North Korea

Travelling to North Korea is not somewhere that is very high on most people’s travel list, but it was high on mine. Understandable I guess as visiting a country where you are chaperoned and monitored by two “guides” (government officials) during your entire stay, locked in your hotel at night, have no access to the internet, not allowed to attempt to communicate with its citizens, and are advised to be careful what you discuss in your hotel rooms as they may be bugged doesn’t conjure feelings of it being a relaxed place to visit, however during my 10 day tour I found this place fascinating even though you get the distinct feeling most of it is staged. This place is George Orwell’s book “1984” for real. Of course if you are determined enough to want to visit North Korea, you are well aware of “the rules” and restrictions before you go, and if you don’t like that, you don’t go. Bearing this in mind I decided travelling with a large camera and bag full of lenses might not be a good idea, so I packed my trusty X100. It barely got noticed as I entered the DPRK and proved to be a perfect companion for this trip. Photography is very restricted for tourists, so one has to be careful what you take photos of as they only want you taking images that show the country in the best light. I snuck a few in that they didn’t delete.

Pyongyang is the showcase capital, and I saw plenty of it during my time there. I also travelled to the DMZ (Panmunjom), Nampo, Kaesong, Sariwon and a few other places along the way. Alas since the pandemic the DPRK has become even more isolated from the outside world and it has not been possible to travel there since then, however when they do start allowing the few tourists that want to go there back in again, as long as you can turn a blind eye to the country’s regime and poor human rights record you will find it’s the most unusual and facinating place to visit. Build a good relationship with your guides, mind what you say and you will have an amazing time.