We met our two Korean guides and coach driver and headed straight off for a bit of sightseeing! As expected the roads were very quiet, but as I found out that petrol costs US$20 per gallon, I am not surprised. First stop was the Arch of Triumph, an exact replica of the Arc d'Triomf, except that it is 10 meters higher. It was an appropriate introduction to North Korea, where everything has to be bigger and better than anywhere else in the world.
Our education started straight away with the question: 'What is the difference between a crowd and collectivism?' The answer is leadership. And no prizes for guessing who provides the best leadership!!
The birth place of the first person who provided this excellent leadership is very reminiscent of Bethlehem. The Mangyongdae Native House only needed a few wise men to complete the picture.
A good description for our hotel was 'adequate', but don't forget we were travelling on a budget. I made the mistake of looking behind the bed, and under the desk, to try and find an electrical outlet for the kettle. And that was rather horrifying!! But otherwise it was clean enough, and there was plenty of hot water and the electricity stayed on most of the night. Oh, and the kettle plug fitted into the shaving outlet!
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