Kaesong, the DMZ, Pyongyang, Arts Palace, Shooting Range and Brewery

We awoke early and were taken for a short hike from the hotel to view an older village from the crest of a hill.  The roofs were all tile and black with pointed eaves...very Chinese, ancient Chinese, that is.  We then piled back onto the bus and headed around Kaesong for a tour.

This is Mitch's back and the Children's Arts Palace 

We then headed to the DMZ.  We were cautioned to not take photos when told not to and to not take them.  We drove through the first check point, and I did not expect to see rice paddies!

There are 4 km on each side of the dividing line, and half of that on the DPRK side is rice paddies and small farms.  The various checkpoints had interesting things that could be discharged, or displaced to discourage troop advancement.  Huge blocks of stone that are held at an angle against a concrete wall by wedges.  If these wedges were knocked out, the big stone blocks would crash down to the ground and create a barrier that prevented troops from using the roadway.

The last checkpoint was also a place where you could buy propaganda posters and post cards, as well as other typical products made in the DPRK.  I bought a t-shirt.

We drove up to this large building and were escorted through and looked out and saw essentially 3 Quonset huts with a wooden line running exactly in the middle, dividing each hut across the long side of the rectangle.  In front of the wooden line is a concrete pad, and behind it is a gravel patch.

The large building in the background is the US-South Korean side 

Here we are inside the middle hut sitting around the negotiating table.

Unfortunately, Lilijana's hands are only visible at the bottom right.

We exited and headed into the DPRK's version of the US-SKorean "listening" post.  We went immediately to the viewing area which was the top floor balcony.  And, were able to have photos taken with a DPRK Officer.

In this photo above we are all present:  Mitch, Sharon, Lilijana, DPRK Officer, Charlotte, Me, Bill Simon in the front row, in the back:  Michael, Sherry, and Josh.

We head back to the bus for the 90km trip back to Pyongyang.  Again, let me reiterate, this is not a high quality road, it is paved, but this 90 km trip will take hours.  90k=60mi 

We are bouncing along, poor Bill, he is very susceptible to motion sickness and he was trying to keep himself together.  Michael kept walking up to the front of the bus and back, not sure why he was doing that until we hit this:

This meant only another hour back to Pyongyang!

After arriving in Pyongyang, we had a late lunch at a place...can't recall the place, it was in the basement of a department store, I think.  It was not very good, and Bill killed a roach as the meal was being served.  Enough said.

We then had about 30 minutes in a store in which we could purchase goods with RMB instead of Korean Won.  Bill, figured out how to come away with some currency, which technically, we were not allowed to do.  

Back on the bus and we take a short bike ride through the streets of Pyongyang.  I was a bit nervous at first, but it was ok.  Everyone who wanted to ride got a bike and there were underpasses that were a pain in the ass.  You had to wheel the bike down a steep slope, and then haul it up again on the other side.  The up was much harder than the down.  These were heavy bikes!  It was made clear that we had to walk our bikes through intersections and when crossing in front of the main plaza where the statues of the 2 leaders were.  (This was as a sign of respect...everyone does it)

We biked a short way to the Children's Palace.  This is an arts facility for after school intensive arts training.  Students must audition for a place and give performances when called upon.  

We toured several rooms in the facility.  A music library and a performance space.  We were then taken into a dance studio and the students performed for us.  It was moving and strange at the same time as each student had the same maniacal fixed smile on their 8 year old faces.  

Next we were ushered into a music studio of all things, accordion players.  Lawrence Welk would have been so proud.  There was a young boy, front and center, who was obviously into it.  The tune played sounded like something right out of the 50's. 

Next we went to a painting studio where students were practicing their characters and their brush strokes.  The panels the students were working on were of mixed quality.  Some striking and others very rudimentary.  As would be expected.  

Then we went into a sewing studio.  This was all young girls bent over some sewing of an artistic nature.  Perhaps embroidery is a better word to use.  Around the room were various example of student work.  

Walt Disney would have been proud, we were escorted into the gift shop!

But the wonders did not stop there....then we were ushered into the auditorium to wait for the performances.

 This was a full orchestra and chorus conducted by a young boy who couldn't have been more than 10

 This was a rock band circa 1960's (early) but the front man played a koto-like instrument

 This group was an all koto-like instrument with young dancers out front

Here was a solo violinist perfect technique, every note crisp and clear, no soul

Ah, the rock band with 2 female drummers out front.  This was a show Lawrence Welk could have easily produced.  Everything seemed stuck in the 50's and 60's.  Waiting for Bobby and Sissy to come out and dance! 

There were dancers, acrobats, singers, rock bands, orchestras, bands, anything you could imagine was being displayed for the tourists.  Child Labor comes to mind.

At the conclusion, we had a choice, we could bike to the shooting range, or take the bus.  I opted for the bus.  There was another bus which picked up the bikes.  So, we head to the shooting range.  Not quite sure what I was going to find.  The only ones who did not bike to the range were women.  So Sherry, Sharon, Charlotte, and myself arrived at the range first.  We go in and I expect it to be a shooting range.  Apparently, you, if you are a woman, must do only shooting at the video screens.  I was totally ignored and when I asked if I could shoot, was ushered into the room with the video screens and handed a gun and told to shoot the animals.  So I did.  Bunnies, Deer, Bears, Tigers, Wolves, all ending up bloodied and yes, there was quite a bit of gore.  

There was a choice of 5 types of guns, 2 hand guns, 2 rifles, and a machine gun.  I guess, women can't handle bullets.  The irony was that there the woman were loading the bullets for the guys.  They were beautiful women dressed in a semi uniform and were picking up spent shells and loading more bullets into the magazines.  Needless to say, you paid by the bullet!

The ladies then went upstairs to the bar and threw back a few brews.

We all pile into the bus and head to the brewery.  This place had a couple of kegs and taps, and you would order the number of the beer that you liked.  So, at first, I ordered a dark beer, and it was too sweet for me.  Then after tasting Bill's lighter beer, I decided that I liked #2.  We settle up after this and head to the restaurant.  Here the Korean guides ate a different table, and we all ate together.  It was a hotpot place.  Not enough instruction was given, so we are all in doubt as to when and in what order we put things into the boiling broth.  Poor Lilijana, her stereo went out and it took forever for the staff to notice. 

Just when we think that that is it for the night, the next strange item happens.  A floor show of the waitresses singing and dancing to k-pop music....or at least the DPRK version of k-pop. Charlotte explained that this was a local place for the embassy staffs and such.  So strange, even now, 1 month later as I write about it, I am smiling at the incongruousness of the evening.  

We finally head back to the hotel and it is a full day of biking ahead of us.