Train from Pyongyang to Beijing - 24 Hours

Many of the things we've seen and experienced in North Korea are things we would never encounter in other countries. They showcase everyday items for us, like libraries, subways, bookstores, stamp shops, schools, swimming pools, and spa facilities. It's as if they're trying to prove they have a good society—too bad we can't explore it on our own, since there are many things that must be kept hidden from our eyes; otherwise, the facade would crack. Even many North Koreans are unaware of what's happening in their own country. How else could they accept that there are people starving to death or that multiple generations are sent to labor camps where executions take place? The government does everything to control the population. It might sound like an incredibly strange vacation experience, but it’s fascinating because it’s the world’s most closed-off country. When we said goodbye at the station, Jan told the guides that we would come back and party with them in a few years. He tried to get them to think of a future where North Koreans are free. There’s room for four people in each compartment (thankfully, there are power outlets to charge devices along the way), and we shared ours with one of the Norwegians from our group. The fourth person in the compartment was a stranger to us, so we were excited to meet him. He turned out to be Allister from England, who had worked in North Korea for three years with an NGO, helping to develop the country’s agriculture, food hygiene, sanitation, etc. He was an incredibly interesting person to share a compartment with—we had plenty of questions for him :) He was allowed to walk freely on the streets during his stay, but he couldn’t use the subway or any other public transport. He had access to the local market, which is still off-limits for tourists. For the first two years, he had his family with him—his wife and two young children. The kids attended school there, but they weren’t allowed to be in the same class as the locals. His children went to school with other foreign kids whose parents were working in the country for shorter or longer periods. He has experienced parts of the country that are otherwise closed to tourists. He says the government's priorities are a bit "mixed up." Huge sums of money are spent on monuments, even though parts of the country are starving. People in the northern regions don’t get 700 grams of rice per day, and none of them own a computer, as our guides informed us. Street sweepers earn no more than government officials, and they don’t live in the best housing. It’s all good intentions that just can’t be realized in reality. Generally, there are significant issues with malnutrition in the country, which has resulted in the average height in North Korea being 6 cm shorter than in South Korea. The older folks we see sitting and picking at the ground are searching for roots and plants. According to Allister, especially the elderly know about many nutritious plants. It’s just another sign that people aren’t getting enough to eat if they have to search for nutritious food in the ground. The train crawls through the North Korean landscape, sometimes so slowly that we could walk faster :) We pass by people working in the fields. Finally, there’s no one telling us we can’t take pictures. We just have to remember to hide them so they don’t get deleted at the border crossing. Suddenly, we heard a loud bang. A little boy had thrown a stone at the train, hitting a window right next to our compartment, which shattered completely. The train stopped and backed up a bit to catch the little boy. We couldn’t see how it ended, but the train started moving in the right direction again. It’s possible to buy lunch on board, which costs 5.3 euros or 50 yuan. It tastes good, so you can eat it without worry. Just before we were about to eat, the restaurant car was full of Chinese/Koreans. It looked more like a pack of wolves had been on board. There were gnawed bones everywhere; they don’t have the best table manners. It takes two hours at the border control on each side—most of it is just waiting, but thankfully, we’re allowed to wait inside the train. The North Korean border military was very thorough, yet there were many things they seemed indifferent about. You have to stay in your compartment while the border military comes around to check. Luggage must be opened for random inspections. They don’t care about Lonely Planet books. Pictures on all digital cameras must be checked one by one. I wonder what they would do if someone had an old-fashioned film camera... The border military removes the seals from mobile phones. You get your phone handed back by the guides before boarding the train in Pyongyang. It’s important not to break the seal yourself. The fourth man in our compartment, English Allister, was viewed with suspicion. His passport had expired, but the North Korean visa was in the old one, so he had to show both passports. Additionally, he had to provi