well, hello again, my adventures are continuing, and im still having an amazing time. i had a relaxing day in beijing after my trip to the forbidden city, i went to a lama temple and an old confuscian temple, which had lots of atmosphere and was really run down, unlike so many of the brightly coloured temples ive seen recently. and i wandered round the back lanes, hutongs, just enjoying their atmosphere. and the next day i had yet another early start, as i went off to do a walk along the great wall. it was an absolutely lovely sunny day, really hot and the views from the wall were amazing. was with two cool australians guys and we walked the 10km from jinshanling to simitai pretty quickly - we kept getting caught up in a huge group of japanese tourists, so were trying to avoid them. they were extremely taken with one of the blokes i was with - there arent too many 6'8 australians in japan!! one or two were also a little concerned about me - my face was bright red from the heat and exertion - but i was able to reassure them in the little japanese i remember. it was a really great day, highly recommend it to anyone visiting beijing. the views are spectacular, the walk itself really enjoyable, and to top it off, there was a deathslide over a lake which saved a walk downhill - the legs were definitely beginning to feel my efforts, by that stage!! fortunately they were fully recovered next day. then, i left china, for a week long trip to DPRK, better known to most people as north korea. even less than 24hours before my departure, i wasnt certain they would grant me a visa (but then, why wouldnt they let me in, maybe getting out again would be tougher...) we took an air koryo flight from pyongyang to beijing. the inside of the plane was more like a bus, from the control panel above your head to the open luggage bins. i was told the air hostesses sometimes stand for takeoff, (for reasons unknown) but i didnt get to see it. the flight wasnt too bad, it only took about 1.5hours, and the meal i was given kept me quiet for about half of that!! we landed at pyongyang airport and after clearing immigration and customs, our group (there were eight of us, 3 canadians, a kiwi and three english guys) was met by our two tour guides - mr li and hun-yi, who were to accompany us everywhere over the following week. from the airport, we drove about 25km, to pyongyang, the capital. we couldnt take photos out the window of the bus at any point (all week). our first stop was the arch of triumph, a 60metre high arch built in 1982 to commemorate kim il sungs 70th birthday. took several photos here, and saw the first of numerous mosaics in memory of the Great Leader, or Eternal President, as he is sometimes known. yup, even though he died in 1994, hes still head of the country.... we drove on to kim il sung square, saw the grand peoples study house, the parliament building, and then the group gathered to pay homage to the great one. we laid flowers at the feet of a 20m bronze statue and then all bowed before him. this wasnt really optional. we were given the choice of following this protocol or remaining on the bus! this statue was a present from the people of pyongyang to kim il sung on his 60th birthday. we had a small wander round the vicinity of the statue - its surrounded by over 200 much smaller statues, in various war poses, symbolising the anti japanese struggle and the socialist revolution. theres also a statue of chollima, koreas mythical winged horse, and a stadium, where we could hear school children singing. and then we were taken to our hotel, the newest and most deluxe in pyongyang, built around 1995, the yanggakdo. we were on the 42nd floor of the 47 storey building, and so had really good views over the city, when the weather allowed. that night, it was really bizarre - saturday night and we couldnt hear any city sounds - no horns beeping, barely even any car headlights to be seen. but we had a good meal, before we reviewed our itinerary for the week. however, it was subject to change: every morning and evening, the guide had to phone his travel company, to make sure it was ok for us to visit the places we planned on seeing. occasionally, road conditions didnt allow, but i think that was the only excuse and it was only used once. next day, after a filling breakfast which included probably the most famous korean food, kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), we set off for nampo, about 35km south of pyongyang, to see the west sea barrage, a dam constructed with guidance from the great leader - he often visited towns and construction projects to offer 'on the spot guidance'. we were shown a video about its construction (its a dam, you can guess what the video was like...) then had a chance to take photos of the dam itself and the building which marked its completion. i think every time we saw anything, at least one person in the group actually asked permission to take a photo. fortunately almost every time, we were allowed. we then had a nice drive up mount kuwol, before visiting a pretty 9th century buddhist temple. there was a long drive to kaesong, near the border, where we visited the tomb of an ancient king. we had a short walk to get to it - one of the few times we could take photos of the countryside - but actually, the views werent that great. that night, we stayed in a traditional style hotel - 18th century building, with under floor heating. it was actually surprisingly cosy!! we 'helped' prepare dinner, by pounding rice, which was made into traditional ricecakes - extremely chewy, not too sure about them!!! and next day, something of a highlight for me. we drove from kaesong to panmunjom, by the border with south korea. its right on the DMZ (demilitarised zone). there we saw a video about the construction of an 8m high concrete wall, by the americans (damn those anti imperialists!!) all the way along the border - about 240km. we visited the armistice hall, where the armistice was signed by north korean and american delegates, and saw an exhibition about the last 50 years in the countrys military history, including run ins with other countries (mainly the south, and the states). every museum or exhibition we went to, we were shown a few things, then hurried around the rest of it, with barely enough time to see anything else. right at the demarcation line, we went to an american built building which actually straddles the border - so at one point i had one foot in the north, the other in the south. this is the only place where you can do this, its impossible if you visit the dmz from seoul. it was really interesting. i believe its the most fortified border in the world, security is really intense, soldiers everywhere, no doubt landmines every couple of steps, barbed wire, checkpoints and look outs all along the concrete wall... and on one side of the demarcation line, flies the dprk flag. just turning your head slightly you can also see the flag of the south. apparently its the greatest wish of the people of the north to be reunified. it was really interesting, having heard so much about it, to actually visit. the drive back to pyongyang took several hours. we were very much only allowed to drive where the authorities wanted us to go, even if it meant doubling back on ourselves and in all that time, we only passed a handful of cars. there were a few army vans laden with passengers, but in fact, most of the vehicles we passed belonged to aid organisations. the 'motorway' was dead straight for most of the journey and wide - what a waste when so little traffic uses it. back in pyongyang, we got to ride the metro - really our first contact with any people, though of course there was no interaction. spent ages taking photos of the interior of the station. i think its name translated to glory, or some such, before going only one stop. the stations were pretty impressive - the walls were covered in mosaics with pictures of the dear and great ones, very brightly coloured. apparently, since all tourists only get to travel between these two stations, there are rumours that in fact, thats all there is of the pyongyang underground! and, as twice as many trains were ordered, as would be needed to service the two lines which were built, this led to further rumours that there is a whole other, secret system, further underground, a bomb shelter for kim jong il, the current leader and his cronies. whether theres any truth to these, i wouldnt know!! next day, we again left pyongyang, and this time headed to wonsan, on the east coast. there, we gatecrasged a wedding, where we took more photos of a 2year old girl, than of the bride!! this wasnt the first married couple wed seen - in fact we found ourselves in some photos (if only id known id have packed some smarter clothes!) but as usual, this couple looked incredibly serious. happiest day of their lives? apparently, the groom chooses what the bride wears. we saw some in white dresses, but more usual was the traditional korean dress. then we visited a childrens camp, for the brightest kids in the country. bit of a strange place, good for some more brainwashing - lots of photo exhibitons of the kims touring the country, offering on the spot guidance, encouragement and support etc. all the rhetoric was beginning to get to me by the point, for the first few days id found it quite amusing, but now it just wore me out - it was constant. the kids dormitories had pictures of them on the walls - dont know how they managed to get any sleep! we were told there were almost 1000 kids there, the capacity being 1200. theres NO way that was true, unless they were all being kept from our view. we decided nearer 200 was closer to the mark. it was all very staged for the tourists wandering round - kids (between 12-18) walking in silence from one room to another, not actually doing any of the activities for which there were facilities, such as playing instuments or computer games. following that we had a wander (accompanied of course) round the city. it was impromptu and felt a lot more relaxed. i think the guides found it quite stressful, as they had to constantly account for our whereabouts. next day we headed out to mount kumgang, i think one of the sacred mountains. we saw a temple there, before we had a really pleasant climb up to another one built into the mountain side a few hundred years ago. we had to climb shoogly ropebridges which had seen better days to get there - it was well worth it!! after that, it was back to pyongyang again, following the road we had previously come along. next day, we had a tour of pyongyang, which was enjoyable. our first stop, despite the rain, was the tower of juche, juche being the enduring philosophy of the country, literally meaning master of oneself - therefore the idea that you are the master of your own destiny. this thinking was created by kim il sung, and has been developed further by kim jong il. the tower itself is 170m high, in total, the final 20m being a flame which glows at night. nearby are statues to commemorate popular dprk opera, with such stirring titles as sea of blood... then we headed on to the monument marking the founding of the korean workers party, symbolised by the hammer (for industrialists), the sickle (for the workers) and the calligraphy brush, for intellectuals. despite it being around 10am when we were there, on a weekday, the only people out on the streets, were a group of chinese tourists, no locals. dont know where they were all hiding!! were drove past the mayday stadium, which is the location of the mass games - an event in which over 100,000people gather to celebrate - usually a big anniversary. i think there will be one next year, marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the dprk. for an idea of the scale, look at this site: http://www.yunkai.de/stories/northkorea /page5/northkorea5.html then we went to the uss pueblo, the us spyship which was captured by the koreans in 1968. the crew - over 80 of them - were apprehended by only 14 brave and fearless koreans, the youngest of whom was only about 17. the americans were held for about 11 months, until theyd made a full apology for their crimes. the boat itself was quite small - hard to believe over 80men could live and work there. of course there was the usual rhetoric about the anti imperialists, as well as copies of apologies from the captain and the president of the us. we had a chance to take photos of the traffic police too. not very exciting, you may think, but all the guys on the trip were delighted - all the traffic cops we saw were young, pretty girls, who directed traffic, unsmilingly, with military precision. actually, we did get a smile, and even a wave from one of the girls - i think she was quite embarrassed at us all staring at her! that afternoon, after visiting the great leaders birthplace at mangyongdae, where we learned that his grandparents felt compelled to work much harder than their neighbours in tending the fields, because of their relationship to the great one, we went to the mangyongdae childrens palace, which is where the brightest and most talented of the local children go, to take part in after school activites, every day. they play accordian, guitar, piano, sing, do embroidery, dance, play sports.... we had a quick tour of the school and its facilities, before the main event - an hour long performance by the kids showcasing all the different activities they do. it was really quite amazing. the kids were consummate professionals despite their age, it was easy to forget watching them that they were between 6 and 16years old. it was mainly singing and dancing but there was also gymnastics and playing instruments, the kids all the while with huge smiles permanently stuck to their faces. very bright colours and highly enjoyable. next day, we went to a railway museum, where we learned all about 'the realisation of electrification' of most of the korean rail network. have to say im not a trainspotter, so it wasnt all that interesting. then we went to the tomb of king tangun, the founder of the koryo dynasty, 5000years ago. the mausoleum was built in 1994, but i didnt think it justified the 5euro entry. then we went past the kumsusan palace, the final resting place of the great leader. unfortunately it was closed - possibly due to him being re-enbalmed - so we were unable to visit. the size of it was quite something - WAY bigger than maos place - and made lenins really look quite feeble! and then we went to the three revolutions exhibition. there were 6 HUGE buildings i think to showcase the dprk system and show off its successes, and we were 'lucky' enough to be shown round one dedicated to industrial achievement. inside were varying sizes of diesel engine, from 5horse power, all the way to 240hp! and lumps of coal. and an impossible to read map with lots of coloured lights reflecting sources of power throughout the country. there were loads of appropriately named boring machines too. the upkeep on these buildings must be outrageous, and i have no idea who actually goes to see them. later, we had a chance to do some shopping, unfortunately not in no1 department store, but in a shop specifically for the tourists, which really didnt have much to offer - somewhat disappointing. and we went to a stamp shop too, mainly to buy postcards and stamps for them - i dont know that the postal service exists other than for the benefit of tourists. for our last dinner in the country, we went to a restaurant specialising in duck. the main part was barbequing it on the table in front of us, but it came dried, grilled, deep fried in breadcrumbs - didnt know there were so many ways to serve it!! as usual, we had far too much food, so there was a lot left over. its difficult seeing the waste when you know that so many in the country are starving. next day, it was onto a train to take us back to china. in our carriage there was a group of school kids who apparently were top footballers, i guess going to china for a tournament. wonder what they make of other countries. the difference once we were across the border was amazing - we felt more relaxed, there were so many high rise buildings, the fields looked far more productive... would have loved to have taken pictures of the people at work in the fields. it was mainly women, and often they looked like they were cutting blades of grass individually, with their sickles. there were ox pulling ploughs. i frequently saw women carrying big bundles on their heads, without holding them steady. ox were also pulling carts in the towns, men wearing aviator style sunglasses....all these things in any other country would have been quite photograph-able. but not here. we were allowed to see these things, but not record them. ok, i think ive waffled on far longer than usual, so if you made it this far, even if it took a few attempts, well done!!! if you have any questions, im sure ive forgotten stuff, so please ask. and thanks for taking the time to read this!!