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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:00 pm Post subject: Anyone been to Pyongyang? |
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North Korea Tours Lure American Tourists
More American tourists can add North Korea to their list of possible travel destinations this year. The communist country is accepting U.S. citizens during select dates from August to October in time for the Arirang mass calisthenics performance. According to an article in USA Today, the tours are "selling like hot cakes." The daily says that despite the mediocre accommodation, food and service, not to mention the controlling hosts and the high cost, Americans lured by the novelty of the experience are signing up.
Tours to North Korea cost about US$500 per day, not cheap, but according to one Chicago-based tour operator who has taken the trip, the Arirang Festival, which features a cast of 100,000 performers, is a spectacle worth seeing. North Korea has long been off limits to U.S. citizens except for three cases when Pyongyang made last-minute decisions to grant visas to American tourists for the annual event.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200604/200604230012.html |
Doesn't the Red Cross and other blood donation agencies make it impossible for you to donate if you've visited North Korea?
Might be worth the trip. |
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crazylemongirl

Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...
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Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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there's a site somewhere that details an americna who teaches in seoul that went up there... I'll see if I can find it. |
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heydelores

Joined: 24 Apr 2006
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:22 am Post subject: |
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The American Red Cross doesn't let you donate blood if you've spent significant time in countries where mad cow disease has been found (mostly Europe) or in certain parts of West Africa where HIV Group O is found. You also have to wait between one and three years after being in a country where malaria is present before you can give blood. |
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buster brown
Joined: 26 Aug 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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I've been there with an NGO before, but we didn't do much of the touristy stuff. Here are a couple of websites with more info.
Koryo Tours - Has info about tours of North Korea, travel dates, links to DPRK news and travelogues: http://www.koryogroup.com/
Scott Fischer's "Journey Into Kimland" blog (Is this the one you were thinking about CLG?): http://1stopkorea.com/index.htm?nk-trip1.htm~mainframe
As the Lonely Planet guide so eloquently puts it, "Visiting [North Korea] will instantly make you the most interesting person you know". Go, then come back and blog about it! |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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Here's a link that's been posted on here before including Pyongyang photos from a Russian gentleman married to a North Korean I believe. A little generic yet fascinating.
http://www.enlight.ru:8005/camera/dprk/
Another site:
http://www.travel-images.com/korean.html
There's a North American set up that runs Pyongyang tours but clueless about their info. They'll help you do all the paperwork, etc.
Last edited by matthews_world on Sat May 06, 2006 3:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Hotpants
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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North Korean immigration is fickle about letting Americans in. Personally, I considered the Koryo tour group as mentioned above, but decided in the end, that I wasn't going to pay 2 million won for the visa cost which much all in effect end up in the pockets of Kim Jong Il. I didn't want to fund him over the needy people. Also, any such tour is HEAVILY restricted. Evenings are limited to drinking in the basement bar of your hotel, for example.
An easy alternative is to go on the Mount Kumgang tour from South Korea. A 3 day tour costs from 400,000. |
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just because

Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 2:31 am Post subject: |
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Here's a link that's been posted on here before including Pyongyang photos from a Russian gentleman married to a North Korean I believe. A little generic yet fascinting.
http://www.enlight.ru:8005/camera/dprk/ |
Some great photos in that lot.... |
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nene

Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Location: Samcheok, Gangwon-do
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 8:16 am Post subject: |
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Here's a link that's been posted on here before including Pyongyang photos from a Russian gentleman married to a North Korean I believe. A little generic yet fascinting.
http://www.enlight.ru:8005/camera/dprk/
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Some great photos in that lot....
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No kidding. And really cool to hear a former Soviet's thoughts on the country. |
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