North Korea
Elevators programmed like gold fishes
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 31 August 2024
Updated on 31 August 2024
The hotel, like everything else, was special. It was fully set up for Western visitors, located on an island to make escaping difficult (more on that in a minute), and had all the amenities we foreigners would expect: a marble entrance with a large aquarium, eight elevators, a snooker center, a ping pong area, a bowling alley, and, how could I forget, a revolving restaurant.
However, the execution left room for improvement. The revolving restaurant rarely revolved, and when it did, it moved so slowly that you could have breakfast for 24 hours and still not complete a full turn. There was nothing to miss for those who ate a bit quicker since after 15 degrees, the restaurant already turned, showing the same view over and over again, never completing a full 360.
The elevators were programmed like goldfishes: they only remembered the last command, resulting in multiple up&downs before reaching your destination. That is, if you were lucky, because most elevators on the 36th floor (where we were) arrived so full that adding one more person would trigger the overload alarm.
However, all of this was more than compensated for by the extremely friendly people who would push the elevator button for you, guide you on when to switch elevators, and applaud with admiration whenever you hit 8 pins or more at the bowling alley.
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Traveled route: Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, Pyjongyang, Kaesong Checkpoint, Wonsan, Hamhung
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The first full day started with a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ), the border separating North and South Korea. Contrary to what I expected, the wall was just a 5cm high and 15cm wide threshold in an ironically peaceful-looking green lush surro
North Korea
Did this story inspire you to go to North Korea? Read more on what North Korea has to offer, what the best months are for visiting and check the handy links for backpacking there.
