TRAVEL urnal o r The Wall Street J o Kristina Pérez f

By Kristina Pérez Above, rosy-fingered its mosaics of peasants revolting dawn on the Taedong and huge chandeliers meant to look n North ’s capital, “after River, with the Tower like stars. Idark” means something of the Juche Idea But there’s also the unexpected, different than in most places its visible just beyond the like the Pyolmuri Teahouse, a size. Nightfall in electricity-starved bridge; left, the red star Western-style cafe whose name Pyongyangis more like nightfall in rising in the diorama translates roughly as “constellation the middle of the ocean than like room of the Victorious of the stars.” Opened in 2005 with nightfall in a city of two million Fatherland Liberation the help of the nonprofit Adventist people. Seen from space, North War Museum. Development and Relief Agency, the Korea is a black spot set against the cafe—equipped, as it proudly light pollution of neighboring points out, with German-made China and South Korea. ovens and Italian pasta-making For all that, Pyongyang doesn’t machines—offers a tasty apple pie, actually shut down when the sun a surprisingly decent cappuccino sets. To serve its trickle of visitors, and a great chance to people-watch. the city offers its own version of Egyptian telecommuncations nightlife. Besides foreign envoys provider Orascom brought mobile shuttling in for nuclear discussions technology to last year, and businesspeople looking to and now demurely dressed teenage make deals, about 2,000 Western girls are accessorizing their tourists come to Pyongyang each hanboks, or traditional Korean year, many, like me, to attend the dresses, with platform shoes and famous, stadium-size show called colorful, decorative, straps on their Arirang. It’s a spectacle of mass cellphones. (We tourists had gymnastics, dance, military surrendered our phones at the marching and incredible animated airport, along with our passports; pictures created by thousands of they were returned just before we people flipping colored cards. boarded the return flight.) The number of visitors could As evening approaches, take a edge up. According to Koryo Tours, stroll (minder in tow) along the a Beijing-based agency specializ- deserted embankment of the ing in trips to North Korea, the Taedong River to Kim Il Sung government has notified it that Square. From this vantage point, more Americans will be let in you can photograph some picture- during the non-Arirang season (the postcard views while it’s still light. show generally runs from August An ideal place to watch the sunset is to October). from the Tower of the Juche Idea, For tourists, the days are filled named for the country’s official with sights that have what ruler ideology, a word typically translated Kim Jong Il calls “high ideological as “self-reliance.” The 170-meter content.” (A government-supplied tower, built on the occasion of KimIl guide and minder comes along, day Sung’s 70th birthday, is said to and night.) High on the list is the contain one white stone block for Mansudae Grand Monument, boast- TheEgypt Palace each day of his life to that point. (He ing a massive statue of the casino in Yanggakdo died in 1994, at the age of 82, and country’s late founder, KimIlSung, Hotel, which offers while his son is now ruler, the elder where visitors lay flowers and line slot machines and Kim is “eternal president.”) up to bow in an orderly fashion. card games including From thetop there’s a pan- Another must-see is the USS blackjack, is generally oramic view over the capital out to Pueblo, a U.S. Navy intelligence ship open until 4 a.m. the surrounding mountains. The captured off the coast of North lack of cars on the roads—vehicles Korea in 1968; conducting the tour aren’t freely available for purchase— the day we visited was an elderly and scarcity of heavy industry man dressed in navy whites who means the air is remarkably clear. was one of the sailors in the original Then it’s time to think about boarding party. And then there’s where to have dinner. Don’t dawdle; the underground train system, with most Pyongyang eateries generally

W6 Friday - Sunday, January 29 - 31, 2010 | THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA. TRAVEL

When a power outage darkened Courtesy of the advertising Mangyongdae KITC restaurant, the department of Korea International waitresses were quick to distribute Travel Co., the 45-minute video huge flashlights, one for each table. compact disk features me and my 24 traveling companions as we played tourist, drinking beer at by the way, brace yourself for one lunch and riding the escalators of final, unexpected spending the underground-train stations. opportunity, befitting a state eager These scenes are interspersed for hard currency. We’d already with footage of 80,000 performers experienced one big earner, the at the Arirang mass games, and the shop selling souvenir stamps (such whole thing is set to a rousing as an envelope bearing a Mona Lisa soundtrack mixing modernized stamp, postmarked on the day of is- folk songs, swelling orchestral sue, about $7) and hand-painted passages and the worst elevator propaganda posters (such as one music I’ve ever heard. showing flying pens attacking Thankfully, there is no record of close by 9 p.m. The choices range Replete with slot machines and ta- strike with your minder. former U.S. President Richard my night out. At least some things quite widely, from hot pot at bles for card games including black- After that, there is only the Nixon). Now some tourism officials that happen inPyongyang,stayin Chongryu Hot Pot restaurant to jack, the casino is generally open un- 7 a.m. “workers’ siren,” a citywide rushed onto our airport-bound bus Pyongyang. roast duck at Pyongyang Duck til 4 a.m. But if you aren’t stayingin wake-up call. It might serve to tell with something more modern: Barbeque Restaurant No. 1 to the hotel, how long you can play de- you whether you had too much soju. videos of our three-day stay, going Kristina Pérez is Macanese fare such as egg tarts at pends on what kind of deal you can On your last day in Pyongyang, for just under $30. I couldn’t resist. anAsia-based writer. the imaginatively named Macau Restaurant. Whatever you pick, forget dining by candlelight. Here, it’s more likely to be by flashlight. On my first night, just as my tour group was tuckinginto a typical Korean meal of naengmyon (cold noodles) and bulgogi (barbecued beef) at Mangyongdae KITC restaurant, the lights went out. But the waitresses have come to expect power outages, and before we knew it they were coming around with huge flash- lights, one for each table. The room lights still hadn’t come back on by the time we left about an hour later. Checkingout the city’s after-din- ner scene is easy: There’s one night- club and one casino, both located in the same place, the 1,001-room Yanggakdo Hotel, one of about a dozen hotels where foreigners are allowed to stay. (All the tourist hotels do offer some evening activities—like a karaoke bar—but the Yanggakdo is the place to be.) You won’t see any locals here; the entertainment venues are off limits to North Korean citizens. Start at the aptly named Revolving Restaurant, also known as the Swivel Restaurant, on the 47th floor. It has all the glamour of a 1980s airport lounge, but still attracts businesspeople and Russian exchange students. Grab a seat by the window and admire the lack of city lights as you circle around. Order a serving of soju. Traditionally made from rice, although sometimes also from acorns,it’s the national liquor. Less-adventurous travelers could sample some of the country’s homegrown beer. The best-known brands are Ryongsong,Ponghak and .Taedonggang, which last year was bizarrely the subject of an advertisement on state TV, is made using equipment that once produced the likes of Brown’s Bitter and Mann’s Best Ale in Trowbridge, England. North Korea boughttheshut-down brewery from its U.K. owner and had itdismantled and shipped over in 2000. The restaurant stays open until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m, or when the last customer leaves. Sufficiently mellowed, head for the nightclub on the lower ground floor. You can groove to the beat of familiar pop tunes from the ’70s and ’80s (was that the Bee Gees’ “Stay- in’ Alive,” or too much soju?) until about 3:30 a.m. if there’s enough business; otherwise the staff close the doors at about 1:30 a.m. If you’re still not ready to call it a night and you’re feeling lucky, pop next door to the Egypt Palace casino.

WEEKEND JOURNAL | Friday - Sunday, January 29 - 31, 2010 W7