Outside Pyongyang and the countryside:

As soon as you leave Pyongyang it’s clear that people are financially much worse off. Their clothes are much more rugged, gone are the quality roads and large buildings. Now the highway is not much more than a rugged single lane road. People’s clothes are notably worse and equally colourless. Bicycles have all but replaced the cars you may have seen in Pyongyang and farming is certainly the most prevalent employer. People are still milling around with friends and family and as grim as it may look, I wouldn’t go as far to say as they look in any way unhappy.

Television, phones and internet:

I was intrigued by how these things were going to work before I arrived, and it didn’t fail to let me down. First up, television in North Korea. Each household gets their apartment for free (as soon as you marry), and with that you receive a TV. The TV in North Korea has 2 stations and 2 stations only, both are entirely state run and often involved political broadcasts.

They’re not too concerned with free speech or the dissemination of information either. For example, during the football World Cup in South Africa North Korea played Brazil. The lost 2-1 I think, they played really well and were roundly applauded from around the world. This game was shown live on both of North Korea’s channels. Next up they played Portugal, they went 3-0 down after about 50 minutes and both channels were interrupted with ‘technical difficulties’, the football never came back on, they lost 8-1 and there was no mention of the result ever. The next game wasn’t even shown.

Phones are a new revelation in North Korea. Effectively only available for the last 4 or 5 years, most people can’t afford them but the top 5% of the country can. Foreigners however aren’t allowed to have them and our phones are confiscated on arrival, only to be unpackaged when we have left the county.

The internet is all but unavailable anywhere in the country and when it is (in the 2 or 3 4* hotels, it’s highly restricted and costs $60 USD per MB). No-one has an email address, no one has ever heard of google, facebook or apple. Quite baffling.

My friend devouring a litre of North Korean beer ($1 USD)

Food and drink:

I’ve been to South Korea 3 times before, and worked on English camps during two winters so I’ve been exposed to my fair share of Korean food. The food in North Korea is similar too. Kimchi, Soju, Korean BBQ are all present although it’s fair to say I was probably exposed to the best North Korea had to offer as the state run tourist company KITC, through which every visitor must travel, own all the restaurants we’re allowed to visit. I’m no fan of Korean food but it was ok. The local beer is great though, and less than $1 a pint.

Eating dog in Korea

I think that should give you a good understanding of what it’s like to go traveling in North Korea and what it’s like when you’re there. I’ll write about the awesome stuff to see there in my next North Korean article. If you have any questions or comments just let me know below. Happy travels!

Traveling in North Korea – Part 2 is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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Fruit covered in Syrup in China

1) The Siberian Tiger Park:  I love interacting with rare animals around the world. There’s something that really makes me feel like I’m in obscure corners of the world when I see endangered species and this place is no different. So if you’re into Trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, chasing orangutans in Borneo, feeding Hyenas in Ethiopia and the like then the Siberian Tiger park is a spot for you. There are only 400 of these guys left in the wild but this park managed to breed 72 new cubs last year, it’s doing great work and you get to see these guys at their formidable best.

The tigers who can’t get rereleased into the wild are kept on a spacious compound where you can buy ducks ($3), chickens ($8) and cows ($400) to feed them – now that’s a sight to behold!

Get here: Take a taxi from Harbin city centre, he’ll drive there, wait and drop you back for around 100 RMB ($16), can fit 4 people. Buses are available too.

Ticket: 90 RMB ($14)

2) St Sophia Church:  Harbin’s most famous building is it’s Russian Orthodox church. It casts an awesome shadow onto the huge plaza in front of it, it’s over 100 years old and costs 20 RMB ($3) to enter although the best pictures are taken from outside.

Get here: Right bang in the city centre folks, get your walking boots on.

My mum came over to visit while I was in Harbin to check out the ice festival and everything else!

3) Science and Technology Park: Located just at the entrance to Sun Island park is the very entertaining Science and Technology park. It’s an intense hands-on type museum with some great exhibitions. I’m not a museum man at all, but this place had me captivated for about 2 hours.

Get here: Just over the river, a taxi should be about $2 or $3 or you can walk from Stalin or Sun Island park in less than 30 minutes

Ticket: 25 RMB ($4) 

A crazy room in the museum, loving it!

4) Stalin Park and Sun Island Park: Anyone how was ever been to China will understand how manic these huge cities are. People are spitting, shouting and smoking to their hearts content so if you’re chasing some respite these two beautiful parks are your answer. They’re both free, they offer endless walking opportunities and they’re maintained to an excellent standard.

In winter Staling Park extends onto the Songhua river where skating, sliding, go karting etc is available whilst in Sun Island park there is a snow sculpture area which acts as the poor mans Ice Festival (over priced at 240 RMB/$38)

Get here: They’re both on the waterfront so make your way there by foot if you’re in the city centre.

Stalin Park Harbin in Winter

Sun Island Park, Harbin

5) Germ Warfare Museum:

20km outside the city but worth the trek, this grim tourist attraction will get your heart racing. In 1939, the Japanese built a top-secret germ warfare research centre here where they tested and tortured to death over 4000 prisoners of war including Mongolians, Chinese, British, Soviet and Koreans. They carried out gruesome experiments involving injecting unmentionable things into their subjects, cutting people up and other things too horrible to mention! It may have closed over 50 years ago but it can still bring a chill to your spine.

Bear in mind it closes on holidays and everyday at lunch from 11.30-1pm.

Get here: A return taxi will be about 100 RMB ($16) or bus 343 from the train station goes there too.

If you’re fortunate enough to be here during Harbin’s Ice festival then you’re very lucky indeed. Like I mentioned, you can take the train here or jump on a plane to Harbin airport. The airport has countless airport hotels so you don’t have to worry about that. That combined with these 5 gems will make Harbin one of the coolest (get it?) destinations you’ve visited. Even without the ice festival, these 5 will keep you occupied with a smile on your face for a couple of days easily. Happy travels!

5 Things to do in Harbin, China is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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PROS

1)   Hassle free: When you feel the need to get away from it all, the last thing you wanna do is spend hours on the internet looking for 5 different flights, trying to save yourself $20 here and there. With a cruise you book one time and everything else is taken care of. No more headaches.

2)   Different destinations. A massive benefit of booking a cruise as opposed to a resort holiday means you can match your traveling desires with your holiday-making desires. That means cocktails by the pool but also getting to visit different places, just without the horrible 12 hour bus rides in between!

3)   Cost: Featuring in both the pros and cons list, this will come down to the deal you manage to get. Cruise ships can run up to $10k and more, but equally if you grab a last minute deal on some popular cruises you could find yourself averaging less than $50 per day.

CONS:

1)   Lack of freedom:

People often dream of an open road, a one-way ticket and no itinerary when they travel ( I certainly do) but with a cruise you’re compromising that dream. You don’t get to chose the route, or the activities and you’re not free to wander to an unexpected destination.

2)   Stuck with the same company: Some cruise ships are huge, others not so much either way though if you bump into some people you take an instant disliking too, you’re stuck with them for the duration of the trip. Hopefully though your ship will be large enough to give them the cold shoulder throughout!

3)   Cost: This can go both ways. In terms of holiday-making, cruises can prove much cheaper than a resort holiday elsewhere AND you get to visit more places. Comparing the price of a cruise with solo, independent travel however and the prices comparison doesn’t look so rosy.  Cruises have come down in price a lot in recent years but solo travel is still cheaper.

I’ve still yet to take a cruise, but if the price was right and the timing was convenient I’d certainly be tempted. I don’t think it’s the way to travel the world but for a week or so of unrivalled, kick-back luxury it could be pretty sweet. If any of you guys have ever taken one, I’d love to hear your comments. Happy travels!

Should You Take A Cruise? Pros vrs Cons is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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Superclásico, Buenos Aries, Argentina: Boca Juniors vs River Plate

Like all intense rivalries this transcends merely football. The hatred stems from more of a socio-economic tension where River Plate are seen as the rich boys from the nice side of the city and Boca, Mardonna’s team, are the working class heroes. The stadiums literally wobble when the crowd get going, especially at Boca’s stadium. This is my number one football bucket list event.

The Istanbul Derby, Istanbul, Turkey: Galatasary vrs Fenerbahce:

Possibly the fiercest derby of all them all. These two giants split the city with Galatasary being on the European side and Fenerbahce on the Asian side. Turkish fans are known for being, ahem, ‘passionate’ and on game day expect flares, missiles and the odd spot of violence. If your backpacking, don’t pick a side and don’t wear one of the shirts. Stay neutral and soak it up.

The Old Firm Derby, Edinburgh, Scotland:  Rangers vrs Celtic

One of the oldest derbies in the world, this one is particular explosive thanks to the religious connotations each side carries with Celtic a famous Catholic team and Rangers a famous Protestant side. It was only in the last 15 years or so that players of opposing religions would even sign for the other side! Don’t wear anything blue or green on this day guys!

El Classico, Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid vrs Barcelona

Perhaps the two most famous teams in the world play in El Classico each season to a backdrop of political confrontations. Not really a derby as one is in Madrid and the other in Barcelona, this game is often the most watched match on the planet each season. It’s intensified due to the fact that each side has opposing political positions (Spanish and Catalan nationalism) so that cranks the atmosphere up another notch. With so many cheap holidays in Spain, this is one of the easiest to access.

Luis Figo transferred between the two teams, on his first appearance in the El Classico, someone threw a pig's head at him!

The Fla-Flu, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Flamengo vrs Fluminese

Each derby is played at unofficially the biggest football stadium in the world, the iconic Maracana, where it’s record attendance was said to be 200,000!! Flares and banners are rife, as unfortunately is violence but it’s a football spectacle, that’s for sure.

These are all on my bucket list, even if it takes me a lifetime I’ll see all these games for sure! Happy travels!

5 Best Football Matches to Watch Around the World is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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My thoughts on North Korea from traveling around the country:

During my time in North Korea, I’ve never seen so much propaganda in my life, every street corner is adorned with huge banners and emblems promoting the socialist cause. It all looks very impressive and it must be difficult for any North Korean to think outside the box when they’re constantly being reminded about the benefits of socialism and the pitfalls of American imperialism (read: capitalism).

Military Images and Socialist slogans are everywhere you look

Everywhere you go there are large images of Kim Il Song or Kim Jong Il similar to Thailand where the King’s image is everywhere you look. Their political ideologies follow the ‘Juche’ prinicipal where people are ‘taught’ to be self reliant and avoid consumerism. Kim Jong Il then implemented his ‘Military First’ system where the majority of their GDP is funneled into their military forces and their infamous nuclear advancement. It’s an entirely functional communist state.

Every street corner has bill boards promoting their cause

Their political desires:

In reference to the Government’s desires, they want reunification of the Korean peninsula (i.e to rejoin North and South Korea). They want to spread the socialist message and remove any influence on their way of life that the Americans currently have.

The North Koreans want one country making up the Korean Peninsula with a socialist government

Money in North Korea, salaries etc:

Their currency is in Won, just like South Korea although the exchange rate is vastly different. However, foreigners don’t really get access to their Won, we’re required to spend Euros first and foremost, failing that Chinese RMB or USD are the next currencies of choice.

Every local in North Korea has a job, they have an unemployment rate of zero. They all get paid almost identical salaries and receive free monthly, weekly or daily rations depending how valuable they are to the country. Their apartments are free and they receive them once they get married, as they have more kids they move into bigger apartments. Families are encourage to have as many kids as possible.

The Government-supplied housing is everywhere

Pyongyang, the Capital:

The main city in North Korea is undoubtedly the heartbeat of their country, both culturally and financially. Walking and driving around the city it’s fair to say people aren’t starving on the streets they way our media may lead us to believe. People seem pretty happy, they’re walking around with their friends/partners/families, joking about, smiling, frequenting the odd bar here and there etc.

What is apparent though is the lack of ANY advertising. Consumerism simply doesn’t exist. The roads are 4 lanes wide, they have a subway system (2 lines), a tram network, huge impressive albeit outdated building throughout the city. You’d be very surprised to how ‘developed’ the capital actually appears. However, there are no shopping malls, no billboards. People may be walking around but generally speaking there’s no colour in their attire, no branded clothing aside from maybe the odd adidas hat clearly obtained through some charitable donation from overseas.  The buildings are huge but lack personality and in fact the city, aside from the political monuments, is very grim. The roads may be 4 lanes wide but there’s a distinct lack of cars, most of the time you may be one of a handful of cars in the city centre.

Empty roads are a common sight across the country

I think that’s enough to digest for today, I’ll fill in the rest of my learnings tomorrow! I know North Korea may not be anyones idea of a last minute holiday but if you can take the plunge it’ll be the trip of a lifetime. If you guys have any questions, just drop me a line below and I’ll get right back to ya. Happy travels!

Traveling in North Korea – Part 1 (Politics, Money and Pyongyang) is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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1) Koh Phangan, Thailand:

Hat Rin beach on Koh Phangan is synonymous with full moon parties the world over. Over 10,000 backpackers congregate here to get loose drinking buckets and covering themselves with neon paint. If you take your partying serious you’ll be here. My word of advice? Don’t scrimp on your accommodation when you’re here, you’re gonna feel the worst you’ve ever felt the next day so you’ll be wanting plenty of air con and swimming pools to help you recover, believe me!

2) Zanzibar, Tanzania:

Wanna piss off your kids in 20 years by saying you partied somewhere before it got ruined by excess tourism? This is one of our few remaining chances! It kicks off in Kendwa, in the North West of the island, a taxi-ride from Stone Town. The parties are held on the Saturday just before or after the full-moon, these are full on beach affairs. I was lucky enough to check this out  a year or so ago although to be honest the last thing I remember was downing some rum with some Kenyan Masai tribesman, expect something similar. NOTE: you have to pay to enter, around $10.

Me with my new found Masai friends in Zanzibar

3) Goa, India:

Perhaps the original full moon party scene where our parents were more worried about tie-dyed t-shirts than mortgages. The hippy scene was loving Goa as far back as the 1960s and nowadays theres a full on backpacking scene each full moon here. More of a traveler vibe than Thailand’s full moon, which can be full of drunk one-week holiday makers now. So whether you’re a down and dirty budget backpacker or found holidays to Goa with holidayhypermarket, Goa’s Anjuna Beach is waiting with open arms (and plenty of booze)

4) Magnetic Island, Australia:

In the North East of Australia young Aussies who were brought up with Bali and Thailand a short flight away have done their damndest to recreate the vibe for one evening (and morning!) a month, and they’ve succeeded. On Magnetic island, a 20-minute ferry ride located just off the tip of Townsville, Queensland, the full moon attracts more than 2000 revellers, just don’t expect any sleep until dawn!

5) Montañita, Ecuador:

On the coast of the Pacific Ocean Ecuador has spawned an unlikely full moon party vibe. Posters of Bob Marley, Jon Lennon and Che Guevare are rife and people smoke the local herb freely. Cheap booze and good surf attract people all year long too but it’s on full moon when things get extra crazy! It has a young vibe so get be prepared to get crazy!

If you’re a hardcore party goer then whack these on your to-do list, you won’t be sorry. Happy travels!

The 5 Best Full Moon Parties Around The World is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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5) Victoria Falls Bungee, Zimbabwe/Zambian border (110m/360feet):
A bit of a controversial choice as this has featured quite heavily in the new recently when a girl’s bungee cord snapped! Also, it’s not in the top 5 highest bungees in the world but it’s gotta be the most beautiful. 111M of sheer fear as you jump of Victoria Bridge, into a circular rainbow thanks to the mist caused by the falls. When your finished you can see Victoria falls as your backdrop, nothing short of amazing.
PRICE: around $110

Me jumping at Victoria Falls. Arggggggggh...

4) Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa – (216 m/708 feet):
The world’s highest single span arch bridge, the Bloukrans Bridge bungee is the third highest bungee in the world at 708 feet (216 m). It’s also the highest point in the world from which you can bungee off, and formally the highest bungee jump in the world.
PRICE: around $100

3) Verzasca Dam, Switzerland – (220 m/720 feet):
It found mainstream fame with the opening sequence of the Bond movie Goldeneye, the Verzasca dam offers a pure freefall swinging bungee from a single cord. If banging into a massive concrete structure at a top speed doesn’t scare you, then this is the jump for you. The Verzasca Dam bungee jump is the second highest bungee jump in the world.
PRICE: $280

2) Macau Tower, China – (233 m/760 feet):
The tallest, highest bungee jump in the world! 6 seconds of unadulterated freefall from the 11th tallest building in the world. It doesn’t come cheap but it grants you automatic bragging rights forever. With the ‘right’ conditions you can find yourself stretching to just 30m from the ground.
PRICE: $300

1) Volcano Bungee near Pucon, Chile (250m/820 feet):
The price isn’t exactly backpacker friendly but basically you get flown up to an active volcano in a helicopter, soaring some 10,000 feet in the air, jumpers sit perched on a helicopter’s skid and then you have to bungee jump off the helicopter into the caldera towards the molten lava. The cord stretches between 350 and 375 feet, leaving jumpers hanging just 700 feet above the volcano Pretty amazing stuff.
PRICE: A disgustingly, prohibitively expensive $9,995 for a 6 day package

Honourable mention:
The Royal Gorge Bridge, Colordo (321m/1053 feet):
Technically, it can be considered the highest bungee in the world but very few people have ever jumped from the bridge, it’s not open to the public and it’s only available every now and again. Often used to break records sporadically.
PRICE: Unavailable to general public. Booooooo.

River Nevis, New Zealand (134m/440 feet)

If you’re on the backpacking trail in New Zealand, a bungee jump over the roaring River Nevis is not to be missed. From a teetering cable car, high over the Nevis River, you enter the jump pod and soak in the rugged scenery. This is the highest bungee jump spot in all of New Zealand, so all New Zealand Holidays should try to factor this beauty in. The freefall lasts for almost 9 seconds and will allow those who jump to see the full extent of this area’s beauty.
PRICE:$200

The Best 5 Bungee Jumps in the World is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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When is the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival?

The dates of the Harbin Ice and Snow festival are mid January until mid February but realistically it starts at the turn of the year and runs on until early March. If you want to be safe though, end of January and start of February are you bankers. Try to book accommodation before you come, you don’t wanna be wandering about in tese temperatures searching for somewhere to sleep.

How do I get to Harbin?

I took the daytime fast train from Beijing to Harbin, it cost around $60 USD for a soft seat and took around 11 hours from Beijing railway station. A soft sleeper is around $75, knock about 30% of these prices for the more-than-adequate hard seat or hard sleeper (I took the nicer one because my mother was with me!)

You can also take the bus, it takes around 13 hours and costs around $40. Because I was here during Chinese New Year the trains and buses back were full and I got stung with a last minute flight back to Bangkok for $230, ouch. So try to book your bus/train tickets a week or so in advance if possible. I know on the road that’s often difficult so at least try to get the station a day or 2 before you leave.

How much is the ticket for the Ice Festival in Harbin?

It’s getting more and more expensive every year. These are the prices this year:

Morning ticket from 9.00am to 1.00pm: 100 RMB ($16)

Afternoon and evening ticket from 1.30pm to 9.00pm (closing time): 330 RMB ($52!)

NOTE: Student discount for afternoon ticket is 160 RMB ($25)

If you buy the morning ticket, you have to leave by 1.00 and they check rigorously.  The best option of all is to buy the afternoon ticket and arrive around 3 or 4pm. That way you get to see all the sculptures and building in the daylight, dusk and nighttime. Much more bang for your buck.

How do I get to the Ice And Snow Festival when I’m in Harbin?

A taxi should cost around 20 RMB ($3) from the city centre, it’ll take around 20 minutes. Alternatively, if you’re feeling active you can walk, it takes around 2 hours but it’s a really nice walk. I did it twice and although it was tiring it was well worth the effort.

How cold is it and what should I wear?

It’s f*cking freezing! Temperatures range between about -14 to -30 and that’s without wind-chill. Be smart and come prepared, that means thermal tops and bottoms, hiking boots, hat, scarf, mountaineering socks, a proper coat and plenty of layers. I picked up a few fake north face and Canadian goose stuff in Bangkok and it served me very well but I saw a few people who were too worried about looking good and not worried enough about dressing warm. I’m sure they didn’t have such a good time. Be smart guys.

Alright guys, they’re you have it – another thing to add to your bucket list. Prepare to have you mind blown, it really is something else. Happy travels!

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The Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China – amazing! is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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Since decades many cities revalue and enrich their cultural heritage through architectural projects usually assigned to renowned architects. Such example is for instance Spanish Bilbao where Frank O’Ghery’s Guggenheim Museum gave a completely new, polished and modern image. It made this city world famous and attracts many foreign visitors.

Lisbon as a capital of a country and with a rich history (it is one of the oldest cities in Europe) didn’t need any more renovation or a new fascinating architectural landmark to attract tourism and visitors to apartments in Lisbon, but obviously could stay away from this general trend.

In the 90s Lisbon took the challenge to host the Expo 98 (Lisbon World Exposition) that brought to Portuguese capital a new architectural masterpieces, especially the Oceans Pavillion (now Lisbon Oceanarium) and Portugal Pavillion designed by Siza. Other masterpieces worth the visit are the Vasco de Gama Tower by the architects Leonor Janeiro and Nick Jacobs.

The above mentioned Spanish Architect Santiago Calatrava designed another contemporary architectural jewel: Gare do Oriente, one of the main Lisbon hubs. If you have serious interest in architecture you shouldn’t miss the Manuel Graca’s Teatro Azul by Manuel Graça Dias, Egas José Vieira and Gonçalo Afonso Dias, opened in 2005.

Not tired enough to go back to one of the Lisbon Apartments? Then we’ve got one more spot: The VTS tower – Maritime traffic coordination and control centre, by another Portuguese architect: Gonçalo Byrne.

Walking around Portugal is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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Me at Kim Il Song Square!

Can I go to North Korea?

Yes, aside from a few obscure nationalities North Korea accepts tourists from nearly all corners of the globe.

Can Americans visit North Korea?

You’ll be happy to know that you most certainly can. Although as of January 2012 Americans still can’t take the train from Beijing to Pyongyang, they’re required to fly in and out of the city (this is up for review later this year), they’re the only nationality affected by this rule. The US is the DPRK’s  biggest enemy so be prepared to hear anti-American sentiments throughout your trip.

Juche Tower Pyongyang

How much does it cost to visit North Korea?

It’s not cheap, that’s for sure. Due to the fact that you have to join a tour for the trip, the cost depends on how long you want to stay. The shortest trips available are generally 3 or 4 nights, with cost starting around $1,000. The longest trips stay in the DPRK for around 2 weeks but you’ll have to fork out in excess of $2k for those.

Is it safe to visit North Korea?

If you behave yourself, yes. If you run around Pyongyang with an American flag hanging around your waist, singing “George Bush is the man” and spitting at monuments, it may get a little dangerous. Follow the rules, be respectful and don’t veer to far from your ‘minders’ and you’ll be all good. I never had a problem at all.

Workers' Party Monument

What are the North Korean people like?

You don’t get too much of an opportunity to mingle with the locals, and unless your Korean is up to scratch you’ll struggle if you managed to find one to talk to. The North Koreans are intrigued by our presence but aside from a few stray smiles and waves there’s not too much interaction. All in all, they seemed pretty friendly, if a little subdued.

What is there to see in North Korea?

There are a host of awesome sights to see but to be honest, the real beauty of being in North Korea is just feeling the atmosphere as you walk around the city (in full view of your minders of course). You’ll definitely check out the Juche Tower, the Workers’ Party Monument, the DMZ (most fortified border in the world) and if you’re lucky Pyongyang stadium which hosts the Mass Games once a year. The stadium is the biggest in the world, holding more than 200,000 people at capacity.

How do I get a visa for North Korea?

Your tour company will sort it all out for you. All that is required from you is a scanned image of your passport, the visa itself doesn’t actually get stamped in your passport so your passport isn’t even required. You’ll get a slip of paper from one of your guides just before you enter the country and you’re good to go.

Alright guys, that’s the basic run down – if you have any other questions drop me an email or comment below. I’ll be writing a few more articles about my time in North Korea in the next week or two, complete with stories about shooting chickens, eating dogs, North Korean bars and enough propaganda to last you a lifetime. Happy travels!

Backpacking in North Korea (Yes, I did it!) is a post from: onestep4ward.com

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