Getting into North Korea

The flight from Tokyo to Beijing was uneventful, although I was happy to fly in a Boeing 787 for the first time. The seats were slightly wider, there was slightly more leg room, and I liked the much larger (and electrically dimmable) windows. Unfortunately, cabin noise seemed to be much like any other aircraft I have flown on.

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

The following morning, I hurriedly packed my bags and made it to the airport. It turns out I was the last to check in at the Air Koryo desk, hence my seat being at the very back of the plane. The entry visa for North Korea was provided just before check in - a simple blue document with my name and personal details.

DPRK Visa

Soon after check in, we were on the Tupolev 204 and on our way to Pyongyang. The flight was very pleasant as I got chatting with a couple of fellow travellers from my tour group, but also to members of the North Korean women's football team who were returning from a tournament in Portugal. Lovely ladies with big smiles and a sense of humour, despite their obvious disappointment at losing to the USA in the 2014 Algarve Cup. They seemed quite comfortable in our presence and were happy to try and communicate with us. It seems they are used to travelling and reeled off a list of countries that would have impressed even Michael Palin. Some of the players had goods with them which they presumably cannot buy in the DPRK.

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

A safe arrival. Many more stories to come.