North Korea aka: Democratic People's Republic of Korea

I know it barely counts, but I have been here! I walked into the house on the border! It was a very sombering experience, and luckily (?), we did not have one of the North Korean guards watching us through the window (though I may have liked that in the long run). He was out watching us from his “palace” post though! The whole trip was great, and totally worth the 77000Won we spent to go! The free buffet lunch didn’t hurt, either!

Visiting North Korea was one of the most surreal travel destinations I’ve ever been to. It’s almost like stepping back into the 1950s. It’s also a strange feeling because you have yo be so careful about what you say and do there, and the average North Korean might be very hesitant about talking to a foreigner (if they can even speak English), so it’s almost like you’re only watching them through a pane of glass even though you’re traveling right in the country. If you’ve ever spent any period of time in South Korea, you would find North Korea so interesting, because there really is no comparison between the two. It’s hard to imagine that the two countries were ever the same country, and it’s equally hard to fathom that they could ever be reunited. They are just so different; like night and day. Definitely make friends with and establish trust with your North Korean guides within the first day of being there because they have the power to either make your trip really memorable or just kind of okay, and if they like and trust you, they will make it memorable! The only way to go to North Korea is with a tour group from Beijing, and Koryo Tours puts on one hell of a tour and the Brits who run this tour company are amazing as well. This is also the company that put out the documentaries about NoKo (Crossing the Line, The Game of their Lives, A State of Mind), so they really know their stuff about North Korea. Also, for people concerned about safety, don’t worry! At all times in North Korea, you will be accompanied by two guides, a driver, and likely a cameraman. Also, I think that North Korea understands how big of a blow to their image it would be if anything ever happened to a foreigner in North Korea (maybe it hasn’t always been that way in the past, but these days, I think that’s true), so you can feel pretty safe in North Korea.

The Panmunjom Tour is worth the visit. It is one of three ways into North Korea. The Panmunjom Tour explores the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of North and South Korea. Other ways into the country include a mountain tour via South Korea or a tour of Pyongyang the Capital City via Beijing. Pyongyang is extremely difficult to get into and requires months of visa preparation.

It is hard to describe the feelings of being in North Korea,

I guess it is perhaps something you have to experience for yourself with your own interpretations and perceptions,

Often when people write things from their own perceptions and they are read by others, the reader uses their own perception to analyse what was written, thus the true intention of the writer is lost, so perhaps with a place like North Korea, where so many people have their own ideas about it and there is so much controversy concerning the country

I shall say simply that it is a beautiful country with beautiful kind people and I would travel there again and I intend to again quite soon

Nature wise, it’s supposed to be beautiful. I’ll go when that crazy guy loses power first.