Our primary reason for visiting the north east city of Hoeryong was to learn about Kim Jong-suk, one of the “three Commanders of Mt Paektu”, hero of the anti-Japanese revolutionary forces and mother to Kim Jong-il – the successor to North Korea’s first post Japanese occupation leader, his father Kim Il-sung. Continue reading “Mother Kim Jong-suk – From Kitchen Hand to Commander of Mt Paektu”
Kim Ki-song Hoeryong First Middle School – Children of the Revolution
On arriving into Hoeryong from Chongjin our first stop was the Kim Ki-song Hoeryong First Middle School, one of the country’s more prestigious secondary schools catering to the offspring of the city’s Nouveau riche. It is named after the revolutionary brother of anti-Japanese war heroine Kim Jong-suk, wife of Kim Il-sung and mother to Kim Jong-il. Continue reading “Kim Ki-song Hoeryong First Middle School – Children of the Revolution”
Vale, Southern Cloud
In 1929 aviators Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (after whom Sydney’s airport is named) and Charles Ulm founded Australian National Airways (ANA). The Southern Cloud was one of its three engined Avro X aircraft flying daily between several Australian cities. Continue reading “Vale, Southern Cloud”
Hoeryong – Snacking, Wining, Dining and Sleeping
As usual we had an early start to the day, so as to fit in a final sightseeing stop in Chongjin prior to heading inland on our 2 – 3 hours drive to Hoeryong. En route we stopped at a small unmarked shop which sold bottled water (for a few cents) from the adjacent bottling plant which our guides assured us produced the best water in North Korea. A plaque by the shop detailed the makeup of the water for those seeking additional assurance in this regard. Continue reading “Hoeryong – Snacking, Wining, Dining and Sleeping”
Hoeryong – The birthplace of Kim Jong-suk
Hoeryong is a city of around 100,000 people in the northern part of North Hamgyŏng Province, right on the border with China. Like all other towns and cities in North Korea you would imagine that the population was somewhat smaller as people tend to stay at home when not out working. North Korea is not a café / window shopping society though things are slowly changing in this direction, especially in Pyongyang where a multitude of new cafes and restaurants had sprung up between my 2014 and my 2018 visit. Continue reading “Hoeryong – The birthplace of Kim Jong-suk”
Lambie Street and the Raglan Gallery
Lambie Street was the original main street of Cooma before an eastward shift to Vale Street and later Sharp Street, the current main thoroughfare of this small New South Wales country town. Continue reading “Lambie Street and the Raglan Gallery”
Pyongyang Railway Museum
Being a fan of all things railway I greatly looked forward to visiting this museum and, being in North Korea, I knew it would have that something extra. It did not disappoint. Continue reading “Pyongyang Railway Museum”
Giorgio’s Sandwash Track – Woodstock Nature Reserve
While enjoying the amazing views down onto the Murrumbidgee River and the surrounding countryside from Shepherd’s Lookout I noticed a formed track running along the northern back of the river, terminating at an almost 90 degree bend in the river. A quick check confirmed that this was an official walking track – Giorgio’s Sandwash Track. Continue reading “Giorgio’s Sandwash Track – Woodstock Nature Reserve”
Train Travel in North Korea – For No One and for the Leaders
On 30 November 2018 a South Korean train crossed the border into North Korea. ‘So what’ – I hear you say – ‘trains cross international borders every day of the week’. Continue reading “Train Travel in North Korea – For No One and for the Leaders”
Sherwood Homestead (Former) Walk Via Blue Range Hut
Generally when people do this walk they do it in either spring or autumn. This lets them enjoy either the display of daffodils still growing on the site of the long abandoned Sherwood Homestead or the sight of a range of exotic deciduous trees as their leaves transform from green to an assortment of browns, yellows and reds before finally drifting to the ground in the former homestead gardens.
Not being one to follow the crowd I visited in the winter. Continue reading “Sherwood Homestead (Former) Walk Via Blue Range Hut”
The Rambling Wombat 