Goulburn is just over two hours drive from Sydney and about an hour from Canberra. Alas, it is all to often seen as only a convenient rest stop en route from Sydney to anywhere on the southern part of the Australian land mass, though most typically Melbourne, Canberra or Adelaide. Continue reading “Goulburn as a Rest Stop along the Hume Highway”
Overland from Pyongyang to Hamhung via the Ullim Falls
With the military and other celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s foundation, on the 9th of September, over it was time for us to head east for the first of two forays which would let us see a large part of this, much less frequently visited and scenically beautiful, side of the country. For this trip we started with a bus ride, 300 kms across the country giving us a wonderful introduction to this beautiful scenery and an insight into country life more generally. This review is a photo journal of my trip from Pyongyang to Hamhung, on the east coast of North Korea. Continue reading “Overland from Pyongyang to Hamhung via the Ullim Falls”
And all they wanted was Sex
No-one outside North Korea really knows how many people died in the 1994-2000 famine and estimates range from 240,000 and 3,500,000. The collapse of the Soviet Union left the country without its traditional external support, a series of droughts and floods lead to failed harvest after failed harvest and the centrally planned economic system failed so disaster resulted.
So, what do you do when your country is going through a horrific famine and thousands of people are dying of starvation or hunger-related illnesses? Continue reading “And all they wanted was Sex”
Enjoy your bus trip to Kaesong
Approximately half our tour group spent the morning of our second day in North Korea running some part of the Pyongyang Marathon. The rest of us watched the start and finish of the run and two soccer matches in the Kim Il-sung Stadium. Continue reading “Enjoy your bus trip to Kaesong”
The Rambling Wombat 