AltaGuy has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At le pub...
Exp:
Sweet!
Random, dangerous, reckless, weird.
But sweet!
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to AltaGuy For This Useful Post:
I've had several friends who have visited North Korea. I lived up near the Chinese border for a while and it was not so uncommon for expats up there to travel into NK. It's been three or four years since a friend most recently went there, but at that time they were apparently very restrictive about what you could and could not take pictures of and many devices had to be turned over at the border to be kept in a locker until leaving the country again.
__________________
"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"
Screw the haters in this thread. You have a chance to experience something that very few individuals in the western world will ever get to experience. The people complaining about your money going into the dictator's pocket are the same people who probably go to Cuba where another dictator with a crappy human rights record runs the place. Guess where those tourist dollars go?
Just follow the rules and do as the guides say and you'll be alright. And as for the risk of being detained, you run that same risk when travelling to ANY country if you break their rules. Canadians are detained in countries all around the world everyday for breaking the countries' rules. People still travel.
I'm really curious to hear about your experience when you get back. Please update upon your return!
The Following 17 Users Say Thank You to Huntingwhale For This Useful Post:
I know a couple people who've gone to North Korea without issue, all of whom said it's an amazing experience. You'll be fine if you just follow instruction and don't do anything stupid.
Screw the haters in this thread. You have a chance to experience something that very few individuals in the western world will ever get to experience. The people complaining about your money going into the dictator's pocket are the same people who probably go to Cuba where another dictator with a crappy human rights record runs the place. Guess where those tourist dollars go?
Just follow the rules and do as the guides say and you'll be alright. And as for the risk of being detained, you run that same risk when travelling to ANY country if you break their rules. Canadians are detained in countries all around the world everyday for breaking the countries' rules. People still travel.
I'm really curious to hear about your experience when you get back. Please update upon your return!
The question for me, would be what are you actually experiencing?
You won't get to see the real North Korea. You'll see a very filtered version of the country and only what your "guides" will allow you to see. Quite personally, I just don't see the appeal. Travel should be about experiencing culture. If you can't travel freely in the country, how can you do that. The only thing you'll see is the inside of some apartment block designed for foreigners and a supervised view of minor portions of anything outside of that. Not being able to have an unfiltered conversation with locals? It all sounds to me like being on the worst cruise ship in the world as opposed to an actual "experience".
If you're travelling that far, there are lots of more interesting places to go in Asia.
I think that filtered view is what makes it so fascinating though. Like the link earlier where the guy was noting that there were people who looked like they were going somewhere at the train station and there were no other trains that day. That would be so interesting to see and observe in general. Like how far will they go to try to convince the tourists that everything is perfect and idyllic there?
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Slava For This Useful Post:
I think that filtered view is what makes it so fascinating though. Like the link earlier where the guy was noting that there were people who looked like they were going somewhere at the train station and there were no other trains that day. That would be so interesting to see and observe in general. Like how far will they go to try to convince the tourists that everything is perfect and idyllic there?
Exactly, travel tours to NK have always been done this way. It is supposed to be utterly and completely surreal to experience. That alone is worth the trip in my books. Also in recent years they have realized that avgeeks around the world will come to fly on Air Koryo and their very interesting fleet of aircraft. There have been tours done specifically for them with flights on multiple aircraft in the Air Koryo fleet.
I think that filtered view is what makes it so fascinating though. Like the link earlier where the guy was noting that there were people who looked like they were going somewhere at the train station and there were no other trains that day. That would be so interesting to see and observe in general. Like how far will they go to try to convince the tourists that everything is perfect and idyllic there?
I saw the VICE episode where they went there for basketball, when Rodman was there. Showed them on a tour in an office building or something and a guy was just staring at his screen pretending he was surfing the net but he was just moving his mouse around. And then in the basketball arena the place was packed and completely silent while the players were shooting hoops and warming up. Not a peep from the crowd. Then as soon as Kim walks in the place erupts. Was a pretty interesting episode.
