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TNT Destination Features - Issue 9
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DestinationsASIA
CAMBODIAN COAST NORTH KOREA TREKKING NEPALPLUS
JUNGLE FEVERDiscovering hidden Thailand
2 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
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A Cambodian monk
Khmer temples Off the beaten track
GETTING THEREFly from London
Heathrow to Phnom Penh, via Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysia Airlines from around £708 return. (malaysiaairlines.com)
Coasting along Leave behind Cambodia’s brutal past and delve into its hopeful present with a trip to the idyllic beaches and unexplored rainforests of the country’s south-west coast WORDS LUCY C.E JORDAN
As I walk Phnom Penh’s hot, busy streets, tuk-tuk drivers call out to me.
Do I want to go to S-21? The Killing Fields? You can’t blame them for making an
assumption about a rucksack-toting tourist.
After all, most visitors to Cambodia come
for little more than a hit-and-run tour of its
rich and tragic history – the sublime
temples of Angkor Wat, or Phnom Penh’s
macabre monuments to its bloody past:
former torture camp S-21 and the Khmer
Rouge’s Killing Fields.
But right now I’m not looking for
Cambodia’s history. I’m looking for a taxi to meet friends
in Kep, to begin a more chilled out, and less touristed,
exploration of Cambodia’s present day on the country’s
south-west coast.
KepAn erstwhile favourite of the French and Cambodian elite,
I fi nd that even in Kep Cambodia’s history proves hard to
escape. The town is dotted with the bombed-out bones of
once-grand seaside villas targeted by the Khmer Rouge
for righteous destruction.
But Kep is vital, too. Colourful fl owers and lush vegeta-
tion erupt from the ruins, and irrepressible goats have the
run of the place (they bear no respect for personal
belongings). Monks in ochre robes amble down rust-red
dirt tracks, and local kids compete to give us directions to
the crab market, thrilled to practice their English. It’s
peaceful, but not a ghost town. “What
really strikes me in Kep is the sense of
isolation,” a fellow traveller, Dmitry, says.
“But in a good way.”
Kep National Park looms above the
town, and can be circumnavigated in
two hours – just long enough to warrant a
reward at Knai Bang Chatt, a dazzlingly
white luxury hotel on the seafront. The
rates, which begin at US$115 (just less than
£75) a night, are too rich for our budget,
but we savour the two-for-one happy
hour cocktails as the sky blushes pink over
the Gulf of Thailand.
The seafood in this town is renowned, and rightly so.
Our waitress at Kim Ly, for my money the best of the
restaurants in a row of stilt houses jutting out over the
water, tells us that Kep crabs are particularly delicious
because they spend half their lives in the mangroves,
CAMBODIA > SOUTH-WEST COAST
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>>
FAST FACTSWHEN TO GO The best time to visit is from December to February, when the weather is dry, but not blisteringly hot, and the vegetation is still green from the wet season. However, during the wet season it rarely rains all day, the fl ights are cheaper, the tourists fewer, and the countryside lusher. ACCOMMODATION Check out our recommendations on P5.CURRENCY £1= 6250KHR (Cambodian riel).SEE tourismcambodia.com
CAMBODIA
PHNOM PENH
THAILAND
Kep
Koh Kong
4 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
and “it makes them fat.” After the waitress takes our order,
we see her brother calmly wade into the pitch-black sea
and pluck our still-living supper from a tethered wooden
crate. They are unbelievably good – plump, succulent,
and perfectly spiced with fragrant local green pepper.
Mainland Kep doesn’t have a decent beach, but the
scruffi ly idyllic Rabbit Island is only a 20-minute boat ride
away. You’re as likely to meet a friendly puppy or a cow
as a fellow sun-seeker here. Good seafood, cold drinks,
and massages are on offer, but there’s no sense of
urgency – it’s all tout-free and wonderfully laid-back.
There are a few bare bones bungalows where you can
stay, but don’t expect a scene – the handful of locals shut
off their generators after 9pm.
Koh Kong Four of us then split a taxi to Koh Kong, and squeeze
ourselves in for the fi ve- or six-hour, US$70 (£45) ride.
Until relatively recently, residual fi ghting and poor
infrastructure meant Koh Kong remained largely
untouched by tourists. Now new roads and bridges have
allowed eco-tourism projects to fl ourish and help protect
the area by giving a wage to locals who have historically
logged the rainforest or poached to survive.
We’ve opted for Rainbow Lodge, a solar-powered
cluster of bungalows wedged in a verdant corner
between the Tatai river and the edge of the Cardamom
Mountains – an expanse of rainforest containing some of
Asia’s most endangered species: Malayan sunbears,
clouded leopards and Irrawaddy dolphins. The
Cardamoms are widely considered to house Southeast
Asia’s greatest natural resources in terms of forests and
habitats that have never been fully explored.
Janet, Rainbow Lodge’s British owner, sends a boat to
meet us at the bridge where the taxi drops us and take us
down river to our bungalows.
Koh Kong is a great spot for energetic travellers, and
we’re pretty busy over the next few days. We bike to a
tangled, otherworldly mangrove swamp. We kayak up the
Tatai river to a waterfall. (I’ve never seen so many
butterfl ies.) On a day-trip to Koh Kong Island, which boasts
almost painfully beautiful beaches, deserted but for a few
yawning Cambodian soldiers, a pod of dolphins frolics in
the wake of our boat. And, somehow, we also manage to
spend a decent amount of time lying in hammocks, cold
Angkor beer in hand, listening to gibbons holler and
whoop in the trees, as though at a raucous party. I willfully
push thoughts of returning to the city out of my mind.
He wades into the pitch-black sea and plucks out
our still-living supper
Rabbit Island
Hassle-free beach time
5tntmagazine.com/destinations
WE RECOMMEND...
Jasmine Valley in Kep is a solar-powered, lush eco-retreat nestled under Kep National Park and serving home-grown produce. Lovely basic bungalows with hammocked balconies and friendly resident dogs. Rates from around £15 to £40pn. jasminevalley.com; [email protected]
Rainbow Lodge in Koh Kong is an incredibly scenic eco-lodge perched on the edge of the Tatai river, with the rainforested Cardamom Mountains stretching behind. There’s free access to kayaks for puttering about on the river, and Janet, the owner, can arrange trekking, boat trips and camping. Double bungalows are about £45pn for two people. rainbowlodgecambodia.com; [email protected]
Wildlife Alliance has helped set up two CBETs (Community-Based Eco-Tourism projects) in Koh Kong, in Chi Phay and Trapeang Roung, both of which employ former hunters to run their tours. ecoadventurecambodia.org
Phot
os: D
mitr
y Gu
dkov
, Alla
n M
icha
ud, G
etty
, Thi
nkst
ock
CAMBODIA > SOUTH-WEST COAST
On our penultimate night, we take Janet up on the
offer of a night in the jungle. I love the outdoors, but
remain a reluctant camper, having one too many grim
childhood memories of wet holidays spent pathetically
needling my teenaged sisters to play cards with me. But
this is no dank Welsh hillside. After a few hours of trekking
through the jungle, we reach a spot where the river snakes
and fl attens out into a wide, tranquil pool, and the vista
opens up to reveal clouds settling over an adjacent peak.
We dive into the water. Our guides pitch shelter and set up
a barbeque. Despite the jungle’s cacophony, I sleep like
a baby, well-fed and exhausted.
It strikes me, lying there, that so many come seeking
Cambodia’s history that they miss out on what might be a
short-lived heyday for these quiet areas. This could be a
tipping point – political stability and growth have allowed
access to these remote regions, but that access has yet to
be exploited in full by aggressive economic interests.
In April, Prime Minister Hun Sen withdrew permission for
a titanium mine in the Cardamoms after a campaign by
conservationists. It’s a win, but it’s hard to say if this sudden
eco-consciousness will last – the decision came as a
surprise to many here, and his track record elsewhere
hasn’t been great, to say the least.
But for now, this part of Cambodia remains enchanting
and feels a world away from the crush of Angkor and
Phnom Penh’s intense museum circuit. Come see it while
you can. n
Angkor Wat Tours - Cambodia
www.asiavipa.com
1-6 day
tours
from £99
6 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
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Making a splash
Get lost in the jungle
Rural rice paddies
The world’s longest wooden bridge
THAILAND
BANGKOK
Sangkhlaburi
GETTING THEREThai Airways fl ies daily
from London to Bangkok from £598 return. (thaiairways.co.uk)
Welcome to the jungle Ever heard of Sangkhlaburi? Exactly. We stray from the well wandered trail to fi nd a Thailand that’s far removed from beaches, cocktail buckets and ping pong WORDS ALISON GRINTER
As soon as I clap eyes on Sangkhlaburi, I know it’s the Shangri-La I’ve been
waiting for. From my hotel balcony I can see the sleepy frontier town set low in a valley beside a calm, limpid lake dotted with longboats. Two gold temples jut out of the lush foliage on the mist-shrouded hills above. Hot, manic Bangkok seems like a distant memory to me now. From the capital we have travelled
north-east and stopped overnight in
Kanchanaburi, famed for its bridge over
the River Kwai. The fast-running Kwai was
beautiful, and the town laidback, but the
tourist-infested bridge was enough to make us want to
fl ee into the jungle – which is exactly what we did.
Peaceful Sangklahburi, 150km north of Kanchanaburi and
a few miles from the Burmese border, fi ts the bill perfectly.
We are now in Karen – pronounced ‘Callian’ – country
where the people make up the largest of the major hill
tribes of northern Thailand.
In this part of the world, it’s almost obligatory to have
an elephant ride, and our hosts don’t let us down. But this
being the tropics, it has rained overnight and our truck
journey via slippery roads is a white-knuckle ride. It’s still
drizzling when we climb on to our beasts and go tramping
through the jungle. My Indian elephant, Papoo, behaves
impeccably and thankfully doesn’t start trumpeting wildly
like some of the others when a group of Buddhist monks
roars past in a motorboat.
The next day, our adventure is
supposed to involve white-water rafting
on the Song Kalia river. But the rain has
made the rapids too powerful, so we go
tubing instead. While fl oating down a river
on the inner tube of a tractor wheel may
sound lame, it’s brilliant fun – the sort of
simple pleasure you experienced as a kid.
Plus, with the strong current threatening to
spirit us to Burma, it’s actually more of an
adrenaline ride than I’d expected.
Back on dry land, there’s an
undeniable ‘ah-this-is-the-life’ moment, as
I sip a Leo beer in a bamboo hut beside
the river. If you get sick of drinking beer, there’s always the
local whiskey, Hong Tong – but it should come with a
warning: too much Hong Tong can make you ting tong
(that’s Thai for ‘crazy’) as we’d found out the night before.
Next, it’s time to explore Sangkhlaburi properly. The
THAILAND > SANGKHLABURI
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>>
FAST FACTSWHEN TO GO March to May can be uncomfortably hot. It rains least and is less hot between November and February.CURRENCY £1= 48.49 Thai BahtACCOMMODATION Sangkhlaburi: P Guest House, Tumbom Nonglu. Accommodation and adventure packages from £17pppn. (p-guesthouse.com) Bangkok: Navalai River Resort. Doubles from £60 per night (high season); £43 per night (low). (navalai.com)SEE tourismthailand.org
8 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
original town was fl ooded when the reservoir was built in
1984, and remains underwater, a bit like the original town
of Jindabyne in Australia.
It is a fascinating blend of ethnicities with Burmese,
Karen, Mon, Thai and Lao people all living here.
It’s also home to the longest wooden bridge in the
world which leads to the Mon Village of Wang Kha. The
Mon people, who fl ed the oppressive regime in their
homeland of Burma, now call Wang Kha home.
Here you can get up close to the two gleaming
temples known collectively as Wat Wang Wiwekaram.
Though this part of Thailand barely rates a mention in my
guidebooks, there are signs it won’t stay undiscovered for
long: the guesthouse behind our hotel serves fl at whites to a
soundtrack of groovy lounge music – the Western infl uence
is creeping in. Go now, while it’s still off the beaten path. n
» Alison Grinter travelled to Thailand with Real Gap Experience. Prices start from £999 for four weeks including accommodation, airport transfer and tour of Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. realgap.co.uk
BEST TOURISTY THAILAND
Bangkok The bars, the markets, the ping pong, the street food: there’s a reason backpackers love Bangkok. Actually, there’s about 100 of them.
Chiang Mai A quieter alternative to the capital, leafy Chaing Mai is still a backpacker mecca, but a more cultured one. Elephant rides, street markets, and the unique northern Thai food are big draws; also go check out the ‘monk chat’ at the Buddhist University.
Ko Phi Phi With pristine white sand, soaring cliffs and turquoise waters, Ko Phi Phi’s reputation for otherworldly, paradisical beauty precedes it. It’s also a party island, so don’t come here for peace and quiet.
Koh Samui Nightlife, beaches, shopping, budget bungalows, luxury hotels, Buddhist temples: this large island resort has something to suit all tastes.
Koh Pha-Ngan Famous for the Full Moon Parties which attract thousands of hedonists each month.
Koh Tao This tiny, scrubby island offers some of Thailand’s best diving. Free from massive resorts, it’s also a quieter brand of tourist trap.
Krabi Forget sand and sea – with 700 climbs to choose from, Krabi’s dramatic limestone cliffs will entice climbers of all levels.
This part of Thailand barely gets a mention in guidebooks, but it won’t stay undiscovered
Elephant trekking
Phot
os:
Getty
, TNT
Meet the locals! Tad Si Falls, Luang Prabang
LAOS AND THAILANDWITH CAMBODIA PASS OPTIONS
���������������������������������������� ���������������������������
Get further off the beaten track in the Stray bus!
Remote Village, Luang Namtha
Get closer to the action, we include time for activities!
The famous tubing, Vang ViengGet immersed in local culture.Monks, Luang Prabang
+ FLEXIBILITY TO ʻHOP ONʼ AND ʼHOP OFFʼ+ SAVE MONEY WITH GROUP DISCOUNTS AND LOCAL GUIDANCE+ REMOTE VILLAGES, AMAZING CULTURE, FOOD AND WILDLIFE+ LOCAL BOATS, TRAINS AND OUR OWN BUSES TO PIONEER THE WILDERNESS
����������������������������������������������� �����
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Stray off the track Stray Asia is a ‘hop-on hop-off ’ travel network getting adventurous travellers further off the beaten track in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia
It is true, public transport is cheap, but this only goes from point to point between the bigger towns, particularly in
Laos, and it will not help you access the truly unique stuff that is well off the beaten track. Stray’s route visits remote villages with amazing culture such as Tha Bak, where you can ride in boats made out of old bombs, or Nong Khiaw, where you can learn to fi sh in a traditional way. The route also offers amazing scenery and wildlife such as elephants, tigers, bears, monkeys and turtles.
We employ both Western and local guides who have
in-depth knowledge of history and culture, helping you to
get the most out of your trip. Combine these features with
frequent departures and the freedom to break your
journey at any point to do things like spending three nights
in the rainforest with the gibbons, partaking in a mahout
course, or learning Muay Thai boxing, and you really do
have the ingredients for the perfect adventure! Stray has
offi ces in both Bangkok and Luang Prabang, offering
10 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ADVERTORIAL
Feeding the big fellaKuang Si Falls
travellers a handy point of contact with the crew who are
close to the action and up-to-date with what is happening
at all times. Stray use their own buses in Laos to pioneer
the wilderness, ensuring reliability and comfortable travel.
Take your timeStray urges travellers to take a bit more time to truly
experience the amazing destination that is South East
Asia. Do more than simply go to a ‘Full Moon Party’ and
spend a few days in Chiang Mai and you will quickly
realise how much you miss out on by not venturing further
afi eld. Northern Thailand still offers a lot of great cultural
and off-the-beaten track experiences, but Laos is
particularly mind-blowing. This area only opened up to
Western tourists in the Nineties, and, accordingly, the
environment, the culture and the people are relatively
untouched by the rest of the world. You will also be
amazed by how far your money will go with great meals
for less than US$5 and guest-house accommodation still
going for US$5 in many places.
Stray Asia attracts adventurous travellers from all over
the world, those who seek an amazing experience that is
unique to each and every one of them. We have passes
to suit everyone, whether you are travelling for only a few
days or for months. Two of Stray Asia’s most popular
passes are Tom Yum and the Big Wat.
The Tom YumThe Tom Yum pass explores northern Thailand and northern
Laos (minimum 10 days, although you can hop off
anywhere and spend longer of course).
This is a comprehensive trip starting in Bangkok,
beginning with a train journey visiting the ancient capitals
of Sukhothai and Chiang Mai enroute to the northern
Laos. Once in Laos, join the Stray bus and encounter the
magic of the northern provinces; Luang Namtha, trekking
central; Luang Prabang remote river villages and the
monastic capital of the same name; Vang Vieng with its
tubing and nightlife; and Vientiane, the country’s capital.
Hop off the Stray bus in Vientiane for the overnight train
back to Bangkok.
The Big WatThe Big Wat pass is designed for those travellers who have
three weeks or more and want to see as much as possible
STRAY TRAVEL
11tntmagazine.com/destinations
Good times at the White Temple
All aboard the Bomb Boats Fishing near Nong Khiaw
in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. This adventure Strays
into northern Thailand, south through Laos, and on to
Cambodia. By joining Stray in Bangkok, you can travel to
Sukhothai and Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, enjoying
a free day in Chiang Mai, before meeting the mighty
orange Stray bus in Huay Xai, Laos.
Experience Laos from the mountains and vibrant
cultures in the north to the amazing culture, wildlife and
wilderness in the south. Our southern circuit goes to some
truly pioneering territory, including the Tad Leuk waterfall
and wilderness camp in Phou Khao Khouay National
Protected Area, and the Kong Lor 7km cave; you also get
the chance to to make new monkey mates by our remote
homestay in Xe Champhone wetlands area. Head south
through Cambodia on a local bus to the main highlights of
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and then back to Bangkok.
This is an incredible adventure that will blow you away! n
» Stray Asia offers great a range of passes, for varying time frames and start/fi nish locations, including our 5 Day Northern Heritage Route (The Long Thaang) covering important historical sites such as the Plain of Jars, and our unguided transport option to the beautiful Thai Islands and the home of the Full Moon party, Koh Phangan (The Bucket Pass)
12 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
The backpacker trail
The Annapurna’s snowy peaks
Terraced rice fi elds
GETTING THEREReturn fl ights from
London Heathrow to Kathmandu, with a stop-off in Doha, cost from £497 with Qatar Airways. (qatarairways.com)
Take a hike Trekking the Annapurna mountains in Nepal is on every traveller’s to-do list. We discover how to do it and help the local communities along the way WORDS LISA YOUNG
In the early morning darkness I clamber into a taxi that will transport me from the
peaceful lakeside town of Pokhara to Naya Phul, a gateway to Nepal’s Annapurna Range. Over the next few days, I will explore a new trek route, where my staying in locally run lodges will help support the community.
The fi rst part of the trail climbs
deceivingly slowly, then there is an abrupt
change of pace; the next two days require
me to climb a steep stone staircase through
small villages, forests and terraced fi elds to
the villages of Birenthanti and Ulleri.
On average I’m walking six hours daily, covering up to
7kms, depending on the mountain’s incline. After the fi rst
couple of days, I enter into the territory of the new trek,
where there are so far very few tourists.
Funds raised by local villagers and donations from
trekking businesses, such as Imaginative Traveller, have
enabled the locals to build and run lodges here. This
pioneering concept creates village rather than private
ownership, and profi ts from trekkers who stay at the lodges
will contribute towards various community projects.
The scenery here is lush and green, with ingenious contour
farming and immaculately cared-for terraced fi elds.
Three days in, I navigate thick rhododendron forests
until I reach a small herder’s settlement at the top of a
ridge. This is my home for the night. It’s clean, comfortable
and well-constructed. There’s no electricity, but the
herders charge their mobiles by using
small portable solar panels.
Six steep hours of zig-zagging trekking
fi ll the next day, as we climb up to Kopra
Ridge (3870m).
At the top of the ridge I’m greeted with
widescreen panoramic views of the
mountains. Across the Kali Gandakhi
Valley – the deepest valley in the world –
the western skyline is totally dominated by
the Dhaulagiri Himal, bright white and the
world’s seventh highest mountain.
Kopra Ridge lodge is the highlight of
the community trek and profi ts have
contributed to a secondary school in the nearby village of
Nangi. The ridge is home to a yak herd. Watching more
than 100 of the animals coming down the ridge with the
snow-dusted Annapurna mountains and an incandescent
orange-and-red sunset behind them is spectacular.
NEPAL > COMMUNITY TREKKING
13tntmagazine.com/destinations
>>
FAST FACTSWHEN TO GO During the dry season, between October and May. October and November are the best months with consistently warm days, but they are also the busiest. December to February is quieter, but can become uncomfortably cold at altitude. CURRENCY £1 = 126NPR (Nepalese rupees).ACCOMMODATION Try Annapurna Guesthouse in Kathmandu. Rooms from £5pn. (hostelworld.com) SEE welcomenepal.com
INDIA
KATHMANDU
NEPAL
CHINA
Naya Phul
14 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
TREKKING TIPS
Travel insurance is highly recommended before setting off.
Take two water bottles. Avoid buying bottled mineral water. Instead pay a few rupees to the lodge staff for freshly boiled water – let it cool overnight.
Take plenty of small Nepali Rupee notes as lodges struggle to fi nd change.
Tips are discretionary, but the going rate is £2 - £3 for each porter and guide per day from each trekker.
Avoid trekking alone in remote areas, especially if you are a woman.
Carry a dry-bag or plastic rubbish bags to protect your gear from rain.
Be polite and courteous to locals and fellow trekkers, ‘Namaste’ is the local greeting for a friendly ‘hello’.
The following morning I rise with the sun and am
traversing the ridge along a narrow path with steep drops
and rocky terrain. The trail rises and falls all the way.
My latest lodge boasts awesome views of the
Dhaulagiri Himal, with the 6000m deep Kali Gandaki
Gorge below.
The last two days of the trek descend sharply from
3448m to 2100m, a drop of 1348m straight downhill for
7kms over knotted tree roots, past gushing waterfalls,
across old landslides and through humid jungle. The
temperature increases with each step I take.
Down and down I go, through stunning scenery until I
reach the beautiful Gurung village of Gandruk.
Returning to Naya Phul, I head straight down a stone
staircase through small farms. In contrast to the serene
and peaceful mountains, I return to Pokhara and onwards
to the organised chaos of Kathmandu. n
Seeing 100 yaks with the snow-dusted mountains behind
them is spectacular
» Imaginative Traveller’s 11-day Annapurna Community Lodge Trek tour starts from £495pp, including accommodation, transport, trekking staff services, porters and a tour leader. imaginative-traveller.co.uk
Grazing yak herdsView from Kopra Ridge
Phot
os:
Lisa
You
ng, G
etty
, Thi
nkst
ock
tntmagazine.com/tefl
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16 tntmagazine.com/destinations
DESTINATIONS ASIA
Are you a Young Pioneer? Budget Tours to North Korea, Chernobyl, Iran,
and anywhere your mum would rather you stayed away from.
www.youngpioneertours.com
young pioneer tours
5% discountJust mention
TNT
GETTING THEREYou can only visit
North Korea with an organised tour, the price of which will include travel from Beijing. Return fl ights from London to Beijing via Dubai start at £527 with Emirates. (emirates.com)
Kumsusan Memorial Palace
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
A guard at the DMZ
Pyongyang Metro
NORTH KOREA
PYONGYANG
SOUTH KOREA
Beijing
CHINA
Tower of the Juche Idea
Mansudae Grand Monument
Inside the hermit kingdom One of the world’s most mysterious nations, a trip to North Korea will earn you some serious kudos on the backpacker circuit. Here are the top sights to see WORDS LUCY CORNE
North Korea is the world’s most secretive nation. Independent travel is unheard of; instead, tour groups
are watched over at all times by government guides on an intense schedule – an exhausting but mesmerising peek into the totalitarian regime ruled over by Kim Jong-il (The Dear Leader) and his dead father Kim Il-sung (The Great Leader).
Kumsusan Memorial PalaceThe fi nal resting place of the Great Leader is the jewel in
capital Pyongyang’s crown of bizarre monuments. You pass
through a doorway blasting out cool jets of air into a room
lit only by red bulbs. As your eyes grow accustomed
to the dim lighting, you gradually make out the shapes
before you – a glass case and, behind the glass, the
embalmed remains of deceased head of state, Kim II-sung.
Mansudae Grand MonumentThis 20-metre-high bronze statue of Kim Il-sung
is revered by North Koreans. Take fl owers to lay at its feet
and reserve your deepest bow for this gargantuan image.
Tower of the Juche Idea‘Juche’ is Kim Il-sung’s theory of self-reliance, the ideology
that makes North Korea the secretive nation it is today.
Overlooking the Taedong River, the 170-metre-high tower
topped with a perpetually glowing fi breglass fl ame
(electricity fl ows at the monuments, though not always in
the city) gives great views over Pyongyang.
Pyongyang Metro
In most places, the metro is a way to move between
attractions, but in a country as mysterious as this, everything
becomes a sight in its own right. The alarmingly deep
stations (doubling as nuclear bunkers) are adorned with
chandeliers and the ubiquitous propaganda paintings that
characterise North Korea.
Mount PaekduThe alleged birthplace of Kim Jong-il is an extinct volcano
in the country’s far north and a spectacularly beautiful
spot. If you’re getting propaganda withdrawal symptoms,
the Secret Camp and monuments to the Dear Leader’s
glorious life will deliver your fi x. Want more natural beauty?
Try Kumgangsan, the ‘Diamond Mountains’ perfect for
hikers, mountaineers and photographers.
The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) The world’s most fascinating (and heavily armed) border
separates North from South. Tours from either country offer
an interesting slice of history and a chance to peer at
soldiers from the other side just a few metres away.
International Friendship ExhibitionAdmire highlights from the 100,000-plus collection of gifts
presented to Kim Jong-il and his father from admirers
worldwide – from teddies and crockery to animal pelts,
bullet-proof cars and a full-size waxwork of the Great
Leader in Disney-like surrounds. n
NORTH KOREA > WHAT TO SEE
17tntmagazine.com/destinations
Phot
os: G
etty