Source of this article: Taken from readers' contributions!
The world is big, the scenery is thousands, the world is vast, time is limited, the so-called world, but the world is one side, life is not only in front of you, but also poetry and distant fields, come to a strange distance, experience exotic customs, see different scenery, meet different people, those who have never seen the scenery, far more vast than you imagined, it is better to see than to hear, only to break through the preset pride and prejudice, in order to feel the fun of travel!
Speaking of North Korea, this is a country that makes people can't help but have curiosity and desire to explore, indeed, most Chinese people come to North Korea to travel in order to feel the customs of the seventies and eighties, and there are many veterans who want to come to North Korea in their lifetime to commemorate the martyrs, when North Korean tourism has not yet reopened, more and more people are interested in North Korean tourism, and there are many "strategies" about North Korea on the Internet In 2017-2019, I signed up for North Korean tour groups many times, covering Pyongyang, Kaesong, Panmunjom, Mount Kumgang and other places.
North Korea is a country that seems to be close but far away from us, and before leaving, my friend said that I am so bold! North Korean tourism has been developed for many years, and ordinary people have the opportunity to come to North Korea without background.
Preparations before departure to North Korea
North Korea has not yet opened a free trip, tourists want to come to North Korea must sign up through a travel agency to participate in a customized group tour, after coming to North Korea by the North Korean side to send at least 2 tour guides to accompany the whole process, the configuration is generally: a foreign language tour guide (female), a Chinese tour guide (female), a driver (male), of course, occasionally there will be a security officer (male) accompanied by the tour, the inviting unit is North Korea's international travel agency, youth travel agency and sports travel agency, no matter which travel agency is assigned, tourists come to North Korea for food and accommodation, The attractions are all the same, the whole process is highly customized tour groups, tourists are not allowed to leave the team casually, and there will be no opportunity to contact the North Korean people alone!
Participate in North Korea's group tour, don't worry about being "routine", many tourists are worried that there will be invisible consumption to participate in cheap group tours, but when they come to North Korea, they find that this is not the case, the consumption items are clearly marked with prices, although bargaining is not allowed, but there will be no forced buying and selling, the tour fee to North Korea by train is about 2500-3500 yuan per person, North Korea at a relatively low cost, to show the beautiful image of the country to outside tourists, food and accommodation, scenic spots to visit will make the most intimate arrangements, tourists in North Korea these days, eat well, If you live well, Chinese tourists will be arranged by "VIP", and the so-called "guest and host party" is so pure!
In terms of applying for a visa, tourists only need to find a reliable travel agency, provide a photo of the first page of the passport and an inch photo, pay the fee a week before departure, the travel agency will help apply for a visa, and it is a blue paper sign independent of the passport, the customs staff will only leave the Dandong entry and exit stamp on the passport, and will not leave a trace of North Korea, which is more friendly to friends who have travel needs from other countries, and there will be a Korean name on the visa!
Prohibited items
The staff of the domestic travel agency will inform in advance what items are not allowed to be carried, and it is the responsibility and obligation of every tourist entering the DPRK to comply with the joint regulations of the customs of China and North Korea and the customs of North Korea, including but not limited to the following items:
Media cameras, military binoculars, telephoto cameras (enlarged lens diameter 200 mm, enlarged function more than 10 times, with GPS function), materials (or publications, propaganda films) slandering North Korea, U.S. (or Japan, South Korea (South Korea)) movies or dramas, all fresh meat is prohibited from entering the country.
In addition, during the visit to the DPRK, it is forbidden to conduct any kind of interviews (or work on materials) in the DPRK, it is forbidden to take pictures of DPRK military and police personnel, it is forbidden to take pictures of the DPRK's negative image, the wireless network function of electronic equipment is turned off at all times, and all missionary activities are prohibited; when leaving the DPRK, it is forbidden to carry DPRK currency out of the country, it is forbidden to carry relevant materials and related articles that are not released abroad, and the limit of cigarettes and alcohol is limited to two cigarettes and two bottles of wine per person.
Transportation to North Korea
In this world, only China has been opened to North Korea travel routes, to North Korea travel can choose to take trains and planes, the train is generally from Beijing to take the K27 international intermodal train to Pyongyang, 17:27 in the afternoon from Beijing Railway Station, through Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning and other places, arrived at Dandong Railway Station is 10 o'clock in the morning the next day, there are many passengers on the train, of course, you can also choose to take the tourist train directly from Dandong, but the departure time is late, it is recommended to take the former, the plane is generally from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and other places fly directly to Pyongyang, 2 hours of flight, but the flight process makes people unconsciously pinch a sweat, for most of the middle-aged and elderly friends, they prefer to take the train to North Korea, because after the transit from Sinuiju, on the way to Pyongyang, passing through Yanzhou, Donglim County, Anzhou City and other places, you can enjoy the natural scenery of the North Korean countryside, mud roads, fence courtyard walls, cooking smoke, driving Laosuo, laughing children, laundry women, flags and slogans, this scene is like the appearance in memory!
The disadvantage of taking the train is that the distance is far away, and it takes a long time, but the advantage is that you can come to Dandong in advance, where you can taste the special open fire barbecue, strawberries, yellow clams, mentai fish, and you can also come to the Yalu River Broken Bridge to take pictures and check in, starting from Dandong Railway Station at 10 o'clock in the morning, when passing the Yalu River Bridge, the mood is both excited and nervous, after crossing the bridge, the mobile phone signal gradually weakens, the carriage suddenly becomes very quiet, and the crowd is filled with a nervous atmosphere, from this moment on, everyone has to spend a few days "isolated" On an ordinary day, it is false to say that you are not afraid!
After a few minutes of driving, the train arrived at the railway station in Sinuiju, the capital of North Pyongan Province, North Korea, where it needs to go through a security check for up to 2 hours, and can continue to leave Pyongyang at about 12 o'clock, the staff of the railway station will personally board the train to check the documents and luggage, the inspection process is serious and serious, and they dare not speak loudly at all, everyone's passport, visa, and arrival card will be taken away, check personal information, and the staff will stamp the entry stamp at the visa line, and the baggage will be checked especially carefully, including mobile phones, tablets, computers, USB flash drives, The disc should be registered and checked, and the inspection of the box and cabinet should be turned upside down, but the attitude is not bad, it is recommended to prepare some cigarettes, snacks and other small gifts in advance, and the attitude of the inspection process will be very friendly!
After the inspection, the 12 o'clock restart, the tired tourists finally lifted a little spirit, Sinuiju is only 220 kilometers from Pyongyang, but it takes 6 hours to walk, interestingly, there will be some tourists from other countries on the train, such as: Britain, Germany, but there are no Americans, this train is indeed very "international" When the train arrived in Pyongyang, it was late at night, the day was wasted on the road, the same is true for the return trip, the tour guide was already waiting outside, after a simple greeting, he led everyone to the hotel, Pyongyang in the night seemed quiet and mysterious, the farther away from the train station, the fewer pedestrians and vehicles, not too many street lights, not to mention the flow of people, rows of high-rise buildings, this originally restless heart, with the night gradually calmed down, the day's rush was tiring but very fulfilling.
It is worth mentioning that if you sign up for a 4-5 day tour of North Korea, remove the rush time of the two days before and after, and the real tour is only 2-3 days, and North Korea divides the tour area into Pyongyang area, Mount Kumgang area, Myoxiang Mountain area, Kaesong area, Qingpo area and other 9 areas, different days, corresponding to different travel routes, so, in a hurry is not to see North Korea completely at one time, because it is not comprehensive enough, so you can't jump to conclusions!
Accommodation arrangements
The hotels used to entertain foreign tourists in North Korea are called "foreign-related hotels", which are divided into special hotels and first-class hotels, among them, Giethoorn Hotel (Pyongyang), Korea Hotel (Pyongyang), and Myohyangsan Hotel are all special hotels. Youth Hotel and Liangjiang Hotel are first-class hotels, travel agencies will not tell which hotel to stay in advance, at best, it is to say the level, after entering the DPRK, are North Korean tour guides, but on the accommodation conditions, Xishan Hotel and Liangjiang Hotel are not much worse than Giethoorn Hotel, the internal facilities are relatively complete, just a few days of accommodation can meet the needs of most tourists, but the conditions of the Youth Hotel are more general, and there are fewer people staying here!
Xishan Hotel is 30 floors high, accommodation rooms are arranged on 28 floors, renovated in 2012, Xishan Hotel has relatively complete internal facilities, different hotels have different functional areas, such as: sauna, song hall, gym, water bar, photo studio, barber shop, massage shop, sewing shop, snack shop, international telephone booth, etc., the consumption grade is not low, song hall (noon song) 105 yuan per hour, long-distance telephone 17 yuan per minute, North Korean ice cream 5 yuan per piece.
It is worth mentioning: North Korea's song hall, the decoration style is like a dance hall in the 80s, neon lights flashing, songs need to enter the number to point to the song, the sound quality is very good, when singing, there will be North Korean waiters to accompany the whole process and help debug the equipment, you can also invite them to sing together, you can listen to them sing by the North Korean Peony Peak Orchestra lyrics and composition of "Xi", the lyrics are sung, the lyrics are to the effect, easy to understand, the exotic style is very strong, it is not an exaggeration to say that North Korean women are versatile!
Xishan Hotel, the interior of the room is relatively complete, there are TV, refrigerator, thermometer, calendar, slippers, toiletries, hair dryer, square towel and so on, North Korean TV can search for several national programs, and even can search our domestic CCTV, but only the hotel that receives foreign guests has this function, ordinary North Korean families can not search for foreign channels, it is hard to imagine that in a foreign country that has lost the signal, it can still watch domestic programs, this mood is indescribable!
After the tour guide arranges the tourists, they will generally stay in the hotel lobby until late, to ensure that no one can go back to rest after sneaking out, after the tourists check in, rest in the room, there is no mobile phone signal, passports and visas are also stored in the tour guide, there is no chance to go out alone, the night in North Korea is full of charm, you can't see too many lights, there is less hustle and bustle, and there is a little more peace of mind!
Dietary arrangements
North Korea hotel and domestic star hotels, also provide a buffet breakfast, rich dishes, are packed in a thermal box, there are all kinds of low-oil stir-fried vegetables, steamed buns, porridge, pickles, eggs, the taste is still quite good, lunch and dinner usually arrange 6-8 people table meal, there are fish and meat, shrimp and eggs, meat and vegetarian matching, very rich, can eat: barbecue, roast duck, hot pot, stone pot bibimbap, cold noodles, stir-fried vegetables, etc., the taste of these dishes is more suitable for the taste of Chinese, there is no problem to eat full!
During the meal, there will also be arrangements for North Korean characteristic song and dance performances, but not all of them, the stage performances are very North Korean style of young girls, they wear Korean national costumes, look down-to-earth, very confident, holding a microphone to sing North Korean songs, the body moves with the rhythm of the singing, the movements are uniform, at a glance it is an old actor, during the banquet, lucky tourists will also be pulled on the stage by North Korean actors to perform together, are sent flowers, are held hands, such a romantic exotic style is difficult to feel in other countries!
Tour guides generally do not eat at the same table with tourists, when having lunch in Kaesong, you can also taste the special copper bowl rice and self-pay items - Korean ginseng stewed chicken soup, a 260 yuan, several people eat separately, the taste is relatively light, maintain the original taste of ginseng and chicken soup, the surface of the soup floats a layer of yellow oil, giving people a very "supplemental" feeling, the same, when eating lunch here, what you see is still a young and beautiful waitress, giving people a feeling of beautiful and delicious!
Attractions to visit
Pyongyang in the early morning, you can't see the traffic jam in the morning rush hour, the streets are very clean, you can't see the garbage and confetti, you get on the sightseeing bus, through a layer of glass like a "barrier", you can see it is not transparent enough, foreign tourists can be allowed to visit the places are almost the same, you can hardly see the scene that is too dilapidated, Pyongyang is regarded as the "leading demonstration area" of the whole of North Korea Pyongyang does not fully represent the current situation of the whole of North Korea, and some people say that when they travel to North Korea, they see only superficial phenomena, but the so-called appearance, you need to break the preset pride and prejudice in order to see the real customs!
When visiting Pyongyang, I found that the number of cars on the road was very small, and the tour guide explained this: North Korea's cars belong to national assets, individuals cannot own them casually, only individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the country have the opportunity to be rewarded with a car, the white license plate is a military vehicle, the yellow license plate is a private car, and the black license plate is a military vehicle, although there are not too many private cars, but it is very convenient for Pyongyang citizens to travel, there are buses, trams, subways, Bicycles and so on, in addition, the North Korean tour guide emphasized: there is nothing wrong with a small number of cars, at least it can protect the environment, North Koreans like to ride bicycles, especially newlyweds are keen to buy electric bicycles, and people with better economic conditions will buy motorcycles, on the street, the man who appears on a motorcycle is always the most popular one!
When visiting various memorial halls, a strange phenomenon is found, the docents or staff that tourists see are almost all young and beautiful quality women, they are well-trained, unique and elegant, white and beautiful, dignified, round face, full of charm, indeed, in restaurants, hotels, The service staff seen in the store are all like this, these North Korean women who can have direct contact with foreign guests and tourists, almost represent the outstanding group of the young generation of North Korea, each of them is selected, whether it is appearance, body, quality ability, social skills, language communication are all good.
In the past few days of tourism in North Korea, the tour guide has led everyone to visit: West Sea Lock, Monument to the Founding of the Party, Mangyongdae Former Residence, Mangyongdae Amusement Park (open only in summer), Juche Thought Tower, Renmin University Xi Hall, Kim Il Sung Square, Liberation War Victory Museum, Jinxiushan Sun Palace, People's Cultural Creation Society, Film Studio, Triumphal Arch, etc., these attractions have both Korean political, cultural and national characteristics, and when visiting, I truly realized that "there are very few books to use" The meaning of this sentence, the tour guide told everyone that you should maintain a serious attitude when visiting, you can't point fingers casually, you can't take half-length photos, and you can't casually express inappropriate opinions!
During the visit, the tour guide became an encyclopedia of knowledge, from the clothing, food, housing, transportation, history and culture of the Korean people, Entertainment life has made an introduction, talking about the mobile phones used by North Koreans, the tour guide showed everyone the two domestic mobile phones he used Arirang brand and Pyongyang brand, North Korea's mobile phones can not be connected to the outside world, all kinds of software are independently developed by North Korea, a charge, use 3-5 days no problem, Arirang brand mobile phone picture quality and functions are more than Pyongyang brand, the price is also more expensive, a mobile phone is about 350-500 US dollars, North Korea's mobile phone penetration rate is still high, but the price is different.
Every foreign tourist who comes to North Korea, will be arranged to visit the model countryside on the outskirts of the city, this trip is no exception, on the way to the model village, found that the balcony of the residential building is placed on the solar panels, according to the tour guide, here in order for the family to be able to generate electricity independently, for the construction of the country and save effort, there are few windshields on the balcony of the North Korean building, and few people dry clothes on the balcony, according to the tour guide, this is for the neat and beautiful appearance of the city, the model village houses are built in a neat and orderly manner, the road is paved with stones, and the model family residents find that the basic living facilities are relatively complete, and there is even floor heating, and the decoration style is also goodAlthough the area is not very large, the living atmosphere is relatively warm, but after reading it, there is an illusion of a "sample room".
When visiting Pyongyang, there is an experience program to ride the subway, and the Pyongyang subway is "called" It is the deepest subway in the world, founded in 1966, modeled after the subway design scheme of Beijing and Moscow, the deepest depth is 200 meters underground, the average depth is located in the underground 100 meters, it is said to have the function of an underground bomb shelter, there are only two running lines at present, divided into thousands of miles of horse line and innovation line, a total of 17 stations, a total length of 40 kilometers, the average daily flow of 400,000 people, the tour guide leads the tourists to walk the free experience channel, take the escalator down the process, faster than taking the general subway, but it took 3 minutes to reach the platform, the North Korean subway car is red with green style, very visually impactfulBut the decoration style of the Pyongyang subway platform is completely different from that of the country, there are no modern service facilities, no bright light billboards, murals and chandeliers, it looks more solemn, the rumbling subway has entered the station, and tourists sit alone in a carriage, not understanding why there is such an arrangement!
Come to the Sino-DPRK Friendship Monument, here is to commemorate the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers who died in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, buy a bouquet of flowers, bow three times to salute, the process of salutation remains serious, think back to the past, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, tragic epic, moving, the selfless dedication of a generation, in exchange for the happy life of several generations, the draft does not forget to dig wells, in those difficult years, countless martyrs ancestors left their youth and blood and even their lives in that strange land, for that period of history, the elderly will not forget, the middle-aged people dare not forget, the young people can not forget, the young people should be self-reliant, enter the inside of the tower, look at the list of martyrs, remember the martyrs, and do not forget history！
Go to the Panmunjom military demarcation line to visit, the departure time of the day is very early, the drive is about 2.5 hours, the highway of North Korea, the road conditions are average, there are no guardrails, the car is not fast, the tour guide reminds not to take pictures of the soldiers in Panmunjom, the atmosphere is very tense, queue up to enter the military control area, Panmun Pavilion is the place where the Korean armistice agreement was signed, here you can see the scene in the history book, the signing ceremony began at 10 o'clock in the morning on July 27, 1953, lasted 15 minutes, the negotiation hall is very spacious, and there are many photos related to the negotiations on the wall.
Shopping arrangements
Under the guidance of the tour guide, come to the Chunxiang brand cosmetics counter, including eye cream, lotion, There is everything in hand cream, the price ranges from dozens of yuan to hundreds of yuan, a bottle of lotion with the whole root of ginseng only needs 55 yuan, Chinese tourists come to North Korea and especially like to buy North Korean cosmetics, after all, the North Korean women they see are born beautiful and difficult to give up, tourists also want to experience the effect of North Korean cosmetics, the North Korean female shopping guide who sells cosmetics, looks like the skin is very good, buy some North Korean cosmetics and bring them back to China as a special product is also good!
North Korea provides foreign-related shops for foreign tourists, such as: friendship store, Guangfu shopping mall, the first department store, Ayutthaya department store, etc., the types here are relatively complete, but the price is very expensive, locals are easy not to come here to shop, the goods are clearly priced, but can not scan the code to pay, it is recommended to carry 1000-2000 yuan in cash, you can use RMB, US dollars, euros, As for the exchange rate, the tour guide explained: This is an important way for North Korea to develop foreign exchange!
It is worth mentioning that: North Korea implements a planned economy, daily life to implement a ticketing system, there are food stamps, aquatic product stamps, fuel stamps, beer stamps, etc., North Korean residents still implement the ticket system for shopping, the planned distribution quantity and the production quantity is not much different, if there is still a surplus after exceeding the number of allocated tickets, you need to pay extra money to buy, Chinese tourists come to North Korea, must be purchased through cash, recommended purchase: cigarettes, stamps, postcards, calligraphy and painting, porcelain, embroidery, cosmetics, calligraphy, dried mentai fish, kimchi, Angong Niuhuang Pill and so on.
Write at the end
I clearly remember that the morning of the return day was exceptionally quiet, the rising sun shined on every corner of the world equally, the sorrow of parting was rich and lasting, recalling the past, vividly, this North Korean travel memory is really precious, I don't know, whether there is a chance to come to North Korea again in this life!
The sunset, parting sunset corresponds to the emotions of tourists, in this place without the Internet, the communication between people can only be communicated in person, fortunately with the tour guide to form a pure and beautiful friendship, looking back on this trip to North Korea, Chinese tourists are treated as "VIPs" reception, North Korea seems to want to try its best to show a good image to the outside world, some people on the Internet say that travel to North Korea is too illusory, but imagine, why don't we want to show the best side to the outside world?
On the occasion of parting, the tour guide was reluctant, thanks to the tour guide and the driver for the company in these days, the wine has run out, the tears are gradually drying, I don't know when to meet again, the tour guide said at the train station farewell: "I hope everyone is happy and happy in North Korea, I hope you come to North Korea again as a guest, I hope each of you is a successful career", so far, perhaps, it is difficult to have the opportunity to meet again in this life!
What do you think about such a North Korea?
Thank you for reading, and when North Korea tourism resumes, I hope that friends will have the opportunity to travel to North Korea and experience the customs of North Korea!