Kaesong Warnings and Dangers

Being a foreigner in North Korea is a bit different than travelling to any other country.

Having handlers, or people watching you 24-7 (whether you know they're there or not) is a bit weird, but has to be accepted to travel here.

If somebody tells you to do something, do it! Or risk getting shot.

A stubborn South Korean group-tourist was just shot and killed two days before my trip, in a different part of the country. Apparently for ignoring her handlers and going where she wanted, which was somewhere they didn't want her to be.

It certainly made my trip a bit more interesting: Tensions were a bit heightened at the border crossings, with the guards on edge a bit more than usual. Took longer than it should have to get clearance to enter the country.

My room at the folk hotel had traditional Korean 'ondol' underfloor heating. Not so sure about the safety of the wiring!