|
|
You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
May 04, 2006 02:00 PM 10 kms along the Great Wall...
19 years ago I saw the Great Wall for the first time: in Badaling with hords of tourists, vendors, photographers etc,...
I was impressed anyway. But today I made the other and better choice: 10-kms walk on the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai... I was lucky: yesterday it was raining in the afternoon but when today I got by bus to Jinshanling the sun was shining there! It was fantastic day: climbing the picturesque towers located on the mountain ridges, enjoying scenery and landscapes. Parts of the wall are still in bad shape so it is necessary to take trekking boots. It took 4 hours including photo stops to walk to Simatai... Youth hostels in Beijing organize drop off and pick up by bus and it cost 110 yuans. In addition you must pay entry fee to the two parts of the Wall: 40+30 yuan, and 5 y to traverse the chain bridge in Simatai. But it is worth: We returned tired but happy at 9 pm.
What a day!
|
May 03, 2006 02:00 PM Back in Beijing...
Foggy morning. The room reserved via hostels.com was waiting for me. After check-in I took a subway to the Lama Temple - the biggest tibetan temple outside Tibet -thay say. It is really worth to see - it is huge, living complex of ornate buildings. They charge 25 yuan entry fee ang the photography inside the buildings is not permitted. But you can still enough to photograph! I spent there two hours and I think it is the nicest temple in Beijing - second capital's attraction after Forbidden City. Not far from Lama - just a walking distance is Confucius Temple - it is under restoration (entry fee 10 y) but the Imperial College in the same complex is still worth to see. It was raining in the afternoon when I passed the narrow streets of Beijing's hutongs - old quarters. They almost dissapeared, it is pity - the city is changing the face... More and more skycrapers, highways, supermarkets...
|
May 02, 2006 02:00 PM Bye, bye Northern Korea...
Our last breakfast in Phongyang... They are always serving them in the separate room... Then they check the room... Why? By car to the station... I have my passport back... Thank you... The train is departing on time - at 10.10 am. The same rice fields and sad villages. After 5,5 hours we are at the border station. Custom clearance. Some foreigners are receiving back from the deposit their cell phones. Customs officers do not speak english or russian. But the gestures are enough: digital camera? show me your pictures! Advice:keep your "proper" memory care ready! Some "bad" pictures are cancelled... After two hours we are crossing the river to China. Freedom! (Can you feel the freedom in China?). But here nobody is asking you to stay here or not to go there. You can speak to the people on the street without any risk, nobody escorts you...
|
May 01, 2006 02:00 PM In Panmunjon...
Empty highway took us to south to the Demilitarized Zone. Control points... No pictures on the route! Our guides are very strict... Escorted by the soldier we came to the row of white and blue barracks where International Commission talks took place. You acn even take the seat at the table and have your pic there. Great tourist attraction... In the afternoon near the town of Kaesong we visited the tomb of the Korean who unified country thousand years ago. Nice, well restored place. But when we wanted to see also the second tomb located just 12 km away (it was mentioned in the guide book) the answer was: no! Sorry...
|
Apr 30, 2006 02:00 PM May Day in Phongyang!
I selected specially the date of my visit to be there on the May Day. On the 1st of May there were always big celebrations in the former socialist countries... I expected a lot... Sorry... Since years there is no May Day workers parade in Phyongyang! I asked to allow me to attend any other celebrations... We attended the May Day Feast... There were a lot to see and to listen but sorry, I did not see the Son of The Great Leader. Dissappointing! In the afternoon we took a walk around The 170-m high Juche Tower in the center of the town to see how the people enjoy their holiday. They were eating, drinking, singing and dancing - it was great opportunity to take some nice and authentic pictures...
|
Apr 29, 2006 02:00 PM Riding the subway in Phongyang
There are things that foreigner must see during his stay in the North Korea. Number one is 25-m high monument of the Great Leader. You must buy the flowers first. Keep ready few euro in cash - there is special stand to do that. You get the instruction: before taking any photo you must put there the flowers and greet the Great Leader. Pictures showing only parts of the statue are not allowed: full size only! Then you are allowed to approach the monument: flowers, greetings, proper pictures...
They took us also to the Nampho Barrage. The barrage must be the pride of N.Korea - it is protecting the land from high tides - impressive! Later we visited the birthplace of the Great Leader - it was the first place where we met local people face to face - staying in the long line. They were courious but nice, returning smiles and happy to be photographed... The guides had nothing to say - it was the birthplace of the Great Leader!
Finally we took the subway to ride only one segment of the route: station to the next station. This stations are nicely decorated but dark. The guide was in panic when I asked if we can go little bit farther... Why?
|
Apr 28, 2006 02:00 PM Excursion to North Korean Mountains
Can I change some money to the local currency? No! Why?
There is no need, the foreigners are allowed to visit only special shops where they pay in euro, dollars or yuans... They are not allowed to take even small amount of local currency even as a souvenir.. Why?
We are going by car to Myohyang Mts - some 160 km from the capital. There is a wide highway, but the traffic is limited to just few cars per hour. We are passing control posts. Soldiers are nice... Our car has a special plate... But we need a permit anyway... Mountains are nice, there is elegant hotel. But first of all they took us to the International Friendship Exhibition - it is huge building housing the gifts presented to the Great Leader by different nations and politicians... There is much more to see then in the Stalin museum in Gori... We visited also second building with the gifts presented to the Son of Great Leader - present head of the state...
After we saw Pohyon temple - nice old monastery with one monk only residing there. Sorry, no time to go to the waterfall nearby. The waterfall is not in the program...
|
Apr 27, 2006 02:00 PM First time in North Korea...
(posted from Beijing)
Our train arrived to the Chineese border station Dangdong at 8.30 am. Immigration control was very simple, no customs at all... Then we crossed the river: two carriages from Beijing and two from Moscow. Almost empty - few tourists only. North Korea... Different landscape... Different people... We spent more then two hours at the border station. All our baggage were searched, cameras and money registered in the customs declarations... Metal detectors used... What are they looking for? Then rice fields... Poor villages... Train goes slowly... A lot of soldiers on the station platforms... Every station witha picture of the Great Leader. It took us more then 5 hours to reach Phongyang. Huge station building. Guides waiting for every arriving foreigner. They will take care of us day and night. Passports collected on arrival - you will see them on departure... Why? Transfer to the luxury hotel on the river island - well separated from the rest of the capital... Welcome to North Korea!
|
Apr 26, 2006 02:00 PM Gateway to the North Korea
Beijing seems to the main gateway for this desperate people who want to visit North Korea...
Today I got the North Korean visa (thank you Jorge for your advice!) and I got my travel documents for this country.
At 5.30 pm I am departing by train from Beijing to Phongyang. It will be 24-h journey. I am afraid about the border control - I do not know how they will react for the view of my cameras... We will see... I want to bring the pictures and video recordings ... May Day in The capital of N Korea will be the special ocassion! But I am not sure if they will agree to take them ... Good luck, Wojtek!
|
Apr 25, 2006 02:00 PM Spring in Beijing - PEKIN
I landed in the morning in Beijing airport. Still weak, but happy that the adventure begun. There are shuttle busses just in front of the arrival hall to the center. Change your money (they pay 7,93 youan for USD, no commission) and buy 16-yuan ticket at the desk outside. Bus no.3 will take you to the main train station. Just opposite to the station I found the youth hostel - huge place where they charge 120 y per huge double room -
it is very convenient location. It is spring already in Beijing...
In the afternoon I went once again (after 19 years to see Tiananmen square) - still well guarded by army. Then Forbidden City still huge and immpressive - entry fee is 60 y already but be prepared: many monuments are covered for restauration before Olympics - also the Temple of Heaven!
|
Page:
274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284
|
|
|
