http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , North Korea en-us Tue, 01 Dec 09 21:11:09 +0000 Tue, 01 Dec 09 21:11:09 +0000 North Koreaok it's way over time but finally we've got some time and the facilities to do some blabla about NorthKorea. in the mean time we've been to Shanghai Benxi and currently were at the 'base' of the yellow mountains where we'll go tomorrow. So on the 24th of October we've took the plane to Pyongyong. But basically already on the 23rd espcially I got rather excited as we had a 2 hour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-451532.html After being awakened to many aspects of North Korea the passionate pursuit of a military policy and panegyrics about the Great Leader being two examples there were more revelations as we concluded our North Korean odyssey. One was the extremely proud nature of the North Korean people. This extended to a great pride about their history and they make great efforts to preserve and display thei http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-448078.html In a country renowned for its international isolation North Korea is equally adept at isolating foreigners visiting their nation. I have never journeyed to a country where I was kept so separated from the local populace. On almost every occasion we were deliberately distanced from the local people we would always eat in the most secluded section of a restaurant be ushered out of a separate e http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-445172.html Within the North Korean psyche nothing is more despised than imperialist aggressors. Those evil external forces that threaten to usurp the Juche idea of selfreliance and besmirch the Great Leader. Public enemy number one in this regard are the US and they have held this title for the past sixty years when they overtook Japan and their imperialist efforts in the first half of the twentie http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Panmunjom/blog-441725.html Moments after arriving at Pyongyang train station our hosts whisked us through a side exit and into a 25 seat van reserved only the two of us 8211 there would be no fighting over who would get the window seat on this tour. We were introduced to our three North Korean hosts 8211 our constant companions for the next 10 days. The Driver was a young person of about 30 years with a wide face http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-439856.html 8220You are going where8221 my friend would exclaim. 8220North Korea8221 I would calmly reply with a nonchalance likened to asking a flight attendant for another orange juice. 8220Don8217t you mean South Korea8221 would come the inevitable response. 8220No I mean North Korea missile tests captured US journalists...8221 and the answer would always be 8220 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-436637.html ANA1246312521124541253112503125211247012507124861252312399122892020195653744020195123981247212455125121246512522125401249912472124931247312497125401247712531652883000722899652891107215171243423550359371239512289123001250312525125091254012474123011239538 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Kumgangsan/blog-398534.html We are the travel agency based in DanDong of China next to North Korea. We are doing the tour to North Korea. If you are interested in traveling to North Korea please contact with us.Email travelnorthkoreayahoo.cnMSN travelnorthkoreahotmail.comSKYPE travelnorthkoreaWebsite httpwww.explorenorthkorea.comTelephone 008615941545676 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-352325.html The first time Kim Jong il went golfing his first time ever picking up a golf club he shot a world record 38 under par. He recorded 11 hole in ones to shatter Solvang native Al Geiberger's previous record round of 59. The folks at the PGA and Guiness Book of World Records refuse to acknowledge this score. They say that there is no evidence either video or photo that confirms the claim. They http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-325156.html Our coach tracked The Han River out of Seoul the forty odd kilometers up towards the North Korean border in the morning gloaming and if you hadnrsquot known your destination beforehand yoursquod still have felt The Sword of Damocles hanging over your head as almost the entire length of the riverbank is fortified with razor wire fences and guard towers lest the North Koreans attempt an atta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-313015.html One of my last days in Korea I was lucky enough to go up to the North Korean city of Kaesong. Our trip started out with special Visas that were to be worn around our necks at all times and some serious searches of ourselves and our bags. Getting into North Korea you could tell an immediate change. The guards looked like leftovers from the Cold War era and near the border the North Korean Go http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-303403.html There is only one way to enter the north with a tour company and it's the type of trip that I totally despise but being the only option do I have a choiceWe went on a 2 day trip to the Kumgansan resort in North Korea about one hour north from the eastern border of South Korea. We didn't know really what to expect. We were told we would be staying in a protected area so of course the real Nor http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Kumgangsan/blog-300876.html Hello everyone This blog is about our recent weekend trip to North Korea I'm sure most of you have all heard about the latest commotion over the recent tragic shooting of a S. Korean female tourist in North Korea httpwww.msnbc.msn.comid25634009 Well that is actually the same tour that we were on about a month earlier. Now the tours are temporarily suspended until the North agrees http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-295906.html September 2 2007Hotel YanggakdoToday was our last full day in the DPRK but just as busy as the previous two had been. This morning we would be visiting Kim IlSung's mausoleum for which we had to be presentable. Shirttie for men and dress for the women. The mausoleum itself is huge gray granitemarble building with no windows just a large picture of the Great Leader. It is always busy with l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-199109.html Ah.. so our stay in the DPRK finally was coming to an end. Today we would be taking the train back to Beijing nearly 23 hrs. On our way out I noticed a DHL truck outside the hotel the only Western company I had seen the whole time here. The train station was quite busy when we arrived. Some kids were playing volleyball common sport here most factories will have a volleyball court without a n http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-199102.html September 1 2007Hotel YanggakdoToday was another full day of touring. Woke up early again this morning to walk around outside the hotel. There was a stream running by that had amazingly clean clear water the early morning air smelt fresh quite refreshing The DPRK is mostly an agricultural society and a preindustrial one at that... most of the work has to be done by hand since they are sh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-198989.html August 30 2007Flight Beijing to Pyongyang Air Koryo 152Hotel Yaggakdo Hotel PyongyangAt last.. today I would be going to the hermit kingdom North Korea I'd wanted to go now for a few years since I'd heard about Koryo Tours trips and DPRK had opened up the past few years to Americans letting them in for the Mass Games. My wife and I were actually scheduled to go on their Mass Games trip http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Pyongyang/blog-198979.html The intense responses and interest kindled by the blog from North Korea has brought me full circle into the realization that this is a living subject that needs to be updated on to see origional blog go to httpwww.travelblog.orgAsiaNorthKoreaKumgangsanblog53381.html. I have had many responses and many questions that have all left me not only grateful for this experience but also feelin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Kumgangsan/blog-115965.html The demilitarized zone forms the heavily guarded border between North and South Korea and it is the most dangerous and volatile border in the world. In fact the DMZ is often referred to as the most dangerous place on earth. An uneasy truce prevails between the soldiers of the North and the South who are assisted by 60000 US troops. Although the Korean war ended in 1953 a peace treaty has never http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/blog-95565.html I was very lucky to FURWA LAMA as my guide during my monsoon trek in Octomber2005 from jiri to ebc. He was very helpful before the trek as providing me with plenty of infoequipment list and what to expect on the trek. I was pleased during the trek because FURWA made me feel like he really wanted me to enjoy my time in Nepal. My trek began in Kathmandu to jiri by bus and then we start our trek. He http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/North-Korea/Kumgangsan/blog-85727.html