Whatever you imagine your trip to North Korea will be like, it’s going to be different. This is my story, written in Pyongyang, one of the most mysterious destinations on earth.
1 – Read about The Supreme Leader in The Pyongyang Times onboard Air Koryo
There is no way back now. I am onboard an Air Koryo Tupolev plane holding the Pyongyang times. The headline reads “Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un oversees test of super-large multiple rocket launcher.” Below it, a picture showing a very happy Great Leader. While I am still on the tarmac in Beijing it feels like I am already in North Korea.
While folding the newspaper I make sure that the picture of the Supreme Leader is on top. Staying out of trouble in North Korea is actually super easy: follow the instructions of the guides and do not disrespect the great leaders in any way. That also includes pictures, posters and statues. In the past a tourist wrapped his dirty underwear in the Pyongyang times. As you can imagine that is not such a great idea.
Back to my Air Koryo flight experience. Well this is definitely not Singapore Airlines First Class suites. But it was not bad at all! No complaints about my experience on this Air Koryo Tupolev-204-100. Why do some bloggers and Youtuber’s call it the “world worst airline”? Even the one star skytrax rating is a mystery to me. But I know a few airlines in the West who deserve less than one star. The service on board Air Koryo was great, the crew was strict but friendly and I even got a pizza bread with a special drink on this 2 hour flight from Beijing to Pyongyang. A tip for the aviation geeks: you can buy the Air Koryo drinks in the local super market!
2 – Drink soju at the Mass Games, an insane spectacle with 100.000 performers
Usually people keep the best for last in their blog posts but I am just going to start with a blast. Seriously the mass games in North Korea are out of this world. I think my jaws dropped at minute one and I gazed in awe until the spectacle came to an end 90 minutes later.
These mass games, also know as Arirang Festivals, take place in the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium. With a capacity of 150,000 people it’s the biggest stadium in the world. While I make my way through a horde of tourists, the massive picture on the other side attracts my attention. Suddenly it changes … how is that possible! I take a closer look, chuckle and nod my head, no way! A “bunch” of people are holding up colored papers. To be precise, 17.000 people. Mind blown! Through a coordinated routine they manage to create an impressive human LED screen. Goosebumps allover when they shout and flip the board to produce a complete new picture, sometimes even with animations.
Try to zoom in on the picture above and you’ll understand my fascination:
Then the lights dim and a giant North Korean flag is carried in the stadium. What follows is the most impressive choreographed performance I have ever seen around the world so far. A mind boggling number of 100.000 performers show synchronized, dances, gymnastics, acrobatics, stunts and marching.
As if the number of performers is not enough, there is also a little firework and drone display as a cherry on the cake. There is really nothing that compares to this. I mean the robot restaurant show in Tokyo is bonkers but you have to add this giant feast for the eyes in Pyongyang to your bucket list as well.
Interestingly the mass games are not really intended for tourists but for the people of North Korea. As described by Kim-Il Sung: “Mass gymnastics foster particularly healthy and strong physiques, a high degree of organization, discipline and collectivism in schoolchildren. The schoolchildren, conscious that a single slip in their action may spoil their mass gymnastic performance, make every effort to subordinate all their thoughts and actions to the collective.”. What started as a celebration of the collective has now also become one of the tourist highlights.
I strongly recommend the documentary “North Korea – A state of mind” which follows two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months during training for the 2003 Pyongyang mass games.
3 – Find out what dog soup tastes like
Sipping soju with friends, munching on banchan and grabbing smokey meat with chopsticks from a sizzling Korean BBQ, it’s just an intensely satisfying activity.
Thumbs up for the presentation in this restaurant by the way!
I know a lot of you will be offended, but that’s not really the point. In Korea having dog soup is not abnormal.
In every country there are things on the menu that people on the other side of the world find rather weird. It’s all part of the culture. But no obligations to eat it, there are even vegetarian options in all the restaurants.
One thing you should try are the cold noodles, which represent longlivety. A very symbolic meal on someones birthday, long noodle = long life.
4 – Hop on the metro in Pyongyang
My trip is quite eco friendly so far. Ok except the flight then. I took a high speed train from Shanghai to Beijing and later on you can read about my train ride from Pyongyang to the Chinese borer. So to be even more ecological I took the metro in Pyongyang! Not really but I enjoy taking public transport all over the world anyway. So I could not miss out on the underground in North Korea.
You might be surprised but yes there is metro in Pyongyang and as a tourist you get to see 2 stations. This kind of explains why tourists started rumors that there would only be 2 stations. But rest assure we have seen other stations around the city.
Our guides escort us from the entrance to the station platform, which is down, deep down a long escalator. “No pictures of the metro tunnels please, the rest of the station is fine.” The station interior reminded me of trip to Kazakhstan, high ceilings supported by elegant pillars and giant paintings on the walls.
5 – Enjoy a sunset in Pyongyang
While the sun sets in Pyongyang, the sky above the Ryugyong Hotel turns orange. The hotel, just a tad taller than the Eiffel tower, has still to be opened for guests. The views from the top must be quite fascinating.
The next day I spot more interesting skyscrapers in Pyongyang.
Next on our itinerary is Mansu Hill with 2 massive statues of the great leaders. “We will stop at the park, this is an opportunity to buy flowers to present in front of the monument” one of our guides announces through the microphone in the bus. She also adds that during the visit of this moment it’s expected to make a deep bow as a sign of respect for the great leaders. Again no obligation to leave the bus.
We also stroll on the big square that’s famous for the military parades. On the tiles there are marques used for mass synchronized dances and performances.
This slow motion video gives a pretty good idea of what the parades in North Korea look like.
When we continue our drive through the city I spot massive posters, images and statues of the great leaders. This this must be the only city where I haven’t seen a single commercial ad.
6 – Discover colorful houses in Kaesong
Kaesong looks brutally peaceful compared to the world’s most heavily militarized border nearby. This city is more interesting than the DMZ in my opinion. It shows a glimpse of the daily life in North Korea
Just out of the city of Kaesong I see a lot of wonderful landscapes. Once this region is a bit more stable it would be great to do some hikes here.
7 – Take a memorable train ride from Pyongyang to Dandong
As I flew to Pyongyang by Air Koryo, it seemed like a great idea to try the train on the way out. Getting those 2 experiences in one trip is a nice bonus!
The first part of the journey starts from Pyongyang station and ends in Dandong, China. Just as I arrive the clock tower plays one of the most epic tunes. This certainly added to the mysterious experience. Make sure your audio is on for this Instagram post:
All aboard! The train slowly rolls out of the station and it’s an emotional goodbye for many. The North Korean guides are waving at us, some wiping a tear. It has to be said. The guides are hard working and do everything they can to please the tourist groups within a very restrictive environment. They have to deal with a lot difficult questions and requests while following all the rules of the country. When a tourist tries to steal a posters or disrespects the leaders, then the guides will also get into a truck load of trouble, this is not an easy job.
While the beautiful sights roll by the train windows I make my way to the restaurant carriage. I love the fact that the food here is prepared on the train, no microwaved stuff but sizzling pans and steaming pots. Together with my fellow travelers I am sipping a beer, next to us North Korean officials in a cloud of cigarette smoke enjoying their meal. I am looking at all the yummie dishes in front of me. All I can do is smile. Visiting North Korea was yet another epic life experience!
Should I visit North Korea?
Absolutely yes! It’s a unique experience, super safe and it’s really totally different than you imagine. It is a completely guided tour and you cannot wander around all by yourself. But still I prefer to see what places are like myself instead of reading one sided stories about them.
I plan to do another post with FAQ about traveling to North Korea. If you have any specific questions, leave them in the comments below and don’t forget to check out Ginger Around The World on Instagram.