I’m just back from a 10-day trip in the DPRK, and looking at the tags given here it is painfully obvious how much the ideas about the country are shaped by what we hear in the western press. Go with open eyes and an open mind (knowing that what you’ll be shown is a selection just like what you see and hear in the West is a – different – selection) and you’ll come away with a very different picture of this country.

I really hope that late president’s Kim Il Sung’s idea of reuniting the “two Koreas” (really one country, one people, one language) as federal country with two states, each with their own system, will one day become reality. Economic development in the North (helped already by joint ventures with South Korea and China) will help making that dream a reality – but so will, in a small way, visits from people from other countries, providing a small “window on the world” through those guides (like ours) that are not only interested in teaching about their country but also in learning from their guests. What won’t help is demonizing the country.

I’ve come away admiring these proud people and their old culture and hope to return one day to see more, and see how they’ve progressed.

The picture shows one small aspect I’ve come to love: all main roads across the country (not just entrances and exits to cities as you often see) are lined with flowers. Even when growing food is hard work, a small amount of effort is given to grow a little beauty.