When I went for breakfast this morning one of the staff opened a door for me to go through then ran down a corridor to open another door for me to go into the dining room. Two thank-you's from me but somewhat extreme I thought. After breakfast the group split up, some to go to the airport for the flight back to Beijing and the rest of us to catch the train either to Beijing or, as two of us did, for the border city of Sinuiju. I, and Guy (a Frenchman) had decided that we wanted to see a little more of North Korea away from Pyongyang with a stopover at Siniju being available if wanted as part of the tour. At the railway station we waited in the VIP waiting room having been told beforehand not to go anywhere near the portraits of the Kim’s that were there and not to put our bags under the portrait as that was considered to be disrespectful.
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| Leaving the Potonggang Hotel |
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| Pyongyang Railway Station |
The two of us shared a six bunk compartment with Koreans while the others were in a different part of the train. Only one person spoke to me during the four hour ride to Tong Rim, and that was one of the military guards and then only to tell me not to take photos out of the window. I heard later that the others on the train were allowed to take photos. The Koreans on the train did not bother me and behaved normally as far as I could tell. I did not feel any aggression from them at all.
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| Tong Rim Railway Station |
Guy and I were the only people leaving the train at Tong Rim and where two guides were waiting to take us to the Dongrim Hotel. This hotel was said to be a first class hotel with 24 hour electricity and hot water; shop, bookstore, banquet hall, bar, swimming complex, welfare facilities, and training course – and it looked to be all that! Nearby was the Dongrim Falls where a legend has it that a hunchback was straightened up from taking showers at the falls. Not today though as the falls and lower pool were frozen over. Next door to the hotel was a very big sports complex complete with a swimming pool and various sports and exercise rooms.
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| Dongrim Hotel |
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| Dongrim Falls |
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| At the Dongrim Falls |
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| At the Dongrim Falls |
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| At the Dongrim Falls |
Dinner was a surprise in that we were joined with some local families (about 12 people plus a couple of children) who, through our guide, were happy to talk to us. After the meal a small group of Koreans put on a singing and dancing show for us but I don’t know if it was actually for us or just all the people in the hotel that evening. After the show the other Koreans, with children, had a karaoke, which I enjoyed. This was more like a normal evening that could have been anywhere, not just in North Korea.
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| Singer at the hotel |
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| Singers at the hotel |
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| Mother singing Young girl at the hotel |
