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Kim-Il Sung square after the rain
When we first entered the DPRK at the train station of Sinuiju I felt overwhelmed. The train just crosses over a bridge from the Chinese town of Dandong where our group of three had breakfast in a KFC restaurant a few minutes ago. You would post last status messages using the restaurant provided WiFi hotspot…
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Off to new shores
Weeks have passed since my last post. The DPRK series is not finished by far, there is so much more stuff in the pipeline. But traveling meant good business the last weeks. From Thailand to China, Korea (North and South) over Hawaii to Canada within one month took it’s tribute. The travel was demanding and…
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DPRK: Why did I go?
It was a long-cherished dream to go to the DPRK. Partly out of curiosity for a secluded place, partly out of the wish to educate myself about the reality of life in a separated country. I missed the chance to visit GDR before the collapse of the political system in socialist Germany. And of course…
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Throwback: Photography trip to DPRK
It has been almost a week since I came back from my trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The time has passed and I was in a constant state of confusion and despair. On my hard drive sits an archive of well around 500 images that preserve many of the memories that I’ve…
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Confucianism and confusionism
The day started with a nice breakfast in a very fancy cafe that could be located in New York, Berlin or as it turns out Beijing. Great Joghurt and Matcha Latte made for a good start in my day. I rented a bike afterwards just to cycle around a little more. Went to the Confucian…
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Strolling around Beijing
The city is very quiet. There is very little noise in the streets. Most bikes and scooters are electrical. This adds to the serenity of the wide boulevards and the hidden alleyways called hutongs. I can’t possibly describe how the calmness of this place appears to me. After the last weeks of busy cities and…
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Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling
The house of widow to Sun Yat-sen is a place to learn about the relatively recent history of China. The place itself is a well kept mansion and you can totally feel the importance that this person had for the development of modern China. On the other hand it is a (although large) house of an…