For the afternoon we were given two options: The Military Circus or a walk in Moran Hill (Moranbong) Park. Tim and I chose the latter with high hopes for genuine interaction with North Korean people.
With the majority choosing the circus we had an extraordinary guide-to-tourist ratio, even by North Korean standards. From memory we had five members of the tour staff (Mr Park, Mr Han (trainee), Hannah, Amanda and the bus driver) accompany six tourists (Tim, me, Alexander, Emil, James, and my memory is letting me down on the sixth person)! Despite this the park was to become one of the highlights of the entire trip.
Anticipating local contact Tim and I borrowed Russell's digital Polaroid camera. James was also armed with a conventional Polaroid camera of his own. We were hoping to delight the locals by giving them a Polaroid as a gift in return for a photo with them.
We saw the park packed with people driving past earlier in the day. Unfortunately with the rain falling by the time we started our afternoon walk many people (especially families with young kids) had gone home. However there were still some hardy souls still enjoying their day off.
Initially Tim spotted a couple of off-duty traffic control ladies on the street and I attempted to ask for a photo from them. However the request was declined as they were trying to catch a ride to go home. Rejected on our first go... oh well. We prepared ourselves for more rejections, but our spirits were still high.
In the park proper we saw some groups singing - one notable group of young blokes had had a few drinks and were very rowdy. What types of songs do North Koreans sing in their leisure time? Propaganda and patriotic ones, of course! There were no syrupy love ballads here, even when inebriated the chants of choice for the locals were ones praising the Great Leader, the Dear Leader, or the latest government industrial campaign. Check out this song about CNC (Computer Numerical Control):
Despite the singing there weren't very many people in the park... and it was difficult to break the ice to have significant interaction with the ones who were present. However just when we felt a bit down, we began hearing drums - the real fun was about to begin.
Mr Park had led us to an area where hundreds of locals were packed in and around an open pavilion dancing and singing to traditional Korean music (played by a live band). Many elderly folk were there, along with some children and younger adults. We climbed onto the pavilion and it wasn't long before the conspicuous foreigners were pulled in for a dance.
While Tim, James, Alexander, Hannah and Amanda all enjoyed a dance I spoke to some of the crowd sitting around the perimeter. When I revealed to one gentleman that I was from the south I received a round of applause from all the folks nearby... it was a heartwarming moment, and made me feel slightly guilty that these days southerners do not crave reunification as desperately as the average North Korean.
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| Hannah (far left), Tim, Alexander (tall fellow in the background), and James dancing. |
After a half hour of dancing the tourists were well known to the crowd and the two Polaroid cameras were put to excellent use. It felt great being able to give the locals the actual photos as gifts, and it was a big hit - as we took Polaroids with some people others, especially kids, requested a photo of their own with the strangers from abroad. It was a chaotic scene as children and drunk adults all wanted a piece of Tim and James. One inebriated middle aged lady was particularly exuberant, insisting on multiple photos. Good times.
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| Polaroid time with Tim, with locals looking on. |
With all the dancing and Polaroid taking we had run behind schedule, but the guides did not seem to mind as we were genuinely having a great time. Despite the short time spent there the Moran Hill Park visit was one that we would not ever forget, and all six tourists felt vindicated in choosing it over the circus.
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