Sunday, May 13, 2007

What'd you do this weekend?

Question: What kind of music do you listen to when you're on your way to visit a communist country?

Stephanie's answer: Angry music.

I went to North Korea this weekend! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that Stephanie and I just couldn't pass up. It also happened to fit in perfectly with our work schedule (which really doesn't allow for both of us to have vacation time at the same time). It was a weekend trip that started after we got out of work at 10pm on Friday, so it was perfect.

The organized trip we went on is for foreigners in Seoul. We went to Mt. Kumsang in North Korea, which is only about 20 minutes past the North/South border, along the East Sea (which is the Sea of Japan by Japanese name). We drove through the night in a big tour bus (which meant we didn't get much sleep), and then on to the border in the morning. Our bus was joined by a large number of other buses, all organized tours.

We had a great number of restrictions on what we could and couldn't do. We went through South Korean customs first, where they checked us out of the country. We went through the DMZ and then into North Korea. We sat in line for a while and just took in our surroundings, which included some bunkers built into the hills, complete with tanks. There were North Korean soldiers in their olive green uniforms and hat, all of it look entirely too big for their smaller bodies. We weren't allowed to take pictures while we were in the bus, and were told to not even point or gesture. North Korean soldiers were standing at intervals (mostly to other roadways) with red flags in their hands, at their side, ready to raise should we cause problems.

We went through customs where we showed our passports and papers with our pictures on it, went through metal detectors, and were on our way from customs to the resort. We spent just about 20 minutes on the bus, passing by rice fields. At each small dirt road that met the two lane asphalt, there was a North Korean soldier standing with his red flag at his side. We got to see a couple of villages, but both set back from the road just far enough so that we couldn't really see the villagers well enough, but could tell what they were doing. Again, we couldn't take any pictures. One thing that really struck me were the cows that were being used to plow the fields. They were incredibly skinny, and as I watched one being worked, I just felt sad for it. Our tour guide told us that even though we saw tractors, to not be impressed with what they have. The South Korean companies have given quite a bit to this area of North Korea, and so a thing like a tractor is not normal for other North Koreans. We saw some trucks that our tour guide said were burning wood for fuel, which explained the smoke billowing out of the back.

Mt. Kumsang is a huge tourist attraction because of its huge peaks and beautiful, wonderful scenery. Its name "Kumgangsan" translates into "Diamond Mountain". The area, obviously, was closed off to outsiders, but in the late 1990s some South Korean companies were allowed to build this attraction for visitors. Quite a few South Koreans now come here (in the thousands), and a small number of visitors are foreigners. It doesn't really feel like North Korea because they have built a few resort-like hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, etc., and the area is closed off to normal North Koreans. There were some North Koreans working at the resort, and you could distinguish them by the red pin they were wearing on their outer garment. If the worker was not wearing this, our tour guide told us they were most likely Korean-Chinese, meaning that they are Koreans who were born and raised in China.

So there is some background information for you! After driving through the night on a crowded bus, and going through multiple immigration lines, we arrived at the resort to go on our morning hike! As exciting and crazy as it seemed to just BE in North Korea, what I really loved about the trip was the chance to get away from Seoul and be in the mountains! What a refreshing time. Dense trees and rivers and wildlife! I can't explain how nice that was, after being stuck in the city for so long. (Reminder: Any picture you can click on and enlarge.)

Here are some pictures of our morning hike, which was gorgeous:

One thing that really impressed me (and impresses me in Seoul) is the strength and willingness of the ajummas and ajosshis (old women and old men). Here we are on this hike that wasn't TOO difficult, but definitely put some sweat on my back. The ground was really uneven (a mix of big rocks, small rocks, and sometimes concrete), there were many uneven stairs, etc, but these elderly people don't care! They're hiking to the top whether you want them to or not! They grab a walking stick and off they go!

We climbed to reach the waterfall at the top. I hate to be a downer, but I'm from Oregon and having seen Multnomah Falls all my life, this wasn't that spectacular, but it was a really nice reward at the end:This is my "North Korea, baby!" picture:
After that hike there was the option to go on another hike, but Stephanie and I were so tired from no sleep and hiking already that we opted to take a quick nap/rest in our room. Our resort room was SO nice and comfortable. We even had CNN to watch!

After our rest it was time for a North Korean acrobatic show, which involved quite a few stunts that made me nervous. We weren't allowed to take photos, so I don't have any of that- sorry! It was very interesting, though. All of the performers looked healthy and strong, except that I'm sure that is to put a good face on things. One thing Stephanie and I did notice, however (since we were sitting in the first row) was that so many of them were missing teeth. Also, I noticed that while they looked very put together, their costumes and props seemed really outdated.

After the acrobatic show we had the rest of the evening to ourselves. We ate dinner and then went back to our room to relax and go to bed early! I don't think I've gone to bed that early since I've been in Korea, but we got a full night of sleep, which was good, because we had to be up really early the next morning. To lure us to sleep the One of the North Korean songs played continuously over the loudspeaker. I was so tired that it didn't keep me awake, but a girl on our bus said it played all night. It is ingrained in my mind, however, and now Stephanie and I sing it to each other.

The next day we got up, had breakfast, and then we went off to the "easy course" of a lake and beach. On the way there our tour guide pointed out a painted announcement that read "Repel the enemy- America!" We traveled close to some small buildings and saw the soldiers standing inside the doorways, staring at us. They certainly like to creep us out.

Here are some pictures of the beach and lake:

On all of our hikes and walks there were a handful of North Koreans. You could always tell who they were by the red pin on their chest (a pin with the picture of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il's father, the original communist leader of North Korea). They were there to make sure we didn't do anything forbidden. At one point we weren't supposed to take picture in a certain direction because of bunkers and tanks hidden inside. Well, we weren't exactly informed of that, and Stephanie took a picture and nobody caught her! So here it is. You have to zoom in quite a ways to see the tanks.

Koreans rowing past on their boat:

The lake:

There were a handful of people selling some things at each stop, and I happily bought some paintings for myself. I haven't bought myself a lot of souvenirs while I've been in Korea, mostly because I don't ever see anything I feel like I really want. But I really wanted this, and happily bought it from the North Korean who painted it.

One of the best parts of the hike was watching a North Korean lady talk to a group of South Koreans who surrounded her. One South Korean man wanted to sing a song, and kept trying to start one. I couldn't understand everything, but eventually the North Korean woman began singing a song. Afterward all of the South Koreans cheered for her. It was really moving. It's hard to believe such a country that has been divided for so long. These people (North and South) have the same history, much of the same culture, and the same lineage, yet are so different now. Even as we were at the resort they were hosting groups of reunions for North Korean people to meet their relatives from South Korea. After 50+ years!! Amazing. Here is the video of the North Korean woman singing:


Here are some pictures of the mountains and scenery back by the resort:

From our hotel room I zoomed in on the North Korean village by our resort. This as close of a shot as I could get:
The last part of our trip included meeting the Kims. Well, you know, taking a picture with them. Their picture must not be cut off or taken badly, so the bellmen from the hotel (North Koreans) came to take the pictures to insure quality.


One our way walking from the resort to the painting (at another hotel) we passed by a place where North Korean soldiers were marching (about 10-12 of them). Stephanie and I were by ourselves and it was quite eery. We also passed by some unfinished/abandoned small buildings and Stephanie said she could see a soldier standing inside. Another group from our traveling group said they were taking a picture under a sign, since they saw no one around, but apparently soldiers appeared from out of the trees and whistled at them. On our way to other hotel I tried to nonchalantly make a turn (we weren't quite sure which way to turn), but a soldier stepped forward, whistled at me loudly, and waved his red flag at me. Oops!

It was an interesting time, and I am so glad I spent the money and the time to go on the trip. If you are interested in more about North Korea, you can do a google search on the internet. Diane Sawyer did a huge piece about visiting North Korea (something not very many people can do), and you can find some of that stuff here. Some friends of mine have read the book THe Aquariums of PyongYang and they highly recommend it.

3 Comments:

At 12:00 AM, Blogger Tracy said...

Wow- this sounds like it was such a great weekend. I'll forgive you for being and not chatting, I guess!

 
At 12:01 AM, Blogger Tracy said...

I mean I'll forgive you for being GONE and not chatting. haha.

 
At 8:06 AM, Blogger Seth Studer said...

That's an unbelievable experience!! Great photos, North Korea looks amazing. Good for you for taking the opprotunity ot see it.

 

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