THE CRACK RIDERS - FROM LEFT - JOSH, KAREN, JAI, ERIC AND MYSELF

JUST BEFORE THE PRE-TOUR BRIEFING AT KORYO TOUR'S OFFICE

AIR KORYO - TUPOLEV (RUSSIAN AEROSPACE AIRCRAFT) -THINK IT WAS ATLEAST 40 YEARS OLD

INSIDE THE TUPOLEV - LOOKED LIKE WE GOT BACK TO 70s

HERE WE COME DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (DPRK) - IT ONLY GETS 3000 TOURISTS EVERY YEAR!

PYONGYANG AIRPORT

OUR FIRST RIDE - ROADS ARE BROAD AND NICE, BUT THERE ARE HARDLY ANY CARS

OUR FIRST STOP JUST BEFORE ENTERING PYONGYANG

DISTANT VIEW OF OUR HOTEL BY TAEDONG RIVER IN PYONGYANG - YANGGAKDO HOTEL - ONE OF THE TWO BEST HOTELS IN THE CITY. BY OUR COMPARISION, IT WILL BE A 3 STAR

DOES THIS REMIND YOU SOMETHING... YES, THEY TOO CALL IT ARCH OF TRIUMPH

LOCAL BEER WAS JUST TOO GOOD

UNDERGROUND STATION. THE TRAINS TOO SEEMED LIKE ARCHAIC

WE HAD GOOD FUN RIDING ON THE TRAIN FOR THREE STATIONS! THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ALLOWED

THERE ARE VERY FEW TEMPLES OR RATHER VERY FEW PEOPLE BELIEVE IN GOD. HERE IS AN ARTIST IMPRESSION OF A TEMPLE

KAESONG FOOTBALL STADIUM

AND I SWEAR, THAT I DON'T HAVE A GUN, NO I DON'T HAVE A GUN

JOSH AND I BOTH SHOT A PHEASANT EACH. LAUDED BY THE LOCALS FOR OUR RARE SHOOTING ABILITIES. JAI WENT TO PICK UP THE DEAD ONES FOR OUR BREAKFAST THE NEXT DAY MORNING

170 METER JUCHE TOWER - NAMED AFTER THE PRINCIPLE OF JUCHE - DEVELOPED BY KIM IL SUNG - JUCHE PRINCIPLE OR IDEA IS A MIX OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY, SELF-RELIANCE, NATIONALISM AND ISOLATION

ON THE TOP OF JUCHE TOWER - THE LADY ON THE LEFT WAS OUR GUIDE - MUST SAY SHE HAD IMPECCABLE ENGLISH

ALL OF US BELOW THE JUCHE TOWER

DILAPIDATED TRAMS, STILL TRUDGING ALONG

WORKER'S PARTY OF KOREA MONUMENT. WPK IS THE RULING PARTY (THE ONLY PARTY) AND IS HEADED BY KIM JONG IL, THE LEADER OF NORTH KOREA. THEY HAVE BEEN RULING NORTH KOREA FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS NOW

ERIC FLASHING OFF HIS NEW IDENTITY

WITH LITTLE TO CELEBRATE AND ENJOY, BOWLING ALLEYS ARE THE PRIME ATTRACTION FOR THE LOCALS FOR A NICE HOLIDAY AFTERNOON. THIS ONE HAD 40 LANES!

WE WERE THE FIRST INDIANS TO VISIT DPRK THIS YEAR. NO JOKES, IT WAS CONFIRMED BY OUR TOUR AGENCY