Democratic People's Republic of Korea / DPRK / Korea (north)

[RooFlyer]

Fabulous detail. You won't get this in guide books!

 

[Chicken]

This is the last photo taken before arriving into Sinuiju - the last stop in Korea for clearing immigration. The station platform had plenty of soldiers standing guard, I could not take any photo.

After leaving Sinuiju, we drove across the river, cross the border into China.

Below is a theme park on the Korean side of riverbank. There was no one there. Article in Wikipedia suggests the ferris wheel is broken and hasn't been repaired. We are now leaving Korea. (yes, all photos below are in chronological order)













Look at this bridge, extended from China, into and ending in the middle of the river. The red flags are the national flags of China.

 

[kookaburra75]

Hi @Chicken - thanks for your trip report - it's been an eye opener in terms of North Korea, but also challenging about what we think or assume of other countries. For me me, there's a few stand out items in your report:

• Handsome One and how he survived; I have seen large Kiwi lads reduced to crumbling wrecks in Asia from unwanted attention from the fairer sex. I hoped he survived, relatively unscathed
• Your observations on life for people in North Korea
• Your photos - the set that hit home the most were in the set before last with the photos of the fields as your neared the border with China. The stooks in the fields were something my grandfather talked about when they harvested and threshed the crops by hand, on the farm. To see them now, pointed towards something not quite right in their system

 

[Chicken]

Below is still the same bridge, extended from China and ends in the middle of the river. You could see the people standing at the end of this bridge, which is a viewing platform.



I feel very sad about this situation, which I am not sure if it is a gesture or symbol, that China is extending a hand over, but still unable to catch / reach Korea over, over to the rest of the world.

On this side of the riverbank is Dandong station.





I saw more propaganda slogans on this side of China, including Beijing, than Korea actually. In Pyangyong, there would be a few every block, but they were just everywhere in Beijing. I hardly saw any in rural Korea, but I could see them everywhere in China on my train ride.

Right here, the first station, was already full of propaganda.

The sign below
- right hand side for platform 3, was G8106 run 16:32 depart > Dandong > Jilin
- right hand side for platform 2, was "Main philosophy of socialism : strong, democracy, civilisation, harmony, freedom, equality, just (fair), rule by law, love thy country, promo business, trustworthy, friendly.

How many of these are part of socialism? How many of these even apply in China?

 

[drron]

Definitely the plane for me.Lost me at the squat toilets.

 

[JohnM]

Hi @Chicken Your photos - the set that hit home the most were in the set before last with the photos of the fields as your neared the border with China. The stooks in the fields were something my grandfather talked about when they harvested and threshed the crops by hand, on the farm. To see them now, pointed towards something not quite right in their system

You see the same in India - but the absence of combine harvesters there may have more to do with small field size. Most of those N Korean fields looked large enough to support a combine. Also, the absence of bulk handling suggests the whole system is antiquated.

 

[Chicken]

Hi @Chicken

• Handsome One and how he survived; I have seen large Kiwi lads reduced to crumbling wrecks in Asia from unwanted attention from the fairer sex. I hoped he survived, relatively unscathed

You mean like how even the most unattractive white man would become the most popular among ladies in Japan?

• Your observations on life for people in North Korea

I am sure I have missed a lot of things, but I did spend a lot of time trying to read into conversations and body language of people. This is what I find interesting.

• Your photos - the set that hit home the most were in the set before last with the photos of the fields as your neared the border with China. The stooks in the fields were something my grandfather talked about when they harvested and threshed the crops by hand, on the farm. To see them now, pointed towards something not quite right in their system

You mean they are doing it like 50 years ago, or do you mean ......

Possible that they lack the money to buy superphosphate.

 

[JohnM]

The cereal crop yields looked reasonably good, judging from the biomass/unit area of land. It was the harvesting and handling that is antiquated.

 

[Chicken]

Definitely the plane for me.Lost me at the squat toilets.

Most public toilets have no / little water supply, and no toilet paper (we were told to bring toilet paper into Korea). I guess squat toilet means no splash back. Do you want a public toilet which doesn't really flush to splash back when you use it?

 

[Chicken]

The cereal crop yields looked reasonably good, judging from the biomass/unit area of land. It was the harvesting and handling that is antiquated.

Makes me think of rural China

 

[33kft]

Amazing trip report Chicken!

Although I would like to visit NK out of curiosity (but don't really need to now thanks to your excellent write-up and pics), I would also feel like it was volunteering for prison in more than one respect, I think I am a little too reliant on technology nowadays to enjoy being totally unplugged for this amount of time.

The one question I have for you is, did you take any notes while you were there or is this all from memory? Would they be suspicious of notes, and would being seen to be writing anything (on a phone, paper or laptop) attract extra scrutiny and therefore extra delays for you?

 

[opusman]

The one question I have for you is, did you take any notes while you were there or is this all from memory? Would they be suspicious of notes, and would being seen to be writing anything (on a phone, paper or laptop) attract extra scrutiny and therefore extra delays for you?

Presumably the photos were taken while there and not recreated from memory later on

They control everything you see while there so why would they control what notes you take about it?

 

[33kft]

Presumably the photos were taken while there and not recreated from memory later on

They control everything you see while there so why would they control what notes you take about it?

Because notes can contain opinions, beliefs and observations that are contrary to the carefully cultivated image they intend for you to bring back.

Specifically, I'm trying to work out if Chicken's TR is entirely consisting of memories inspired by the pictures taken or if it was common for people to take notes of the places they had been, things they had seen and the itinerary of the trip.

 

[Chicken]

The one question I have for you is, did you take any notes while you were there or is this all from memory?

I wrote everything off my head. Even thought it's been nearly 2 months since I left, I can still remember everything like it was 2 weeks ago. This is the most memorable overseas trip I have done I think.

I thought about writing notes, but I thought, I want to look outside the windows of the bus, so, meah.

Would they be suspicious of notes, and would being seen to be writing anything (on a phone, paper or laptop) attract extra scrutiny and therefore extra delays for you?

I know at least 2 people in my tour who took notes. They would start writing the minute they got back on our coach.

I don't think the Koreans cared that much. We were allowed to take pictures of the country side, which you can see aren't exactly the best Korea has to show for.

Upon exiting Korea, no one checked the contents in my phone / camera / USB stick / notebook computer. I also had a document folder, which had about 5 cm thick of A4 paper documents. It was a hard plastic case with cartoons on it, you could not see what is inside this case. I offered to open it to the customs officer and he told me not to worry about it. I even had cash Korean Won in my luggage, which is illegal to be taken out of Korea, and he didn't search for them either. He searched according to my customs declaration form, but he did not search like the Chinese customs do.

The only thing which got the customs officer really curious, was the [URL='Democratic People's Republic of Korea / DPRK / Korea (north)"]souvenir book I took from the Palace[/URL]. He was really curious, he really read thru it, which kinda annoyed the party offical in my cabin (more about this party offical later).

From my observation, both going in and coming out, the officials are there to follow the rules, but not that interested in fully executing the spirit of the rule. They are there to execute the laws by the book, for show if you want to put it this way, but they aren't there to fully come after you, like the length of how Australian and New Zealand custom officers would go, just to catch you with an apple, if you know what I mean.

Of course, I am not saying that you should test your luck with them.

Specifically, I'm trying to work out if Chicken's TR is entirely consisting of memories inspired by the pictures taken or if it was common for people to take notes of the places they had been, things they had seen and the itinerary of the trip.

Memories. However, you would notice that I wrote a lot of stories without photo evidence. This trip was really memorable for me. I can tell you that, I would not remember 20% of the level of detail if this was a trip to I don't know, Oslo or something like that.

 

[Chicken]

Side show - people watching

There were large number of passengers when the train started in Pyongyang, as you saw from previous photos. Once we cleared Chinese immigration customs, only 11 Korean passengers (including myself) plus 5 crews continued to Beijing, everyone departed the service at Dandong.

The train was packed when we left Pyongyang. People were sitting on the beds, chatting. One boy in his early 20s even sat in the corridor because all the cabins were full, and people talking, and it was hot (until I fought my way to having air con switched on).

Everyone dressed well. Shirt, jacket, long pants, at least at the start, until it got quite hot and people’s clothing started to come ‘loose’. Most people were in the Workers’ Party, and there were quite a few soldiers.

After clearing Chinese immigration and back on our train, all the clothes and uniforms came off, and all the ‘sit straight’ disappeared. Soldiers hung their hats on the handrails in the corridor, everyone changed into old baggy t shirts / singlets. Feet on bed, eating, playing cards. All changed from uptight Koreans in uniform into blue collar workers in baggy clothings (insert whatever stereotype you have about blue collar workers).

I asked the train conductor if there would be food, and he explained that this was now China (territory), they were all finished. He realised that I didn’t have any food, so he went back to his cabin and gave this to me and shown me where to get hot water. I saw nearly everyone had their own stash and were eating these.

 

[Astro]

Great TR. Fascinating place. Like @33kft I reckon the lack of tech would make it a tough trip

 

[Chicken]

Side show - Sharing my cabin with "nobody".

I shared my cabin with a Korean couple, maybe in their 50s.

The husband curiously spoke extremely good English. The wife spoke some English, but quite good Chinese. The husband told me he was now working in trade and logistics, and was a seafarer for 18 years. He told me he had been to a few places while being a seafarer, like Dubai, Singapore, Taiwan. I expected him to know English if he was a seafarer, but he just seemed a little too good with his English.

He said that trade is really bad, especially since China started to enforce UN trade sanctions. A lot of people in his company lost their jobs.

We had a bit of chat between Pyongyang and them decided to get some sleep, and they left the train at Dandong. He asked about my trip, and specifically if I saw the mass game and what I thought of it. I replied with “It was pretty amazing, we don’t see something like this in Australia” and he just chuckled in a way like ‘yes, whatever, you weren’t that into that BS’

We also talked a bit about international trade, and economy in Australia. He was not into the details but he even knew about Australia having revolving prime ministers.

We got to the last stop in Korea, and an immigration officer came to our cabin. Checked my passport, sweet whatever. Checked husband’s ID, then started really looked into his ID, like really really looked. Then that officer turned around and salute someone outside our cabin. That person outside took the husband’s ID, looked at it, then saluted the husband. The husband smiled, nodded his head, and mumbled something (I think something unimportant).

We waited and spent more time mucking with all the formalities.

Customs officer came into our cabin, and told me he needed to do customs search. He searched according to what I wrote on the customs declaration, instead of how Aussie kiwi customs search for fruit at the airports. He was not interested in anything but the souvenir book from the Palace of our President and Chairman. The husband got annoyed with him, and I don’t understand Korean but the tone of the husband was ‘this is from the palace, from our leaders, why are you wasting time bothering with this book, he is Australian just leave him with his book’ (Everyone in Korea actually use the word Australia / Australian they don’t use Korean words for Australia/n).

Then we sat in our cabin, bored a little more.

Some officer or general or big potato came into our cabin. He asked me “Australian?” “Yeah” “OK, sit there” and pointed out the corridor. I went outside and stood around.

This big potato went into our cabin, and started chatting with the husband. The wife left our cabin very soon, and also hung around the corridor like I was. Big potato and the husband chatted for a good 10 minutes in our cabin, while the wife + myself + a few soldiers stood around the corridor killing time.

They finished chatting, wife and I went back into our cabin, sat a bit more, then people started yelling around to say everyone get off let’s go.

And as most officers (I assume lower rank) started leaving, some of them (seemed slightly higher rank) started coming to our cabin, and saluted the husband, including a female officer whom never had any interaction with us up until this point, just to come and salute, and one of them even saluted the wife. Husband and wife just smiled back every time.

And the people in uniform left, the train left Korea.

Husband and wife said goodbye to me, and they left after crossing the river into China.

So many people saluted them, and he never saluted anyone back. Not once. Yep, just a seaman and employee in trade logistics.

 

[Chicken]

Once we left Dandong, the Chinese locomotive pulled us at a minimum of 150% faster than the speed we were travelling at back in Korea. Felt like I suddenly time travelled into 21 century.

I could see high rise after high rise along the rail line, and leon lights everywhere.

Woke up around 6AM the next morning.

Below photos as we were travelling into Beijing area.





The white cars are Korean, the green are Chinese.

The white one was marked Pyongyang <-> Beijing (note the photo of the carriage I took when I was boarding was marked to Dandong)







Our train for the last time





Sign has
16 car | K28 run | 08:40 arrival | on time
1 car | Pyongyang --> Beijing

 

[Chicken]

So this is the end of my trip.

This is the most memorable trip I have ever done, anywhere in the world. The closest to this for me was Poland.

If you want to go there, with pre conceived ideas then see and challenge everything, then it ain't gonna work. If you are willing to just sit down shut up and hang tight, then it is an amazing trip, with the added benefit of travelling in luxury.

My next trip to Korea, would probably be something like "coast to coast" to see rice farm and factory.

 

[Saltywings]

Thanks for the TR. I don't think I'll read one as interesting, informative and of an eccentric destination as yours for a very long time.