After arriving at Beijing Airport (and narrowly avoiding getting scammed twice by taxi touts and drivers), I checked into my hotel, showered, and then made it across town for the orientation lecture in order to prepare my group for our visit to North Korea (or the DPRK as they like to call it).
The orientation did not provide me with any surprises and I did not interact at all with the other members of the group who I would be travelling with the following day. At that stage, I never suspected we would all get along so well.
My first taste of Beijing followed after the orientation when I went for a couple of beers and some food before heading back to my hotel room. It was a good night, and I enjoyed speaking to a couple of pilots flying 747-8s for Cargolux.
Check in for Prongyang |
DPRK Visa |
Burger and beer |
I got my first taste of North Korean food on the plane - a rather dubious burger which was said to contain chicken. I also got my first taste of censorship, when a rather unfriendly stewardess made me delete some photos taken from within the plane. I am left wondering why the backs of people's heads are considered such a matter of national security. Still, the Korean beer was quite nice.
The flight to Pyongyang presented me with my first experience of the North Korean print media. I was handed a copy of the newspaper which unsurprisingly had a picture of their current leader, Kim Jong-un. Readers of the newspaper must ensure that when folded, the fold does not in any way cut across the image of the leader. It you break this rule, it can cause quite a lot of trouble.
After 2 hours in the air, we made a rather bumpy landing at Pyongyang International (!) Airport. Immigration was in a dark building where all mobile phones were taken away to be inspected before being returned. Surprisingly, when I left the terminal building, I immediately recognised one of the North Koreans standing in the car-park. It was a tour guide who had featured in a YouTube documentary titled 'Land of Whispers'. Fortunately, it would turn out that he would not be the guide on my group.
On the tarmac in Pyongyang |