During boarding, the security officer speaks to me in flawless French. He tells me that he learned it during a stay of several months in Paris. How many North Koreans have travelled? Who can leave the country? This final encounter caused me to question my Western-oriented version of events. Are they happy in their system? Why do they return and do they have a choice? Why does this regime pose an ethical dilemma for us? Are we happier in our Western country?
The country I visited is one of outstanding natural beauty, maintained through low urbanisation. I did not seem them, but I have been told that there are; antelopes, leopards, panthers, black and brown bears, tigers ( a subspecies of the rare Siberian tiger), martens and deer. The people are friendly, they go about their work in the fields and towns. They work work from 5AM until 7PM and I am astonished by the profound admiration and respect they show for their leaders.
I am deeply happy to have made the trip, which certainly pushed the limits of my comfort zone. I leave with a renewed spirit of openness to new and different cultures . There you have it, an entire country that is untouched by globalisation. Well…except that our guide knew every line of every song from Disney’s Frozen…those Americans! SUP
