PAST TOURS - DPRK, Sept. 30 - Oct. 5, 2008
Beijing International Ice Hockey

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North Korea (DPRK) Trip Review

DPRK 2008

What an amazing trip for the 15 who went - hockey, history, culture,  beers and the DMZ! We could not have asked for more.  For those who are interested in going next summer to see the Mass Games etc... we highly recommend the link below - It is definitely not like going to Koh Samui - It a trip you will never forget.  And... there is a new Finkle winner from Shanghai!!!!

To go where no team has gone before 

(View from the hotel)

After Mongolia, Ray wondered where is another country not frequented by hockey teams. As a lark, he thought of North Korea. After a close trip that was cancelled by the EP-3 Spy-plane incident in 2000 and then a lack of players in 2004, this year with an infusion of players from Shanghai, the critical mass was achieved and a team was formed along with some fans to journey to the North. 

A special thanks must go out to Koryo Tours (http://www.koryogroup.com) without whom we would have never been able go. They used their extensive network within North Korea to organize the games through the Ministry of Sport! That they got the head of hockey for DPRK to get us two games against members of the developmental national team was amazing. The rest of the tour was standard but I am sure that no group like ours has entered the DPRK before! We did pay a hefty price, but we did not have to worry about visas, flight tickets, hotel rooms, tickets to events, busing, tour guides or translators! Simon, Nick & especially Hannah made this dream possible!  

With the political situation in the summer of 2008, we were very afraid that at any moment the trip would be cancelled. But when we took our seats on the new TU-204 (Russia's copy of the Boeing 757), our fears almost vanished - though we thought it also could be because we were not flying on the 30-year old Illushin  plane. 

For those wondering - landing and customs going into the DPRK was pretty painless. Koyro Tours had prepared us so we knew we could not bring in computers, cell phones, political books etc... Customs checked our visas and passports and we squeezed our hockey bags through the x-ray machines and surrendered our cell phones (we would get back on the train we returned to China). Outside the airport we were met with our three guides and driver.  Off to the YanggaKao Hotel where check-in was a breeze - we surrendered our passports and were given 40th floor room keys. We affectionately called Yanggak Island and the hotel Alcatraz! 

We could not roam around the city on our own, but we did get to all of the sites that one must see on their first visit to North Korea. Our guides were very understanding of our sometimes ignorant questions and what we soon called "Mark-isms". I think we will all agree that they'd never had a group quite like ours, where we all knew one another and had an existing independent team dynamic. 

Our young student guide Ms. Pak loved the classic Hockey Night in Canada theme song and after listening to it a few times, wrote down the musical notes to it so she could play it on the piano! We sang the theme all tour long in remembrance of it leaving CBC. 

The Finkle Award.. A tour is not a Beijing Tour without it being won! Ray came close when he almost KO'd the Colonel on the DMZ thinking it was Yoko hugging him from behind! Yoko and Troy came close from bad birthday behavior and the attempted theft of Colonel's hat! But in our briefing we told what it was not recommended to take photos of... and when we heard from the back of the bus a Shanghai player say "Hey - I just took a picture of an army guy with a machine gun!" - we thought he was joking... until a soldier with a machine gun got on the bus and demanded he get off the bus, give up his camera and delete the photo! Mark was searching for a clean pair of underwear soon thereafter! good job Shanghai! 

The Mass Games - None of us had ever seen 100,000 people choreographed and perform for us. We saw what was really a performance of the history of Korea, the struggle to defeat Japan, then the separation of the country by the US and the dream of all Koreans to again be united as one. 

How good was our tour? We saw it all just 4 days! - 

The Hockey! The it was a HOCKEY TOUR!!!

The rink was amazing - We could not believe that a bunch of amateurs like us were actually getting off the bus to play inside - with IIHF ref & linesman!!

Game 1

When we first arrived to the rink we saw DPRK players warming up and actually getting ready for the game. Our warm-up was mostly guys smoking and wondering up and down the rink corridor. Quickly after game started we could find out that having a warm-up is not bad idea, especially if you are a goalie. The first 5-minutes our goalie faced 5 shots, 4 went in, and a new nickname was born. You can only guess who is called "DPRK five-hole"! In first period, the biggest cheer from stands came when Troy pinned a guy in to boards and wouldn't let him go. It was good to see that people were enthusiastic. After first intermission our bus-driver parked his bus between the pads of Scott and things got bit better. Our first goal was scored by Shanghai-Mark on beautiful move. Even some evil tongues in the stands said that he lost the puck, it was still pretty goal. The game format was not really favorable for us as there were 3 20-minute periods just like in a real game. We got more in to the game in the second period and the game was tied at 7. Early in the third Yoko scored a couple of quick goals and we thought that we might come out winning the game, but then again we were brutally reminded how Scott earned his new nickname. Final score was 11 to 9 for the DPRK team. After game we had three stars selection in “Shanghai style” by Mark. All three stars went to Scott as there was really no-one to compare!

Game 2

Second game started much more even as Scott was determined to show that he actually is a goalie and not a bus-driver in goalie gear. Play floated from end to end and score stayed low (by our standards). This game was also much more intensive as the first one and there were lots of lumber jacks on the ice - most of them wearing green jerseys. We went to third period tied 4-4, but only the hosts were able to score and the game finished 6-4. Troy got back to back penalties and ended being most penalized player in team. Actually Troy's line (Mika-Troy-Yoko) ended on top in goals, points and penalties. In this game we saw amazing slap shot from Mike, figure skating like moves from Olivier, Bobby Orr like rushes from Joe and I think someone even saw David J on the ice!

- MARK-ISMS - 

Views of Pyongyang from the top of the Juche Tower
Looking north to the May Day Stadium where the Mass Games are held	Looking across to the Great Statue of Kim Il Sung
The Red Roof on the right is a massive bowling ally	The 105-story unfinished cement hotel!
Looking west across the great square and you can see the Rink!	Looking south towards "Alcatraz" and our hotel
The Rink in the background	Pyongyang at night from our hotel - Very very dark!!!
From the North side of the  DMZ!!!
The Map at our entrance to the DMZ	Olivier and the team is given a history lesson
Our lesson continues from Ms. Li on a large scale model	Yoko and international relations - and no he didn't get the Finkle for trying to get the hat as his birthday present. Shanghai won it hours earlier!
Team Photo from meters from the border! We are sure the US were taking down our names & #'s!	Mr. Johansson - don't make a run for it... though it would be faster than you skating!
Preparing for us and guarding the buildings	The Axis of Evil from a different point of view
The door to the South	Not looking friendly but protecting us from the Americans
	The road to the DMZ on the North Side
The road can be blocked peacefully by releasing these concrete pieces	Another obstacle to protect the north from the Americans
Captain Ray outranked by the Colonel who pledged to protect us on our trip to the DMZ	4km of DMZ. We were told that only the US side is mined while  the North uses it's side for peaceful farming.
Sammy & Scott with the Colonel	The Concrete Wall outpost where we could look across the 4km to the US outposts.
Yoko keeping watch	The house where the Cease Fire was signed
The flag that was forgotten by the Americans after the agreement was signed
Mark - Are you sure it is OK to take a photo here?
Pyongyang and Hockey
	Juche Tower
The course that Kim Jong Il shot a perfect game of 9 on!
The Great Leader - Kim Il Sung	Beijing at the feet of The Great Leader
The left monument represents the revolutionary struggle	The right monument represents culture and ideology of the struggle
The subway / metro is 150m underground!!! That is deep!  We were afraid of getting the bends!
Joe wearing his colours on the subway! (American spelling is not allowed there either!)
Hockey Night in North Korea

THANK YOU again to Koryo Tours for making this tour possible!