Day 4 - c) Chongjin

Tuesday September 7, 2010

First on our itinerary at Chongjin was the Kim Il Sung statue at the town square. Flowers were laid and we lined up for a bow to the Great Leader. Ask Tim or me offline what the American did while laying down the flowers.

Our local guide at the town square, with a glimpse of Chongjin apartments in the background.

 (Photo courtesy of Tim)

There was a museum adjacent to the square featuring the usual Kim Jong Il exhibits, related specifically to anti-imperialist battles and the Great Leader's visits that took place locally in North Hamgyong province.

The final place of interest for the day was a recital at a kindergarten for steelworkers' children. The whole group was looking forward to this, our first chance to meet North Korean children.

By the time we arrived it was 7pm, but the corridors of the kindergarten were not lit presumably due to the electricity shortage. Despite the darkness some of the tour members did spot some posters which sent shivers down our spines:

A poster at the kindergarten. Ask me offline what the slogan says. (Photo courtesy of anonymous)

The recital itself turned out to be a different experience to what we anticipated. We saw kids singing, dancing, and playing various musical instruments. In any other country we would expect a kindergarten performance to be filled with adorable mistakes - kids forgetting what to do, wandering off, et cetera. However this was North Korea and every song, dance and musical performance was flawless. Ask Tim or me offline how we felt upon witnessing this.

The children after the recital.

At the end of the show the group presented the children with some gifts. One of the tourists asked a teacher how long they had practised to put on this show, and her response with a straight face was "One day".

We checked into the Chongjin Hotel whereupon we were again reminded not to take photos of the city - pictures could only be taken of the buildings within the hotel complex. The old rooms were comfortable but hot water was not available in our ensuites so showers would need to be taken at a communal bathroom building outside.

Dinner at the hotel was interrupted by one of the highlights of the trip. Unknown to us the hotel restaurant featured singing waitresses, and they began serenading us mid-meal. Everyone ceased dining and were enthralled by the performance. From memory the set included:

• Nice To Meet You - (North Korean)
• My Way - Frank Sinatra
• My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
• Danny Boy - (Irish)
• See You Again - (North Korean)

For a couple of songs the waitresses pulled some of the tour members up onto the floor for a dance. Peter, the irrepressible Canadian-lawyer-in-Beijing stole the show with his dance partner:

James, the young teacher from Seattle, also had a dance and in the end his partner asked him where he was from. Upon hearing the answer of "United States" the waitress apparently panicked and recoiled.

After the waitresses had finished our North Hamgyong local guide Mr Lee thanked us for our patronage and sung Edelweiss for us.

Chongjin Hotel waitresses singing the final song.

We would have to leave Chongjin early in the morning but many in the group thought it a shame that we couldn't spend more time here. It was refreshing to visit a city where it felt like real people lived as a contrast to the gaudy opulence of Pyongyang. Tim and I agreed that if ever the country was opened up for more liberal touring Chongjin would merit a return visit so we could explore the numerous alleyways we only saw glimpses of from the bus.

Before retiring to bed I took a peek outside our hotel room window, and despite a whole metropolis laid out in front of us it was pitch dark. Electricity is indeed a privilege outside of Pyongyang. All I could ascertain that night was that a railway was right outside our window.