Category Archives: North Korea

NK 6. Fly me to the Un…

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Thursday, 13 April 2017

Pyongyang, North Korea

 

You can imagine my excitement at the thought of being in North Korea tonight as I wake up in Beijing.

Instructions are to check in at 1030hrs for a 1400hrs flight into Pyongyang on Air Koryo (I’d never heard of them either). For an afternoon tour and welcome dinner.

Yep.

That’s the plan.

Ho. Ho. Ho.

Arrive at check in to discover a queue of Nepalese with big boxes. Stand in line. Queuing. Patiently.

Until I discover I’m in the wrong queue. This is the big box queue. Not the small luggage queue.

Queue at adjacent small luggage counter.

Until.

An airline worker starts the process of opening up another counter. Herd mentality and everyone soon migrates from the small luggage queue to the new counter queue. You know how it is.

Now 1100hrs and still check in not opened.

1130hrs check in opens. Yay. Here we go.

However.

A couple on the tour in front are told to come back at 1200hrs.

Present myself for checking in.

Told the same thing. Come back at 1200hrs.

Appears that we have all been put on the later flight at 1500hrs rather than the booked 1400hrs.

So.

Turn up again at 1200hrs to be told they’re not ready. Come back at 1230hrs and soon congregate with my fellow travellers on the same tour. We become a group check in rather than individually checking in. Not something I want.

Touring Taurean’s Top Travel Tip: never do a group check in as that means all the baggage tickets are all on one name and thus one insurance policy which will be limited to that person’s insurance.

Board the Air Koryo Tuplov TU-204 aircraft. So bad that the EU has banned them flying into the EU. Delighted to discover extra leg room seat is in fact a full Business Class seat. Surrounded by a group of Italians who it turns out are the Italian Government Minister of Trade and his delegation seeking to do business with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Having boarded at 1500hrs then sit on the tarmac for two and a half sodding hours. Nightmare. Eventually push back at 1730hrs but by the time we’ve queued and taxied it’s actually 1830hrs by the time we take off from Beijing for the one and a half hour flight to Pyongyang.

Inflight food is served. The legendary Air Koryo burger. My mantra is ‘if it looks dodgy, it usually is’. Elderly Italian next to me, part of the delegation, looks at it at and tells me, ‘My mother always told me to eat what was put in front of me but this might be an exception!’. Quite.

Land Pyongyang at long last at 2000hrs. The Italian delegation are first off with their film crew and I attempt to tag along but fail miserably and soon stopped by an official as they’re diverted off the air bridge to the VIP Arrivals.

But.

I am the first to get through passport control which takes all of a few seconds surprisingly.

Now entering the DPRK.

Have heard the horror stories of both getting into the country and then out again. Have wiped my computer hard disk of all documents. Mobile phone has been wiped of all photos and videos, Email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram apps deleted also. It’s now a sterile phone in terms of data. Kindle has been checked to ensure no banned publications. Guide books and bibles not allowed.

Am expecting dour faced men and women in uniform with no tolerance barking instructions. Soviet Union like.

So.

You can imagine my surprise and delight when the first customs officer I meet greets me with a ‘dab’ (old people you will have to Google what a ‘dab’ is but essentially it’s a dance move in which a person drops their head into the bent crook of an upwardly angled arm whilst raising the opposite arm out straight) and a generous smile.

Bloody hell. Was not expecting that!

They’re all smiles and very friendly. Bags arrive 10 minutes after landing in this brand new and shiny airport. This is good. This is better than expected.

Very good first impressions.

My bag is one of the first on the carousel which is retrieved but then it has to go through a security check and X-ray before being released. Not the usual cursory X-ray inspection.

No.

First question: do you have a mobile phone. Yes. Was expecting that anyway. Hand it to them thinking it’s going to be examined and electronically interrogated. But no. It’s simply taken, something is written in a register and it’s given back to me without it even being required to be unlocked.

Luggage is not even bothered with and remains untouched.

Have declared on the customs form the following: DSLR camera, compact camera, mobile phone, laptop, Kindle and two printed magazines.

Expecting the full interrogation of my electronic goods. Given the possibilities of smuggling prohibited publications and videos. But no. They’re not even bothered about the electronics.

What is of greater interest is the two printed publications. Wanderlust travel and Astronomy Now magazines. The height of subversion I’m sure you’ll agree.

They’re taken off me and have to follow the customs officer to meet the Supervisor. Supervisor simply flicks through them and satisfied that they are not subversive material hands them back.

All in all the whole customs experience lasts less than five minutes. Not as bad as I had been expecting given the scare stories I’d been reading about online.

However.

I can’t now leave the security area. Why. You may ask. I don’t have the luggage receipt. Flipping ‘eck. Someone else in our group has all the luggage receipts on her boarding pass. And she’s still queuing for security.

Try and motion to customs officer the situation who soon realises and am allowed back through X-ray to retrieve them. Having landed at 2000hrs find myself in the terminal building hot to trot at 2020hrs. Pretty quick process. And would be great if I was travelling independently and could just jump in a taxi and clear off for much needed food and a beer.

But. I’m not. Now have to wait for the rest of the group to process through security.

Nightmare.

Having only eaten a small sandwich all day I’m getting grumpy through hunger.

You’ll never guess how long it takes, dear reader, to wait for the rest of the group. An hour and a sodding half, dear reader. 2200hrs by the time we leave the airport.

All in need of food and it’s a 40 minute drive to Pyongyang and a restaurant which has seemingly just opened up for us as there are no other punters.

All are knackered and jetlagged. All are hungry. All making polite conversation getting to know each other. All hesitating to eat some questionable food stuff on the table. Group decision to leave it alone. One thought is that it’s not food but a table decoration. And that’s all you need know to guess how questionable it was.

Finally arrive at the Yanggakdo Hotel (www.north-korea-travel.com/yanggakdo-hotel.html) just before midnight.

A long day.

It’s gone midnight and completely knackered but cannot sleep for love nor money. The room is near the lifts and they’re reverberating through the structure making a whooshing noise as they go up and down and vibrating the walls.

It’s also very windy up on the 29th floor and the wind is blowing harmonics through gaps in the window frame. This is solved at 0130hrs by ramming a bottle opener under a double glazing unit to shove it up into the casing which reduces some noise.

I. Am. Shattered. Dear. Reader.

One of my fellow travellers is a lady of about my age. She’s single. She’s in the room next to mine. Our two rooms are accessed by a small connecting lobby (of broom cupboard proportions) which is in itself off the main hotel corridor.

Pay attention to that last paragraph, dear reader. Pay attention. And remember.

NK 5. Scorpion on a stick

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Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Beijing, China

Metro again to Tiananmen Square but after the long 20 minute plus queues for security on Sunday, box clever and avoid the north east exit and head to the south west underpass exit of the Metro, the other side of the road, and straight through the security checkpoint into Tiananmen Square looking at the very long queues on the other side of the road.

No flies on me, dear reader.

Yet another bright blue sky day and quite hot now. Enter the Forbidden City via the main entrance gate. It was here that I came in 1996 and remember having to pay much more than the locals to enter because I was a foreigner. Now everyone pays the same.

Can now visit the main entrance gate podium which is where the Chinese President and Politburo oversee the various parades in Tiananmen Square. It’s the equivalent of the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Have to queue for a ticket. Ny NUS student discount card is produced. Cos I’m still a student, obviously. Ahem. And need the discount.

Have to provide passport.

Security. And more security.

Then on to another hut for security checks.

X-ray scanner and airport style metal detector. It’s a bit stupid as I deliberately walk through with my camera and all belongings in my pockets and little security girl gives a cursory prod with her wand. Have to stand on a little six inch high step whilst she does so. I tower over her and she now comes up to my knees.

Asked what’s it my camera bag.

Camera I say and start unzipping the bag.

But am waved through without having to show camera.

Had this palaver at the Metro X-ray security this morning. They wanted to X-ray my camera bag but, in typical Taurean fashion, I just walked past and simply said ‘Camera!’ and was waved through.

Clearly not a security threat.

Finally, once through security find myself on the outside podium of Tiananmen Gate with an awesome view of Tiananmen Square. It’s only looking at it from a distance that you realise how big it is. The whole place is teeming with tourists. Young security men dressed in black trousers, white shirts and obligatory sunglasses guard the podium. Woe betide the person stepping out of line. There will be no hesitation in forcibly putting you back in line.

Or worse.

Exit Tiananmen Gate and having already bought an entrance ticket assume that’s for the Forbidden City complex, of which Tiananmen Gate is a part.

Er no.

Have to buy another entrance ticket. The previous entrance ticket was only for Tiananmen Gate not the Forbidden City.

More queuing for a ticket.

Surprisingly, I have to produce my passport and they tap the document ID into their computer.

Another security check.

Setting alarms off as I wander through. But am waved through.

The lolloping giant is clearly not a security threat.

When I last came to the Forbidden City in 1996 it was me and a few others, notwithstanding the minus 10C temperature, and recall that it was a haven of peace of tranquillity.

Yeah. That’s my memory.

Now it’s heaving and full of the chatter of thousands of tourists. Slow going to make your way through the complex with too many tourists tripping over each other and being herded about by tour guides with flags on extendable poles which get in my eyes.

It’s just too busy so merely walk through without enjoying the history, a potted version of which is as follows.

Spread over 178 acres, it was originally built in the early 1400s by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty and occupied in 1420. Called the Forbidden City as access was restricted to most of the people and had a 3.5km perimeter wall. Was the centre of power for five centuries until the Chinese Revolution in 1911. 16 million people now visit each year.

The stuff you learn on this blog, dear reader.

The north gate leads to Jingshan Park, the former imperial gardens of the Forbidden City. Built on an artificial hill created by the soil excavated from the moat that surrounds the Forbidden City. Yet more huffing and puffing as I wend my way through the forested footpath to the top for more magnificent views of the Forbidden City.

Back down to street level find a pedestrianised shopping street full of Western stores and malls. I could be in any country in the west.

But then.

A proper little Chinese archway with red lanterns hanging from it suggesting what might be the entrance to Chinatown in a western city entices me in. It’s a food market.

But not your M&S type food.

No.

This has live scorpions on sticks ready for deep frying wriggling about (see video below!).

And grubs.

And cockroaches.

And grasshoppers.

And seahorses.

Chuffing seahorses!

On a stick to eat.

Of all things.

Hopefully the food will be better in North Korea.

Which I fly to tomorrow.

And the start of the North Korea trip (and blog) proper.

NK 4. Spring in the Summer Palace

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Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Beijing, China

Receptionist recommends the Summer Palace in the north west of the city. Fortunately able to navigate the metro system with ease as the signs and announcements are also in English. Alight at Beigongmen station for the short walk to the Summer Palace entrance. In need of a pit stop try and enter the luxurious Aman Hotel which looks like an ideal, and clean, spot for pees and teas. They’re not wanting this scruffy tourist in walking boots and open collared shirt in their establishment and am kicked out of the main hotel and ushered around the corner to their café out of the way. They clearly wish to maintain standards in this hotel.

But every cloud has a silver lining and it’s a delightful spot by a large fish pond to have a drink. So nice that I decide to stay a while for an early lunch. An elderly fisherman is throwing bread into the pond to entice the fish with the aim of catching one in his net at the end of a pole, about 12ft long. The fish aren’t biting and he ambles and shuffles to the other side to try there. This time the fish surface and he takes his long pole and stands poised at the water’s edge ready to pounce but keeps missing. If it were me, I’d place the net in the water and then slowly let the fish swim into it. After quite a while, he manages to catch four fish and wonder if they’ll be on the hotel’s restaurant menu tonight.

There’s an air of calmness in the gardens as I have a relaxing lunch soaking up the sun on this bright blue sky day and it’s a bit of a wrench to tear myself away and enter the 200 hectares of park and palaces complex that form the Summer Palace around a large lake. Exceptionally busy with Chinese tourists and once again I stick out like a sore thumb. After visiting the colourful and ornate 3 level Grand Theatre, it’s the covered walkway which runs for 750m from theatre to the main palace.

As I walk through the walkway I’m towering over everybody and can hear lots of hellos from the girls as they walk past giggling at the giant.

Something I’ve gotten used to.

Sniff.

Halfway along the walkway is a pagoda high up on a hill which requires investigation. More huffing and puffing from the Englishman as I climb the steep steps. What is it with these ancient Chinese and steep steps?! Once at the pagoda, thinking I’ve made it to the top realise I’m only half way up. More huffing and puffing to the summit but a cracking view from the top. Not a cloud in the sky, no smog, haze or anything. A beautiful spring day.

Returning to lake level discover a large marble boat in the water. Obviously not floating. It’s a serene sail under ornate stone bridges on a boat that floats to the quirky Szuzhou Street. Built in the 18th century as a place where Emperors and guests could feel as if they were strolling a commercial street.

But without the riff raff.

The path is about 2ft wide with shops on one side and a 5ft vertical drop to the water below on the other with no barriers or anything to prevent you falling if you trip over. Very picturesque but watch my step. Late afternoon as I leave this peaceful and very enjoyable park. A good recommendation by the receptionist.

Facetime a very old friend (as in longevity not age…ahem…you know who you are) who is just waking up in the UK. Clearly still in a state of torpor she doesn’t realise I’m in Beijing despite being told I was going just a few weeks ago over dinner. Early retirement clearly taking its toll on her memory…

She’ll be reading this now and wondering ‘Does he mean me?’

Yes.

NK 3. The hutongs

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Monday, 10 April 2017

Beijing, China

I remember driving through some hutongs (a series of narrow alleyways and roads with shops and housing) in 1996 and it was all a bit basic and back street but full of character. So you can imagine my disappointment to find that the entrance to the hutongs I visit today have a brand new shiny entrance and they’re all refurbished and quite clean.

The spring blossom lining the river is very vibrant and soon find the main pedestrianised thoroughfare. Like Doha’s souqs it has that sense of newness about it and full of designer shops and cafes with free wifi. How times have changed. This is not what I’m after. I’m after the old and characterful hutongs.

Meander down a side road and find a small café for a drink and sit down outside. Owner comes out and measures her height against mine. She just about reaches my hips. She giggles and then disappears. It’s only after an hour of wandering about and getting away from the main thoroughfare that I find what I’m looking for. The real grubby backstreet hutongs. This is the China I remember. Men playing cards and gambling in the alleyways. Two birds in an ornate cage by the door. Surprisingly, they let me take their photo. Last time I came here it was a big no no as they thought you were taking away their spirit. There’s an air of stillness and calmness in the alleyways which is quite relaxing and reminds me of the alleyways in Busan, South Korea. There’s plenty of food stalls and small industries with people cutting, tapping and banging in various workshops. It’s great. I love this sort of off-piste wandering.

I can assure you dear reader, there was a lot of huffing and puffing climbing the very steep staircase to the top of the Bell & Drum Towers. But the views across Beijing are worth it. Especially along the north-south axis towards Jingshan Park, which sits on a slight rise overlooking the Forbidden City.

The 13th century Bell and Drum Towers used to announce the time in Beijing until as recently as 1924. The 7m high, 3.4m diameter bell was cast in the 14/15th century during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. The thickness of the bell ranges from 12cm to 24cm and it weighs 63 tons. You wouldn’t want to be nearby when it rings.

The trouble with travelling on the Beijing Metro is that the signage is installed at a height of 6’2”. Being 6’5” this poses a problem and narrowly avoid slashing my forehead on day one.

NK 2. Back in Beijing

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Sunday, 9 April 2017

Beijing, China

Having already experienced a VIP transfer in Bangkok arranged through the hotel a few years previously, have also booked the same for Beijing. Greeted at the aircraft door by a beautiful young Chinese girl with a placard with my name on.

She whisks me through Beijing airport security and customs fast track lanes and down a side door to a waiting BMW 7 series in the private VIP entrance before whizzing through the traffic in air-conditioned comfort to downtown.

Could get used to this rock star treatment.

Arrive at the Four Seasons Beijng (www.fourseasons.com/beijing/). Doors are opened as car stops. Hotel Manager greets me at car door, hands me her business card and escorts me to the lift with the Assistant Hotel Manager who then escorts me to the 25th floor Executive Floor and in to my room for check in.

Was on an aircraft less than an hour ago.

This is the way to travel.

Assistant Manager asks me what I’m doing in Beijing. Explain I’m in transit to North Korea.

Later chat with the Executive Floor receptionist who asks the same question and again the response is ‘I’m in transit to North Korea.’ To which she exclaims, ‘Ah, Mr Taurean!’. Tell her she’s well informed and she responds with ‘I have my sources!’.

I was last in Beijing in 1996. A lot has changed.

Flashy new metro train to Tiananmen Square, having gone through full airport style X-ray security at the metro station to get on the underground train. Hope we don’t have that rigmarole in Europe anytime soon!

Eventually surface at Tiananmen Square and soon greeted by three young Chinese girls who are kindergarten teachers from the north east, near the border with Russia. They want to practice their English and ask if I would like to have a coffee and chat with them.

Ooer.

I’ve been picked up already.

Sorry ladies. This Englishman is a bit jet lagged and bordering on being a grumpy little ogre due to lack of sleep and needs to be left alone. They’re actually a bit miffed and clear off in a huff.

Long, long queues to pass through yet more security and x-ray checkpoint to enter the massive expanse of Tiananmen Square. When I came in 1996, there was none of this and you could come and go as you pleased.

21 years ago I remember a lot of people walking about in Mao style uniforms and lots of bicycles. So different now. Much more western styles and a lot more cars.

Stand in Tiananmen Square taking photos as I did 21 years ago. Back then, in 1996, it was minus 10C and I was THE tourist attraction on account of being tall and blond and a rare westerner. Back then I was there for half an hour having my photo taken with local families as I was such an ‘oddity’ (no sniggering!).

It happens again and a young lad asks if he can have his photo with me. Which starts other locals asking the same. At 6’5” am standing out a bit.

Dinner in the hotel for a quick pizza. All I want is some carbs, a beer and then bed for much needed sleep.

Have asked for a pizza with a tomato base as extra (not a pizza without a tomato base is it I hear you say). Arrives without a tomato base. Waitress soon realises the error of her ways. Tell her it’s OK and start scoffing as now hungry and just want to eat and go to sleep. Jetlagged as I am. Halfway through the pizza am told to stop. Chef has done another pizza with a tomato base and it’s on its way.

Flipping ‘eck.

Now have two pizzas before me. One with a tomato base and a half eaten one without a tomato base.

Well, that just means I’ll have to have another glass of wine.

Doesn’t it.

NK 1. The terminal

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Saturday, 8 April 2017

Munich, Germany

Dear reader, as promised in the last post of my Antarctica to Alaska blog, I said I would try and upload my North Korea blog at some point. Well, as the country and most of the world is now in partial or full lockdown due to the coronavirus, and I have a bit of time to spare, I thought I would regale you with some photos and videos of my time in North Korea in April 2017. A fascinating and very interesting country.

Obviously, if you do not want these blog posts just unsubscribe. Not a problem.

So sit back, have a brew, beer or glass of wine, forget about the nonsense going off in the world today and enjoy a couple of weeks travelling around North Korea via Germany and China.

You can only fly in to North Korea from China. Hence a pre-start few days in Beijing, which necessitates flying via Munich.

Here we go…

Alarm call 0440hrs. There’s only one 4.40 in my day and this is isn’t it. As it’s the middle of the night have set radio alarm on maximum volume to make sure I wake up which frightens the life out of me when it goes off. Today’s flight is the red eye from Birmingham to Munich for a 9hr transit before flying to Beijing.

Have cashed in a lot of airmiles, from my weekly flights to Frankfurt whilst working in Germany for a few years, and treated myself to Lufthansa First Class. All those early Monday morning flights were worth it after all!

So.

Like Tom Hanks in the film The Terminal I have 9hrs in Munich airport.

Albeit in the luxurious First Class Lounge.

Yay.

Investigate Terminal 2 in its entirety.

30 minutes. Tick.

8hrs 30mins to go.

Told there’s another First Class Lounge in the satellite terminal which has a roof terrace.

Settle myself in admiring the view from the roof terrace but after 30 minutes the smell of aviation fuel is overwhelming and return back to the main terminal.

7hrs 30mins to go.

Told I can actually exit/entry the airport through the First Class private access and passport control and come and go as I please. The receptionist suggests I could nip into Munich city centre for the afternoon.

A good idea to relieve terminal tedium.

It’s a gloriously sunny day and so catch the S-Bahn to Munich city centre about 40 minutes away for an afternoon sightseeing. Having been to Munich before I sort of know my way around and head for the Viktualien Market, one my favourite spots in Munich, which has lots of food stalls and markets.

Upon my return the receptionist is panicking big time. She’d sent me off to the city centre but as I’d left had thought that I might be on the mid afternoon flight to Shanghai rather than this evening’s flight to Beijing. She’s somewhat relieved to discover I haven’t missed my flight.

Finally, settle myself into my First Class suite. This is the life. Champagne to start with. Caviar and nibbles. Smoked veal. Fillet steak. Red wine. Singleton 12 year old single malt whisky nightcap.

The joys of a full length bed, quilt and pillow to doze away the hours.

But.

Wake myself up with the noise of my snoring.