KUMGANSAN, KOREA

The trip started with a bus ride from Seoul to the town just south of the North Korean border, Goseong. The bus left at 11pm Friday night, and arrived at Goseong at 3 a.m. We were herded off the bus and into a house where we slept for a couple hours on a floor heated in the traditional Korean fashion – by hot water pipes.
When we were woken up by the bus driver, we sleepwalked back onto the bus, and went to a hotel to pick up our ID/visa holders (these were extremely important: we had to wear them at all times). The next three hours were a tedious process; getting through South Korean emigration was slow because we had to go through the “foreigner” line.

We got onto a different bus to ride through the demilitarized zone (DMZ), and were immediately informed that it was against the rules to take pictures while on the bus at any time during the trip. The DMZ is the world’s most heavily fortified border. The bridges have concrete on either side that is filled with explosives. If North Korea ever decides to invade South Korea again, those bridges will be blown up so that tanks have no way to travel south. At regular points along the road, we saw guards posted, who were no doubt watching every move the bus made.

We knew that the North Korean soldiers were armed, and that there were probably quite a few more observing us that we didn’t see. We all wondered what goes through the minds of the soldiers as they regularly watch the tour buses going back and forth. We slowed down as we got closer to North Korean immigration, and we were able to get closer looks at the faces of these soldiers; very bland faces that showed no emotion.
Going through North Korean immigration was not exactly an organized process. As everyone piled off the buses, we were herded into an oversize tent, into lines that seemed to move very very slowly.

The officials who looked at our passports and visas at South Korean emigration were civilians. On the North Korean side, soldiers looked at our paperwork, and checked everything against the lists they had ahead of time. We figured that if our names hadn’t been listed correctly, we wouldn’t have been able to continue the trip. After finally making it through the lines, we got back on the buses, and rode to the central area of the “resort.”
Just before arriving at the resort, we passed by a ski run. The guide for our bus told us that since there hadn’t been enough snow this winter, it hadn’t been opened. We wondered when it had last been opened and used. There were no cable cars or T-bars, so I don’t know how skiers would have gotten to the top of the slope.

We left our bags on the original buses, switched buses (I’m not sure we ever figured out why those first buses weren’t used continuously,) and rode the new buses to where we started our hike. The hike was about 2.5 hours long, up and down stairs and a path. Some of it was covered in slightly melted snow, while some of it was clear.
It was frustrating because everyone had to hike together, but that's the way the rules worked on this trip. Every activity was planned, and deviating from the itinerary wasn’t an option.
The river along which we climbed was beautiful, and frozen in a number of places.

At the upper end of the hike was the 230-foot Guryong Falls waterfall flowing over a granite cliff. The waterfall was frozen as well. On my way down I slipped and fell a number of times, keeping people behind me highly entertained. The hike wasn’t strenuous, but when we finished, all of us were exhausted, mostly because no one had had a decent night of sleep.
After the hike was lunch, served in a restaurant staffed by North Koreans. As much as we would've liked to, we weren't really allowed to interact with them. They served us and that was about it. We again wondered what their thoughts were in seeing tourists all the time.

Lunch featured bibimbap, made the North Korean way, slightly different from the South Korean dish, a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed and seasoned vegetables, beef, a fried egg, and hot sauce. Our waitress was very emphatic in showing us the proper way to eat the meal, apparently she thought we wouldn’t know the proper technique.
Then it was back on the buses, and back to the shopping area. After hanging out for about an hour we boarded the buses again, and went to our hotels, and cleaned up after calling down to the front desk to get the heat, hot water and electricity turned on. North Korea doesn’t exactly have electricity to spare, so it isn’t on all day. Our little group checked in earlier than normal so the hot water hadn’t been turned on yet. We then got back on the buses again, and went back to the shopping area.

There we watched the Pyongyang Moranbong circus, an acrobatic performance. It was amazing. The North Korean performers were really talented, though I'm sure they had practiced for years. They presented all sorts of different acts: juggling, bicycle/unicycle riding, trapeze artists, etc. For those who didn’t fall asleep from the really long day, it was a great performance.
Dinnertime was another experience we’d never had before. There was a food court and after examining menus, we chose the restaurant we wanted, even our specific menu items. But when we tried to order, we were told that those items weren’t available.

So we walked to our second choice, and again tried to order. We tried to order chicken, but were told that because of the avian flu, they hadn’t been able to get chicken. It was the first experience any of us had had with the bird flu.
After finally finding something to eat, we got back on the buses to the hotel. You've probably gotten the idea that we weren't allowed to walk anywhere by ourselves. It was true. Since it had been a long night/day, most in our group were in bed and nearly asleep by 9 p.m.
We woke up entirely too early, at 6:15 or so, had breakfast, and checked out by 7:40 a.m. Once again it was back on the bus to the shopping area, and a switch to another bus.
On Sunday we had the choice of two different areas to visit: The Manmulsang area of mountainous terrain and valleys, or Samilpo Lake and the Haegeumgang Seashore. Due to sheer exhaustion, our group chose the lake and the shore.

On the way to the shore we passed by what appeared to be a community meeting, as everyone was seated in straight rows, and there were several people at the front addressing the crowd. On our way from the shore to the lake, the meeting had broken up and a game of volleyball was taking place. We thought this might have been staged to a certain degree, so that the tourists could see North Koreans having a good time.
Both the shore and the lake were beautiful. In contrast to the previous day, seeing these areas involved strolling instead of hiking. After visiting both areas, we got back on the buses, and drove back to the shopping area.

Then came the part of the trip that wasn't fun: we had three hours to kill before boarding the buses to start the trip back. We found a coffee shop with comfortable chairs, and found ways to occupy our time: journal writing, addressing postcards, reading, etc…
Then we did everything backwards. We went through North Korean emigration, drove through the DMZ, and went through South Korean immigration. We switched buses (for the last time, yippee) and headed back to Seoul. Note: we did not get entry and exit stamps in our passports from North Korea, even though we'd all crossed an internationally recognized international border.

The trip was awesome. Sure, there were a lot of restrictions, which was frustrating, simply because we all wanted to see the real North Korea. In talking with the South Koreans on the tour, we found out that most of them wanted to do the tour for the hiking opportunities, not because of any political or personal interest in North Korea itself.
Only the roads the buses were driving on were paved, but North Koreans don't have cars, so they don't need paved roads.
Some of them have bikes, but that's about it.

We were told what we were allowed to take pictures of, and what we weren't. It goes without saying that we still took pictures of some of the things we were supposed to avoid.
The rules boiled down to this: we were allowed to take pictures of nature, but not of human made things, or of North Koreans. No pictures were to be taken while we were on the bus.
We found out at the end of the trip that the North Korean government had told the villagers the times the buses would be passing by. They are supposed to stay inside during those times.

But as many restrictions as we felt we had, the North Koreans live under a much more repressive government. In order to build the area where we stayed, at least one village was moved. North Koreans aren’t allowed to just pick up and move, the government dictates where they are allowed to live. If the government says the village needs to move, then the village moves.
We didn't get to see the real North Korea, but since that won't be an opportunity for a while, I'll take what I can, while I can.
Anyone who has a chance to get there: do it!!!