$2 For A Bottle Of Water?!
Back in California. I was hoping for the passport control person to give me a nice and hearty "Welcome back" or "Welcome home". But instead I got "how old are you?" "you traveling to all these places by yourself?" "what for?" "how did you afford this?". Homeland...
Food In Beijing
Leaving in two days for the states. gulp. In beijing now, rediscovering a city I had only briefly seen before. I love these back alleys and tea shops. Two things I should start this entry with: 1. I was raised Chinese (well, as well as my parents could manage in...
I’m Coming Home, I’m Coming Home
Traveling, as cautioned about in many a health class, is addicting. Sometimes dealers will give you the first few hits free. You'll see a city or two on your own, find some interesting parts in your exploration and claim an unique experience/high. Then you get brave...
Creepy North Korea: The Hidden 5th Floor
For a more compelling and professional journalistic write-up of what we had experienced, please read BBC News' longform article on us and our story: BBC NEWS: The man who went to the North Korean place that ‘doesn’t exist’ - June 18, 2018. I promise you, it's...
The North Korean Propaganda Machine
They must really have something against us foreigners. Possible evidence of phone tapping in our hotel room: But really, the level of self-love North Korea displays is greater than the more subtle aspects of the Burmese newspaper. Where in Myanmar I...
The North Korean People
Live in a gray city for long enough, and it shows on your face. They are unaccustomed to your presence. Their heads hang low, and smiles are rare. They walk around you without making eye contact, but every now and then you may catch someone sneaking a look. You can...
“The Scariest Place On Earth”: The North Korean DMZ.
The DMZ. Former president Bill Clinton had named it the "scariest place on Earth." It is the most heavily militarized border in the world, with over a million soldiers ready to go to war at a moment's notice if either side dared to cross the 38th...
The Greatest Show On Earth: North Korea’s Arirang Mass Games
As I said in the last entry, this is the greatest show on earth. Not only does it hold the Guinness Book of World Records title for world's largest show, but it is also performed in the world's largest stadium and features 100,000 performers who have all committed...
Where Are We Now?
Where Are We Next?
