Podcast Episode Details

25: North Korea - Life as a North Korea Tour Guide - [Recorded in the DPRK]

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We're very excited to announce our first episode from North Korea.

Recorded in the heart of North Korea, Sam talks to his tour guide Ben about the country and his experiences.

Sam visited North Korea over Easter 2018 and this podcast is an interview with his tour guide Ben Johnson. We discuss the country and the surprises it has in store for the people that visit.

It was an amazing experience and a pleasure to bring some of it back for you.

We also discuss the growing industry of dark tourism and challenging yourself to go out of your comfort zone.

Sam, Ben and our Korean HostsPresident Kim Jong-Un score card. Very accurate marksmanCanned Food in a Freezer. They clearly didn't know what the display freezer was for.We had a fun English lesson with some students. They were just as excited as we werePack cigarettes for $1 - Toothpaste for $8The DMZView of Pyonyang from my Hotel WindowKimchee CrispsMiracle Body DrinkLunchView of Pyonyang from an important war monumentPlaying volleyball at sunset at the outside the train stationTube station inside the Pyonyang UndergroundNorth Korea Tube StairsSam on the Pyonyang TubeBeautiful country but very harshKids love balls in Korea tooTOP TIPSTHE NEWS IS RIDICULOUS AND POWERFUL AS HELLThe western world paints north korea as this land of crazy mental people that want to nuke everywhere and a nation of people oppressed and in massive suffering. Actually most of them are pretty damn chill about the entire affair and happy going about their lives and walking their dogs. They certainly live modest lives and don’t have a lot of money as a nation, but they aren’t distracted by social media and all that crap the whole time and if you rushed in trying to save them they’d look at you like your bonkers. It is scary the way news controls our lives and thoughts and the way it makes us percieve them. We of course are very aware of the influence of north korean news on it’s own people which is of course very controlling, yet we pay little attention to our own news and it’s influence on us.I’ve been really enjoyed reading the book ‘Factfullness’ by Hans Rosling which is one of the most informative books about the world around you. He gives an example of an Englishman going to Mexico City which is apparently one of the most dangerous places and yet the people there were scared to visit London because they’d heard of stabbings and crime and riots. and this happened to me exactly when i visited and the book is just full of funny facts we get completely wrong about how bad the world is and is a very positive book to help you question the reality of what your being told.QUESTION NORMALITYBeing shut of from most of society they have a very different impression of normal. As a nation of skinny people they found fat people an amazingly rare and hilarious thing to observe. When a train gets delayed this is a perfect opportunity for everyone to practice a group dance so why just waste time standing around when you could be dancing. They also believe that dark chocolate will make you black and white chocolate will make you white. So one, never buy a north korean lady dark chocolate as a present. and think twice before tucking into your favorite white chocolate bar be

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Published on 7 years, 5 months ago