul, but done as a one day trip out of Seoul, the Demilitarized Zone is the approximately 4km wide strip of land separating North and South Korea. I have become really fascinated with North Korea and spent most of the day being contrarian (maybe they really are the ones who are happy and everything South Korea tells us is wrong), which actually wasn't particularly difficult since the tour includes about as much propaganda and rules as they accuse North Korea of.
My first site of North Korea was confusing - what are all those trucks
doing coming from the North? I thought the border was closed?!
Well, those were trucks coming from the Kaesong Industrial Complex
in North Korea where many North Koreans work (for low wages)
manufacturing parts for South Korean companies such as Samsung and
LG. Those  trucks are bringing back the goods. The Complex was
shutdown just after we were there.
This is the desk where talks between the
two sides occurs. It is in the middle of the
building which is half in each country.
North sits on the right, South on the left.
At the end is a South Korean soldier. He's
only there temporarily to protect us in
case any North Koreans should show up!
A South Korean soldier in the foreground
stands half behind a building (to make the
target smaller). The white building in the
background is the North Korean building -
you can see a North Korean soldier on the
lowest floor above and to the left of the
South Korean soldier. The raised concrete
half way along the blue building is the
border. We were not allowed to take photos
towards the south i.e. of the South Korean
building. Don't worry - I'll take one when I
visit the north :)
Close up of the North Korean soldier after he went and got some
binoculars to check us out.
Our US Army guides in the JSA. For some reason they did
not seem amused when they said "Don't point at the North
Koreans" while they were pointing themselves and
everyone laughed :) Here, North Korea is on three sides of
us. Between the guides at shoulder height is the southern
end of the Bridge of No Return (made famous in the movies
Die Another Day and Salt - well, a replica of it anyway). 
This is "Propaganda Village", the village in North Korea
within the DMZ. We were told it is so named because
North Korea used to broadcast propaganda across the
border. We were not told about the propaganda South
Korea used to broadcast across the border. Note that the
village on the South Korean side is called "Freedom
Village". The flagpole is one of the largest in the world
and was built to beat one built earlier in the South. The
flag weighs 270 kg (595 lb)!
We also visited the most northerly train station in South Korea (there is an unused track into North Korea ready for when they are finally reunited) and the third tunnel (a tunnel which South Korea found that North Korea dug under the border. South Korea now has a bunch of walls and other security in the tunnel to prevent North Korea from using it. South Korea has been told that there are more tunnels that they have not yet found however they don't seem interested in find those?!)

I highly recommend going on a tour that visits the Joint Security Area (actually inside the DMZ) if you are planning a DMZ tour. It must be booked at least 3 or 4 days in advance. We went with the recommended USO/Koridoor but I wouldn't go with them again*.

Stay tuned for my South Korea Part 2 post and my North Korea post where I try and convince you to join me on a trip there in a few months.

* For those who want the rant about USO/Koridoor: Both the internet and guide books recommended going with USO/Koridoor for the tour of the DMZ. The actual visit to the JSA/Panmunjom is entirely run by the US military with their guides on their buses so that part of the tour will be the same no matter which tour company you go with. As for the rest of the tour, our guide wasn't very good, the tour is more expensive than the others (with a terrible KRW/USD exchange rate) and we were taken to a pretty bad restaurant for a long time after being rushed at various other places (although we weren't taken to the Amethyst Shop that Koridoor goes to on the non JSA tour). My opinion of them isn't helped by the fact that they changed our tour time the day before which meant I had to rebook hotels, car hire and flights to Jeju (though apparently this wasn't their fault). This is probably the most inconvenient thing that's happened to me on a trip :)

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