Day 5 - c) ten pin bowling, restaurant, hotel microbrewery

Wednesday September 8, 2010

Late in the afternoon ten pin bowling North Korean style awaited us at the Pyongyang Gold Lane. The centre looked much the same as a dated western bowling venue - bar, 1990s arcade games, and pool tables featured behind and above the well maintained lanes.

Everyone paid for a game and collected their shoes. I offered to pay for Mr Lee and Miss Jong, but Mr Lee refused - he seemed more interested in the pool tables. When selecting balls for Miss Jong and me I noticed all of them were imported, marked with the "Brunswick" brand name.

Miss Jong and I enjoyed a game where despite her insistence that she had no co-ordination she beat me convincingly. We mustn't have the southerner win in a sporting stand-off in Pyongyang! Here's some footage of Tim and Miss Jong enjoying the facilities:

For dinner we patronised the Mangyongdae Restaurant for Korean cuisine. There was talk earlier in the tour that on this evening we may visit the only Italian restaurant in North Korea, but those plans fell through due to renovations. I was actually glad that we didn't go Italian as I had grave doubts about the quality of the food. We are rather spoilt with nice Italian cuisine in Australia.

At dinner many tourists were looking forward to bibimbap, a Korean dish that had become fashionable overseas. However this North Korean version was a disappointment to most as it was a mere filler dish rather than the sumptuous treat as served in the south and overseas.

During dinner we had a chance to purchase some North Korean cola (the label literally translates to "Cocoa Carbonated Sugar Water"):

I enjoyed the taste - it was similar to Schweppes Cola for Australians who remember that from the 1990s. It tasted more organic (sugary) and less bitter (chemical flavour) than its more famous western counterparts. I told Mr Lee I liked it, but he didn't believe me! (His palate had obviously been converted to Coca Cola)

After dinner we had a quick look at the souvenir shop adjacent to the restaurant, then enjoyed the drive back to the hotel as we witnessed Pyongyang buildings and neon signs all lit up. It was a far cry from the rural electricity shortages, although with the next day being National Day the city may have been illuminated more than usual.

We took advantage of our first night back at Pyongyang by trying the beer produced in the microbrewery at the hotel. It was a sweet brew, just the sort of stuff that would get me into trouble. I had a nice chat in Korean with the bartender. Working at the Yanggakdo Hotel meant he knew our likely itinerary pretty well, and he knew Hannah and the other Koryo Tours staff.

The drinks flowed well into the wee hours, with the tourists comforted by the Yanggakdo facilities after a hard few days in the remote parts of the country.