In February, (Yes, I realise this is long overdue, but better late than never!) I was fortunate enough to be invited by our DPRK partner company KITC (Korea International Travel Company) to visit for a research trip. I decided to take Sophie from our office with me as it was her first time to Pyongyang and she certainly deserved it.

The trip had a fair few firsts for me, which is always a pleasant surprise- it’s great to see new places open: both for our customers and the locals and I also must admit it adds some variety for us guides.

Two of my favourite guides came on the trip as did our local partner Kim, who it’s always nice to have along. He’s too often stuck in the office taking care of things there. I had brought along some nice spirits so we enjoyed a fair few drinks each night, though he seemed surprised when I had to announce on the last night that I’d run out. Fortunately we filled the gap with some local liquor and Taedonggan draft beers on the boat restaurant.

Rather than go through everything chronologically i’ll just share the parts that were new and/or interesting. I presume many people are interested in the new ski resort, so I’ll start with that.