Welcome To Pyongyang

After a few hours rest, we began our first day by paying our respects at Mansudae Grand Monuments, 22.5 metre bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il along with depictions of the Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Struggle and the Socialist Revolution. The statues were impressive, and the grounds were full of wedding parties, all paying their respect to the “Dear Leaders” straight after their ceremonies. We were expected to show our own admiration by bowing and laying wreaths of flowers, although, even at the tour guide’s insistence, only one member of our group bought the required garland.

Our next stop was to Kim Il Sung Square, which was covered in permanent, painted white dots, to mark the positions of mass demonstration participants. The square was filled with unaccompanied young children, running home after their half day of school. Apparently, there is no crime in North Korea, and our tour guide almost had a breakdown when one of her guest’s bags appeared to have been stolen (in the end, the guest discovered that he had just misplaced his bag after a night on the local beer). As a result, children are free to wander around the city on their own during the six-day school week, consisting of a half day at school and afternoons of extra curricular activities. Our guide told us how she learned to speak English in the isolated state by listening to recordings and movies at her university’s library when she was a student. Her eyes lit up when she talked about Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Shark Tale being her favourite movies. From there, we walked over to the Foreign Languages Bookshop, where we were able to pick up English language North Korean books, the Pyongyang Times and painted propaganda posters, amongst other things. On our way back to the bus, we spotted our first Pyongyang traffic controller, carrying out her duties with impeccable style, flair and attention to detail in her precise and, seemingly important, movements. They became a common sight on the spotlessly clean and uncongested roads.

Next, we were shuttled to Mangyongdae Native House, Kim Il Sung’s familial home, and heard about the horrors committed by the Japanese, which lead him to take up arms and fight for his country. It’s a well-kept shrine to the country’s founder and a place of pilgrimage for many North Koreans. On our way back to the city centre, we also stopped in at a North Korean recreational shooting range and bowling alley to let off some steam.

Later that day, we joined the masses and hopped on the Pyongyang Metro for one stop, from Rehabilitation to Glory. The large, and apparently deepest, chandelierclad stations had mosaics of Kim Sung Il going about his duties, and busy trains frequently pulled in and out. We were stewarded to the end of the platforms by our tour guides, and boarded an almost empty carriage at the front. The journey gave us a window into everyday life for Pyongyang residents.

We had an early night, to prepare for the mental and physical strength needed to participate in the Pyongyang Marathon, and woke early to sample the buffet breakfast. In general, our meals at the hotel were plentiful, but we were often offered bland ‘versions’ of Western dishes. However, the city takes their famous Pyongyang cold noodle dish seriously, and it is therefore a safe bet for lunch or dinner, especially when washed down by the national drink, soju. After carb-loading, we piled onto our tour bus to make our way over to Kim Il Sung Stadium, the starting point for the Pyongyang Marathon.

Being allowed to run loose on the streets of Pyongyang was a highlight of the trip. After being minded by our DPRK tour guides the previous day, having the freedom to run the route, wave at, or high-five, locals and take pictures of the impressive monuments along the way was a delight. The route circled the city centre and had runners crossing the Taedong River by bridge at two points. Crowds lined the streets to cheer competitors on, and even more spectators greeted their international guests as they started and finished the race in Kim Il Sung Stadium with synchronised hand clapping, Mexican waves, cheering and horn blowing. It was a truly once-in-alifetime experience to see and hear thousands of North Koreans going crazy for your achievement, seemingly ecstatic about how they were spending their Sunday morning. The international runners who placed first second and third in the 10k, half marathon and full marathon were awarded a selection of prizes and invited to take the podium in the middle of the stadium to enthusiastic clapping, as we jealously kicked ourselves for not training harder.

After lunch and a quick rest, we dragged our weary bodies over to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, which also houses the USS Pueblo, an American Navy ship captured by North Korea, and numerous shells of American army vehicles left behind after the conflict. The state of the art museum was a very interesting look into the way the DPRK views the history books and a pretty impressive 360 degrees multi-sensory mural detailing a battle during the Korean War.

We finished our day with a visit to Paradise Micro- Brewery and Bar, part of a burgeoning microbrewery scene in Pyongyang. We were able to taste a 70% barley to 30% rice beer, which went down very well after an exhausting day of running. It was also great to see our guides relax and mingle with their guests, whilst learning more about us, and explaining their views on the world. There were a few locals in the bar when we turned up, however, the locals seemed to empty out when our band of bedraggled foreigners arrived.

On our final day, we left Pyongyang heading towards Panmunjom, the abandoned village in the Demilitarised Zone. On the way to the DMZ, we experienced a scenic bus journey through the North Korean countryside, seeing smaller towns and villages along the way. When we reached the DMZ, we got a sense of how real the conflict still is between the two Koreas. We passed through multiple checkpoints and received another crash course in Korean history (by now we were experts) before making our way to the border, into the UN controlled hut that straddles the demarcation line and crossed tentatively into the South Korean side of the room.