To North Korea (DPRK) we went

it all started with holiday talks over a round of drinks @ Black Swan after last year's Affirmation dinner ... a few of us had been to South Korea's DMZ and were interested in visiting North Korea to hear their side of the story.... 

Using the excuse that she has higher standards and expectations, i pushed it to partner to do all the research and ground work and our trip into one of the world's most secretive countries and one without any network materialized this June... bucket list item checked!!!... super appreciative to have angels around me whom allow me to leech on for holidays... =P 

We took the package tour by Universal Travel Corporation (UTC) @ $2745/pax... process was hassle-free.... just pay, attend a pre-trip briefing on what to expect, buy insurance and we were ready to fly.... =) 

We flew by SQ to Beijing on a 0110 flight... Yawn!!! 
spacious, comfy... the usual... 

rejected breakfast at 5+am?!?!?!... too early and knowing the standard of SQ's food = totally no appetite to eat anything

rather pay @ Yoshinoya during the 6 hours transit from 7+am to 1+pm @ Beijing airport instead... =) 

the Beijing version of our Changi Airport Skytrain is known as Automated People Mover... wahahahaha 

MY NORTH KOREA VISA with flight ticket from Beijing to Pyongyang on Air Koryo (North Korea Airline), which had been ranked the world's worst airline before.... =S


the outside & inside of the infamous plane

  
small small 3 by 3 plane yet more spacious than all the budget planes that i had flew on 

the take - off was really really scary ... it was like 5 minutes of non-stop turbulence as the plane lifted off the ground and soared into the sky... i counted from 1 to 100+ to take my mind off my fear ... 

the meal provided on the flight 


First impression of North Korea - sibei neat seh!!! 

super agree with partner - "super satisfying to look at for the OCD in her"

blurred pic cos taken hastily on the way to the washroom... haven meet up with north korean tour guide yet so didnt know if taking pic of public places was even allowed.... =P ... found out later that it is perfectly fine to take pictures in the airport de... 

our ride for the whole trip

and on it, i took the selfie of the day with my new phone, Galaxy A50 - yup, back to bob

spotted lots of padi fields and farmers along the way from the airport to the city centre... impressed with the bicycle lanes on both side of the roads.... motorised bikes come with license plates somemore oh...   


was very surprised to see the city lined with neat rows of trees and many many blocks of flats.... and that was our korean tour guide talking in the background... =D


first place of visit in North Korea or Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which they insisted to be called, is Korea International Travel Company (KITC) restaurant #5 to have dinner at about 5+pm... 

 i love their rice but not their dishes which very often were served not hot enough (-_- !)~ .... 

this chewy chewy dont know call what dish looked super cute hor?!?!?!... like a pile of white one-eye piyo piyo