Day 4 - a) Mt Chilbo

Tuesday September 7, 2010

We awoke early at the home stay to watch a beautiful sunrise and to inspect the village scenery that we were not able to see in the darkness the previous night.

The sunrise as seen from our room at the home stay village. (Photo courtesy of Tim)

With no electricity in the morning hot water could not be provided so we had a cold wash from the vat of water in the bathroom. We bid farewell to our lovely hosts, and I presented them with a box of BBQ Shapes biscuits as a parting gesture.

Breakfast was back at the Outer Chilbo Hotel where we were reunited with the rest of the group. Speaking to the others it sounded like our interaction with the hosts was a unique experience, with the language barrier proving too difficult for the other home stayers.

After breakfast everyone was on the bus ready to begin a morning of sightseeing in Mt Chilbo. However German tourist Michael, who was on his fourth visit of North Korea, had failed to rise after a late night of partying. He had apparently skipped breakfast and was still asleep in his room with the door locked. There were many worried North Korean faces trying to reach Michael, and eventually the door was broken down to retrieve him. I suppose by the fourth visit one becomes pretty relaxed about any country, even if it is North Korea.

Amanda and the Korean guides trying to figure out how to get Michael out of his room.

The morning was spent driving to various lookouts in Mt Chilbo to take in the breathtaking scenery. Even in a country suffering from considerable environmental degradation due to the desperate energy shortage Mt Chilbo had been declared a preservation area by Kim Jong Il. Unfortunately videos and pictures can never do full justice but I hope this gives you some idea of the majesty:

Mt Chilbo.

As well as the natural features there was one "cultural" stop at a Buddhist temple where the monk also espoused the wisdom of the Great Leader and Dear Leader. Those who were interested had a look inside the temple while those who were not impressed with the facade waited outside.

We stopped at a beach for a picnic lunch. Fortunately this day was one of the rare ones during this trip blessed with bright sunshine - so many took this opportunity to have a swim in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The waves made the surf look pretty cold but according to the swimmers the water was very warm:

The final stop before departing Mt Chilbo was back at the home stay village. This was to give those who slept at the hotel a chance to quickly inspect the home stay facilities and buy souvenirs.