North Korea - Part 2

GOOD MORNINNNNGGG, PYONGYANG!!!

Courtesy Beyongmedioonline.com

The phone rang at 7:01.

I broke a glass trying to find the phone on the bedside table, and nearly fell out of bed trying to figure out how to answer it. The sun had not yet risen, but the faint light exposed a bleak and foggy winter wonderland. The river below was frozen solid and I could barely make out any lights twinkling in the quiet city. I only saw one car in the distance. Upstairs we were served quite a feast for breakfast: 1 egg over easy, 3 pieces of plain white toast, 1 small bottle of water, 2 stale pieces of sweet bread, and a sliver of jam. Coffee optional at an extra cost. Everything was served cold.

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

That day we were going to some "Kimonuments" before heading south to Kaesong and the DMZ. The first stop was the Presidential Palace of Kim Il Sung, where he and Kim Jong Il are both preserved and displayed for all to come and pay their respects to the dear leaders. This attraction has its own blog entry back on the main page.  

Back in the city, it was time to go for a ride on the subway, which is the world's deepest at over 300 ft. below ground; I also imagine it has the world's longest non-stop escalator too. The subway cars are original, move very slow, but are nevertheless effective. The different stations are all decorated with beautiful mosaics, and the lights above are nice chandeliers, my favorite being the ones that are supposed to look like fireworks. At the last stop, we got out and went up to the North Korean "Arch of Triumph" which is bigger than the famed one in Paris, and is a symbol of the victory of Korean people. 

Kim Il Sung mosaic in subway station

We went to were a local restaurant across from the embassies and then to the huge statues of the Kim's that mark Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday. We went to the 500 ft. high Junche Tower across the river from Kim Il Sung square. The long elevator ride to the top led to an open terrace with wonderful panoramic views of the city. 

Arch of Triumph

Afterwards, we stopped at the magnificently dull Monument to the Founding of the Korean Worker's Party, then headed out of the city and made our way south. On our way out we passed the Arch of Reunification. Each side depicts a Korean woman giving a gift, but what's sneaky are the murals below, each side representing north and south. See pictures for details. 

Arch of Reunification

The ride south to Kaesong was beautiful. The highway was bumpy but there were no other cars. The new fallen snow covered the rolling hills and near-distant mountains, with beautiful yellow and blue colors in the sky fading into a most gorgeous sunset. We passed several small villages and saw a few people walking or biking down long, dirty paths. There were practically no trees, so we could see very far. It was pleasant in its simplicity, without a doubt one of the most beautiful drives I have been on. Along the way there were several military checkpoints which ended up being no more than one or two guards moving a gate as the bus driver flashed a piece of paper that would give him clearance. The last checkpoint however was thorough, with several guards searching the motor coach for human smuggling. We were not allowed to take any photos. 

I love the sight of propaganda
 in the morning

The hotel in Kaesong was freezing, plain and simple! The only heat in the rooms was underneath the mattress pad that was on the floor; as I sat in my bed that night, I could see my breath clearly (until the power went out suddenly and never came back on). The bathroom, with a "luxurious" Mercedes-Benz shower head, was made of tiles, but the humidity had frozen on the floor. Yes, the floor was covered in ice. There was no hot water except for the next morning when a maid brought a bucket of hot water for us to have a bird bath. 

Imperial Feast

We ate dinner in the hotel, which was traditional Korean style inside and out. Everyone sat on the floor and had a tray brought to them with the Imperial Dinner of a Korean Emperor. It was this meal that I had sweet dog meat soup. Knowingly. I have never eaten dog, and don't advocate it, but I figured it was worth a try since other people had ordered it and the dog was as good as dead anyways. It tasted like very flavorful dark meat turkey, however, I think every dog I ever encounter from now on will know what I did. Oh, and the power went out three times during the meal. 

Confucius University

The next morning we went to the Confucius University, which is over 1000 years old. It was one of the only areas spared from bombing by American forces during the Korean War. The very beautiful traditional style buildings were adorned with magnificent paintings on the ceilings and wood beams. The untouched snow only heightened the sensation. After this, we visited a post office that had tons of books and stamps for us to buy, and from there we headed to a local restaurant that again was freezing cold - it didn't help that they kept the doors to the outside open.

Map room, DMZ entrance

In the early afternoon we reached the DMZ. We arrived at a holding house before being allowed to go to Panmunjom, aka, the end of the world. It had souvenirs and coffee for sale. The funniest thing about the house was that the only heat source was a small coal fire in a bucket in the middle of the room...no ventilation. I guess they wanted to kill themselves with toxic fumes filling up the room. An armed guard came in followed by a military guide who explained the history of the DMZ in the map room. We lined up outside in formation (thank you VMI for all the practice), a guard signaled for us to walk, and we boarded the bus in the alley that lead to the village. The alley is lined on both sides by huge concrete blocks that are connected to an explosive mechanism so that if anyone were to come through from the other side, they could be detonated and the blocks would fall down and block the road, the only passage thus being through the mine fields on both sides of the street.

Panmunjom Peace Village
and Demarkation line

There was no activity on the south side and no persons visible. We later learned that the mornings were reserved for the North, and the afternoons for the South. We lined up in formation (good thing I knew how to be a squad leader) and proceeded down the marble steps to the blue negotiation house. We actually set foot in South Korea...the feeling was surreal. I sat on the American side of the table. The guide spoke to us about all the meetings that had taken place here, the hotline, and some other mumbo jumbo that was no more than a lesson in North Korean history - from their view, anyways. 

Bad hair day for negotiating

After taking time for photos, we went to the hut where the armistice was signed, which is in the North and no one from the South is allowed to enter. Interestingly, they built this particular place in a few days time, and many members of the American delegation refused to enter it because they were scared it would collapse. It still stands to this days, 60 years later. Inside are more Kim pictures, as well as copies of the signed armistice from DPRK and U.N.(on behalf of American and South Korean forces). 

DMZ Army guide

I had a last chance photo opportunity with our army guide before we were back on our way to Pyongyang. En route, we witnessed thousands of people who were clearing the highway of snow by hand, and we asked our guides how people are assigned to do this. They replied that those people "volunteered" to come shovel the snow. I still haven't quite figured this one out, especially since there are so few cars on the highway anyways. Could be true if the people were incredibly bored, likely not the truth though. 

Only a few people seen here; later, we saw thousands for many miles

Nevertheless, about halfway back, our bus actually hit someone who was trying to hitch hike (we assumed). The bus stopped about 300 yards down the road, and we were told not to get out or take any pictures. A few moments later the driver and guides returned and we were off, unsure what to think about the incident. I believe only his hand was hit because had he "jumped" we would have heard several hits as the tires went over; I only heard one small thud. We were never told what happened.

View of Pyongyang from atop the Junche Tower. Left: Kim Il Sung Square;
skyscrape is Ryugyong Hotel (started in 1987, yet to open)