Jesús Guðs sonur hvað ég er glöð að vera farin frá Urumqi, höfuðborg Xinjiang héraðs. Héraðið ( á stærð við Ísland) er ein andskotans eyðimörk, einstaka niðurníddar borgir og þess á milli olíudælur í löngum bunum.
Í Urumqi er ekki ein einasta manneskja sem talar nokkuð annað tungumál en kínversku og þó, uyguriska er mál heimamanna og er túrkneskt að uppruna og skrifmálið er byggt á arabíska letrinu.
Leigubílstjórar, starfsfólk lestastöðva, móttökustjóri á fimm stjörnu hóteli , ekki kjaftur sem talar ensku,frönsku,þýsku né arabísku....ok ég fer ekki sérstaklega fram á þekkingu á skandinavískum tungumálum, það væri megalómania hálfvita í þessu stóra landi gulra.
Það sem ergir kanske einkum er það sem við myndum kalla dónaskap. Þetta fólk virðir mann ekki viðlits þótt það sé ávarpað, fyrst kurteislega og á endanum með hrópum og látum. Það talar ekki erlend tungumál og sér akkúrat enga ástæðu til að reyna að skilja. Hvernig Rúti tókst að næla í lestarmiða á lestarstöð þar sem enginn talar tungum, ekki er hægt að borga með korti né evrum, ekkert ATM og bank of China í öðrum borgarenda, honum tókst það nú samt með þrautsegju og því sitjum við nú hér í þessari fínu lest. Lestarvörðurinn sá strax að rétt væri að bjóða strákunum sér klefa svo við ferðumst nú betur en nokkru sinni á þessari yfirreið um hinar kúguðu þjóðir heims.
Urumqi er 2,5 miljón manna borg, greinileg uppbygging en enn glittir í blokkir gamalla tíma kommúnista sem hafa ekki séð málingarpensil í 60 ár. Frekar ófrÍtt og stórgert fólk, ótrúlega illa skóað,illa tennt og hryllilega hávært, nema ég sé að verða gömul. Borgin er sögð einstök að því leyti að hún er lengst allra borga frá sjó eða stöðuvatni. Þar borðar maður urumqiskar núðlur sem eru góðar og seðjandi, þó ekki blaðbrjótandi í kúlínerísku samhengi.
Lestin fór seint um kvöld og auðvitað ekki kjaftur sem gat sagt manni af hvaða brautarpalli hvað þá að upplýsingarskilti gæfu nokkuð til kynna. Þegar Rútur var um það bil að sleppa sér við fúllynda starfskonu járnbrautanna í vip herberginu þá steig fram budduleg kona og sagði „ sto vi hotit“? Ég varð svo glöð að heyra tungumál sem ég slkildi að það lá við að ég kyssti hana. Hún talaði kínversku og rússnesku og túlkaði af snilld. Ég var komin heim.
Í lestinni var okkur tekið vel og strax brast á hin blómlegasta rússneska, við hjónin pússuðum gamla þekkingu á tungunni og allt í einu gat ég brosað og hlegið aftur því ég var komin í mannleg samskipti,
Lestin í rússneskum stíl, dýnur, handklæði,þykk bómullarsængurföt og samóvar. Við skemmtum okkur við actíonary, lékum allt frá háhælaða dvergnum í N-Kóreu til fagurbókmennta frakka.
Á landamærunum við Kazakstan er mikið eftirlit, minnir svolítið á eftirlitið milli austur-vestur blokkanna hér í denn.
Kasakstan er gríðarlega stórt land og ríkt. Olíu og gas eiga þeir í tonnum, og flytja út austur og vestur. Hér á landamærum er fjallasýn gríðar víð og fögur.
Thorunn Hreggvidsdottir
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Onboard a Kazakh Train 1-7-2010
Traveling on The Oppressed World Tour has made it difficult for us to post regularly, perhaps because the fabric of this journey has been to travel countries with different approaches to, for us, granted liberties. From my last published post I have traveled from the south of China to Beijing, gone and returned from North Korea and journeyed westbound to Kazakhstan-Almaty where I spent a day and night and now I am train-tracking to Uzbekistan. Much is to be said and the orderly fashion is to issue correspondence chronologically so all those eager to hear about Korea must endure the rants to come regarding minor details such as China.
I first saw Beijing 2005 or 2006 (we cannot agree on this, our previous passports having been filled and returned to the state) and Beijing was a Jack-City on the run. Only five (or four) years prior the city had been recently built, sky-scraping, perversely aveneu-ous, and grossly metropolitan and those that have not been since the Olympics I warn fervently before assuming the same city exists. I for one have seen a city or three in my young age and have to this day not seen such a monster as Beijing. Words need not be spent on descriptions on a city undoubtedly regularly visited, before or later, by many. I believe it is time for Korea.
On extra thoughts: the misconception that China is anything but the Worlds leading badass is common, and not misguided. Yes, rural China is... rural. So is rural –insert.your.countries.name.here- and standards are often different. I need only play this game in the comparative. Some have been to A and some have been to B. The odd Fucker has been to C and the eccentric Fucker has been to D. What are the foundations of civilization, the qualifying barriers between ´them´ and us? One of those is sanitation and Beijing is cleaner than a newborns conscience. The squatting, spitting Chinese have been rerouted somewhere else. The law and order version of Chinas Gotham, the smiling and friendly, formerly Sinful centre., Beijing is something to be acknowledged now & remembered. I have derailed from my thoughts. Best to continue onto something remotely relevant. Something you have vaguely, rarely or never heard of from an original source before. Korea. (n)
Pyongyang, you love hating it and you hate loving it.
One must tread lightly and carefully when story telling from Korea (DPR) not because it is as taboo and controversial as people assume but because the few that venture that way must understand the thin line between what is told, what is true and what is explainable. I will do my best to remain neutral and objective narratively, but personally I am far more anti-DPRK post-visit than I was pre-. This might not be news to many but now at least I have my reasons, from experience, rather than just speculation from the media. I am still like most or all a media-whore and am reactionally no different regarding news from some poverty stricken hellhole but I have been around enough to identify an (intentional?) fallacy every other coverage. My gold is to be able to contradict the brightest and most influential simply by having been to Pyongyang, occasionally the centre of attention, with a face to face account of the veralitées. Again my train of thought has led me off track. Let us begin, Beijing Pyongyang.
Those that assume that I am a product of nature, or nurture for that matter, are right and wrong but must not include those factors when viewing my analysis of Korea. Genetically I am my parent‘s son but ideologically I am of another era. Some might say that I am genetically prone to all communist ideals and regard most ‚oppressors‘ as ‚liberators‘ or some other bullshit like that but no. Unfortunately for my creators I have been educated on the events of The & Their World and will not readily bow to some great concept of some or all Cold War Era crap. My review of Korea is hands-on, untampered and honest.
Arriving In Pyongyang
Empty avenues, empty sidewalks, empty parks, apartment buildings, statues, expensive official or military BMW‘s or Benz‘s, empty trams (We came the night before a Sunday, the Korean one day weekend. The city was far more populated during the work-week), empty stores (the two we saw)... empty Pyongyang. We arrived in the late evening and the city‘s residents were apparently somewhere else. Appearance. Nothing is apparent in North Korea, not for those that visit. You see what you see, you see what you are meant to see. A random visit to the corner shop is quickly dismissed as impossible due to ´government policy´ much to my fathers´ dismay. The hotel we are brought to is five star, DPRK standard, and almost absolutely empty save a few Lebanese businessmen eager to make no money. Rooms are simple, channels are none. How much can one really listen to how the North Eastern Province # 46 has been visited by The Great and Wise Leader Kim Jong-Il for their unprecedented two year advance on the umpteenth five year plan in KIM´s Steel Factory. Nothing from outside the borders, no information, the N. Koreans know nothing. Without fear of exaggeration I say that I have never been to a country where information and knowledge is so fed and scarce, so limited and selected, so nil. North Koreans are subject to The News, without exception including a piece on Kims latest insightful, national brilliance. Did you know he was the Worlds funniest man? And usually scores four hole-in-ones in a single golf game! Night One.
Pyongyang is clean. The cleanest city I have ever seen. The Metro (foreigners only allowed to see two stations) is deep, deep, deep underground with murals, icons and paintings. It is effective and clean, although not extensive because Pyongyang is, although built Metropolitan, quite small. The avenues are big, the hedges are trimmed (everywhere!), the people are fit, not fat, not slim, but fit. They dress properly. Men boast trousers and tucked-in shirts and occasionally the casual tie (usually red) and women wear dresses and heels. The trams, buses and trains are timely, the hours are eight, the hair is kempt and short, the make-up is pseudo-Russian or none. Rubbish is none, cleanliness is worth reiterating, truly. En plus every single adult or almost-adult in the DPRK wears a Kim Il Sung button on his shirt/blouse covering his heart. Without exception. Everyone.
The DPRK ‚appears‘ to be a seemingly functional social paradise. The citizens do not pay tax, they do not vary much in income, they are seemingly equally educated and do not, seemingly, want or expect any deviation of life. They have free access to housing, to education, to health. There is no crime, no drugs, no prostitution, no crime and subsequently no prisons (only re-educational centres). No private belongings only public transport for free. Furnished apartments with DVD, VCD, LCD and all of those but no access to Batman and the likes. Only state channels and occasionally Chinese or Russian movies granted public access by the state. Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues etc etc is none but the Korea DPR Red Army Choir does give out some CD‘s with patriotic songs (I have two CDs, you are most welcome to pop by for a listen)
Korea DPR. What the f. is going on?
The problem is that reasonably bright people will see through this farcical facade, the city looks grand and beautiful but when we were given an opportunity to see inside these buildings we saw the cracks in the walls and the moisture blotches in the corners etc etc. The library is meant to hold thirty million books and a large collection of foreign literature but where exactly was that? The library was empty except for a few students. Their are handball, football, martial arts, swimming, gymnastic superstructures along a certain avenue but appear to be vacant. Their thoughts on the Korea War are misguided, at least according to what my parents, my brother and myself along with my class were taught. American Imperialist Aggressors attacked an innocent North. Another link on an Imperial World Domination Mission. There were so many brutal and vulgar lies that we were told and what is worse I am convinced that they are (because they have no access to research or confirm anything else) generally believed by the masses. We were over fed in every single restaurant we were taken to, separately placed by a table in a room far from the main dining area, we were kept away from locals and led in and out five minutes after or before the Koreans. We could not confirm what we were being told but we could sense that they meant it, believed it and knew that theirs was the truth.
What angers me the most is little high heeled Kim. Our guides view their great and wise leader as one of them. He eats what they eat, lives how they live, sees what they see and feels what they feel. He is trusted because he is a dedicated Korean patriot constantly fighting for a unified peninsula. He DID NOT bomb the S. Korean ship! American artists were kidnapped and forced to forge the remains of the boat and missile to frame Kim and Korea. ... When asked whether he has children the guides answered that they did not know. Asked where he lives the guides said they did not know. Asked if he was married the guides said they did not know. If they did then they pretended not to. I don‘t understand why.
I have a sneaking suspicion that their beloved Kim is a Johnny Black loving, SUV-driving, gourmet food dining hypocrite keeping a nation imprisoned with blatant lies about the outside world and their role in it. I think he did blow that ship up as do I think he created or forged a nuclear bomb in order to receive much needed aid upon its dismantlement. I think he lives in a highly secure villa or three around the northern peninsula. I think he is an insane, power hungry megalomaniac. I think he is a criminal and should be captured, tried and shot. Why? Our guides were good people and I think Koreans in general are good honest hard working people, like most people anywhere. Why is it so important to completely block information from the masses. Why can they not read the newspapers, listen to the radio, watch the news and then repeat the procedure with different sources from different countries? These people are just people and I think the educational system is relatively good. Why in that ‚socialist paradise‘ do wages not differ, why can a civilian not buy a car or a bigger television. Why can some not excell in their field and work for whom they choose. They are allowed to be out and about after 21:00 but don‘t, because although allowed it is not expected and those that swim against stream are few and far between.
It was sad hearing our guides almost whisper „is there anything new in world news“ and we, regrettably, dismissed the question by saying that no, there was nothing new. Mid-East, Israel, Iran, Financial Crisis, Football, Elections here and there etc etc etc. Same old. Not for them. I wish I would have answered the question knowing what they were really asking. What the f. is really going on out there!?
I do not want to end this post on a negative note because there was much in Korea that will remain pleasantly in my memory. Although over-fed the food was good. Although oppressed the people were neat, clean and well dressed and dare I say looked content. Whether that is the famous ‚ignorance is bliss‘ or not is questionable but so is it everywhere else. The city was impeccably clean, trimmed and at times quite spectacular. The Circus was incredible, probably my favourite. The Korean Peoples Youth Union show was also very impressive.
The trip was the strangest I have been on to this day. I did not believe what I saw. I underestimated the oppression and the lies. I underestimated Korea and its functionality. Yes you are right, it is a sick country but you are also wrong. It is, again seemingly, not in any treacherous state. And if it is I suppose that it is hidden not only from tourists but from Koreans as well. Are they happy? Who can tell. Why shouldn‘t they be. By comparison, of which they have none, they are a cultured and free society. Is their leader a maniac, of course but perhaps not to them. He is always on the news (the only story on the news) and keeps promoting excellence, acknowledging hard work, rewarding loyal Koreans, promoting greatness and a place on the Global Pedestal. Is South Korea any better? Yes but again not to them. It unfortunately still takes orders from the Imperialistic American Global Expansion Armies and THEY are oppressed and whored, slave labouring for the Imperialist Plan.
I can not believe this still exists and to this degree. If you do not believe me or even if you do, I encourage every one to go see, what I fear will not remain as bizarre a trip to the 50‘s in coming years or decades, for yourselves. It is absolutely worth it. It is the only one of it‘s kind left.
Times they are a changing and for Koreans I hope this is true. In their favour.
Finnbogi Rutur Finnbogason...
I first saw Beijing 2005 or 2006 (we cannot agree on this, our previous passports having been filled and returned to the state) and Beijing was a Jack-City on the run. Only five (or four) years prior the city had been recently built, sky-scraping, perversely aveneu-ous, and grossly metropolitan and those that have not been since the Olympics I warn fervently before assuming the same city exists. I for one have seen a city or three in my young age and have to this day not seen such a monster as Beijing. Words need not be spent on descriptions on a city undoubtedly regularly visited, before or later, by many. I believe it is time for Korea.
On extra thoughts: the misconception that China is anything but the Worlds leading badass is common, and not misguided. Yes, rural China is... rural. So is rural –insert.your.countries.name.here- and standards are often different. I need only play this game in the comparative. Some have been to A and some have been to B. The odd Fucker has been to C and the eccentric Fucker has been to D. What are the foundations of civilization, the qualifying barriers between ´them´ and us? One of those is sanitation and Beijing is cleaner than a newborns conscience. The squatting, spitting Chinese have been rerouted somewhere else. The law and order version of Chinas Gotham, the smiling and friendly, formerly Sinful centre., Beijing is something to be acknowledged now & remembered. I have derailed from my thoughts. Best to continue onto something remotely relevant. Something you have vaguely, rarely or never heard of from an original source before. Korea. (n)
Pyongyang, you love hating it and you hate loving it.
One must tread lightly and carefully when story telling from Korea (DPR) not because it is as taboo and controversial as people assume but because the few that venture that way must understand the thin line between what is told, what is true and what is explainable. I will do my best to remain neutral and objective narratively, but personally I am far more anti-DPRK post-visit than I was pre-. This might not be news to many but now at least I have my reasons, from experience, rather than just speculation from the media. I am still like most or all a media-whore and am reactionally no different regarding news from some poverty stricken hellhole but I have been around enough to identify an (intentional?) fallacy every other coverage. My gold is to be able to contradict the brightest and most influential simply by having been to Pyongyang, occasionally the centre of attention, with a face to face account of the veralitées. Again my train of thought has led me off track. Let us begin, Beijing Pyongyang.
Those that assume that I am a product of nature, or nurture for that matter, are right and wrong but must not include those factors when viewing my analysis of Korea. Genetically I am my parent‘s son but ideologically I am of another era. Some might say that I am genetically prone to all communist ideals and regard most ‚oppressors‘ as ‚liberators‘ or some other bullshit like that but no. Unfortunately for my creators I have been educated on the events of The & Their World and will not readily bow to some great concept of some or all Cold War Era crap. My review of Korea is hands-on, untampered and honest.
Arriving In Pyongyang
Empty avenues, empty sidewalks, empty parks, apartment buildings, statues, expensive official or military BMW‘s or Benz‘s, empty trams (We came the night before a Sunday, the Korean one day weekend. The city was far more populated during the work-week), empty stores (the two we saw)... empty Pyongyang. We arrived in the late evening and the city‘s residents were apparently somewhere else. Appearance. Nothing is apparent in North Korea, not for those that visit. You see what you see, you see what you are meant to see. A random visit to the corner shop is quickly dismissed as impossible due to ´government policy´ much to my fathers´ dismay. The hotel we are brought to is five star, DPRK standard, and almost absolutely empty save a few Lebanese businessmen eager to make no money. Rooms are simple, channels are none. How much can one really listen to how the North Eastern Province # 46 has been visited by The Great and Wise Leader Kim Jong-Il for their unprecedented two year advance on the umpteenth five year plan in KIM´s Steel Factory. Nothing from outside the borders, no information, the N. Koreans know nothing. Without fear of exaggeration I say that I have never been to a country where information and knowledge is so fed and scarce, so limited and selected, so nil. North Koreans are subject to The News, without exception including a piece on Kims latest insightful, national brilliance. Did you know he was the Worlds funniest man? And usually scores four hole-in-ones in a single golf game! Night One.
Pyongyang is clean. The cleanest city I have ever seen. The Metro (foreigners only allowed to see two stations) is deep, deep, deep underground with murals, icons and paintings. It is effective and clean, although not extensive because Pyongyang is, although built Metropolitan, quite small. The avenues are big, the hedges are trimmed (everywhere!), the people are fit, not fat, not slim, but fit. They dress properly. Men boast trousers and tucked-in shirts and occasionally the casual tie (usually red) and women wear dresses and heels. The trams, buses and trains are timely, the hours are eight, the hair is kempt and short, the make-up is pseudo-Russian or none. Rubbish is none, cleanliness is worth reiterating, truly. En plus every single adult or almost-adult in the DPRK wears a Kim Il Sung button on his shirt/blouse covering his heart. Without exception. Everyone.
The DPRK ‚appears‘ to be a seemingly functional social paradise. The citizens do not pay tax, they do not vary much in income, they are seemingly equally educated and do not, seemingly, want or expect any deviation of life. They have free access to housing, to education, to health. There is no crime, no drugs, no prostitution, no crime and subsequently no prisons (only re-educational centres). No private belongings only public transport for free. Furnished apartments with DVD, VCD, LCD and all of those but no access to Batman and the likes. Only state channels and occasionally Chinese or Russian movies granted public access by the state. Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues etc etc is none but the Korea DPR Red Army Choir does give out some CD‘s with patriotic songs (I have two CDs, you are most welcome to pop by for a listen)
Korea DPR. What the f. is going on?
The problem is that reasonably bright people will see through this farcical facade, the city looks grand and beautiful but when we were given an opportunity to see inside these buildings we saw the cracks in the walls and the moisture blotches in the corners etc etc. The library is meant to hold thirty million books and a large collection of foreign literature but where exactly was that? The library was empty except for a few students. Their are handball, football, martial arts, swimming, gymnastic superstructures along a certain avenue but appear to be vacant. Their thoughts on the Korea War are misguided, at least according to what my parents, my brother and myself along with my class were taught. American Imperialist Aggressors attacked an innocent North. Another link on an Imperial World Domination Mission. There were so many brutal and vulgar lies that we were told and what is worse I am convinced that they are (because they have no access to research or confirm anything else) generally believed by the masses. We were over fed in every single restaurant we were taken to, separately placed by a table in a room far from the main dining area, we were kept away from locals and led in and out five minutes after or before the Koreans. We could not confirm what we were being told but we could sense that they meant it, believed it and knew that theirs was the truth.
What angers me the most is little high heeled Kim. Our guides view their great and wise leader as one of them. He eats what they eat, lives how they live, sees what they see and feels what they feel. He is trusted because he is a dedicated Korean patriot constantly fighting for a unified peninsula. He DID NOT bomb the S. Korean ship! American artists were kidnapped and forced to forge the remains of the boat and missile to frame Kim and Korea. ... When asked whether he has children the guides answered that they did not know. Asked where he lives the guides said they did not know. Asked if he was married the guides said they did not know. If they did then they pretended not to. I don‘t understand why.
I have a sneaking suspicion that their beloved Kim is a Johnny Black loving, SUV-driving, gourmet food dining hypocrite keeping a nation imprisoned with blatant lies about the outside world and their role in it. I think he did blow that ship up as do I think he created or forged a nuclear bomb in order to receive much needed aid upon its dismantlement. I think he lives in a highly secure villa or three around the northern peninsula. I think he is an insane, power hungry megalomaniac. I think he is a criminal and should be captured, tried and shot. Why? Our guides were good people and I think Koreans in general are good honest hard working people, like most people anywhere. Why is it so important to completely block information from the masses. Why can they not read the newspapers, listen to the radio, watch the news and then repeat the procedure with different sources from different countries? These people are just people and I think the educational system is relatively good. Why in that ‚socialist paradise‘ do wages not differ, why can a civilian not buy a car or a bigger television. Why can some not excell in their field and work for whom they choose. They are allowed to be out and about after 21:00 but don‘t, because although allowed it is not expected and those that swim against stream are few and far between.
It was sad hearing our guides almost whisper „is there anything new in world news“ and we, regrettably, dismissed the question by saying that no, there was nothing new. Mid-East, Israel, Iran, Financial Crisis, Football, Elections here and there etc etc etc. Same old. Not for them. I wish I would have answered the question knowing what they were really asking. What the f. is really going on out there!?
I do not want to end this post on a negative note because there was much in Korea that will remain pleasantly in my memory. Although over-fed the food was good. Although oppressed the people were neat, clean and well dressed and dare I say looked content. Whether that is the famous ‚ignorance is bliss‘ or not is questionable but so is it everywhere else. The city was impeccably clean, trimmed and at times quite spectacular. The Circus was incredible, probably my favourite. The Korean Peoples Youth Union show was also very impressive.
The trip was the strangest I have been on to this day. I did not believe what I saw. I underestimated the oppression and the lies. I underestimated Korea and its functionality. Yes you are right, it is a sick country but you are also wrong. It is, again seemingly, not in any treacherous state. And if it is I suppose that it is hidden not only from tourists but from Koreans as well. Are they happy? Who can tell. Why shouldn‘t they be. By comparison, of which they have none, they are a cultured and free society. Is their leader a maniac, of course but perhaps not to them. He is always on the news (the only story on the news) and keeps promoting excellence, acknowledging hard work, rewarding loyal Koreans, promoting greatness and a place on the Global Pedestal. Is South Korea any better? Yes but again not to them. It unfortunately still takes orders from the Imperialistic American Global Expansion Armies and THEY are oppressed and whored, slave labouring for the Imperialist Plan.
I can not believe this still exists and to this degree. If you do not believe me or even if you do, I encourage every one to go see, what I fear will not remain as bizarre a trip to the 50‘s in coming years or decades, for yourselves. It is absolutely worth it. It is the only one of it‘s kind left.
Times they are a changing and for Koreans I hope this is true. In their favour.
Finnbogi Rutur Finnbogason...
Vietnam & Korea, DPR
Vietnam
As I walked on the banks of the lake in central Hanoi, I noticed the most astonishing thing: a clean, non polluted, quite beautiful environment, in which the sunset, sunrise or indeed the midday heat radiated the exuberant awesomeness´ of the city. Hanoi, whether because of a heightened sense of pride due to the victory over 1,90m heavy armed Americans, or a well adjusted sense of superiority due to their apparent political orientation, has excelled in creating a society worthy of recognition. A society of people with spunk and sass, pride and prejudice, and a distinguished ´to hell with everyone because we do not take shit from anyone after what we have been through”. Whether the government is oppressive and applies censorship whenever it feels giddy, the people hold their heads high and even the less fortunate of society, the beggars and riff raff have a more aggressive attitude towards tourist. When a beggar child of the subcontinent runs up to you and starts mumbling something incomprehensible while relying on hand gestures to act out “i’m hungry”, a Vietnam child will yell out “Hey!!!, you rich, me poor, you give me money now”. Local beauties walk down the streets of Hanoi and Saigon, turning heads and emitting Nancy’s “these boots were made for walking” with every step. The food is to die for, with its simplicity and freshness knocking you off your chair. All in all, Vietnam is heaven on earth and not a perfect country to visit if one is looking for cool, calm and collected oppression.
Korea, DPR
No crime, no prisons, no hunger, no strife, no illiteracy, no electrical shortages, no opposition, no underground, no drugs, no prostitutes, overall no misery. These are the words our guides used to describe the socialist paradise they call home. At first skepticism shot down my spine as these seemingly nice people showed no indication of doubt concerning the nations state of affairs. However, I soon realized that they were not lying. This is the truth of the DPRK. This is a country where sociological analysis will evaluate an entire nation who have been rerouted into another realm of reality. When the world collectively marched towards the future after WWII, the DPRK created another world, a world of personal idolatry towards the great leader, a world were the government tells the people everything the ‘need’ to know about the horrors of the imperialistic west, which is still dominated by the colonial expansionist policies of the capitalist whores of the US of A. The brilliance of my experience in Korea was my own personal confusion when I considered the sources of my preexisting concept of korea. A commie regime controlled by an evil villain who wants to destroy the west, bomb the south back to the stone age and eat small children. As I listened to the convictions of our guides, I found myself doubting all that I had ever heard of the country due to the biased reporting of the west. An initial reaction of mine was to believe our guides, pleasant people who spoke to us throughout our stay there, and disregard my previous beliefs. However, after a few days, after the shock, stress and excitement had filtered out of my system, I came to the conclusion that I would rather believe what I had been told my entire life, rather than place my faith in people kept in the dark regarding anything and everything. There was not a news program or breaking news flash that had nothing to do with the great leader, nor was there any indication that these grand events he was visiting were in fact taking place. Each time the newsflash spoke of Kims visit to a coal mine, or a steel factory which had excelled its production, there were no videos, there was never any real footage of the high heeled dwarf at these celebrations. Only still photos, usually the same ones, despite supposedly being from different locations.
The nation is a nation of slaves, with the high elite controlling everything from goods to information. A socialist can hold on to his convictions after visiting Vietnam, China, Cuba, and after reading the progress of the Soviets, despite all the difficulties, but will become a fervent believer of right wing politics after visiting the so called socialist paradise. Saudi Arabia calls itself Muslim, the DPRK calls itself communist, rednecks call Obama a left wing traitor to the cause. These are all of the same ridiculous calibre when it comes to the basic facts.
Grimulfur Finnbogason
As I walked on the banks of the lake in central Hanoi, I noticed the most astonishing thing: a clean, non polluted, quite beautiful environment, in which the sunset, sunrise or indeed the midday heat radiated the exuberant awesomeness´ of the city. Hanoi, whether because of a heightened sense of pride due to the victory over 1,90m heavy armed Americans, or a well adjusted sense of superiority due to their apparent political orientation, has excelled in creating a society worthy of recognition. A society of people with spunk and sass, pride and prejudice, and a distinguished ´to hell with everyone because we do not take shit from anyone after what we have been through”. Whether the government is oppressive and applies censorship whenever it feels giddy, the people hold their heads high and even the less fortunate of society, the beggars and riff raff have a more aggressive attitude towards tourist. When a beggar child of the subcontinent runs up to you and starts mumbling something incomprehensible while relying on hand gestures to act out “i’m hungry”, a Vietnam child will yell out “Hey!!!, you rich, me poor, you give me money now”. Local beauties walk down the streets of Hanoi and Saigon, turning heads and emitting Nancy’s “these boots were made for walking” with every step. The food is to die for, with its simplicity and freshness knocking you off your chair. All in all, Vietnam is heaven on earth and not a perfect country to visit if one is looking for cool, calm and collected oppression.
Korea, DPR
No crime, no prisons, no hunger, no strife, no illiteracy, no electrical shortages, no opposition, no underground, no drugs, no prostitutes, overall no misery. These are the words our guides used to describe the socialist paradise they call home. At first skepticism shot down my spine as these seemingly nice people showed no indication of doubt concerning the nations state of affairs. However, I soon realized that they were not lying. This is the truth of the DPRK. This is a country where sociological analysis will evaluate an entire nation who have been rerouted into another realm of reality. When the world collectively marched towards the future after WWII, the DPRK created another world, a world of personal idolatry towards the great leader, a world were the government tells the people everything the ‘need’ to know about the horrors of the imperialistic west, which is still dominated by the colonial expansionist policies of the capitalist whores of the US of A. The brilliance of my experience in Korea was my own personal confusion when I considered the sources of my preexisting concept of korea. A commie regime controlled by an evil villain who wants to destroy the west, bomb the south back to the stone age and eat small children. As I listened to the convictions of our guides, I found myself doubting all that I had ever heard of the country due to the biased reporting of the west. An initial reaction of mine was to believe our guides, pleasant people who spoke to us throughout our stay there, and disregard my previous beliefs. However, after a few days, after the shock, stress and excitement had filtered out of my system, I came to the conclusion that I would rather believe what I had been told my entire life, rather than place my faith in people kept in the dark regarding anything and everything. There was not a news program or breaking news flash that had nothing to do with the great leader, nor was there any indication that these grand events he was visiting were in fact taking place. Each time the newsflash spoke of Kims visit to a coal mine, or a steel factory which had excelled its production, there were no videos, there was never any real footage of the high heeled dwarf at these celebrations. Only still photos, usually the same ones, despite supposedly being from different locations.
The nation is a nation of slaves, with the high elite controlling everything from goods to information. A socialist can hold on to his convictions after visiting Vietnam, China, Cuba, and after reading the progress of the Soviets, despite all the difficulties, but will become a fervent believer of right wing politics after visiting the so called socialist paradise. Saudi Arabia calls itself Muslim, the DPRK calls itself communist, rednecks call Obama a left wing traitor to the cause. These are all of the same ridiculous calibre when it comes to the basic facts.
Grimulfur Finnbogason
Cuisine.
We have left, for the time being, the countries of exciting cuisine. The culinary experience so far in the Stans has been very Russian influenced. Pelmeni, Solianka, Bortsh, Shashliks, heaps of grilled meat and simple salads of tomatoes, cucumbers & onions. And of course plov! The only thing new I have tried are different horse meat sausages and fermented mares milk, which is an excellent kefir like drink.
Trains
The trains we have taken in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been first rate. We have had two and four berth cabins the restaurants have been acceptable, if uninspired. We have bought meals from ladies selling food on the platform. On the way to Bukhara, a lady brought us a meal to our cabin. It was sausages, mashed potatoes , fried egg and a salad. It was a good meal and reminded me of my first meal on a Russian train twenty years ago. The restaurant had an extensive menu and I spent a lot of time putting together a three coursed meal. When the waiter came to take my order he listened politely to my complex request and said „we have sausages and mash“.
But it is definitely an improvement to when I lived here 20 years ago. Then I remember going from Moscow to Arkhangelsk and there was nothing to be had but warm sausages and bad beer. Same on the way to Yalta, except they had boiled potatoes instead of sausages. And I find it surprising that there are no direct trains between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, nor Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. I would have imagined better transportation between former Soviet countries.
But train travel is still relatively cheap. The overnight train from Turkmenabad to Ashgabat costs 15USD and similar from Alma Ata to Shymkent. The only problem I have encountered so far is lack of electricity. Sockets don‘t work or are nonexistent. It has been difficult to load laptops, ipods & cameras. But it has usually been possible to plug in in the train attendants cabin.
But it is definitely an improvement to when I lived here 20 years ago. Then I remember going from Moscow to Arkhangelsk and there was nothing to be had but warm sausages and bad beer. Same on the way to Yalta, except they had boiled potatoes instead of sausages. And I find it surprising that there are no direct trains between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, nor Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. I would have imagined better transportation between former Soviet countries.
But train travel is still relatively cheap. The overnight train from Turkmenabad to Ashgabat costs 15USD and similar from Alma Ata to Shymkent. The only problem I have encountered so far is lack of electricity. Sockets don‘t work or are nonexistent. It has been difficult to load laptops, ipods & cameras. But it has usually been possible to plug in in the train attendants cabin.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
World Cup
I watch football every four years, during the World Cup and always support France.
This time I have or will see the following games.
21 June N-Korea-Portugal in Pyongyang, People's Democratic Republic of Korea.
27 June England- Germany in Urumqi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China.
3 July Argentina- Germany, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
6 July Uruguay- Netherlands in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
7 July, Germany-Spain in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
And the final match between Germany and the Netherlands in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.
I will cheer with Germany.
After that we cross over to Iran.
This time I have or will see the following games.
21 June N-Korea-Portugal in Pyongyang, People's Democratic Republic of Korea.
27 June England- Germany in Urumqi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China.
3 July Argentina- Germany, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
6 July Uruguay- Netherlands in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
7 July, Germany-Spain in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
And the final match between Germany and the Netherlands in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.
I will cheer with Germany.
After that we cross over to Iran.
A tough week
The past eight days have been a bit tough. Four countries, three international border crossings, three nights in hotels, five on trains and 7500 km crossed.
We began in Pyongyang, took the train to Beijing, spent a night there before continuing to Urumqi, 40 hours and 3500 kilometres away. After a night there we took the train to Alma Ata, rested a night, continued to Shymkent by night train, took a car to the border, walked over and hitched a ride to Tashkent, to take a train to Samarkand, where we are now, recuperating. The border crossing between N-Korea and China was easy, the one between China and Kazakhstan was OK, but a bit tiresome, but the border post between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was a real challenge, a pure Soviet era experience.
Tomorrow we leave for Bukhara.
We began in Pyongyang, took the train to Beijing, spent a night there before continuing to Urumqi, 40 hours and 3500 kilometres away. After a night there we took the train to Alma Ata, rested a night, continued to Shymkent by night train, took a car to the border, walked over and hitched a ride to Tashkent, to take a train to Samarkand, where we are now, recuperating. The border crossing between N-Korea and China was easy, the one between China and Kazakhstan was OK, but a bit tiresome, but the border post between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was a real challenge, a pure Soviet era experience.
Tomorrow we leave for Bukhara.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Still on transportation.
We flew to Pyongyang. The aircraft was Ilushine or Tuploev, it is of no significance. What mattered was that it rattled uncomfortably and scared my wife into taking a diazepam. We were met by our minders, who surprisingly were called Kim and Lee, took us around in a Toyota minivan. They did not let us out of there sight for the next five days, not until they saw us onboard the train to Beijing. The train was excellent and the restaurant good until we came to China. There it turned excellent. I am most impressed by chinese trains, they are spotlessly clean, the restos ranging from good to excellent and the controllers helpful and polite. The train from Beijing to Urumqi is an example. It is a 40 hours ride and we only got two tickets to a cabin. When we got on the train the controllers took the matter into their hands and moved two passengers, so that we could all share a cabin. Neat and efficient.
On the train from Pyongyang, we shared a wagon with a Korean delegation. When this wagon was connected to the chinese train at the border, it was sealed of, the connecting doors locked and only opened to allow us access to the restaurant. Whether this was done to protect the N-Korean socialist brothers from being contaminated by their chinese fellow travelers I don‘t know.
We come to Urumqi tomorrow and still don‘t know whether we get tickets to Almaty. It is another 40 hours ride, but if we don‘t get the tickets, we will have to find another means of transportation. We have a train booked from Almaty to Tashkent on the 1st of July.
28th June.
The train to Urumqi was very good, as all the chinese trains we have traveled with have been. Spotlessly clean, the cabin comfortable, the restaurant acceptable. Not the best on this journey, but we got food. When we got there, two hours late, I started trying to get tickets to Almaty. It was not easy, there is a kiosk in a hotel lobby on the right side of the train station which sells the tickets. It was closed when I got there and I was told to come back tomorrow. That was the day of departure. I was there at 09.30, along with my son Grim, who came to prevent violent outbursts of temper in case of adversity. There was a queu, a group of kasakh girls, before us. When I got to the window I showed my letter. „Can I have 4 soft sleeper tickets to Almaty please“. The woman spoke no language but chinese, but indicated with sign language that yes I could. But not pay with a credit card & not in foreign currency. The price was almost 4000 juan, which I didn‘t have. The ATM on the corner didn‘t want MY card and the China Postal Savings bank next door did not change money nor give out money on a credit card. I got directed to a Bank of China branch, got the money, got back AND got the tickets.
It is a soviet train. Good cabins, good bedding, linen and towels. But the the sanitary facilities were better on the Chinese side, toilets cleaner and a separate washing cabin with three wash basins. And the tracks on the Kasakh side leave a lot to be desired. The train rattles and shakes more than it did in China.
It was very nice to come to a country where you can make your self understood. I was never a good Russian speaker, Thorunn was better, but I still manage to communicate. And the people are nice. There is however no restaurant wagon. We stopped for five hours at the chinese-kasakh border, two hours on the chinese side, three at the Kasakh border post.
On the train from Pyongyang, we shared a wagon with a Korean delegation. When this wagon was connected to the chinese train at the border, it was sealed of, the connecting doors locked and only opened to allow us access to the restaurant. Whether this was done to protect the N-Korean socialist brothers from being contaminated by their chinese fellow travelers I don‘t know.
We come to Urumqi tomorrow and still don‘t know whether we get tickets to Almaty. It is another 40 hours ride, but if we don‘t get the tickets, we will have to find another means of transportation. We have a train booked from Almaty to Tashkent on the 1st of July.
28th June.
The train to Urumqi was very good, as all the chinese trains we have traveled with have been. Spotlessly clean, the cabin comfortable, the restaurant acceptable. Not the best on this journey, but we got food. When we got there, two hours late, I started trying to get tickets to Almaty. It was not easy, there is a kiosk in a hotel lobby on the right side of the train station which sells the tickets. It was closed when I got there and I was told to come back tomorrow. That was the day of departure. I was there at 09.30, along with my son Grim, who came to prevent violent outbursts of temper in case of adversity. There was a queu, a group of kasakh girls, before us. When I got to the window I showed my letter. „Can I have 4 soft sleeper tickets to Almaty please“. The woman spoke no language but chinese, but indicated with sign language that yes I could. But not pay with a credit card & not in foreign currency. The price was almost 4000 juan, which I didn‘t have. The ATM on the corner didn‘t want MY card and the China Postal Savings bank next door did not change money nor give out money on a credit card. I got directed to a Bank of China branch, got the money, got back AND got the tickets.
It is a soviet train. Good cabins, good bedding, linen and towels. But the the sanitary facilities were better on the Chinese side, toilets cleaner and a separate washing cabin with three wash basins. And the tracks on the Kasakh side leave a lot to be desired. The train rattles and shakes more than it did in China.
It was very nice to come to a country where you can make your self understood. I was never a good Russian speaker, Thorunn was better, but I still manage to communicate. And the people are nice. There is however no restaurant wagon. We stopped for five hours at the chinese-kasakh border, two hours on the chinese side, three at the Kasakh border post.
Og sonur sólarinnar...
... sagði við hinn kóreanska Speer "byggðu mér borg sem verður stærri og glæsilegri en nokkurn tíma hefur þekkast og mun standa um aldir alda sem minnisvarði um sósíalismann sem við ætlum að byggja hér í paradís verkamanna og bænda".
Speer tók sér í hönd penna og pappír og hófst strax handa. Hann teiknaði háhýsi og hallir, sigurboga sem er stærri en fyrirmyndin í París, glæsilegar breiðgötur og torg, metró sem líkist mest glæsileik Moskvu metrósins, tónlistahallir, leikhús, alþýðuhallir og bókasafn sem átti að verða stæsta bókasafn í heimi, stríðsminjasafn og keiluhallir, ólimpískar sundlaugar, 10.000 manna hallir undir tækvondó, box, handbolta, fótbolta. Hann setti samviskusamlega niður styttur af leiðtoganum mikla og afreksíþróttamönnum, leiðtoganum mikla og gosbrunnum, leiðtoganum mikla og tjah leiðtoganum mikla. Glæsilegar bryr yfir ána Taedong tengja austur og vestur Pyongyang. Borgin er mjög græn, tré,runnar,blóm, og tilheyrandi fuglasöngur. Allur gróður er snyrtur af sósialískum aga, ekki runni í borginni sem er ekki skúlptureraður.
Við vorum sótt á flugvöllinn af leiðsögumönnum okkar Kim og Lí, þau viku ekki frá okkur eitt augnablik og fyrsta daginn fengum við jafnvel fylgd á klósettið. Okkur var ekið í hreinni og nýlegri smárútu að 30 hæða hóteli og tékkuð inn á 10 hæð. Við vorum ALEIN á þessu stóra og frekar glæsilega hóteli, sem mátti þó muna fífil sinn fegurri. Grímúlfur hafandi nýlega horft á hryllingsmyndina Shining hljóp um gangana hrópandi redrum! redrum!. Þegar við vorum búin að þvo af okkur ferðarykið var okkur vísað í veitingasalinn, þar voru 70 borð en aðeins búið að leggja á borð á einu þeirra, fyrir okkur altså. Þar var borinn í okkur matur sem var bæði góður og smekklega fram reiddur en allt of mikið. Þannig var það á undantekningalaust hvar sem við borðuðum, of mikið af öllu. Ekkert nýtt á matseðlinum svosem, kjöt, fiskur, hundur,núðlur heitar og kaldar og að sjálfsögðu kimchi, mikið af grænmeti en ávextir voru af skornum skammti.
Og svo hófst sýningin, Það vildi svo vel til að daginn sem við komum bar uppá mikinn hátíðisdag í landinu, þann dag hóf leiðtoginn háskólanám sitt og urðum við því vitni af hópdönsum háskólanema um alla borg. Svo vorum við leidd um hvert minnismerkið á fætur öðru og í raun mjög stíft prógramm. Við náðum enn einum smyrlingi í safnið og höfum nú séð þá alla, Lenin, Mao, Hó og nú Kim, Kristín sagði okkur að vísu í gærkveldi að Gengis Kahn væri smurður í Mongólíu, það verður að athuga það nánar.
Við vissum svosem nokkurnvegin að hverju við gengum og gerðum bara það sem okkur var sagt, eitt sinn ætlaði Rútur að kíkja inn í matvöruverslun en var samstundis stoppaður, " goverment policy"!!
Upplifunin af Pyongyang er fyrst og fremst að hún er mónumentalisk,skipulögð glæsiborg sem er tandur hrein, jafnvel Singapor fölnar aðeins. Það eru engvir einkabílar á götunum svo hún er lítt menguð og hljóðlát, fyrirmenn í flokknum aka hinsvegar um á svörtum landkrúserum eins og útrásarglæpahyskið okkar heima á Íslandi. Heimamenn eru snyrtilega klæddir, karlar í hefðbundnum svörtum buxum og hvítri skyrtu, konur í skrautlegum blússum og pilsum. Enginn munur á klæðaburða kynslóða. Öll börn í skóla/ungliða búning. Ekki sáum við horaða manneskju en offita kemur sennilega seint til með að sliga heilbrigðiskerfið.
Ekki sáum við neinstaðar....og ég hékk út um glugga rútunnar til að leita...útigangsmenn, betlara, fatlaða,drykkjumenn, eða aðra sem falla á jaðar mannlega samfélags.
Hinsvegar ber að geta þess að viðhaldi húsa var ábótavant og oftar en ekki höfðum við á tilfinningunni að glæsihallirnar og söfnin væru tóm. Hið 100000 m2 bókasafn borgarinnar var það fátæklegasta sem ég hef séð og var okkur þó aðeins sýnd sér valin herbergi eins og herbergi erlendra bóka. Þar voru til sýnis uþb. 50 bækur.
Leiðsögu menn okkar svöruðu spurningum okkar til að byrja með eins og eftir uppskrift. Öll svör hófust á :"Leiðtoginn mikli sagði að........." Eftir því sem á leið þá urðu þau aðeins afslappaðri gagnvart okkur enda við komin til að skoða og læra, aðrir geta dundað sér við að krítisera.
Samkvæmt uppskriftinni þá sér ríkið þegnunum fyrir öllu sem þarf, menntun, heilbrigðisþjónustu, afþreygingu, tónlistar/leiklistar/íþróttar/listar almennt eftir því sem hugur hvers og eins stendur til. Húsnæði er frítt og fá nýgift hjón 60m2 í búð, en einstalingur býr hjá foreldrum fram að giftingu. Kynlíf fyrir hjónaband er, kanske ekki stranglega bannað en getnaðarvarnir liggja ekki á lausu og barn sem fæðist utan hjónabands lendir á uppeldisstofnun. Það var hinsvegar alveg deginum ljósara að við fengjum ekki að skoða heimili fólks, sjúkrahús né almennt nokkuð utan prógramms.
Það er intranet í N-Kóreu, þeas nettenging sem nær bara ekki út fyrir landsteinana, ein sjónvarpsstöð sem sýnir engar fréttir af umheiminum, aðallega stillimyndir af leiðtoganum. Sömuleiðis er innihald frétta í Pyongjang Times frekar rýrt. Ekki fengum við að versla neitt sjálf, gjaldmiðill heimamanna er ekki fyrir okkur, við borguðum fyrir allt með evrum/dollurum.
Við fengum almennt ekki að hitta heimamenn, hvað þá tala við þá.
Við sáum sirkus sem var stórkostleg skemmtan, apar og birnir á skautum, fimi loftfimleikamanna á við það sem við sáum hér í Peking, barnasýningu, þar sem börn sýndi listir sínar. Öguð frá unga aldri sýndu þau ótrúlegustu listir.
Þess verður eiginlega að geta að N-Kóreubúar læra aðra útgáfu af Kóreustríðinu en flest okkar sem læs eru, þær miljónir manna um heim allan sem ólæsir eru, þeim er sennilega nokk sama hver sigraði hvern.
Það sem eftir situr þegar heim er komið er að þetta samfélag er óraunverulegt, mér liggur við að segja ein stór lygi..... af því ég fékk ekki að sjá það sem ég vildi grunar mig sterklega að það sé ekki alveg allt með felldu, en mikið var þetta merkileg ferð og synir mínir sem muna auðvitað ekkert eftir Moskvu voru opinmynntir af undrun og furðu allan tímann. Þetta var eiginlega eins og að fara í Disneyland, og þó ekki því það eru til disneylönd um allan heim, það er bara til ein N-Kórea.
En nú heldur ferðin áfram,silkileiðina, við höfum hér í Bejing notið gestrisni Sendiherra Lýðveldissins Kristínar Árnadóttur og ekki í kot vísað á þeim bæ, mikið talað og hlegið og skipst á lífsreynslusögum.
Kveðja, Tóta
Speer tók sér í hönd penna og pappír og hófst strax handa. Hann teiknaði háhýsi og hallir, sigurboga sem er stærri en fyrirmyndin í París, glæsilegar breiðgötur og torg, metró sem líkist mest glæsileik Moskvu metrósins, tónlistahallir, leikhús, alþýðuhallir og bókasafn sem átti að verða stæsta bókasafn í heimi, stríðsminjasafn og keiluhallir, ólimpískar sundlaugar, 10.000 manna hallir undir tækvondó, box, handbolta, fótbolta. Hann setti samviskusamlega niður styttur af leiðtoganum mikla og afreksíþróttamönnum, leiðtoganum mikla og gosbrunnum, leiðtoganum mikla og tjah leiðtoganum mikla. Glæsilegar bryr yfir ána Taedong tengja austur og vestur Pyongyang. Borgin er mjög græn, tré,runnar,blóm, og tilheyrandi fuglasöngur. Allur gróður er snyrtur af sósialískum aga, ekki runni í borginni sem er ekki skúlptureraður.
Við vorum sótt á flugvöllinn af leiðsögumönnum okkar Kim og Lí, þau viku ekki frá okkur eitt augnablik og fyrsta daginn fengum við jafnvel fylgd á klósettið. Okkur var ekið í hreinni og nýlegri smárútu að 30 hæða hóteli og tékkuð inn á 10 hæð. Við vorum ALEIN á þessu stóra og frekar glæsilega hóteli, sem mátti þó muna fífil sinn fegurri. Grímúlfur hafandi nýlega horft á hryllingsmyndina Shining hljóp um gangana hrópandi redrum! redrum!. Þegar við vorum búin að þvo af okkur ferðarykið var okkur vísað í veitingasalinn, þar voru 70 borð en aðeins búið að leggja á borð á einu þeirra, fyrir okkur altså. Þar var borinn í okkur matur sem var bæði góður og smekklega fram reiddur en allt of mikið. Þannig var það á undantekningalaust hvar sem við borðuðum, of mikið af öllu. Ekkert nýtt á matseðlinum svosem, kjöt, fiskur, hundur,núðlur heitar og kaldar og að sjálfsögðu kimchi, mikið af grænmeti en ávextir voru af skornum skammti.
Og svo hófst sýningin, Það vildi svo vel til að daginn sem við komum bar uppá mikinn hátíðisdag í landinu, þann dag hóf leiðtoginn háskólanám sitt og urðum við því vitni af hópdönsum háskólanema um alla borg. Svo vorum við leidd um hvert minnismerkið á fætur öðru og í raun mjög stíft prógramm. Við náðum enn einum smyrlingi í safnið og höfum nú séð þá alla, Lenin, Mao, Hó og nú Kim, Kristín sagði okkur að vísu í gærkveldi að Gengis Kahn væri smurður í Mongólíu, það verður að athuga það nánar.
Við vissum svosem nokkurnvegin að hverju við gengum og gerðum bara það sem okkur var sagt, eitt sinn ætlaði Rútur að kíkja inn í matvöruverslun en var samstundis stoppaður, " goverment policy"!!
Upplifunin af Pyongyang er fyrst og fremst að hún er mónumentalisk,skipulögð glæsiborg sem er tandur hrein, jafnvel Singapor fölnar aðeins. Það eru engvir einkabílar á götunum svo hún er lítt menguð og hljóðlát, fyrirmenn í flokknum aka hinsvegar um á svörtum landkrúserum eins og útrásarglæpahyskið okkar heima á Íslandi. Heimamenn eru snyrtilega klæddir, karlar í hefðbundnum svörtum buxum og hvítri skyrtu, konur í skrautlegum blússum og pilsum. Enginn munur á klæðaburða kynslóða. Öll börn í skóla/ungliða búning. Ekki sáum við horaða manneskju en offita kemur sennilega seint til með að sliga heilbrigðiskerfið.
Ekki sáum við neinstaðar....og ég hékk út um glugga rútunnar til að leita...útigangsmenn, betlara, fatlaða,drykkjumenn, eða aðra sem falla á jaðar mannlega samfélags.
Hinsvegar ber að geta þess að viðhaldi húsa var ábótavant og oftar en ekki höfðum við á tilfinningunni að glæsihallirnar og söfnin væru tóm. Hið 100000 m2 bókasafn borgarinnar var það fátæklegasta sem ég hef séð og var okkur þó aðeins sýnd sér valin herbergi eins og herbergi erlendra bóka. Þar voru til sýnis uþb. 50 bækur.
Leiðsögu menn okkar svöruðu spurningum okkar til að byrja með eins og eftir uppskrift. Öll svör hófust á :"Leiðtoginn mikli sagði að........." Eftir því sem á leið þá urðu þau aðeins afslappaðri gagnvart okkur enda við komin til að skoða og læra, aðrir geta dundað sér við að krítisera.
Samkvæmt uppskriftinni þá sér ríkið þegnunum fyrir öllu sem þarf, menntun, heilbrigðisþjónustu, afþreygingu, tónlistar/leiklistar/íþróttar/listar almennt eftir því sem hugur hvers og eins stendur til. Húsnæði er frítt og fá nýgift hjón 60m2 í búð, en einstalingur býr hjá foreldrum fram að giftingu. Kynlíf fyrir hjónaband er, kanske ekki stranglega bannað en getnaðarvarnir liggja ekki á lausu og barn sem fæðist utan hjónabands lendir á uppeldisstofnun. Það var hinsvegar alveg deginum ljósara að við fengjum ekki að skoða heimili fólks, sjúkrahús né almennt nokkuð utan prógramms.
Það er intranet í N-Kóreu, þeas nettenging sem nær bara ekki út fyrir landsteinana, ein sjónvarpsstöð sem sýnir engar fréttir af umheiminum, aðallega stillimyndir af leiðtoganum. Sömuleiðis er innihald frétta í Pyongjang Times frekar rýrt. Ekki fengum við að versla neitt sjálf, gjaldmiðill heimamanna er ekki fyrir okkur, við borguðum fyrir allt með evrum/dollurum.
Við fengum almennt ekki að hitta heimamenn, hvað þá tala við þá.
Við sáum sirkus sem var stórkostleg skemmtan, apar og birnir á skautum, fimi loftfimleikamanna á við það sem við sáum hér í Peking, barnasýningu, þar sem börn sýndi listir sínar. Öguð frá unga aldri sýndu þau ótrúlegustu listir.
Þess verður eiginlega að geta að N-Kóreubúar læra aðra útgáfu af Kóreustríðinu en flest okkar sem læs eru, þær miljónir manna um heim allan sem ólæsir eru, þeim er sennilega nokk sama hver sigraði hvern.
Það sem eftir situr þegar heim er komið er að þetta samfélag er óraunverulegt, mér liggur við að segja ein stór lygi..... af því ég fékk ekki að sjá það sem ég vildi grunar mig sterklega að það sé ekki alveg allt með felldu, en mikið var þetta merkileg ferð og synir mínir sem muna auðvitað ekkert eftir Moskvu voru opinmynntir af undrun og furðu allan tímann. Þetta var eiginlega eins og að fara í Disneyland, og þó ekki því það eru til disneylönd um allan heim, það er bara til ein N-Kórea.
En nú heldur ferðin áfram,silkileiðina, við höfum hér í Bejing notið gestrisni Sendiherra Lýðveldissins Kristínar Árnadóttur og ekki í kot vísað á þeim bæ, mikið talað og hlegið og skipst á lífsreynslusögum.
Kveðja, Tóta
Cuisine. 25th June
The food so far has been excellent, but then again we are all admirers of the Asian cuisine. Off the different cuisines , I think I like the Vietnamese best. Very fresh, lightly cooked, fresh herbs and lot of vegetables. We have had more fish these past three weeks than three years in India.
There has‘n really been anything special. We had dog soup in the DMZ in Korea, but had had dog meat before. I tried locusts & cockroaches in Cambodia, excellent snack with beer. It is all in the mind really, what you eat and what you don‘t. I do admit having some difficulties, but once you‘ve done it, it is fine. They were sold by women by the road side, pan fried and slightly spicy. Otherwise this trip has not been specially interesting in the culinary sense, I have not added much new to my experience.
Except for the Beluga caviar on the North Korean train. I bought Beluga in Hanoi and we thought it fitting to have it in N-Korea. As it turned out, food was so plentiful that we still had 150 grammes of Beluga when we left Pyongyang. So we had it in the restaurant wagon, with chinese rice alcohol instead of vodka. Delicieuse.
28th June.
Urumqi was as is to be expected. We had lot‘s of hand stretched noodles, the local specialty, but nothing fanciful or new.
The train to Almaty didn‘t have a restaurant, so we used the stops to buy food. We had solianka soup at the border, along with three types of piroshki, a kind of deep fried bread with a potato, cabbage or meat filling. In the afternoon we bought a smoked dried fish, a bit like vobla, on a train platform with some salted gherkins and boiled potatoes. Maybe nothing to write home about, but brought back sweet memories of Russia. Dinner is still to be negotiated.
Same day, a few hours later.
Dinner was bought from Kasakh women on the platform. Fried fish, manty, a sort of steamed dumplings, piroshki and hard boiled eggs and beer, while crossing the endless steppes of Kazakhstan.
There has‘n really been anything special. We had dog soup in the DMZ in Korea, but had had dog meat before. I tried locusts & cockroaches in Cambodia, excellent snack with beer. It is all in the mind really, what you eat and what you don‘t. I do admit having some difficulties, but once you‘ve done it, it is fine. They were sold by women by the road side, pan fried and slightly spicy. Otherwise this trip has not been specially interesting in the culinary sense, I have not added much new to my experience.
Except for the Beluga caviar on the North Korean train. I bought Beluga in Hanoi and we thought it fitting to have it in N-Korea. As it turned out, food was so plentiful that we still had 150 grammes of Beluga when we left Pyongyang. So we had it in the restaurant wagon, with chinese rice alcohol instead of vodka. Delicieuse.
28th June.
Urumqi was as is to be expected. We had lot‘s of hand stretched noodles, the local specialty, but nothing fanciful or new.
The train to Almaty didn‘t have a restaurant, so we used the stops to buy food. We had solianka soup at the border, along with three types of piroshki, a kind of deep fried bread with a potato, cabbage or meat filling. In the afternoon we bought a smoked dried fish, a bit like vobla, on a train platform with some salted gherkins and boiled potatoes. Maybe nothing to write home about, but brought back sweet memories of Russia. Dinner is still to be negotiated.
Same day, a few hours later.
Dinner was bought from Kasakh women on the platform. Fried fish, manty, a sort of steamed dumplings, piroshki and hard boiled eggs and beer, while crossing the endless steppes of Kazakhstan.
Transportation. 17th June
A few words on transportation so far. The flight from Delhi to Bangkok was just another flight, no better, no worse, but had to be done.
From Bangkok to the Cambodian border we took a train, a charming experience. It was 3rd class, three wagons with open doors and windows, wooden benches and full of people with all their belongings, including livestock. It was a 5 hours trip and the tickets could be bought only on the same day.
We took a taxi to Siem Riep, uneventful and as there wasn’t enough water in the Tonle Sap to take a boat to Phnom Penh, we took another taxi. Again uneventful. Same for the bus ride to Saigon.
The train Saigon-Hanoi takes 30 hours, was moderately clean, had no restaurant, but someone brought us rice, vegetables and pork. The food was decent, but I prefer a resto car.
Enter the Dragon. Hanoi-Beijing takes 40 hours, two full nights. The first train to Dang Dong was clean, first class and we had it all for ourselves. In Dang Dong we changed trains and the Chinese one was one of the best I have taken. Clean, good bed linen, white table cloth and one of the best restaurants I have experienced on a train. Equals the one on the old, four hour pre TGV, Bruxelles-Paris, where I had a four coursed meal beginning with a Bouchées á la Reine with caviar. Real caviar. Top marks to China. The comparison with the Delhi-Bombay Express first class sleeper is not in Indias favour. Same goes for the train stations. Here they are clean. Remarkable what you can do with a billion people. But then again, India has the same number, but just not the results.
From Bangkok to the Cambodian border we took a train, a charming experience. It was 3rd class, three wagons with open doors and windows, wooden benches and full of people with all their belongings, including livestock. It was a 5 hours trip and the tickets could be bought only on the same day.
We took a taxi to Siem Riep, uneventful and as there wasn’t enough water in the Tonle Sap to take a boat to Phnom Penh, we took another taxi. Again uneventful. Same for the bus ride to Saigon.
The train Saigon-Hanoi takes 30 hours, was moderately clean, had no restaurant, but someone brought us rice, vegetables and pork. The food was decent, but I prefer a resto car.
Enter the Dragon. Hanoi-Beijing takes 40 hours, two full nights. The first train to Dang Dong was clean, first class and we had it all for ourselves. In Dang Dong we changed trains and the Chinese one was one of the best I have taken. Clean, good bed linen, white table cloth and one of the best restaurants I have experienced on a train. Equals the one on the old, four hour pre TGV, Bruxelles-Paris, where I had a four coursed meal beginning with a Bouchées á la Reine with caviar. Real caviar. Top marks to China. The comparison with the Delhi-Bombay Express first class sleeper is not in Indias favour. Same goes for the train stations. Here they are clean. Remarkable what you can do with a billion people. But then again, India has the same number, but just not the results.
My dear friends in the free world.
What can I say but „ don't worry be happy.“
North Korea was an adventure of a life time. A beautiful big lie. Pyongyang is grandiose, as if built by Spear himself. Museums, monuments, statues,fountains,music halls,sport halls of every imaginable sport, childrens halls, universities, yet more statues and monument and of course the mausoleum.
The city it self was impeccably clean, cleaner than Singapore, and there are no cars on the great avenues...well those big black landcrusers the apparatchniks have are there, and the public is sardined in old trolleybuses,but so what else is new. The metro however is big and grand, at least the two stations the guides were allowed to show us. The people on the street ( whom we were not allowed to talk to) were well dressed, clean and proper, no difference between the generations, everyone dresses well. Children all in school uniforms or youth communist league outfit.
We were promptly put into a 30 story EMPTY hotel, and it was awkward the first meal we had in a humongous restaurant, we were alone like in the film Shining and Grímúlfur went berserk shouting redrum! Redrum! Running all over the 2000m2 empty space.
The food we had was however surprisingly very good and excessive. Fish, meat,dog,duck and vegetables.
The program was very strict, started early in the morning and lasted long into the evening, all we saw and heard was in a strange tune. „ Our great leader said that..bla bla bla. Well I can understand Kim Il Jung and the ideas that he had after the war, then the world was divided and both China and the Soviets were there to help,assist and advice. But since then the world has changed but the noose around N-Korea just tightens and one day these proud, polite and humble people will wake up and realize that they have lived in a lie all their life.
I have traveled vastly over Europa and Asia, this is the first time that i have a bad taste in my mouth after my encounter with the most oppressed people I have ever met. The Soviets were bad enough but in my memory that was childsgame compared to this.
But this is the trip through the oppressed world so I suppose I asked for it.
North Korea was an adventure of a life time. A beautiful big lie. Pyongyang is grandiose, as if built by Spear himself. Museums, monuments, statues,fountains,music halls,sport halls of every imaginable sport, childrens halls, universities, yet more statues and monument and of course the mausoleum.
The city it self was impeccably clean, cleaner than Singapore, and there are no cars on the great avenues...well those big black landcrusers the apparatchniks have are there, and the public is sardined in old trolleybuses,but so what else is new. The metro however is big and grand, at least the two stations the guides were allowed to show us. The people on the street ( whom we were not allowed to talk to) were well dressed, clean and proper, no difference between the generations, everyone dresses well. Children all in school uniforms or youth communist league outfit.
We were promptly put into a 30 story EMPTY hotel, and it was awkward the first meal we had in a humongous restaurant, we were alone like in the film Shining and Grímúlfur went berserk shouting redrum! Redrum! Running all over the 2000m2 empty space.
The food we had was however surprisingly very good and excessive. Fish, meat,dog,duck and vegetables.
The program was very strict, started early in the morning and lasted long into the evening, all we saw and heard was in a strange tune. „ Our great leader said that..bla bla bla. Well I can understand Kim Il Jung and the ideas that he had after the war, then the world was divided and both China and the Soviets were there to help,assist and advice. But since then the world has changed but the noose around N-Korea just tightens and one day these proud, polite and humble people will wake up and realize that they have lived in a lie all their life.
I have traveled vastly over Europa and Asia, this is the first time that i have a bad taste in my mouth after my encounter with the most oppressed people I have ever met. The Soviets were bad enough but in my memory that was childsgame compared to this.
But this is the trip through the oppressed world so I suppose I asked for it.
The why’s, how’s & who’s. June 15th
Why?
I had to go home, my term was at an end. The normal mode de transport would be fly to Paris & then on to Iceland. But I wanted something else.
The idea came, I think, from the Man in seat 61. He explains the possibility to travel by train from London to India. Frankly its not recommended, because of the Iran/Pakistan border, but it can be done. The difficulty is that at the Quetta border you can be stuck for no reason for a week. “No train today, maybe tomorrow”. I am not that patient. The second option is through Afghanistan and all though I am as adventurous as the next guy, the Kyber Pass during the time of the Taliban is not my idea of fun. And it is by bus. The possibility to take a train/bus to Kathmandu and from there to Lhasa was not appealing. I don’t like buses. India's relations with their neighbours are thus that trains are few and far between to Pakistan, quasi nonexistent to Bangladesh & nonexistent to Burma. I have always wanted to travel by train through East Asia, from Singapore, through Malaysia to Chang Mai and on to Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam. Research proved that there are few or no trains in Laos and few in Cambodia. But I could take a boat down the Mekong! Not so easy. Border crossing on the great river is not without problems. But it would be possible to go from Delhi to Paris by land, with a slight detour eastwards.
As it turned out the slight detour will take us through Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, China, North –Korea, back to China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and from Turkey to France. It wasn’t really planned like that, it just turned out to be logical. Nearly all can be done by train. Originally I wanted to do the whole trip by train, from Istanbul through Europe to Paris, as I had originally wanted to start at the Raffles in Singapore and work my way up to Laos, but time was not unlimited, so I cut of Singapore, Malaysia & Laos and the whole of Europe.
So we end up doing Delhi-Paris via parts of East & Central Asia.
How.
I hate flying. It is not dislike, has nothing to do with fear, it is pure undiluted hatred. I like traveling. Traveling you can not do by plane, or bus for that matter. It is not traveling when you sit on your arse in a confined space and wait for time to pass. Traveling can only be done by train or ship. Traveling is an occupation. “What do you do?” “I travel”. You have to be willing to sacrifice time in order to travel. If you don’t, you fly. But that has got nothing to do with traveling.
So by train it was. And it is not that difficult to organize. You have the Man in seat 61, the Tomas Cook timetable, a few guides, Le Guide des Routards & Lonely Planet and Google. Probably the most difficult part is taking the decision, after it is taken it’s piece of cake.
There has to be a sensible ratio on/off train, stops frequent enough to allow you to enjoy life, see things and have a decent meal. Two nights, three days on a train max, then a hotel, bath, meal . We have a few one to two nighters. Saigon-Hanoi, Hanoi-Beijing, Pyongyang-Beijing, Beijing-Urumqi, Urumqi-Almaty, Almaty-Shymkent, Turkmenabad-Ashgabat, Mashhad-Yazd and Tehran-Istanbul. About 25% of the time is spent on trains, two out of eight weeks.
Where do you want to stop. You plan your stops according to degree of weariness, 40 hours without a shower is quite enough. So every 40 hours, at least, you stop, check into a hotel, have a bath, a cold drink and a meal at a table.
Traveling is easy.
Who.
The organization was done by us. It is really not complicated. With the Tomas Cook Timetable and the Man in seat 61 + Wikitravel for maps. Of course there was a degree of incertitude, we do e.g. not have any pre-booked means of transportation from Thailand to Kazakhstan, except for N-Korea which was of course not left to improvisation. But we know there are trains to most of the places we have scheduled, when there are non, we take taxis or buses. For four a taxi is not that much more expensive then a bus. Most of the time we have hotels booked. In Iran we encountered certain difficulties as, for instance, train schedules can be found on the net, but booking is not possible. So there we planned and then put the plan into the hands of an Iranian tour operator to book, hotels, trains, taxis.
Of course there were problems. How do you get 100$ from India to Almaty to pay for tickets to Tashkent. You don’t. India and a lot of the turd world countries don’t allow money transfers out. How do you transfer money from Paris to Iran, with a tightened UN economic embargo in place. In Saigon we bought the tickets for Hanoi, in Hanoi for Beijing. We still havn’t experienced trains being sold out. If that happens, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. This is not the kind of travel you can leave to someone else to plan, unless you go on an organized tour, which is the second most disgusting thing to do after flying.
Why the oppressed world.
When I was in high school, half of the world was ruled by thugs, dictators, one party regimes, colonels, military juntas, presidents for life and sometimes lunatics. We even had some in the western part of Europe, in Spain, Portugal, Greece & Turkey regularly, not to mention the eastern part, all under paranoid communist rule. My sons don’t know this, they missed No mans land, Checkpoint Charley, the Iron curtain, the drab colours and the underlying fear when someone whispered “police”.
I want them to experience this, I am not sure we will succeed, but we are looking for oppression. I conclude with this.Non of us are Free.
I had to go home, my term was at an end. The normal mode de transport would be fly to Paris & then on to Iceland. But I wanted something else.
The idea came, I think, from the Man in seat 61. He explains the possibility to travel by train from London to India. Frankly its not recommended, because of the Iran/Pakistan border, but it can be done. The difficulty is that at the Quetta border you can be stuck for no reason for a week. “No train today, maybe tomorrow”. I am not that patient. The second option is through Afghanistan and all though I am as adventurous as the next guy, the Kyber Pass during the time of the Taliban is not my idea of fun. And it is by bus. The possibility to take a train/bus to Kathmandu and from there to Lhasa was not appealing. I don’t like buses. India's relations with their neighbours are thus that trains are few and far between to Pakistan, quasi nonexistent to Bangladesh & nonexistent to Burma. I have always wanted to travel by train through East Asia, from Singapore, through Malaysia to Chang Mai and on to Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam. Research proved that there are few or no trains in Laos and few in Cambodia. But I could take a boat down the Mekong! Not so easy. Border crossing on the great river is not without problems. But it would be possible to go from Delhi to Paris by land, with a slight detour eastwards.
As it turned out the slight detour will take us through Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, China, North –Korea, back to China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and from Turkey to France. It wasn’t really planned like that, it just turned out to be logical. Nearly all can be done by train. Originally I wanted to do the whole trip by train, from Istanbul through Europe to Paris, as I had originally wanted to start at the Raffles in Singapore and work my way up to Laos, but time was not unlimited, so I cut of Singapore, Malaysia & Laos and the whole of Europe.
So we end up doing Delhi-Paris via parts of East & Central Asia.
How.
I hate flying. It is not dislike, has nothing to do with fear, it is pure undiluted hatred. I like traveling. Traveling you can not do by plane, or bus for that matter. It is not traveling when you sit on your arse in a confined space and wait for time to pass. Traveling can only be done by train or ship. Traveling is an occupation. “What do you do?” “I travel”. You have to be willing to sacrifice time in order to travel. If you don’t, you fly. But that has got nothing to do with traveling.
So by train it was. And it is not that difficult to organize. You have the Man in seat 61, the Tomas Cook timetable, a few guides, Le Guide des Routards & Lonely Planet and Google. Probably the most difficult part is taking the decision, after it is taken it’s piece of cake.
There has to be a sensible ratio on/off train, stops frequent enough to allow you to enjoy life, see things and have a decent meal. Two nights, three days on a train max, then a hotel, bath, meal . We have a few one to two nighters. Saigon-Hanoi, Hanoi-Beijing, Pyongyang-Beijing, Beijing-Urumqi, Urumqi-Almaty, Almaty-Shymkent, Turkmenabad-Ashgabat, Mashhad-Yazd and Tehran-Istanbul. About 25% of the time is spent on trains, two out of eight weeks.
Where do you want to stop. You plan your stops according to degree of weariness, 40 hours without a shower is quite enough. So every 40 hours, at least, you stop, check into a hotel, have a bath, a cold drink and a meal at a table.
Traveling is easy.
Who.
The organization was done by us. It is really not complicated. With the Tomas Cook Timetable and the Man in seat 61 + Wikitravel for maps. Of course there was a degree of incertitude, we do e.g. not have any pre-booked means of transportation from Thailand to Kazakhstan, except for N-Korea which was of course not left to improvisation. But we know there are trains to most of the places we have scheduled, when there are non, we take taxis or buses. For four a taxi is not that much more expensive then a bus. Most of the time we have hotels booked. In Iran we encountered certain difficulties as, for instance, train schedules can be found on the net, but booking is not possible. So there we planned and then put the plan into the hands of an Iranian tour operator to book, hotels, trains, taxis.
Of course there were problems. How do you get 100$ from India to Almaty to pay for tickets to Tashkent. You don’t. India and a lot of the turd world countries don’t allow money transfers out. How do you transfer money from Paris to Iran, with a tightened UN economic embargo in place. In Saigon we bought the tickets for Hanoi, in Hanoi for Beijing. We still havn’t experienced trains being sold out. If that happens, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. This is not the kind of travel you can leave to someone else to plan, unless you go on an organized tour, which is the second most disgusting thing to do after flying.
Why the oppressed world.
When I was in high school, half of the world was ruled by thugs, dictators, one party regimes, colonels, military juntas, presidents for life and sometimes lunatics. We even had some in the western part of Europe, in Spain, Portugal, Greece & Turkey regularly, not to mention the eastern part, all under paranoid communist rule. My sons don’t know this, they missed No mans land, Checkpoint Charley, the Iron curtain, the drab colours and the underlying fear when someone whispered “police”.
I want them to experience this, I am not sure we will succeed, but we are looking for oppression. I conclude with this.Non of us are Free.
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