We got up around 7:30AM, and we had to meet the bus at 8:30. We had some trouble finding the bus, but luckily with Colleen's incredible eyesite, we were able to find it!^^ After Nika told us that the best sside to sit on was the left, we were promptly seated on the right by the driver. I don't think we missed much though. Colleen and I talked quite a bit on the 6 hour bus ride.
A view on the drive. This is before you can see barbed wire completely blocking the ocean from entrance.
We had a few breaks to use the bathroom and find food. At our last break stop before the DMZ, we received tags to wear around necks with different ID material in them. We also had to hand over our cell phones. We weren't allowed to carry them to North Korea. They checked our cameras as well; to make check for what, I'm not entirely sure.
This is our last stop before the DMZ.
We headed to the entrance of the DMZ. We had to get off of the bus and wait in a building with everyone that was going to NoKo. There were hundreds of people in there. People seem to take care of us pretty well. There was a guy out by the buses that was waving us into where we were supposed to go. Then when we were supposed to go scan our baggage, we were waved on by a worker, as well as some of the women on our bus.
At the South Korean border to the DMZ, we had our bags scanned, and we went through the metal detectors. There was a separate line for foreigners, as there often is. When we got out of the checkpoint, we had to get on new buses. We also had a new group and a tour guide. Our tour guide didn't speak much English at all, but one thing we did understand was "No Picture." He walked back to specifically say that to us. So, we entered the DMZ. There was barbed wire on either side the whole way through. Colleen and I kept trying to guess when we got to the North, but basically figured it out when we got to the next checkpoint. At the North Korean border to the DMZ, we once again had to have our bags checked and scanned. Our tour guide had us line up in a specific order. The group went, and then the four of us followed behind. At each checkpoint we had to have our cameras out to have them specifically checked.
We kept driving a ways. It was very odd; the air and landscape seemed to change as soon as we crossed into North Korea. There were many more trees, much fewer buildings, and an incredibly large number of North Korean soldiers randomly placed throughout the land. We passed a long stretch of ocean; it was beautiful, but also lined with a barbed wire fence.
I had no idea what to expect when we reached...well wherever it was that we were supposed to reach. Even with a lack of expectations, I was still surprised at what I saw. It was like a small tourist village had been created. It consisted of about three restaurants, a performance buliding, two gift shops, a family mart, two bars, a spa off in the distance, as well as a few hotels and village-style motels apart from this tiny town. We were let off to buy tickets to the acrobatic show for $30. Yep, that's right, the currency was US Dollars! Our tour guide was so eager to help us that he dropped his backpack as he got off the bus. We think he is about 27 or 28. We hopped back on the bus to head for our hotel. Apparently, Nika had requested to stay in the trailer-like village motel area to save money, but we were automatically placed in Kumgangsan Hotel. Colleen and I roomed together. Our hotel room was nice with a balcony. The beds were not soft which I soon realized when I plopped down!^^
We only had 20 minutes at the hotel before we were to board the bus to head back to the "village" for dinner and the performance. The whole time our tour guide was trying to help us as much as he could. We ended up at a restaurant where we ordered Mushroom stew/soup without the meat. We were super excited for the kimchi and bean sprouts that were service with the meal.
After dinner, we looked around the gift shops. The one on the same side as the restaurant we ate at was incredibly expensive and had nothing that any of us wanted or were willing to buy. There were $20,000 Rolexes and Gucci purses; not our style. So, we headed to the one acrossed the street which was on the same side as the performance hall.
The acrobat performance (North Korean acrobats) was AMAZING! There were guys that climbed a jungle gym like it was no big deal, trapeze artists, jugglers, etc. Some of the women spun by their heads being secured by a rope. It was terrifying! If the rope slipped at all...oh gosh... I couldn't believe a lot of the stuff that they were capable of doing!!
At the South Korean border to the DMZ, we had our bags scanned, and we went through the metal detectors. There was a separate line for foreigners, as there often is. When we got out of the checkpoint, we had to get on new buses. We also had a new group and a tour guide. Our tour guide didn't speak much English at all, but one thing we did understand was "No Picture." He walked back to specifically say that to us. So, we entered the DMZ. There was barbed wire on either side the whole way through. Colleen and I kept trying to guess when we got to the North, but basically figured it out when we got to the next checkpoint. At the North Korean border to the DMZ, we once again had to have our bags checked and scanned. Our tour guide had us line up in a specific order. The group went, and then the four of us followed behind. At each checkpoint we had to have our cameras out to have them specifically checked.
We kept driving a ways. It was very odd; the air and landscape seemed to change as soon as we crossed into North Korea. There were many more trees, much fewer buildings, and an incredibly large number of North Korean soldiers randomly placed throughout the land. We passed a long stretch of ocean; it was beautiful, but also lined with a barbed wire fence.
I had no idea what to expect when we reached...well wherever it was that we were supposed to reach. Even with a lack of expectations, I was still surprised at what I saw. It was like a small tourist village had been created. It consisted of about three restaurants, a performance buliding, two gift shops, a family mart, two bars, a spa off in the distance, as well as a few hotels and village-style motels apart from this tiny town. We were let off to buy tickets to the acrobatic show for $30. Yep, that's right, the currency was US Dollars! Our tour guide was so eager to help us that he dropped his backpack as he got off the bus. We think he is about 27 or 28. We hopped back on the bus to head for our hotel. Apparently, Nika had requested to stay in the trailer-like village motel area to save money, but we were automatically placed in Kumgangsan Hotel. Colleen and I roomed together. Our hotel room was nice with a balcony. The beds were not soft which I soon realized when I plopped down!^^
We only had 20 minutes at the hotel before we were to board the bus to head back to the "village" for dinner and the performance. The whole time our tour guide was trying to help us as much as he could. We ended up at a restaurant where we ordered Mushroom stew/soup without the meat. We were super excited for the kimchi and bean sprouts that were service with the meal.
After dinner, we looked around the gift shops. The one on the same side as the restaurant we ate at was incredibly expensive and had nothing that any of us wanted or were willing to buy. There were $20,000 Rolexes and Gucci purses; not our style. So, we headed to the one acrossed the street which was on the same side as the performance hall.
The acrobat performance (North Korean acrobats) was AMAZING! There were guys that climbed a jungle gym like it was no big deal, trapeze artists, jugglers, etc. Some of the women spun by their heads being secured by a rope. It was terrifying! If the rope slipped at all...oh gosh... I couldn't believe a lot of the stuff that they were capable of doing!!
This is a pic after the performance. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the performance; for a good reason, I think.^^
The woman at the front was the announcer, and a little odd might I add.
After the performance, we looked around in the gift shop again, sat at a bar for a while to eat sweet potatoes outside, and left soon after we consumed the potatoes. It was cold out, and we were tired from the long trip. Our hotel is maybe a 20 minute walk from the village. Colleen and I talked for a bit before we went to sleep around 10:00PM.
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