I just spent a week in North Korea, which was bonkers. Completely, absolutely bonkers. Here are a few images from the trip.
A schoolroom in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Vacationing with Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. (That’s me in the middle.)
Checking in at the Ryanggang Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The monument for the Party Founding in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Despite there being an “International Dialing Guide,” you can’t actually dial internationally from your room in the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A spirited musical performance by middle schoolers in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A communist chic light fixture in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Riding the Pyongyang subway.
Lobby telephones at the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. It’s unclear who you could actually call with these.
A math teacher at a middle school in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Everything you’ve heard about the 5th floor in the Yanggakdo Hotel is true. (It’s where they “re-educate” the staff after coming into too much contact with foreigners.)
An emergency guide in the room at the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. Note: It’s not what to DO, it’s about accepting your fate and coping with the inevitable.
Using an abacus to keep score at the bowling alley in Pyongyang, North Korea
Modern technology on display in Pyongyang.
The main bowling alley in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A mass dance in front of the Monument for the Party Founding in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Entrance to the Pyongyang subway.
Inside a Pyongyang subway station.
A light fixture in the Pyongyang subway.
A military parade on National Day in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A little sparkle in the paint helps take the edge off this hotel in Pyongsong, North Korea.
The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, at 105 stories, is the world’s tallest unoccupied building.
A small expression of individuality and style in Pyongyang.
The moment for the Party Founding in Pyongyang. The hammer, sickle, and writing brush represent the workers, the peasants, and the intellectuals.
The Mass Games in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The Mass Games in Pyongyang, North Korea. That’s not a screen in the background…that’s 20,000 school children each holding up a single sheet of colored paper.
Hotel room decor in Pyongsong, North Korea.
Radar at the Pyongyang airport.
Sadly, Air Koryo, the flag carrier of North Korea, is not a member of the Star Alliance. (Nor do they fly Boeing or Airbus aircraft.)
Hotel lobby decor in Pyongsong, North Korea.
Traffic is light on the major highway between Pyongyang and the DMZ.
The Mass Games. That’s not a screen…that’s 20,000 school children each holing up a single sheet of colored paper.
A mass dance in front of the Monument for the Party Founding in Pyongyang.
Waiting for a National Day military parade to start.
School kids cheer a military parade on National Day in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Inside the DMZ looking towards South Korea. The line between sand and gravel is the border. (There’s nothing physically stopping you, other than people with guns, from making it to the other side.)
Banquet room decor in Pyongsong, North Korea. (They refused to sell the painting to me when asked.)
There’s a copy of “Gone with the Wind” at the Pyongyang library, which they’re very excited about.
The garbage at the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Modern technology at the Pyongyang library.
Child performers at the Mass Games in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A sign at the Pyongyang library.
Commuting in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Some of the 100,000 performers at the finale of the Mass Games in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Computers at the Pyongyang library. No internet, of course.
Virtually all North Koreans wear some version of this loyalty pin when out and about. If they leave the house and forget it, it’s kinda a big deal.
Streetcards in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Dots on the pavement help military parades keep perfect alignment.
That sure is a lot of wires coming out of the nightstand for a hotel room that definitely, absolutely isn’t bugged.