Rainy day in Pyongyang

Saturday was billed in our itinerary as a relaxing day. I'd been sick from the pizza (the only Pizza Restaurant in Pyongyang) the previous night and it was raining so it seemed like a good idea to lie low at the hotel. I did venture down to the swimming pool in the basement but the water was cold so I visited the jimjjibang attached to the change room instead. This is a bathhouse-type place where you strip down and do some serious scrubbing followed by soaking in a lovely hot pool - and a cold pool if desired. I think they may have also had a sauna but I was just happy to warm up in the hot pool.

I didn't take any photos all day.

So I thought I'd show you The Pyongyang Times.

At our pre-tour briefing it was explained than to fold these across any photos of the Great, Dear and/or Supreme Leaders was extremely bad form and they needed to be kept flat or folded above/below the photos. 

I bought 5 of these papers and 4 of them had plastered the photos right where we could have tripped up and placed the usual halfway fold!

 The papers make great reading - stories of the Great, Dear and Supreme Leaders, stories about political ideological ideas, stories of industrial and other achievements, some arts and sports ...

 ...but the best is at the back where they let rip at South Korea.

 If you click on the above image you may be able to read it - but in case you can't I'll give you the first paragraph.
South Korea's warmongers Kim Kwan Jin and Jong Sung Jo are responsible for the recent heinous event that violated the nation's top pride and they are getting more outrageous in a last-ditch effort.

They reserve their best vitriol for South Korean President Lee Myung Bak:
The Lee Clan are a group of nefarious traitors the Koreans can never live together as they have gone crazy with the anti-DPRK confrontation racket while hurling slanders and calumnies at the great leaders whom the Korean people trust and follow like heaven...
In particular, traitor Lee took the lead in making vituperation, only to disclose his true nature as a wicked confrontation-minded and anti-reunification element. This is the height of absurdity aimed to maintain his failed policy of confrontation...


But here is my favourite. We had been told the story of the births of 415 sets of triplets in the lead up to the grand celebrations on April 15th (4/15 get it?) and I then found the 'proof' - truly a miraculous sign.