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Orchid Says: In every town in the DPRK, in a prominent square a Yeong Saeng ("eternal life") monument will have been erected. This is because, when the Great Leader passed on, angelic cranes came to take him to heaven, but were because of the devotion of the mourning of his people, the...
DSwede Says: Your tour through Myohyang will be for the purpose of the North Koreans to show the wonderful tributes to Kim il-Sung in the Friendship Halls.But if you have time to go further up the road, along the river, from the Friendship Halls, you can get to the base of a hiking...
Willettsworld Says: There are two pagoda's within the temple complex. The first one is 9-storeys high and square and stands between the Chonwang Gate and Manse Pavilion. The second is a 13-storey high. octagonal pagoda which measures in at 8.5m high. It stands in front of the first hall, the...
Willettsworld Says: In order to reach the three main halls of the temple complex, you first have to pass through three gates - Chogye, Haetal and Chonwang. The Chonwang Gate features the four temple guardians you come to expect in Buddhist temple complexes.
Willettsworld Says: The Pohyon Temple was founded in the Sangwon Valley, not far from the International Friendship Exhibition, in 1042 during the Koryo period. It is named after the Buddhist saint Pohyon who was in charge of the “morals of Buddha.” Originally it had 24 buildings and pagodas and...
Willettsworld Says: The Myohyang Mountains ('Mountains of mysterious fragrance') are home to some wonderful scenery but, unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to explore it. Instead, all we saw of it was a few views of some valleys and a stream running past the International Friendship...
International Friendship Exhibition
Willettsworld Says: The International Friendship Exhibition are two huge partly underground palaces filled with over 100,000 gifts from over 150 countries to both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. We visited the larger of the two first, that was opened in 1978, which had gifts presented to Kim Il...
DSwede Says: The temple is tucked in the steep hills just a few minutes from the Hyangsan Hotel, about half way to the Friendship Halls.The temple has history going back several hundred years. Many temples have suffered from wars, fires, or the communist regime, but thankfully this one...
International Friendship Exhibition Hall
DSwede Says: Myohyang is the location of the underground depository of all the gifts and tributes that Kim il-Sung and Kim Jung-il have received. These depositories are massive underground labyrinths that could house the wealth of an entire country, and keep it safe from an all-out...
Hyangsan Hotel: The only hotel in Myohyang
DSwede Says: Typical of the communist decorations, this hotel has large concrete corridors and a rather dull interior (except for the ornate entrance lobby). But the rooms were comfortable and the stay was adequate for our short tour.
We had lunch here which was enough for 20 people, yet alone 12. The hotel is quite dated in appearance with much of the general decor looking like it dates from the 1970's. There is a shop near reception in the foyer that sells stamps, pin badges and other souvenirs.
Written Sep 7, 2008
Helpfulness
Nightlife is what you make of it if you are a tourist in the mountains of the DPRK. After a pretty fair first meal in the hotel restaurant, we found that there was a shortage of things to do in town. Given that we were not to leave the hotel grounds, this meant we had to find our own amusement. The Hyangsang Hotel did have a karaoke bar, but it was for Koreans only, and had no drinks. The 2nd floor 'Museum Bar' was closed off behind glass!
After raiding the hotel kitchen, we secured at least 2 dozen No12 beers for not many euro, and adjourned to the little bar under the stairs in the lobby, watched over by Great Leader and his son.
We shot the breeze until after midnight, finishing up with free vodka shots.
Written Mar 1, 2013
This is the empty highway that takes you the 100 miles (160km) from Pyongyang to Myohyangsan. It passes by rivers along long viaducts before heading into the scenic mountains. The second picture shows a couple of trucks on the highway which were the first of only a few that I saw during my time in North Korea.
Written Sep 7, 2008
When visiting the International Friendship Exhibition, you first have to hand in your cameras and then put on dust covers over your shoes. This is due to the fact that marble is everywhere inside - on the floors, walls, balconies and staircases. Also try and refrain from 'ice skating' along the polished floors as you are kind of visiting one of the country’s most important buildings. In the picture (which was taken on a balcony outside), I'm not actually asleep, just acting as the chairs were comfy!
Written Sep 7, 2008
Depository of Kim il-Sung's gifts
Myohyang is the location of the underground depository of all the gifts and tributes that Kim il-Sung and Kim Jung-il have received. These depositories are massive underground labyrinths that could......
No we are off to the mountains first!
After arrival at Sunan airport, our schedule was changed (just love spontaneity do these Chosun people). We were not heading directly to P'yongyang, just 15km away, but instead, to the mountains, and...
Kim Il Sung's underground gift vault
Myohyangsan, (meaning 'mountain of mysterious fragrance'), is a mountain range about 100 miles (160km) northeast of Pyongyang. The area is famed for being the location of the International Friendship...
Build your own Myohyang-sanmaek page
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