North Korea - Day 6, the tomb of Wang Kon, the border between the two Koreas and the amusement park in Pyongyang ...
Says Alexander Golovko:
Almost two years have passed since my visit to North Korea, it has flowed since then a lot of water, but the pictures and stories about the journey and remain relevant to this day. Just this weekend I flew from South Korea, and now I am particularly interested to remember my trip two years ago, a very strong contrast, the attitude of people, two different worlds, etc. Previous positions and days are arranged under the cut, and now the story of how was our sixth day of stay in the DPRK. Separately will post about the tomb, an amusement park and the border, the blog format does not allow me to torment you lots of information and pictures in one post, so first things first.
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So every morning we began with breakfast at the hotel, at our hotel had a few restaurants, we tried to drive every day is different, not to get tired. Somewhere was an ordinary buffet, and in some places we were not asked, just like in the army, which will then eat. The day promised to be very busy, planning guides to show us the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs, and the border between the two Koreas, but eventually we got back in the new amusement park, and at the end of the day managed to make the night unique photograph of the two Kims, the two leaders!
In the morning we went to the border, to go for a long time, on the way we normally tried to remove the famous Juche-mobiles on the wood, but our guides strictly behind us and make us do not succeed, I do not have any photos of this vehicle, and it looks gorgeous, like a locomotive, a good shot could turn to.
At the entrance to the border we stopped at a roadside store, famous picture, there is almost everyone who went on this tour.
Souvenirs, food, beer, etc. as usual, almost everything worth one Euro, North Korea - a country of one euro!
The building we ran into a recreation room, there was even a TV, with Japanese ...
Good shop)
Going further, a typical North Korean road, men are cut bushes, sweeping asphalt.
Known throughout the world roadside poles, in which case they may explode and they will block the road, I have seen similar structures in South Korea.
Korea has long been a colony of Japan. At the end of the Second World War, in August 1945, the Soviet Union and the US invaded Korea, of course, this was done in the course of fighting the Japanese. Since that time, the war was already almost over, we agreed to divide zones of influence along the 38th parallel. And then the fun began in the north smitten with communist ideas, led by our Far Eastern compatriot Kim Il Sung, and came to the South American democracy in the face of "the wretched American henchman" Syngman Rhee. As a result, the two Korean leaders desired to rule the whole peninsula, and not just a part of the South or the North, and we got an open confrontation between the USSR and the United States flared up in the form of the Korean War (1950-1953).
July 27, 1953 between the DPRK and the UN forces signed a cease-fire and armistice. This was done here. This house was built in five days on the orders of Kim Il Sung, he wanted to commemorate the signing of the peace treaty, there is now a museum which I'll discuss in a separate post.
Now here carry excursions, and with the two sides, with each side talk differently. If, for example, the North Koreans regret about the split of the country, Southerners on the contrary, they say all what bad northerners and what a terrible and vain Kim Jong-un. I verify this personally during a recent visit to Seoul.
It then signed a ceasefire agreement.
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Entry to the border.
Before the trip to the border, we were taken to a local DUTY FREE, in fact, an ordinary store that sells Korean alcohol, tea, all sorts of goodies, etc. There is also a news stand on which a plan for the area.
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In the distance I could see the flag of South Korea, and all around were fields of corn ...
Next to the houses is a monument to the negotiations with the last autograph of Kim Il Sung. The guides told us that he had signed an agreement on a possible rapprochement between the two Koreas, the day before his death, July 7, 1994, a beautiful story.
The same border, immediately place for negotiations in the middle of a blue house. As correctly noted tema asphalt on the side of northerners apparently not changed for years.
The line in the middle of the table - this is the border, formally, I took this photo while on the side of South Korea.
Southerners have noticed us, they came to take a look at their modern binoculars. South Korean soldiers always looks very cool, chewing gum, walks in wearing sunglasses, I think shows the influence of the United States.
Generally course is very funny to see the outdoor unit of the air conditioner Samsung's side of northerners, see reconciliation somewhere near ...
So was the first half of the day, it turned out that everything is just beginning. Immediately after visiting the border, we were taken for lunch. Wherever you come in North Korea you will be happy in any place, even if it is a large restaurant and your group of six people on that day it will be the only customers.
They brought lunch ...
More I had some soup and beer.
Paragraph negotiations is near the town of Kaesong, one of the most famous industrial areas where working together northerners and southerners. After dinner, we went on a tour of the tomb of King Wang Kon, this tomb is part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs.
Tomb of King Wang Kon included in the World Cultural Heritage Site. It is situated in the city of Kaesong, once it was the capital of Koryo, the first in the history of the Korean nation single state (918 - 1392 gg.). The tomb was built in 943 and rebuilt in 1994, Wang Gon realized unification of the Korean nation to aspire to Koguryo, it was a great and powerful empire.
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On the left side of the hob for sacrifices.
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Tomb of King Gongmin of Goryeo consists of two graves - Hyun (the tomb of King Gongmin of Goryeo) and Chon (the tomb of Queen). Immediately found 8 stone sculptures depicting the four civil and military officials, respectively.
We walked a little complex.
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On the way out we visited a local gift shop, everything is as usual cost one euro, my attention was attracted by clippings from local newspapers, well, for example, the beauty! Interestingly, Medvedev was online in North Korea or not ???
Or, the story of a deserter who wanted to illegally enter South Korea, he was caught, the fate of the man is unknown to me. But just a note hanging here, close to the border, probably, the Koreans want to emphasize that they strictly follow the movements on their territory.
In the store you can buy a DVD with Korean films and subtitled in Russian.
Still, I split a young girl guide and she showed me her North Korean cell phone, color, and even with a touch screen!
Seller, dressed strictly icon attached.
I think this will end our day, we are already mentally made plans for the evening. Usually there was a bit of planning, table tennis, drink beer, go to the local sauna. But it turned out that we are driven to an amusement park, of him will be a separate post.
Before that, we had dinner at the restaurant which was located at the top of our hotel.
We arrived. North Korea has never seen so many lighted objects in one place. The park is light and comfortable, a lot of people, all standing in line, but unlike Seoul there are no artificial barriers, the people just standing in several rows all.
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Attractions in the park is not very much, but there are straight from that to put it mildly breathtaking. Every time we went for something before we sit down in a chair - we listened to the story about the fact that this place sat Kim Jong-un and his wife, or even a high-ranking official.
And so it was every time we went, felt monkeys, but when you consider the fact that we were all out of turn, it was a little uncomfortable ...
In the park, we tried the ice cream and the local Shawarma Chicken, all of this is true, we bought the guides themselves to otovaritsya failed.
Sonia pictures of father and daughter, and all the others looked at Sonya note.
On our adventures were not over. In Pyongyang, there is a monument, which is widely known throughout the world - two statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, tourists drive there only during the day and in the evening they are very nicely lit, but see it only from the bus window, like so ...
For several days, we tried to persuade our guides to take us there, when it gets dark, and yet we did it! And that's what came out of it.
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It was the best and most memorable day for all the journey, has been ahead of the penultimate, the seventh day of our stay in North Korea about how it went, I'll write soon. To be continued, do not switch!)
This story came to an end, all many thanks for your attention !!!
P.S. If someone is interested, you can read the previous posts Alexander Golovko:
North Korea - Day 1 arrival in Vladivostok and Pyongyang
North Korea - Day 2, the museum presents Buddhist temple, mountain and cave Renmun Mёhansan
North Korea - Day 3, the area of Kim Il Sung, Mangyongdae, West Sea Barrage and Rёngan
North Korea - Cave Renmun
North Korea - an exemplary demonstration house of a peasant family in an exemplary exponential farm
North Korea - Moranbong Band the most famous concert July 6, 2012
North Korea - Pyongyang studio
North Korea - The view from the 46 floor to Pyongyang goodies YangakDo
North Korea - Pyongyang Metro
North Korea - Day 5, Pueblo, a library, a military museum, Juche Tower and TPK
The American ship "Pueblo" in Pyongyang - the story of the capture and today ...
Museum of World War II in Pyongyang
Munsusky water park in the center of Pyongyang