While in the DPRK we were to stay in the Yanggakdo Hotel. The hotel is named for the island it is situated on, and it means “Goat Horn Island”. This name comes from the shape of the island, which looks like a goat’s horn.
Train to the DPRK
Around a month ago I joined my good friends at Young Pioneer Tours on a trip I have been wanting to do for most of my life. I travelled to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (otherwise known as North Korea, or Best Korea).
Mao’s Great Famine
A few years ago while passing through Manchester my girlfriend and she picked up Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikötter. It sat on our metaphorical bookshelf since and only recently I’ve gotten around to reading it.
Lhasa to Beijing by Train
The last part of our tour was to get a train from Lhasa to Beijing. It takes 3 days to get to Beijing which means spending 2 nights on a train.
Misadventures in Tibet
There were a few other misadventures in Lhasa that probably don’t deserve an entire blog post dedicated to them. So here are three mildly amusing stories of things that happened to us during the last couple of days in Tibet.
Old Town Clubbing
After getting back from Lake Namtso we had one last night to spend in Lhasa. We went to the same rooftop bar overlooking the Jokhang Temple when we first arrived in Lhasa. When Yi went to the Potala Palace she ended up on a different tour.
Namtso
Bus Ride Next on our tour of Tibet we were to take a bus to Lake Namtso – one of the most beautiful lakes in Tibet. On our way we got to take a few stops in the Tibetan countryside.
New Town Clubbing
It was our English tour guide’s birthday and he decided he wanted to go out in Lhasa’s New Town to celebrate.
Tea Shop in Lhasa
We still had some free time before meeting back with the tour group for our night out in Lhasa New Town, so we decided to wander Old Town for a while.
Jokhang Temple
Regrouping After my girlfriend and I rejoined the tour group we went to visit the Jokhang Temple. This is one of the most important temples in Tibet, which is evidenced by the many people constantly praying outside the temple.