North Korea: Day 4 (Tuesday Morning)

My Final Thoughts


Today would be a short day. Our time in the land of Juche was quickly coming to an end. Curtain Call for one more brief chapter of our lives.

From the hotel we were taken straight to the airport. Upstairs was one last chance to pick out souvenirs before stepping through the security check and on our way back to Beijing. Past the security check was a small lounge with, for the final time, portraits of the two leaders.

The plane we flew back on. This time a TU-54.



If you look hard enough, you can find several North Korean travelogues on the internet. Here's a good source. Most of them are written by Europeans while very few by Americans for obvious reasons. Through my unique perspective I hope I was able to add something new to the combined knowledge of a place so few have ever stepped foot in.

Leading up I had been wondering how they would treat us. Would they go easy on us? For the most part they did not. But I do feel like they made some kind of effort to ease us into the anti-Americanism. The first night on the bus, returning to the hotel from the Mass games, our guide begins. "You know.... it's just my opinion....but frankly..." Here it comes.

But as we were often reminded, North Koreans don't hate Americans on an individual basis. They hate our government. And I certainly didn't come away from this experience feeling bitter. It was very interesting to see history through a completely different view point.

Some of my friends and family were a bit concerned when I announced I'd be going. However, I at no time felt like I was in any danger in North Korea.

This has been long enough, so I'm going to wrap it up here. It was expensive to get there. It was difficult to get there. I had to miss school to get there. But I don't regret it one bit.

A truly rewarding experience and a highlight of my travels. North Korea, Sun of Juche, I will never forget you!