I was in NK for 14 days in April 2012 coinciding with Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday celebrations. It was only a few months since Kim Jong Un had taken power. If

I was in NK for 14 days in April 2012 coinciding with Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday celebrations. It was only a few months since Kim Jong Un had taken power. If memory serves it was the first tour permitted since he came to power. It went as a ‘see it for myself’ experience, albeit on a guided tour across much of the country and about 7 or 8 hotels. I’ve not looked at this photo essay, but memories include a mud bath hotel, hotel staff opening up an Egypt themed disco for a dozen of us, and a missing hotel floor. Although confined to a set tour and hotel grounds, we were free to mix with and chat with locals on site. The guides were somewhat oblivious that us tourists lived for those moments, not the target sites. Experiences ranged from the heartwarming (boozy unscheduled picnic with locals), the creepy (mass children’s song performance), the worrying (military parade), the beautiful (flower show), the surreal (subway ride), the bizarre (innuendo filled cave tour), the thought provoking (locals appetite for iPod western music), the embarrassing (tour eating dog), and much more. I’m very glad for the experience. Although I haven’t clicked the photo link (I read HN for the comments), it’s made me consider posting my photos to a website.