Busy Busy.

*** My friend posted an awesome video of our NK trip. I've added it on the bottom.

Hey all,
Yes.. it's been a while. Last few weekends have been busy. First I found out that I had to move one weekend, then we had a 3 day weekend so I went to the beach, and last weekend I went to North Korea. Yes, the nuke building North Korea.

If you are ever curious about moving in NK just ask, I won't bore you with details. And the beach weekend was nothing too special. Just hung out on a not so pretty beach and it was rainy. So onto North Korea:

Brief history lesson, North Korea and South Korea were split after WWII. The north is communist and south is just like us. The Northern Koreans are mostly cut off from the rest of the world and are fed daily propaganda and hate everything that is American. We are the devil. Their leader is Kim Jong-il II. He and his father(deceased) are referred to as Dear leader and Great Leader and are treated as gods in NK. Technically even though his father is dead, he is still the leader of the country. He will always be. Every citizen is required to wear a pin with his face on it everyday of their lives. It's insane. As for my trip, it was to mount Geumgangsan, a famous mountain range in NK.

First we passed through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It is one of the most heavily guarded boarders IN THE WORLD. Tanks, barbed wire, pits, machine guns, soldiers; you name it and it's there. Unfortunately no pictures. After entering through immigration, we stood in a small tourist area not too far from the mountains. It was pretty much cut off from the rest of Korea and you really only get to see what they want you to see. I did not feel like I was really in NK, the only thing that continually reminded me was the presence of soldiers everywhere. Imagine being on vacation and having soldiers around. Weird. Another reminder were the random tanks and rocket launchers on the side of the road while driving through the country side. Fun fun.

We climbed the mountain but it was rainy so no pictures turned out too well. I did get some pictures near the ocean. We were near the coast of NK. I was only able to take pictures at certain times. Really only where it would shed a positive light on NK. Some general rules if you are ever in NK:

1. Always wear your NK passport around your neck. (yes they check)
2. No Cell phones.
3. No cameras that have strong zooms. (they check)
4. No pictures in restaurants
5. No pictures while passing through the Demilitarized Zone.
6. No pictures of Citizens without approval
7. No pictures of Soldiers
8. No pictures while on bus. IE no country side pictures.
9. No taking pictures of pictures of the great leaders. they are sacred and only N. Koreans can.

Over all I felt pretty "controlled". Most workers were very cordial, but they were sure to keep their distance. We never really got to talk to any of them. It was a very beautiful country though and over all the trip was nice. Unfortunately I knew it was just a small secluded and unreal view of NK. It did remind me of how great it is that I was born in a country where I have the right to do, read, and say what I want and even go where I want. Whoo ha for that.

North Korea.

Davids NK Video

-LR

Moved!!

Hey all,
So I had some problems and lost my first apartment. I have been getting set up and moved into my new apartment and am up and running again. Things are good here so far, just working and getting into slight amounts of trouble. I'll post some more pics and such soon. Hope you all are fantastic in that 100 degree weather!

-LR